On January 14, 2025, a large gathering of 2,500+ Ulema, Mufti and Spiritual Sheikhs for entire state of Assam, gathered to take a strong stand on Maulana Saad.
A Fatwa/stance was agreed upon.
The following Audio explains their stance.
Audio Translation
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Respected people, yesterday on January 14, 2025, there was a large gathering of all the religious scholars, spiritual guides, and Quran reciters of the entire state of Assam, as well as some officials connected to the Tablighi Jamaat. It was a very large assembly where approximately two to two and a half thousand scholars participated, including prominent scholars of Assam, muftis, and Quran reciters.
All scholars and reciters of Assam were invited to this gathering. Some people from distant places came in small numbers, while many others couldn’t attend. Similarly, some scholars couldn’t attend due to valid reasons – some were elderly or advanced in age. Although these scholars couldn’t attend when the organizers invited them, they presented their excuses. However, they stated that whatever decision you make, we are with you, and whatever decision is made, we will also sign it when it reaches us.
Almost all scholars have promised this way. Our invitation has reached nearly all scholars, and we hope that all have unanimously promised to support and endorse the program, the assembly, and whatever was discussed in it. Thus, if we say that the complete scholars of Assam – all the scholars, reciters, and witnesses – have agreed on the decision taken yesterday regarding Dawat and Tabligh, particularly concerning Maulana (peace be upon him) and his supporters’ ideologies, almost all Assam scholars agree, except perhaps two to four scholars who might disagree.
Today I will present before you the decision that the scholars of Assam made in yesterday’s assembly. I hope we will listen carefully and try to act upon this decision. This is the decision of Assam’s scholars – listen carefully.
First is the title: “The Unanimous Position of Assam’s Scholars Regarding the Views of Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi“
After this, they write: Tablighi Jamaat is an important organization for spreading and preaching religion, which has always had the patronage of Deobandi elders, resulting in the organization’s beliefs and ideologies remaining aligned with Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat. However, for several years, one of the organization’s prominent responsible members, Maulana Muhammad Saad, due to lack of knowledge, has deviated from his elders’ path and adopted a different route. Taking advantage of the Nizamuddin Markaz structure, he has made the organization a means of promoting his wrong ideologies.
The scholars of the community sensed this and tried to reform it in their own way, but no effort proved effective. Rather, Darul Uloom Deoband, the flag bearer of establishing truth and refuting falsehood, after several attempts at understanding and correspondence, issued a strong position in 2016 (1438 Hijri). It clarified that: Maulana Muhammad Saad, due to lack of knowledge, was deviating from the path of the majority of Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat in his thoughts, views, and interpretations of Quran and Hadith, which is undoubtedly the path of misguidance. If immediate restrictions are not placed on the spread of these views, there is a danger that a large section of the community associated with Tablighi Jamaat might fall into misguidance and take the form of a deviant group.
Then on January 31, 2018 (13 Jamadi ul-Awwal 1439 Hijri), Darul Uloom Deoband again warned Maulana and wrote that he should remain committed to the way of the predecessors and stop the process of personal interpretations from religious texts. His incorrect interpretations suggest that, God forbid, he is attempting to form a new group that would differ from Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat and especially from the school of thought of his elders.
Then after a long gap of five years, in 2023 (1444 Hijri), Darul Uloom Deoband issued a third detailed fatwa on the inquiry of Bhopal scholars, stating that since January 31, 2018, the statements of Maulana that have been reaching Darul Uloom Deoband, after reading them, it can be written without doubt that instead of reform, the matter is increasingly moving toward wrong interpretations, distortions in religion and Shariah, and insistence on self-made views. This is not just a matter of minor misstatements, but of misguided thinking, lack of knowledge, and despite lack of qualification, the audacity to interpret and deduce, which has resulted in an ongoing series of distortions.
After stating these fatwas from Darul Uloom, the scholars write: Alas, the danger and concern that Darul Uloom Deoband had expressed is becoming apparent. More than eight years have passed, but Maulana still remains stubborn and persistent in his wrong thoughts. He received such a long period for reform, but his misguided views have become more entrenched than before and have spread widely among both common people and the educated. The dangerous aspect is that Maulana’s followers now consider him a reviver and independent scholar and don’t pay attention to any other respected religious scholar. Shameful incidents are occurring from their side, and many imams have been removed from mosques for standing up for truth.
