Al-Hallaj and Crucifixion of Jesus

One of the controversial mystics in the history of Islam, Husain bin Mansur al-Hallaj (d. 309 H) who was executed by crucifixion under the authority of the Abbasids, is reported to have recited a portion of the Ayah (4:157) while being crucified:

وَكَانَ يقْرَأ فِي وَقت الصلب ‌وَمَا ‌قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صلبوه وَلَكِن شبه لَهُم

“They did not kill him nor did they crucify him but it was made to appear to them” (Fadâ’ih al-Bâtiniyyah, p.109):

This indicates that al-Hallaj believed that the Messiah على نبينا وعليه السلام was apparently crucified as he was being apparently crucified at that time, but that in reality it could not be said that they were responsible for killing him.

Mu'tazilite Denial of Disclosing of Unseen to Saints

The Mu’tazilite exegete Abul-Qasim Mahmud bin Umar al-Zamakhshari commenting on the passage of the Quran:

عٰلِمُ الۡغَیۡبِ فَلَا یُظۡہِرُ عَلٰی غَیۡبِہٖۤ اَحَدًا

اِلَّا مَنِ ارۡتَضٰی مِنۡ رَّسُوۡلٍ

Knower of the unseen, so He does not manifest His unseen upon anyone except one He is pleased with of an Apostle

(Surah 72:26-27)

تبيين لمن ارتضى يعني أنه لا يطلع على الغيب إلا المرتضى الذي هو مصطفى للنبوة خاصة لا كل مرتضى. وفي هذا إبطال للكرامات لأنّ الذين تضاف إليهم وإن كانوا أولياء مرتضين فليسوا برسل. وقد خصّ الله الرسل من بين المرتضين بالاطلاع على الغيب وإبطال الكهانة والتنجيم لأنّ أصحابهما أبعد شيء من الارتضاء وأدخله في السخط

An explanation of the one He is pleased with, that is, He does not inform of the unseen except to the one chosen for Prophesy particularly, and not every one He is pleased with. And in this is a falsification of the karâmât [miracles of the Saints] because although Saints are ones with whom Allah is pleased they are not Apostles. Allah has particularized the Apostles from among those with whom He is pleased for disclosing of the unseen. And it is a falsification of fortune telling and astrology as its companions are the furthest from Allah’s contentment but are entered into His discontent (al-Kashshâf, p.1149):

I have previously answered the doubt raised by the Mu’tazilah and others concerning this passage in the Quran.

Some Mu'tazilah Denied Reality of Dreams

 Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr رحمة الله عليه said:

وَلَا يُنْكِرُ الرُّؤْيَا إِلَّا أَهْلُ الْإِلْحَادِ وَشِرْذِمَةٌ ‌مِنَ ‌الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ

“No one rejects (the value of) dreams except the people of ilhâd and a small group of the Mu’tazilah” (at-Tamhîd; v.1, p.285):

Barelwi Denies Humanity of the Prophet عليه السلام

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

The most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said:

لاَ تُطْرُونِي كَمَا أَطْرَتِ النَّصَارَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدُهُ فَقُولُوا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ

Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated about the Son of Mary. For verily I am His [Allah’s] slave, so say ‘Slave of Allah and His Apostle’

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم delivered this critical statement and warning with the revealed foreknowledge that a section of his Ummah would trespass the boundaries of monotheism and manufacture doctrines concerning his person that are similar to what the Christians said concerning Christ Jesus. In their Christology, Jesus is both God and human, with these two apparently contradictory and mutually exclusive natures being united in a hypostasis. Islam, however, based on the teachings of the holy Quran and the holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم says that Jesus was a mortal human, not divine, and that he was simply an Apostle of God like the many Prophets and Apostles God sent before him. Now the most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم predicted that his Ummah would follow in some of the same errors as those that preceded them, namely, the Jews and Christians. The astray and polytheistic Barelwi sect believe that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is literally Nûr (Light), like the Angels, but also Bashar (mortal human). However, like the Christian doctrine of Jesus having two natures, human and divine, the Barelwi belief that the Prophet عليه السلام is both a being of light and mortal is contradictory, an oxymoron. In fact, according to the Barelwi scholar, Ahmad Yar Khan Na’imi, the humanity of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is illusory. He writes:

اس ايت میں کفار سے خطاب ہے چونکہ ہر چیز اپنی غیر جنس سے نفرت کرتی ہےلہذا فرمایا گیا کہ اے کفار تم مجھ سے نہ گھبراؤ میں تمہاری جنس میں سے ہوں۔ یعنی بشر ہوں۔ شکاری جنوروں کی سے آوازیں نکال کر شکار کرتا ہے اس سے کفار کو اپنی طرف مائل کرنا مقصود ہے اور دیوبندی بھی کفار میں سے ہیں تو ان سے بھی یہ خطاب ہوسکتا ہے

“In this Ayah the Kuffar [unbelievers] are addressed, because everything hates that which is another species, so it was said ‘O unbelievers, do not be fearful of me, I am of your species i.e. I am human’. A predator mimicks the sounds of animals for hunting. The purpose is to incline the unbelievers to oneself, and Deobandis are also from among the Kuffar [unbelievers], so they may also be addressed [in this Ayah].” (Jâ’ al-Haq, p.162):

In this statement not only has the Barelwi made mass-Takfîr of the Deobandis, he has clearly denied the humanity of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and he has also indirectly disrespected the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by comparing him to predators that seek to deceive their prey by mimicking their sounds for the purpose of hunting. In other words, the Barelwi mulla is implying that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم only stated that he is a bashar [human] to incline the unbelievers toward him when in reality he is not human but a being of Light.