Hakikat Kitabevi Publications No: 10 answer to an enemy of islam

“zindîqs,” “religion reformers” or “bigots of science.” They have
deceived the ignorant and led them out of Islam in every century,
yet they have not been able to harm Islam itself, for there have
been many scholars of fiqh and great men of tasawwuf in every
century who have been warning Muslims with their lectures and
articles to prevent them from being deceived. But now, the
scholars of Islam having decreased in number, the enemies of
Islam have found an opportunity. Appearing in the disguise of
men with religious posts, they have been attacking Islam. To
detect these insidious enemies, Muslims should know how a
scholar of Islam should be. Hadrat Muhammad Ma’thûm al-
Fârûqî as-Sirhindî ‘rahmatullâhi ’alaih’ described the scholars of
Islam as follows:
“Do not make friends with a person who does not obey Islam
or who has deviated into a heretical path! Keep away from those
men with religious posts who commit bid’a! Hadrat Yahyâ ibn
Ma’âdh ar-Râzî (quddisa sirruh) said, ‘Hold yourself off from
three sorts of people. Keep away from them.’ These three sorts of
people are the ghâfil (preoccupied with self, so forgetful of
Allâhu ta’âlâ), and deviated men with religious posts; those qârîs
(reciter of the Qur’ân al-kerîm by heart) who fawn on the rich;
and those men of tasawwuf who do not know anything of Islam.
– 96 –
[1] ’Abd al-Ghânî an-Nabulusî, 
Al-hadîqat an-nadiyya, part I, chapter III.

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If a person who has come forward with the title of a man of
religious authority does not obey Rasûlullah’s (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam) sunna, that is, if he does not cling to Islam, we should
keep away from him and should not buy or read his books. We
should keep away even from the place where he is. Even a little
credit given to him will ruin your fatih. He is not a man of
authority on Islam, but an insidious enemy of Islam. He defiles
your faith and îmân. He is more harmful than the Devil. His
words may be sweet and persuasive and he may pretend to dislike
this world, but you should still run away from him as you would
run away from a fierce animal. Al-Junaid al-Baghdâdî (quddisa
sirruh), a scholar of Islam, said, ‘There is only one way that will
lead one to endless bliss: to keep within the footsteps of
Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam)’; ‘Do not follow a man
of religious post who does not read the books of tafsîr written by
the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna or who is not on the path shown in
the hadîth ash-sherîf, for a scholar of Islam should be on the path
shown in the Qur’ân al-kerîm and the hadîth ash-sherîf’; ‘The
Salaf as-sâlihîn were on the right path. They were devotees. They
attained Allâhu ta’âlâ’s love and approval. Their path was the
path shown in the Qur’ân al-kerîm and the hadîth ash-sherîf.
They held fast to this right path.’
[1]
“The great men of tasawwuf and the ’ulamâ’ of fiqh were on
the path of the Salaf as-sâlihîn. They all held fast to Islam. They
were honoured with being Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm)
inheritors. Not a hair’s breadth did they deviate from Islam in their
words, actions and morals.
“I write again and again that you should not think of those
who are slack in obeying Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) or who
deviate from his lightsome path as authorities on religious
matters! Do not believe their false words or ardent writings! Jews,
– 97 –
[1] As it is understood here, Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) path is the path
of