Question:

What is your comment about the following statement, as translated into English:

“And the Seniors of the Tariqa Naqshbandiyya Aliyya Haqqani claim that the sins of Shaykh Muhammad Nazim are no longer being recorded because he has reached the rank of Awliya of Allah. (I.e. the claim that he is infallible – ma‘sum.)”

Answer:

1. Neither Shaykh Muhammad Nazim (1341-1435/1922-2014)—may Allah grant him mercy and give him Jannat al-Firdaws—nor the Seniors of this Tariqa ever said what they are being accused of by anonymous accusers and without evidence. It has been said that “Sourcing (isnad) is part of the religion, and without sourcing, anyone can say anything.”

الإسناد من الدين، ولولا الإسناد لقال من شاء ما شاء

The Seniors of this Tariqa are three people: our teacher Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani; his brother Shaykh Muhammad Adnan Kabbani; and the son of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, Shaykh Muhammad Adil (hafizahum Allah). None of those three said the above. Nor did Shaykh Nazim ever claim wilaya nor infallibility—subhan Allah!—nor did the above-mentioned three ever claim it for him. As infallibility is only for Prophets, and “a single Prophet is better than all Awliya put together” (Aqida Tahawiyya).

نبيٌّ واحد خيرٌ من جميع الأولياء.

2. On the contrary, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim is the one who all his life said: “I am a weak servant, I am sinful, I am in need of Allah, I am helpless, I ask for repentence, I ask for forgiveness, I am poor were it not for the generosity of Allah.” All that took place was that when he reached the age of ninety (90) years, he made a reference to certain hadiths that gave glad tidings to those who grow old in Islam, and he referred to them as a teaching for people and to commemorate the favors of Allah.

3. Know, therefore, that the Infallible Prophet (saws) said:

“When the Muslim servant of Allah reaches 50 years of age, Allah makes the Account lenient for him. When he reaches 60, Allah grants him to always turn back to Him. When he reaches 70, those in heaven and on earth love him. When he reaches 80, Allah ratifies his good deeds and erases his bad ones. When he reaches 90, Allah forgives him whatever was in the past of his sins and whatever is yet to come, and he gives him intercession for his relatives and he is recorded in heaven as Allah’s prisoner on earth.” (Ahmad, Abu Ya‘la, al-Tabarani, and others from various Sahaba.)

الْعَبْدُ المُسْلِمُ إِذَا بَلَغَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً لَيَّنَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ الْحِسَابَ، وَإِذَا بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ رَزَقَهُ اللهُ الْإِنَابَةَ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا بَلَغَ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً أَحَبَّهُ أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ، وفي رواية: أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ وَأَهْلُ الْأَرْضِ، فَإِذَا بَلَغَ ثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً ثَبَّتَ اللهُ حَسَنَاتِهِ وَمَحَا سَيِّئَاتِهِ، فَإِذَا بَلَغَ تِسْعِينَ سَنَةً غَفَرَ اللهُ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَشَفَّعَهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَكُتِبَ فِي السَّمَاءِ: أَسِيرُ اللهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ

“Allah says: Truly if My servant—man or woman—grow old in Islam I am too shy to punish them after that with hellfire.” (al-Tabarani, Abu Ya‘la, Ibn Abi al-Dunya and others.)

إِنِّي لَأَسْتَحْيِي مِنْ عَبْدِي وَأَمَتِي يَشِيبَانِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ ثُمَّ أُعَذِّبُهُمَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي النَّارِ

“Truly it is part of magnifying the majesty of Allah to honor the one who grew old in Islam.” (Abu Dawud, Ibn Abi Shayba, al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi.)

إِنَّ مِنْ إِجْلَالِ اللهِ وفي رواية مِنْ تَعْظِيمِ جَلاَلِ اللهِ إِكْرَامَ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ

“There are three types of people which only a hypocrite treats lightly: someone who grew old in Islam; someone who possesses Islamic learning; and a just leader.” (Abu Dawud, Ibn Abi Shayba, al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi.)

ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا يَسْتَخِفُّ بِحَقِّهِمْ إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ: ذُو الشَّيْبَةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَذُو الْعِلْمِ، وَإِمَامٌ مُقْسِطٌ

4. Therefore whoever wishes to receive the good news let him do so, and let him invoke blessings and salutations on the Prophet since Allah has given Mawlana Shaykh Nazim all three of those attributes—old age in Islam, spiritual knowledge and leadership—and He has also given him more followers and converts to Islam than any other propagator of Islam (da‘i) in the past 100 years. His excellent reputation has reached all the countries of the world through his followers, both before the internet existed and after. If all this is not what can be justly described as characteristic of a wali Allah, then Allah has no awliya. May Allah grant him mercy, honor him and enter him into the vastest paradise. Allah is all-Hearing and He answers. O Allah! Do not deprive us of his ample reward, and do not afflict us with strifes and troubles after him.

Hajj Gibril Haddad