Defense Against Slander And Takfir
Coming From The 'Murabitun'-Movement
As An Example for Sects In General
Introduction by OmarKN,
then S. Gibril F Haddad's analysis and response to the allegations in U. Vadillo's book, followed by his answer, then GFH's final response:
There are many different schools, madhhab, groups, sects and turuq in the Islamic Ummah. It is essential to understand, that whoever has the same God, - Allah, the same Prophet, - Muhammad ﷺ , the same Holy Scripture (
qur'ān) and direction for prayer (
qibla) and declares himself being a muslim is a Muslim and is therefore under the protection of the members of the muslim ummah and protected by Allah (swt).
And as much as we may wish that our group or sect is the rightly guided one, we don't know for certain, only Allah knows.
Therefore - as a knowledgeable brother said: “Its time we stop attacking every other Musim group or organisation believing that only ourselves are on the haqq.”
To this effect, let us see what is the way of our Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ :
(1)
The Prophet ﷺ was asked: "Apostle of Allah! What is back-
biting?" He replied:
"It is saying something about your brother
which he would dislike." He was asked again: "Tell me how the
matter stands if what I say about my brother is true?" He
replied:
"If what you say of him is true, you have slandered him
[i.e. it is backbiting], and if what you say of him is not true,
you have reviled him [i.e. it is calumny, a worse sin than
backbiting]."
From Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Adab (Book of Manners) no. 4856
(2)
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
"Whoever calls his [Muslim] brother 'kafir',
it becomes definitely true of one of the two."
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim
As long as people mind their business, which is the best Islam, striving to do good and winning the pleasure of Allah ... , but when they display their contempt for the muslims in general and - or emerge as attacking the leaders, Shuyūkh of our muslim community (
ummah), calling them bad names [
see below, 6.] 'mason' this, 'mason' that, 'kafir' this 'kafir' that, etc. then they have to be exposed and stopped; and this is not first time they are in the 'ethics' of contempt and reviling.
At least in this respect - they have shown to have left the Sunnah of the Master of this community ﷺ , as he warned the muslims in a wellknown and sound hadith ...
(3)
... in which the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Al-Muslim man salama al-muslimoon min lisaanihi wa yaddihi wal muhaajiru man hajara maa naha-Allahu ʿanhu."
"The best of muslim believers is the one from whose tongue and hand muslims are secure; and the emigrate is the one who leaves what Allah has forbidden."
Narrated by Ahmad
This Murabitun sect is dangerous. May their members take the opportunity to leave it when there is still time, as many have done before. Some evidence for this assertion will be presented below, although there are many more proofs of their deviations. [see links]
To repeat: We are forced before the muslims, especially the young and the new ones, to warn about this group as they - according to our information - do not follow a genuine spiritual path in tasawwuf (tariqah) despite the fine words they are using (! Sufi). And Sufism (tasawwuf) is about conquering the ego (nafs) with its bad qualities and developing the very best character (adab), healing the heart. But it is not just about manners: because the tongue (or the pen) reveals what is in their hearts.
Futhermore they are probably the only group in Islamic history, having taken an economic issue, which is the abolishment of capitalism and the introduction of what they call the 'e-dinar', as their main issue and focus (!!)
This is not quite (not at all) what the Prophet of Islam came for ﷺ.
Now for the case itself:
This controversy and fitna started when one of their leaders, Umar Vadillo, published a book, which he boastingly called: "The Esoteric Deviation in Islam", in which one enormity after the other is being spread, with contempt for the muslims in general and where many - if not all - the leaders, Shuyūkh of our community (except for their own leaders), are being slandered, abused and called names - this is unacceptable, and a grave sin.
For anyone checking up on the sources, we are quoting from the - expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- , and from the exchange of opinions of Umar V. and Sidi Gibril F Haddad. [see below]
1.)
- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- Message 17553
First reaction to this book by a reader.
arabi rumi
Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:15 pm
Book Launch - Esoteric Deviation in Islam
A quick read of this very thick black covered book, seems to tell the reader
that there are many modern and contemporary personalities (muslims and converts)
are being sort of labelled as "free-masonic" or have "tendencies or
inclinations" to that effect.
And at the end of the book, the writer's tariqa & their sheikh seem to be put on
the "high pedestal".
Can one make a simple observation of muslim peoples and governments: aren't
some of the Exoteric deviations most glaring and are the direct manifestations
of a deviated or even a non-existent Esotericism or a much worse condition,
separating them as if they are two mutually exclusive worldviews?
2.)
- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- Message 17560
Another reaction where a reader compares this issue to an earlier case of self-aggrandisement concerning the discovery of the 'Ash-Shifa'.
irfan yusuf
Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:37 am
Re: [al-Zawiya] Book Launch - Esoteric Deviation in Islam
Assalamu alaykum.
It reminds me of an excellent translation of Ash-Shifa which is spoilt by
spurious claims that the translator's shaykh allegedly re-discovered the book
before it was translated into English.
Yet when that same Shaykh was making movies with Roman Polanski, Maulana
Zakariyya Kandhalwi (raa) was quoting huge chunks from the book in the various
booklets that formed part of 'Fadhail Amaal'.
go figure.
ma salama
3.)
- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- Message 17596
A positive reaction to the book, applauding to 'the the social dimension of the work'
"I found it very interesting and it has something that lacks in
other books or discourse... like 'the social dimension of our work and our
contribution'."
...
"He is also much critical of Sheikh Nazim."
...
Well not just 'critical' but attacking, casting aspersions, bad name-calling.
So it is defintely not 'a good book'! See below.
4.)
- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- Message 17661
Another reader's reaction
Assalamulikum WR WB,
The funny thing I have noticed about this book is
...
that it might seem to the non muslim that the Shaykh
is actually having a rant against ALL muslims, as it
appears to go against all the famous names that they
may hear.
May Allah guide us All to the straight path.
[- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya-]
5.)
- expired link (before 2017) - groups.yahoo.com/group/al-Zawiya- Message 17716
Where Sidi Gibril F Haddad mentions the directive for every seeker of truth:
'At that time and also later, during his last two trips to the US, in
England, Cyprus, and Damascus, I took from Mawlānā the same
great
directive for every seeker of truth:
OUR GOAL IS THE DEFENSE AND ILLUSTRATION OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD AND
HIS LOFTY ATTRIBUTES,upon him and his House and Companions blessings
and peace; to which Allāh support us!
I understood from this that the true Murīd in the
Naqshbandī-Haqqānī
Tarīqa is the friend and helper of every defender of Sayyidina
Muhammad and it is his duty to associate with such defenders because
they are on Mawlānā's path whether they are Naqshbandī or
not.
6.)
After the writings against the Shuyukh in this deplorable, above mentioned book, Sidi Gibril F Haddad wrote a defense of his Shaykh, of all muslims and of traditional islam, in article:
The Murabitun and Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani:
Umar Vadillo's
“The Esoteric Deviation in Islam”
[
link]
Some of his points (from a - s), which are linked to the above text:
a) These attacks happened out of envy
towards Shaykh Nazim and those following him.
(a)
g) Accusing the Friend of Allah, Shaykh Nazim,
of extreme satanism in Vadillo's Esoteric Deviation (on page 460).
(g)
b) Their activity is "declaring mainstream Muslims deviant"
(b)
c) Another sect insulting the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ
(c)
d) Murabitun's contempt for the Community of Islam
(d)
e) Zakat on gold can be paid not necessarily in gold
but in any local paper currency, an agreed-upon fatwa in the Muslim world
borrowed from the Hanafi and Maliki Madhhabs.
(e)
f) Calling the Muslim Martin Lings a 'rank Guenonian Masonic esotericist'
(f)
h) Übermensch enormities
(h)
i) Vadillo's saying: "We are not monotheist." (p. 284)
(i)
j) Vadillo's saying: "[T]here is no brotherhood of mankind ...
... [it being] a freemasonic ideal."
(j)
k) Contempt of the idea of 'tolerance',
being an inherent element of the religion of Islam,
[link: www.tolerantmonotheism.com !xxx broken link!monotheism.com" TARGET="_blank">TolerantMonotheism.com] and
(k)
l) Attacking muslims of 'masonry' and 'perennialism'
(l)
(see also:
Are Non-Islamic Religions Valid? and [
link]
m) Their 'Don't Expect the Mahdi' mantra
(m)
Denying the belief in the appearance of the Mahdi places one beyond the pale of Sunni belief.
The fundamental Islamic belief of the Mahdi in respect to what this sect is saying can be found at:
Have you eyes, Murabitun Brethren? by Gibril F Haddad
Summon to repent, [
link]
n) The agreement of the Umma is more important and more probative than the Fiqh of Madina, and the Umma concurs that belief in the Mahdi is part of the Islamic creed.
(n)
o) Shaytan hates the Prophet's ﷺ Inheritor in every era.
(o)
p) Their slogan: "Islam will replace banking!"
But Islam is not an economic development-programme!!
The Murabitun is "possibly the only religious sect in history
whose defining article of faith is
a financial theory"!
(p)
q) The Murabitun claims to an authentic
spiritual chain (tariqah) are probably
not true.
It is a sure sign of the stamp of Shaytan (rajīm) if a group of muslims, after having followed a spiritual lineage, later disassociates itself from it, turning instead to arrogantly slandering the muslim community and throwing takfīr at their leaders and shuyūkh.
(q)
r) Their leader, Dallas, renounced the Darqawi Adab
back in the 1980-ies
(r)
s) Umar Ibrahim Vadillo's book makes its rizq the revilement of the Awliya and, worse, panders to a Final Solution ethos passing for Islamic reform! - a tract of misguidance as dark as its pitch-black and devil-red cover.
(s)
7.)
Then there came Umar Vadillo's reply, which left most of the criticism unanswered,
mostly focused on wrong predictions about the end of times, when it was meant to be a warning for the muslims.
Murabitun's Umar V.'s defense and explanations of his deplorable book
against the criticism of Sidi Gibril F Haddad:
Reply To Mr Haddad's Criticism Of The Book
[
link]
And we leave it to the intelligent reader to see for himself.
8.)
del.
9.)
Have you eyes, Murabitun Brethren? by Gibril F Haddad
Summon to repent, [
link]
This for now, and time will tell,
And Allah knows most and best !