Deobandi Elder: "Angels and Messengers are Taghut"

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

والعاقبة للمتقين

Allah Most High says:

فَمَنۡ یَّکۡفُرۡ بِالطَّاغُوۡتِ وَ یُؤۡمِنۡۢ بِاللّٰہِ فَقَدِ اسۡتَمۡسَکَ بِالۡعُرۡوَۃِ الۡوُثۡقٰی

So whoever rejects the Tâghût and believes in Allâh has grasped a strong handle

(Sura 2:256)

Allah commands Believers to reject and disbelieve in the Taghut. This is a term that is defined as referring to that individual who calls upon or orders others to worship them, or is satisfied with others worshiping them. As such the term Taghut cannot be applied to any true Prophet or Saint of Allah, as they would never be pleased with anyone worshiping them nor would they ever order others to worship them instead of Allah. So while it is true that there are some Prophets and Saints who are worshiped by misguided people—Christians worship Jesus and his mother Mary—those Prophets and Saints would disassociate themselves strongly from such worship and deification. This is why Allah in the Quran orders us to believe in all of His Apostles but to disbelieve in the Taghut, thereby making a clear distinction between the two.

However, Husain Ali Alwani, considered Ra’is ul-Mufassirin (chief of the commentators of the Quran) by some of the Deobandis, said:

اور طاغوت کا معنی کل ما عبد من دون اللہ فھو الطاغوت اس معنی موجب طاغوت جن اور ملائکہ اور رسول کو بولنا جائز ہوگا۔

The meaning of Taghut is ‘everyone who is worshiped besides Allah is the Taghut’. According to this definition to call Jinn, Angels and the Apostle Taghut will be allowed (Bulghat ul-Hairan; p.43)

Regrettably, the Deobandi elder made a serious error in considering it correct to refer to Angels and Messengers of Allah who are worshiped by the polytheists as ‘Taghut’.