The existence of a sole masterful originator and creator of the universe, with its obviousness in innate disposition (fitrah) and reason (aql), has never been the main point of contention throughout the history of the revealed books and sent messengers. A belief in an all-powerful, all-knowing creator naturally leads to the truth that all the Prophets and Messengers invited to which is that He be given worship and devotion alone, as that is the natural consequence of such a belief, and this is what characterizes true religion.
In all nations, societies, civilizations in history there has always been a belief in a supreme creator, and historically, each nation from the time of Noah (alayhis salaam), up until the time of Mohammad (alayhis salaam) has been sent a Messenger with the message to give worship only to the one truly deserving of it, which is Allaah, and to shun the worship of anything besides Him as that is false worship and is the essence of ingratitude, infidelity (i.e. kufr). And nations, civilizations and societies have set up deities besides Allaah, amongst them Prophets, the angels, the jinn (devils, demons), the natural phenomena (wind, lighting, rain, mountains, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, animals), the righteous (dead or living), their ancestors, stones, trees, idols and the likes - giving them either qualities, abilities and powers that begin only to Allaah alone and/or directing something of worship to them. This false and unfounded worship can have one of four roots (arguments, justifications, claims) underlying it:
The above four underlying assumptions will always be found lurking behind the polytheistic practices of many a nation and civilization that has passed, and we see that they have also affected this Muslim nation where the belief that saints and righteous people have control and influence over the universe, the soliciting of intercession from the righteous dead by invoking them with du'a (supplication), veneration of their tombs and graves, and offering of devotion to them in a variety of ways is common in many of the Muslim lands today.
These beliefs and practices clash with what the Messengers called to which is the attachment of the hearts to Allaah, the Exalted, alone, worshipping Him alone with all the types and forms of worship (inward and outward) and shunning the worship of all things besides Him, be they saints, prophets, angels, the jinn or other things. This is the meaning of (لا إله الا الله), which means (لا معبود بحق الا الله ), which means "There is no deity worthy of worship in truth, but Allaah (alone)" and the Qur'an is an elaboration of this truth, containing textual and rational proofs indicating the truth of this kalimah.
Except that in all nations, Allaah decreed factions of people as a trial and test for the people of Tawhid, and the first of those who sought to undermine this universal truth (لا إله الا الله) were the heretical Baatiniyyah who showed up in the third and fourth centuries of Islamic history, and introduced a philosophical and mystical attachment to the righteous dead (and to the Prophets) and over the passing of centuries this infected the Muslims until, when the duration since the sending of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) had extended further, this falsehood started becoming common-place. When this began to occur in the fifth and sixth centuries, there were notable figures who began to point this out, such as Ibn Aqeel al-Hanbali (d. 513H), Ibn al-Jawzee (597H) and Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606H) - many long centuries before Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab was even born.
Every sect has its inheritors and today we see the faction known as the Barelwiyyah who have inherited this deen from their forerunners, the Baatinee Raafidee Shiah who entered attachment and veneration of the inhabitants of the graves amongst the Muslims. This deen clashes with the deen brought by the Prophets and Messengers, which is to single out Allaah with all forms and types of worship. Most people amongst them are unlearned and have raw emotional zeal and religious ferver, but due to their ignorance, they are lead astray by their leaders who restrain them and prevent them from recognizing the reality and implications of this great and lofty kalimah, (لا إله الا الله). The most effective of methods used by their leaders and scholars is to vilify, demonize, slander and lie upon the callers to the Tawhid of the Messengers, effectively creating a barrier between the common-people and those who would lift the veil from them and call them to make their attachments to Allaah alone. But since many of the common-folk are averse to what they see as the burden of religious practice, the appeal of shortcuts to Allaah through pirs (faith-healers) and walis (saints) presented to them by their leaders and guides makes them fall further into the clutches of these evil misguided scholars. They have catalogues of doubts (shubuhaat) and (false) arguments through which they confound the ignorant common-folk they hold sway over, and from their common statements by which they beguile the common-folk and prevent them from knowledge, guidance and light is that they say, "Follow the awliyaa blindly, and treat the ulamaa with suspicion," and their intent is to degrade the position of knowledge in the hearts of the common-folk so they never attain baseerah (insight) into their religion, so that they (these evil leaders) can continue to lead these people to whatever direction they wish, confident that they will remain ignorant rabble from whom revenue is easily acquired through promises of salvation and deliverance alongside a token attachment to the religion. And as for any religious instruction they present, it is mostly to brainwash the flock and keep them within the confines, and is not true objective religious knowledge and instruction in the wider scheme of the foundation of the religion which is the Tawhid of Allaah, and singling Him out with Rububiyyah and Uluhiyyah.
Inshaa'Allaah, we aim to lift the fog and remove this barrier and veil by demonstrating that this sect, the Barelwiyyah, free and innocent of it are the great Imaams of the religion of the past from the four madhaahib and other than them, and demonstrating that its creed (aqidah) and much of its practice, is alien to what the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) brought, to what the Companions and Taabi'een were upon, and to what the Imaams of the Salaf were upon.
The Basics