In the past eight years, major scholars of the world have written letters to Maulana, met him directly to warn him, given sympathetic and well-wishing advice, but regrettably, no effort has proved effective. His wrong views are spreading rapidly among the common people of our state as well, and the misguidance is clearer than the sun. Therefore, as religious scholars, we have thoroughly reviewed Maulana’s old and new statements, listened to dozens of speeches from beginning to end, and after honest investigation, we have reached the conclusion that Maulana Muhammad Saad absolutely lacks the qualification to give speeches, take pledges from common people, and become their religious leader.
The scholars explain why: Because Maulana has no control over his tongue. Due to lack of knowledge, he even makes inappropriate statements about the sacred status of prophets (peace be upon them). He has criticized Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him), Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him), and even the Seal of Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and despite warnings, has not retracted.
Second reason: Most of his speeches contain wrong interpretations of Quran and Hadith, interpretation by personal opinion, and distortion of religion.
Third reason: Maulana presents only one specific form of preaching as the exact Sunnah and exact way of life, and denies other legitimate methods of preaching. He makes up methods, distorts texts to make them specific to his invented new method, and is so insistent that he dares to ridicule and humiliate scholars, trying to discredit scholars among common people.
Moving forward, they say that a gathering was held in Gopalganj in December 2024, whose speeches have become public. We are recording one excerpt here, reading which anyone with even a particle of intelligence, understanding, and correct knowledge can assess how far things have gone. Maulana said in his speech, “I swear by Allah one hundred times” – listen to how many times he’s swearing – “one hundred times.” This is a very big mistake by Maulana. We would say this is a very big mistake by Maulana. Why does Maulana keep swearing? Perhaps he lies, that’s why he feels the need to swear so much.
Further, Maulana says, “I swear one hundred times that preaching is a physical worship. Listen to what he’s saying – preaching is a physical worship. This obligation cannot be fulfilled through any pen, magazine, newspaper, or any other means. You can send as many messages as you want, send as many texts as you want about religion – I swear one hundred times, the obligation of preaching that Allah has placed upon you cannot be fulfilled without using your body, just as prayer cannot be fulfilled without using your body. This is obvious. The people of this age are deceived. They think sending the message of religion is enough to fulfill their responsibility. I clearly say: absolutely not.”
What is he saying? He’s saying this obligation won’t be fulfilled just by conveying the message, and he’s saying this clearly. He continues, “I clearly state, absolutely not. The obligation of preaching is not fulfilled this way. I swear by Allah, I am saying with exclusivity, by God’s oath, there is no other means of training – there is not! Whatever traditional methods you want, you may call them legitimate and polish them, but by God’s oath, there is only one single method of training: that every new person must be kept in the mosque. Besides this, there is no method of training. If you bring any new method, then it is your invented new method of training. If you establish any training camp or training system outside the mosque, then it is your invented method of training.”
The scholars continue listing reasons: Maulana gives fatwas against the opinion of the subcontinent’s respected muftis and criticizes other scholars in highly inappropriate terms. He has presented a wrong interpretation of the companions’ lives in the name of biography and has convinced people that he is the greatest expert on biography in the world and the greatest independent scholar and reviver.
Fifth reason: They state that he considers systems of preaching and education outside the mosque as ineffective, unrewarded, and against the Sunnah.
Sixth reason: They mention that despite whatever warnings and letters the scholars of truth have given until now, Maulana hasn’t paid attention to any of them and has always issued such responses that have served to deceive the common people. A few months ago, Sheikh ul-Islam Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani (may his blessings continue) wrote a detailed letter after sympathetic reformative efforts, but it is extremely painful that instead of accepting Sheikh ul-Islam’s reform, Maulana dealt deceptively and instead accused Sheikh ul-Islam of not understanding the meaning of his statements. “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.”
