Yasir Qadhi and Asrar Rashid - Aqida

I'm yet to watch the event, but Shaykh Asrar had a backstage encounter with MH inviting him to Sufism

Our Sufi brother @mohammed_hijab and @ShAsrarRashid 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nT1lmsXJtp

— Bilal (@Jattaa_21) November 19, 2023

 

Shaykh Asrar at 5pillars event. Stage shared with razor punk and dubious others.



What's Shaykh Asrar's contribution here actually? One that makes his physical presence (and sharing stage) worthwhile?
Wouldn't sunni public follow his lead/advice if he were to make the same point from his own channel? Would his reach or message be any less diminished?

 

Will be interesting to see what happens at the event. Let's wait and see.

 

Whilst I don't deny that shaykh Asrar has probably helped a lot of people, I think most of it will be people who already have a barelwi background, would be confronted by other ideologies, wouldn't have had an answer but shaykh asrar fills the void and shows we actually have some intellectual backbone and history and we're not just getting fat from eating khatams.

Having watched YQ's 3/4 hour video on istigatha, seems he changed his mind because of his reading into the actual history of ibn Abdul Wahhab rather than the white washed version these guys usually get fed and becoming way less comfortable with the idea of takfeer in general (for example, he doesn't do takfeer of ibn taymiyyah for holding the view that hellfire isn't eternal). Meaning that he pivoted from one extreme to another overall, not just in the issue of istigatha.

As for hijab and haqiqatjou, I think it's fairly similar i.e. They know the asharis are the only ones capable of dealing with modern issues so due to looking up to the likes of ghazali etc, they themselves become soft on the modern day followers of the ghazali methodology, meaning the sufis and whatnot.

By the way, this is a reversal of what happens at the level of the average layman: meaning that they watch YouTube videos on issue x, see hijab and Tzortzis, think these guys are the only ones dealing with issue x, so then the layman becomes soft on them!

Hijab is probably more influenced by that Mauritanian didew (can't remember the spelling) than shaykh asrar. Plus there is a general trend of wahabis who are opening their eyes to the standard version of wahabism and ascribing themselves more to ibn taymiyyah full stop, whilst rejecting ibn Abdul Wahab upon seeing what his ideology would mean in practice, after observing the atrocities committed by certain groups in the middle East.

I personally don't think the barelwis have had much of an impact on:

1. Converts
2. People from different groups like the salafis, by and large. Any softness from them is usually due to other factors, as mentioned above
3. Even other non barelwi sunni groups, such as non desi hanafis, malikis, etc.

All of this is an indictment of our lack of effort, cohesion, lack of an educated public and the rest, as often discussed on this forum

 

Maybe I'm a bit too pessimistic but... I understand sharing a platform on common issues like if you were to hold a conference on the common atheistic objections on the existence of God or issues surrounding the liberalism and you shared a stage with these guys and whatnot... But surely one key to consider prior to sharing a stage is whether the event itself will have some kind of an actual benefit. Like a conference on liberalism might provide evidences to the minds of the youth but what value does conferences on Gaza bring?

Isn't it just the following:

1. Complain the Muslim rulers don't do anything
2. Say the situation in Gaza is really bad
3. Say we should send more charity

All the above points are fine but we can manage all that without hanging out with Hijab and Tzortzis. So what actual benefit is there of going to this even if, in it's essence, it's permissible for the scholar to do so?

What I'm trying to get at is- even if it's permissible to share the stage under certain circumstances, it doesn't mean that we should... If there's no benefit. And I'm one of those people that thinks protesting and holding conferences on geo political issues is a bit of a waste of time but maybe I need to be enlightened on the positives

 

this is different and in fact commendable, no body says that people should not be guided; but when ulama share platforms with deviants and don't talk about the core issues then common people think that it is okay to listen to and learn from those people.

listen to shaykh amin's discussion, he precisely raised the issues that need to be addressed when ulama share platforms with other groups.

 

YQ, after changing his view on istigatha, did mention the debate on istigatha between sheikh Asrar and the wahabi as a proof for the view that istigatha is not shirk; so it's possible that that debate led to YQ's changed stance on the issue. People like Hijab and Haqiqatjou do not make takfir of barelwis, and some of their statements can even be construed as being in defense of barelwis. I really think sheikh Asrar's dawah efforts have a role in this.

I was a TJ influenced teenager myself in the past and was involved in refuting barelwis, but the local barelwi Imam who knew of my inclinations, never shunned me for that, but continued treating me well while he tried to softly steer me away from the deos. I eventually left TJ after meeting an anti-deobandi sheikh, who maintained links with me and other members of my TJ influenced family.

 

^ this is a great question

 

المرءُ على دينِ خليلِه فلينظرْ أحدُكم مَن يُخاللُ
أبو داود (4833)، والترمذي (2378)، وأحمد (8398)

it applies to all, common people and ulama equally.

 

And not to mention the other harm (more likely) where Shaykh Asrar slowly starts leaning towards them! Ala Hazrat has also mentioned such an incident as a reminder to us all!

Not to mention the cases that we have seen ourselves where a Sunni alim starts changing...

It's one of the laws of nature that a rotten fruit will cause the good ones next to it to start rotting, it will never be the other way around. That's why our pious predecessors have always forbidden to keep company with those of questionable beliefs.

 

Would be great if Shaykh Asrar simply 'converted' the said fellas into pure sunnism/Ash'arism and the followers of said people would follow suit... And it would actually be beneficial.

Wishful thinking it seems...

 

Thoughts brothers.

 

MashaAllah a real Ashari!

 

i loved it, shaykh amin was very straightforward mashaAllah. this is the very first time i came to know about him, May Allah Ta'ala bless him. he raised exactly the same points that our elders have been telling, while there was no clear conclusion from the talk between shaykh asrar and yasir.

let's see if yasir joins shaykh amin.

 

Yasir Kazi showing his ignorance in this discussion.

 

That was a brilliant discussion Masha Allah by Shaykh Amin. Lengthy video but worth watching.

 

https://www.youtube.com/live/8L4s-pMhMrM?si=nVzOi5S2jdDeV5Bs

Shaykh Amin of the US had concerns as well

 

I can understand if they haven't heard yq much or seen enough of him, but if they're "otherwise informed Sunnis" how can they question his deviance if they know enough about him. Like akram nadwi, yq too is a pariah among wahabis themselves right now! He's a dhobi ka kutta at this point in time.