Bahaar-e-Shariat Volume 1 (Essential Tenets of Islam)

This volume of Bahaar-e-Shariat provides a foundational exposition of the beliefs (aqaa’id) of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah, grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah. It details the nature of Allah’s Divine Being and Attributes, the status of the Prophets, the reality of the unseen, and the events of the hereafter. The work also delineates the boundaries of faith (imaan) and disbelief (kufr), while identifying and refuting the doctrines of various misguided sects, including the Qadianis, Raafdhis, and Wahabis. It establishes the necessity of following the Hanafi school of jurisprudence and emphasizes the importance of reverence for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his Companions, and the awliya.

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Key topics & takeaways

Belief in Allah

• Oneness of Allah — the work holds that Allah is one, without partners in His Being, Attributes, Actions, Commands, or Names ▸page 51.
• Nature of Divine Attributes — the work teaches that Allah’s attributes are neither synonymous with His Divine Being nor separate from Him; they are eternal and uncreated ▸page 52.
• Impossibility of Divine Defect — it is held that Allah is free from all deficiencies, such as lying, deceit, or ignorance; to claim Allah has power over lying is to attribute defect to Him ▸page 55.
• Divine Knowledge — Allah’s knowledge encompasses everything, including the manifest and the hidden; Ilm-e-Zaati (Self-Knowledge) is unique to Allah ▸page 57.

Prophethood

• Humanity of Prophets — all prophets were human and male; neither jinn nor women were prophets ▸page 67.
• Finality of Prophethood — the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal of the Prophets; the claim that any new prophet can appear is kufr ▸page 82.
• Knowledge of the Unseen — the prophets are blessed with knowledge of the unseen (ilm-e-ghayb) bestowed by Allah; this ata’i (bestowed) knowledge is distinct from Allah’s zaati (Self) knowledge ▸page 75.
• Infallibility — prophets are ma’sum (sinless) and protected from all major and minor sins, both before and after receiving prophethood ▸page 73.
• Life of the Prophets — prophets are alive in their graves, receiving sustenance, and their lives are more exalted than those of the martyrs ▸page 81.

The Hereafter and Resurrection

• The Grave — the punishment and rewards of the grave are factual; the deceased hears footsteps and is questioned by Munkar and Nakeer ▸page 101.
• Resurrection — the physical body will be raised on the Day of Judgment; one who rejects the resurrection of the body is an unbeliever ▸page 116.
• Intercession — the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the primary intercessor; all other prophets, awliya, and pious servants will also intercede by Allah’s permission ▸page 120.
• Jannat and Jahanum — paradise and hell are currently in existence and were created long ago; they are not created only at the end of time ▸page 128.

Sectarian positions & Rulings

• Status of Companions — all Companions are just and virtuous; to think ill of any Companion is a sign of a misguided person ▸page 194.
• Refutation of Qadianism — the claim of prophethood by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed is kufr; anyone who doubts the infidelity of the Qadianis is himself an infidel ▸page 168.
• Refutation of Wahabism — the work warns against the Wahabi sect, characterizing their labeling of Muslims as mushriks and their disrespect toward the Prophet ﷺ as corrupt and heretical ▸page 173.
• Definition of Bid’at — innovation that benefits religion and is not contrary to the Sunnah is permissible, sometimes even desirable or compulsory ▸page 188.

Spiritual Practice

• Wilaayat — sainthood is a special closeness to Allah bestowed by His grace; it is inseparable from adherence to the Shariah ▸page 202.
• Seeking Assistance — it is permissible to seek the assistance of the awliya in times of need, provided one believes they assist through the will of Allah ▸page 204.
• Urs and Niyaz — commemorating the Urs of the awliya and performing niyaz (offering food for esaal-e-sawaab) are permissible acts ▸page 205.