In any case, after stating these matters about Maulana, the Assam scholars conclude by saying that to fulfill the obligation of speaking truth and showing the right path to their people, we, the scholars of Assam, after complete investigation and review through our sources, find it necessary to announce to save our state’s people from misguidance that: listening to the statements of Maulana Muhammad Saad and any person holding his wrong views, spreading them further, pledging allegiance to them, and doing the work of dawat and tabligh under their supervision is not permissible due to the strong possibility of misguidance.
Let alone supporting Maulana – supporting those who work together with him is not permissible. Listening to their statements is not permissible, spreading their words is not permissible. What else? Working with them in dawat and tabligh is helping in sin, which is not legally permissible.
This is for our public and those companions who are working with Maulana – they should think about this. And others who support them, who are associating with them, they should also think about what they are doing.
They further write that in matters of religion and faith, devotion and connection are not relevant. In matters of religion and faith, devotion and connection don’t matter. They’re saying that Maulana has his place, Nizamuddin has its place, we have devotion to them, but we cannot prioritize this devotion over religion.
After this, they say that the work of dawat is important. What is it? The work of dawat is important, dawat should be done. Therefore, any work of dawat, any legitimate method of dawat can be adopted. We consider those doing the work to be correct and on truth, and we advise our public to work on the same path.
Finally, they say that signatures were taken from the scholars present there, and the written endorsements of those who couldn’t attend but had supported through writing were also read out. Thus, this fatwa has been issued by the scholars of Assam.
The first point is established that he doesn’t have the capability and qualification to be a leader – no one should make him their leader. The second point is that Maulana’s statements should not be listened to, we shouldn’t work with Maulana, those working with Maulana are in danger of being misguided. Working with Maulana is a cause of misguidance, a cause of misguidance, there is danger of misguidance. Therefore, we shouldn’t work with Maulana.
What should be done instead? Working with Ahl-e-Shura is correct, therefore we should work with Ahl-e-Shura. What Ahl-e-Shura is doing under the guidance of Qutb Sahib is correct, so our public should work only with them.
For the public to consider: all our scholars are saying that working with Maulana can bring misguidance within us. The scholars have given this verdict that even having this much relationship with Maulana is not permissible. Those who are supporters of Maulana, who support his wrong statements and try to spread them – maintaining relationships with such people, helping them, supporting them, participating in their marriages or other events, none of this is permissible. Even giving them permission to work in mosques is not permissible.
I want to ask the public this much: when all our scholars are saying that we shouldn’t work with Maulana, we should stay separate from him, we shouldn’t even stay with his supporters because if we go with them, misguidance can enter us – this is the minimum degree – then why are we going with them? Why are we going with them? Why are we doing dawat and tabligh work with them?
The work of Dawat and Tabligh should be done – everyone is saying this. Do it, but what is the need to do it with a misguided person and in a way that can bring misguidance within us? If you want to do dawat work, do it with those people whom others are calling righteous, like they’re clearly saying about the Shura that they consider those working according to the Shura to be correct and on truth, so our public should work with them.
So this matter has become clear. Why aren’t we understanding this simple thing – that a person who has been declared misguided, associating with whom can bring misguidance, whose followers’ statements aren’t even permissible to listen to, and who shouldn’t even be given permission to work in mosques – why should we work with such a person and such a group? Why should we, when another clear path is present before us?
Why don’t we understand? Do we have no love for our faith and our deeds? We should try to protect our faith and deeds. Therefore, I would say this – the decision that Assam’s scholars have taken, I would make an extremely loving request to all my Muslim brothers, to protect their faith and deeds according to the decision of Assam’s scholars. This decision is actually the same as Darul Uloom Deoband’s decision, which had said that following Maulana can bring misguidance and it’s necessary for people to avoid Maulana’s wrong views.
Eight-nine years have passed, and Maulana hasn’t corrected his views; rather, they keep increasing. Therefore, now scholars have been compelled to move forward because when Maulana isn’t reforming, then going with Maulana is impermissible misguidance, going with Maulana’s supporters is also misguidance. When Maulana himself is misguided, those going with him will also be misguided. Those who will go with these misguided ones will also become misguided. Therefore, people are now compelled to say that they should neither go with Maulana nor with his followers – the scholars are being compelled to say this.
