How Bohras and Aga Khans are different?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
it is believed that bohras and followers of prince karim agha khan
and many others are part of mulism community but in what ways are they
different or what actions (if any) makes them go out of the boundry line made
by Allah Almighty.
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Answer:
How
Bohras and Aga Khans are different?
In the
name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness.
Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray,
none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Any
person who declares and testifies His belief in the Oneness of Allah Subhanah,
and the appointment of Prophet Mohamed (saws) as Allah’s Last and Final
Messenger; he will be regarded as a legal muslim in the sight of the Shariah or
Islamic Law, and all the rights that are due to a muslim will be accorded to
him in full. It would be legal for him
to marry amongst the believers, visit the Sacred House of Allah, inherit from
his believing parents, his believing children will inherit from him, he will be
given a muslim burial, etc. Regardless
of his beliefs and acts, he will be considered a legal muslim and all the
rights that are due to a muslim will be accorded to him in full.
Your
Question: it is believed that bohras and followers of prince karim agha khan
and many others are part of mulism community but in what ways are they
different or what actions (if any) makes them go out of the boundry line made
by Allah Almighty.
The Bohra
or the Ismaili community amongst others are indeed legal muslims, for they
indeed testify that none has a right to be worshipped except Allah Alone, and
they testify that Prophet Mohamed (saws) was indeed the Last and Final
Messenger of Allah. Thus they will be considered part of the muslim community
and all the rights that are due to a muslim will be accorded to them in full.
Because
you have particularly and specifically asked about the Bohra and the Aga Khani
(or Ismaili) community, we will restrict our comments and observations to these
communities; for unfortunately many amongst the ‘Muslim’ Ummah have chosen to
disobey the direct command of Allah Subhanah and break themselves away from the
mainstream Ummah and form their own sects, creeds and cults with their own set
of peculiar beliefs, rites, and rituals.
Allah says in Chapter 30 Surah Rum aayat 31-32: "This (Islam)
is the right and true faith, but most people do not know. (Be steadfast on
this) turning wholly and sincerely towards Allah Alone, and fear Him, and
establish the Salat, and do not be like the mushriks, who have set up their
separate creeds and divided themselves into sects, each sect rejoicing in what
it has."
Allah says in Chapter 45 Surah Al-Jathiyah aayat 17: "Then they
differed amongst themselves after the knowledge (of Islam) had come to them,
only because they wanted to wrong one another. Your Lord will judge between
them on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matters in which they have been
differing."
Just look at the Anger and Wrath of Allah described on those who
break up their religion into sects:
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-55:
And you all belong to one and the same Ummah,
and I(Allah) am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves
into different sects, and each sect
rejoicing in what it has. Well,
leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an appointed
time. What? Do they think that, by continuing to provide them with wealth and
children, We are solicitous for their
welfare? Nay, they do not understand the reality of the
matter!
Although
there are several differences in their performance of the deen, the one that
should be of serious concern is their belief and practice of ‘shirk’ or associating
and invoking others with Allah Subhanah.
If one confronts a Bohra or Ismaili scholar and tells them that their
beliefs are closer to ‘shirk’ than to ‘tawheed’, they will vehemently deny that
they practice ‘shirk’!; but anyone who has even basic knowledge of the Glorious
Quran will swear that their practices and beliefs are full of the heinous and
unforgivable sin of ‘shirk’.
Here are
a few examples of their practices and beliefs which would qualify them to be
guilty of ‘shirk’ in light of the guidance of the Glorious Quran and the
Sunnah:
Major
Difference #1:
They bow down in Sajdah to their High Priests
Bowing
down in Sajdah, whereby the knees, hands, and forehead are laid upon the ground
is considered an integral act of worship in Islam, and all acts of worship are
due to none save Allah Subhanah. If one
bows down in Islamic Sajdah to anyone other than Allah Subhanah, it would
constitute a clear case and manifestation of the abomination of ‘shirk’!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77: O you
who believe, do ‘rukoo’ and ‘sajdah’ to
Allah Alone, worship Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds. It may be that you attain true success.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Fusselat verse 37: Do
not do ‘sajdah’ to the sun and the
moon, but do ‘sajdah’ to that
Allah, Who Created them, if you really are indeed His worshippers.
