Maulana Yaqub wrote the following letter about the issues surrounding Maulana Saad and Nizamuddin.
Maulana Yaqub, a very elderly person, was the teacher of both Maulana Saad and Maulana Saad’s father Maulana Harun. Maulana Yaqub gave 50 years of his life to the work of Da’wa and was a full-time Muqeem at Nizamuddin Markaz.
Maulana Yaqub passed away in 2019.
28th August 2016
From Maulana Yaqub
To the brothers engaged in the effort of deen. In Nizamuddin, I have spent more than 15 years with Maulana Yusuf R.A and almost 30 years after that with Maulana Inamul Hasan R.A. In this long duration of 50 years, Allah has blessed me with the Mubarak company of these two elders and I got numerous opportunities to spend time with them during various khurooj and regular stays at Nizamuddin. Allah s.w.t has given me the opportunity to engage in this auspicious effort of deen under the guidance and supervision of these two elders.
Based on this continued involvement, I can state with utmost conviction that this effort has been diverted from the path on which those elders established the effort of deen. Although these two elders of ours were the unanimously accepted ameers, they never claimed the Imarah (leadership), and they never talked in an authoritative way. They never imposed their personal self-proclaimed view. They always abided by the Mashwara.
Today, the situation is completely the reverse. A self-claimed Imarah is being asserted, and whosoever does not accept it is being forced to accept it through various tactics. As a result, there is such chaos in Nizamuddin that it has led to verbal arguments, curses, and even brutal manhandling.
Nizamuddin was a place for the Fikr of the ummah, a place for the self-rectification and preparation for the hereafter, from where everyone used to attain these qualities. The environment of that place has changed into backbiting, suspicion, and slandering. Continuous planning is going on to defame and downplay those who are trying to bring the effort to the right doctrine (Nahj). A notion is being propagated and people are being brainwashed that salvation lies only in submission to the (self-proclaimed) ameer (no matter what your actions are afterward). If you do not submit, or have a different opinion, you will not attain salvation, regardless of your level of sincerity and sacrifice.
The environment of self-rectification, preparation for the hereafter, and attainment of the worry and concern of the ummah has vanished from Nizamuddin. Instead of that, an environment of self-imposition, autocracy, and desire for worldly benefit has been established. It is for this purpose that a system of large-scale Bay’ah has been established.
The shura established during the time of Hazratji RA had unanimously decided to stop the practice of Bay’ah, with written proof carrying the signatures of all its members.
New things which were not present in the time of our elders, and which are being propagated without the Mashwara, are:
Firstly: Dawat-Taleem-Istiqbal is a new term, which was not present during the time of our elders. Although its name has now been changed to Tameer-e-masjid, the concept is the same, and because of it the importance of the daily door-to-door effort and Umoomi Jawla has been diminished.
Secondly: Curtailing the effort in Khawas and various Tabqat (special segments) of the ummah, which was well established in the time of the previous elders. Khawas and people from different Tabaqat used to join the efforts in their local masjids eventually. To curtail the Tabaqati effort and to channel the notion of Tamer-e-masjid, erroneous interpretations were deduced from the Quran, Hadith, and life of the sahabah.
Thirdly: Muntakhab Ahadith: Maulana Yusuf RA never even indicated, directly or indirectly, the Taleem from this book. An attempt has been made to bring in the Ijtimaee Taleem of Muntakhab Ahadith by gradually replacing and doing away with the Ijtimaee Taleem of Fazail-e-Amaal and Fazail-e-Sadaqat.
Fourth: The five amaal of mastoorat. Brothers are regularly confused by such a notion.
Whosoever doesn’t propagate them, and whatever place does not follow these notions, are considered against the Tarteeb (methodology) of Nizamuddin. All these new notions are introduced by only one individual, Moulvi Muhammad Saad sb. All the gatherings of Nizamuddin are devoted to the propagation of these notions. Nizamuddin has been taken over by a new group of people who haven’t had the privilege of the company of our elders and they are daily confusing the mindset of the brothers. They say, do not listen to the responsible brothers of your province/Halqa, as they are not propagating the current Tarteeb (methodology) of Nizamuddin. Even the Jamaats are given guidelines to propagate the new Tarteebs.
That is why the Hidayaat in Nizamuddin and the Ijtemas are decided only for those who explain these new notions. This has led to the division of hearts in every place and two mindsets are being developed. The brothers who are new in the work think that their area elders are not following the Tarteeb (methodology) of Nizamuddin. The old workers are in the dilemma of how to publicize new Tarteebs which are not only decided without Mashwara, but through which the effort also deviates from the foundation and from the correct doctrine (Nahaj).
Everywhere there is division, chaos, and confusion. Fikr of hereafter, worry and concern of deen and ummah, self-rectification, and the aspect of Tarbiyah (upbringing), which were the soul of this effort, are vanishing. Currently, Moulvi Saad sb. is surrounded by such a group that never had the company (Sohbah) of the elders.
For their personal benefit, this group appreciates every notion of Molvi Saad sb and keeps him in this misunderstanding that no elders in the past or present have understood the effort the way he has understood it. When Moulvi Saad sb explains these new notions, he says I am explaining to you these notions from Quran, Hadith, and Seerah and want to bring the effort on Quran, Hadith, and Seerah. Does it mean that whatever effort was deduced by our elders was not from Quran, Hadith, and Seerah? Nowadays, the bayans are full of blame, criticism, downplaying, an authoritative tone, deductions, and new explanations, which are against the pattern of our elders. Every day a new notion is introduced. Scholars (Ulema) and Mashaikh are astonished and worried about what is happening. If the same direction of the effort persists, it will not be long before the scholars are against this effort and the people who have serious concern for ummah are alienated from it.
In November 2015, in the presence of all the old workers of the world, the shura established during the time of Hazratji RA was completed to safeguard the collectiveness (Ijtimaiyat) and the Nahaj (doctrine) of the work. I was present at that time, but I am surprised that Moulvi Saad sb has refused to accept it and I couldn’t understand any valid reason for his denial. There is no Islamic institution, either educational or in any way related to the Muslim community, and no collective effort for the Muslim ummah, which can function without the supervision, guidance, and mentorship of shura. It is a very critical and dangerous situation to hand over such a vast effort to a single individual to operate it according to his own will. No one in this world is free from the natural weakness and the ill effects of the Nafs. Most probably it was for this reason that Maulana Mohammad Ilyas stated that “In the future, this effort will function under the supervision of a shura” (reference: “last letters Maulana Ilyas R.A” by Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi RA).
I am writing this letter due to the responsibility and the fear of reckoning from Allah. May Allah s.w.t give us Taufeeq to do the effort on the pattern of our elders and save us from following the innovations in the effort. Ameen.
Wassalam, Banda Mohammad Yaqub August 28th, 2016
Urdu Copy:
