Barelwis Say Iblis is a Monotheist; Claim Terms Tawhid and Muwahhid are Innovated

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم الانبياء وامام المرسلين

سبحان الله وبحمده سبحان الله العظيم

When the Barelwis are confronted by their extreme misguidance and polytheism in praying to the deceased and ascribing divine qualities to the creation of Allāh, they respond by saying that the concept of monotheism or the Oneness of God that is being invoked against them is, God forbid, “Satanic”. The Barelwis argue that Iblīs (the Devil) is himself a staunch monotheist. Faiz Ahmad Uwaisi, a Barelwi cleric, wrote:

اس سےیہ نہ سمجھیں کہ ابلیس برائی نہیں کرتا بلکہ اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ برائی جو اس کی ذات سے متعلق ہو وہ خود نہیں کرتا مثلا ظاہر ہے کہ شیطان زانی نہیں، چور نہیں، ڈاکو نہیں کہ کسی کا مال چھین لیتا ہو اور نہ ہی دوسری عملی غلط کاریوں میں مبتلا ہے بلکہ وہ تو اعمال صالحہ کے لحاظ سے تاحال دیسے پابند ہے جیسے پہلے تھا اور توحید میں رئیس الموحدین ہے،یہاں تک کہ اب اس کا نام پوچھنا ممکن ہو تو عزازیل عبد اللہ نام بتائے گا۔ ابلیس، شیطان، رجیم وغیرہ نہیں بتائیگا۔

From this do not think that Iblīs doesn’t do bad. Rather, it means that he doesn’t do bad in his personal capacity, for example, it is obvious that Satan isn’t a fornicator, he isn’t a thief, he isn’t a robber who snatches someone’s wealth, neither is he involved in other wrongdoings. Rather, he is punctual in good deeds till present, as he was previously [before the fall]. In Tawhīd [monotheism] he is the chief of the monotheists, to the extent that if now if it is asked what his name is, it would be said his name is Azazel, servant of Allah, and it would not be said that his name is Iblīs, Satan, Rajīm, etc. (Iblis Ta Deoband, pp.12-13):

ابلیس غالی توحیدی: ابلیس تاحال اللہ تعالی کی ڈات وصفات کا قائل ہے اور توحید پر اتنا ثابت قدم ہے کہ وہ قیامت میں بھی دوزخ میں رہنا قبول کرلے گا لیکن غیر اللہ کی تعظیم یعنی آدم علیہ السلام کو سجدہ کرنا گوارہ نہیں اس سے بڑھ کر توحید کے عقیدہ پر تصلّب ومضبوطی اور کیاہوسکتی ہے۔

Iblīs is an extreme Tawhīdi: Iblīs till the present believes in Allah’s Person and Attributes, and is so steadfast upon Tawhīd that at the Resurrection he will accept residing in Hell but not veneration of anything other than Allah, meaning prostrating to Adam peace be upon him. Can there be anything greater than this level of holding fast to the doctrine of Tawhīd? (ibid, p.22):

توحیدی عقیدہ رسالت و ولایت سے دور کرنے کی ایک یہودیانہ سازش ہے۔

Tawhidi aqidah is a Judaic conspiracy to distance [Muslims] from Risalat and Wilayat (Fadl al-Wahīd, p.9):

Another Barelwi, Ahmad Yār Na’īmi, says about Satan:

خود تو پکا موحد ہے۔

He himself is a confirmed monotheist (Nūr al-Irfān, p.194):

In answer to this nonsense, this shameless satanism of the Barelwis, let it be known that Iblīs is not a monotheist but the worst polytheist, as he is one who calls upon mankind to worship him instead of Allāh. Hence, Iblīs is a mushrik and a tāghūt, as the Prophet sall Allāhu alaihi wasallam taught the following supplication:

أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي، وَشَرِّ ‌الشَّيْطَانِ ‌وَشِرْكِهِ

I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul, and from the evil of Satan and his Shirk (Sunan Abi Dāwud)

This dangerous idea that Iblīs is such a committed monotheist, and that he refused to prostrate before Adam because of his dedication and attachment to Tawhīd is a means for the Barelwis and other polytheists to discourage Muslims from believe in the true concept of Tawhīd and abandoning the Shirk of grave-worship. In reality, Iblīs did not prostrate before Adam not because of his dedication to monotheism, but because of his arrogance. Otherwise, Muslims should know that Iblīs actually desires that people should prostrate before him, with the prostration not merely of respect but the prostration of worship, as is evident from the well-known story of Barșīșā:

أنمثل لك في صورتي، ‌فتسجد ‌لي ‌سجدة ‌واحدة ‌وأنجيك ‌مما ‌هنا؟ قال: نعم. فتمثل له الشيطان في صورته فسجد له وكفر بالله، فانطلق الشيطان، وتركه، وقتل برصيصا

Satan came to Barșīșā and told him that if he wished to be saved from execution he should prostrate before him. Barșīșā agreed and prostrated before a physical manifestation of Satan, but Satan tricked him and abandoned him, so Barșīșā was killed and he had disbelieved in Allāh when he prostrated before Satan.

The Barelwis and other polytheists allege that the terms Tawhīd and Muwahhid are innovated, and that they are not found in either the Book of Allāh or any Hadīth of the Prophet sall Allāhu alaihi wasallam. Yet we know that one of the names of Sūrat al-Ikhlās, Qul Huwa Allāhu Ahad, is at-Tawhīd.

And the Prophet sall Allāhu alaihi wasallam said:

يُعَذَّبُ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّوْحِيدِ فِي النَّارِ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا فِيهَا حُمَمًا ثُمَّ تُدْرِكُهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ فَيُخْرَجُونَ وَيُطْرَحُونَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ

Some of the people of Tawhīd will be punished in the Fire until they are coals. Then the Mercy (of Allāh) will reach them, they will be taken out and tossed at the doors of Paradise (Jāmi at-Tirmidhi #2597)

فَلَا ‌يَبْقَى ‌مُوَحِّدٌ إِلَّا أَخْرَجَهُ اللَّهُ

So no Muwahhid will remain [in Hell] except that Allah will take him out (Mu’jam al-Awsat; v.5, pp.222-223, #5146)