Dr. Yasir Deobandi shows door to Deobandi theology & fumbles while debating a Hindu

TLDR: Dr. Yasir Wajidi unwittingly refutes the Deobandi belief of Imkan al-Kadhib.

It's seen time and again that people who are against Sunni Ilm al Kalam are left with no choice but to seek help from this discipline and its framework while refuting Atheists and other religions. While making use of logical arguments to refute their opponents, they often unintentionally end up going against their own illogical theology:

• Christians use Kalam Cosmological argument, without understanding how this very argument destroys the Trinitarian Shirk & Anthropomorphism
  
  
• Salafi Taymis use philosophical and Kalam arguments from Contingency with Atheists, not realizing how the same logic that is used to prove the the contingency/dependency of the creation can also be applied to their conception of the God being limited in a direction.

A recent example of the above phenomenon occured when Dr. Yasir Nadeem al Wajidi, a Deobandi scholar, was debating a Hindu Pantheist. The Hindu's opening argument was Sanatana Dharma is the only religion that is able to establish the supremacy of God. He claimed that Islam is unable to do so. During the course of this argument, the discussion moved to the topic of Omnipotence of God where Dr. Wajidi unwittingly made arguments that fly in the face of Deobandi Aqidah of Imkan al-Kadhib (Deobandi Aqidah: It is intrinsically possible for Allah to lie ie. Allah is ascribed with having Qudrah over lying). Some of the parts of the discussion are roughly translated below:

• Hindu: Claims that God is, by definition, not bound by any law and has power over everything. He claims that necessitates that God can have a physical form (Aakar) and can also be shapeless (Nirakar). He adds that God can speak truth or a lie.
  
  
• Dr. Wajidi: Claims that the Hindu has agreed that God did those (lowly) things that were against his status of being the God.
  
  
• H: Claims that we cannot set the limit on what is not befitting for God
  
  
• Dr. Wajidi: Claims that the H is using those things to highlight the supremacy of God that are even considered as deficiencies for human beings, for instance, dying.
  
  
• H: Claims that the Qur'an proclaims that God is the one who can do 'everything'. And, asks whether this 'everything' includes all things or are there any exceptions to this?
  
  
• Dr. Wajidi claims: " 'Everything' in this context means those things that are included in the Qudrah of Allah, which are NOT intrinsically impossible.... For instance, I asked you whether 2+2 could be 5. This is intrinsically impossible....Can a square become a circle? No, it can't be- it is intrinsically impossible. God cannot create a likeness of Himself."
  
  
• H: Claims that this proves that God, as per al-Qur'an, cannot do lowly acts.
  
  
• Dr. Wajidi: *Perhaps, realizing how this goes against the Deobandi Aqidah of God having power over lying and hence changes his argument* claims that God has power over lowly acts but He will not do them. Claims that he disagrees with using the word "cannot" in relation to Divine Qurah, rather God will not do it.
  
  
• Amir ul Haq (Dr. Wajidi's associate): *Returns back to the original argument* claims that what you (H) believe to be (an argument for) giving Qudrah is a deficiency.
  
  
• H: Asks that is this established that God cannot take birth?
  
  
• Dr. Wajidi: Answers that yes, (God cannot take birth) since being born is a deficiency

In the above back and forth, we see that Dr. Wajidi initially made that argument that intrinsically impossible things are not included in the Divine Power. He claimed that God cannot create a likeness of Himself. But, when the H questioned him further, he realised how his initial line of argument will fly in the face of the Deobandi belief of Imkan al-Kadhib. He shifts gears and claims that God has power over lowly acts but will not do them.

This simply goes on to prove how often people from those sects who hold beliefs in opposition to Sunni Kalam will be forced to make arguments in their debate with disbelievers that go against their theology, whilst making use of logical arguments to defend Islam. Such people will not be able to simultaneously defend Islam and also hold tight to their theology, making them susceptible to losing points during cross-questioning by the disbelievers.

For the benefit of uninformed readers, I'll repeat that the above line of arguments reminds of the controversy of Imkan al Kadhib that erupted in the Indian subcontinent where Shah Ismail al-Dehlawi, the patron of the Deobandi & Ahl-e-Hadith movements, claimed that lying is included in the Divine Power. He was refuted for this heresy by the Sunni Mutakallimin, including the likes of Shaykh Fadl ul-Haq al-Khayrabadi and Imam Ahmad Rida Khan al-Barelawi. The Deobandi sect adopted this heretical position of Ismail and made arguments similar to the above Hindu.

(translation courtesy of the following quotes: Taken from the books- "The Killer Mistake" & "The truth about a lie")

Shah Ismail al-Dehlawi writes:

"We do not accept that such a falsehood is impossible [muĥāl] for Allāh táālā. Because, to make any matter or information contrary to what has occurred, and to inform angels and prophets about it, is not removed from the Divine Power of Allāh táālā; otherwise, it would necessitate that the power of humans is more than the Power of the Almighty"
(Yak Rozi, p17.)

The proto Deobandi Imam was using a similar argument as the above Hindu who claimed that God must have power over lowly things like dying, lying etc. This argument was furthered by other Deobandi scholars, in order to defend the creed of Shah Ismail. Mahmud ul Hasan, the Shaykh ul-Hind of the Deobandi sect, writes:

"In summary, [for Allāh táālā] to do despicable things [qabāyiĥ ka şudūr] is inherently possible [mumkin bi’l dhāt]; this statement is valid and the madh’hab of Ahl al-Sunnah; however due to contingent impossibility [imtināá bi’l ghayr] it is not realised or the situation does not arise [naubat] for them to occur."
(Juhd al-Muqill, p59, The Seventh Proem)

The above statements go against the Sunni creed. Like Amir ul Haq states in the above video discussion that such lowly acts amount to deficiency. It is stated in Sharĥ al-Maqāşid, under the discussion of Speech:

"Falsehood is muĥāl by the unanimity of all scholars; because falsehood is a flaw as agreed by all rational people; and it (falsehood) is muĥāl for Allāh táālā [summarized]."
(Sharĥ al-Maqāşid, Vol.2, Pg.293)

It is further stated:
"Nothing, which is muĥāl, is included in Divine Power"
(Sharĥ al-Maqāşid, Vol.2, Pg.353 onwards)


Readers should note that Dr. Wajidi was able to see the intrinsic impossibility of Allah creating a square-circle or creating a likeness of Himself or being born since the latter is a deficiency:

1. A "square-circle" is an oxymoron and intrinsically impossible
2. A "created god" is intrinsically impossible since God is the Creator and not a creation
3. God being born is intrinsically impossible since being born is a deficiency and God is free from imperfections.

However, for some reason, deobandis will hold onto the heretical Deobandi belief of Imkan al-Kadhib that lying is included in the Divine Power. They are not able to see:

1. A "lying god" is intrinsically impossible since lying is a deficient and God is free from imperfections.

Dr. Wajidi and other deobandis should take a pause and realize the grave error that they're committing while blindly following and defending the heresies of their Deobandi Akabir like Shah Ismail, Gangohi, Ambethvi, Mahmud ul Hasan et al. Perhaps, Dr. Yasir Wajidi should take a cue from his namesake Yasir al-Hanafi who is one of the few people coming from Deobandi background to disassociate themselves from this Deobandi belief of Imkan al-Kadhib.