Major
Difference #2:
They believe that Allah can only be invoked through a ‘middleman’ or ‘Shafaa’
or intercessor.
Allah
Subhanah has guided and commanded the believers in the Quran to invoke Him
directly, without any middleman or intercessor in between. The sects like the Bohras and the Ismailis
have appointed their own ‘intercessors’ and invoke them constantly to seek the
favors of Allah Subhanah. This act of
invoking the non-existent ‘shofaa’ or intercessors is declared as a clear and
manifest act of ‘shirk’ all over the Glorious Quran.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus
verse 18: These people worship beside Allah those which can neither harm
nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with
Allah!” O Mohammed, tell them, “Do you
wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows to be neither in the heavens
nor in the earth?” He is absolutely free
from, and exalted above the shirk that
they commit.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verses 44: What! Have they taken besides Allah others as
‘shofa’a’ (intercessors)? Say to them,
“Will they intercede even if they have no power whatever nor
understanding?” Say, “Shafa’a is wholly
in the Power of Allah Alone!”. His is
the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth.
Then to Him you will be returned.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anam verse 94: (And
Allah will say), “So, you have come
before Us all alone, as We created you
at first. Now, you have left behind all that We gave you in
the world. Now We do not see with you
those ‘shufa’a’(intercessors), who, you believed, had a share in moulding your destinies! All the relations between you and them have
been cut off, and all those, in whom you trusted, have left you in the lurch.”
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3: So worship Allah
Alone, making your religion His
exclusively. Beware! Religion is the exclusive Right of
Allah. As for those who have taken other
‘auliyas’ (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying):
“We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Allah will surely judge between them
concerning all that in which they differ.
Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.
Major
Difference #3:
They believe unconditionally in every ‘farmaan’ or decree from their High
Priests; regardless of whether or not the command is in accordance with the
Quran and Sunnah.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 31: They
have made their scholars and their monks as their Rabbs besides Allah!
It is reported in an authentic narration that Hadrat Adi bin
Hatim Tai (r.a.), who was a convert to Islam from Christianity, came to the
Messenger of Allah (saws) and when he heard the above verse of the Holy Quran, “They have made their
scholars and their monks as their “Rabbs” besides Allah!”, said,
“O Messenger of Allah (saws), we
never worshipped our scholars and our monks in Christianity.” The Messenger of Allah (saws) asked him,
“Did you not consider ‘haraam’ what they say ‘haraam’, and ‘halaal’ what they say ‘halaal’?” Hadrat Adi bin Hatim (r.a.) said, ‘yes indeed,
we did!’. The Messenger of Allah (saws)
then declared, “What is this, other than
worshipping them and making them your Rabbs besides Allah!!”
Just to
relate a simple example of how the Bohras unconditionally follow the ‘farmaans’
and edicts of their Syedna above the guidance of Allah and His Messenger
(saws). Fish that do not have scales
have been declared haraam by the Bohra leadership and you will never find a
Bohra eating fish that does not have scales; whereas Allah and His Messenger
(saws) have made no such restriction upon the believers in Islam.
There are
hundreds, if not thousands of small differences in the practice of the deen;
but the one that should be of the biggest concern is their beliefs and
practices that revolve around their invocation of their self-appointed
‘awliyaas’ and thus the abomination of the heinous and unforgivable sin of
‘shirk’! If only they could realize the enormity of
this concept of ‘shirk’ from the Quran, 99% of their differences with the
believers of the Islamic Ummah would disappear!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72: Whoever
commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah),
Allah shall forbid for him
Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48: Shirk
(associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not
forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this, for
whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie
and commits the most heinous sin.
Whatever
written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance,
and whatever of error is of me. Allah
Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
