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Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat is a term that is used in this day and age to describe the beliefs of those who follow the path of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah. However some people have a misconception about this term and think that it is a new sect and belief system that was conjured by Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). Hereunder In Sha Allah we will be enlightened about the meaning of Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat.
Allah Ta’ala states in the Holy Qur’an, “Say (O Beloved), “O people! If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and will forgive your sins and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”” {Surah 3:31}
Allah Ta’ala tells us that if we want to achieve His love then we should follow His beloved. And is that not our ultimate goal – to achieve the pleasure and love of Allah Ta’ala? And how do we achieve this? By following His Beloved Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). And not only will Allah Ta’ala love us but He will also forgive all of our sins. Now let us look closely at the words ‘follow me’ in this verse.
To follow someone is to be obedient to them and obedience is of 3 types; to be obedient out of fear, to be obedient out of greed and to be obedient out of love. Mufassireen say that this verse refers to obedience out of love because even the Munafiqeen act upon obedience out of fear and greed. So Allah Ta’ala wants us to be obedient to His Beloved out of love and nothing else.
Now even love is of 3 types; love of children, love of contemporaries, and love of those elder than us which goes together with respect. The love that is commanded by the word ‘Ittabi’oo’ in this verse is that with respect. Therefore we cannot claim to love Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and then say he is like our big brother, or say we love him and then say he was only a postman who came to deliver the message (Ma’azAllah), because in that claim of love there is no respect. So we need to be obedient to him out of love and we need to love him with respect.
So how do we do this? Let us look at an analogy to better understand this. When you look at a train, the engine is in front and the coaches are attached behind it. A coach can only move towards its destination if it is attached to the engine, and that too if it is behind the engine, not in front. If it tries to be equal to the engine and stands next to it, it will be on another track and will not reach its destination because it would be detached from the engine. If it tries to be in front of the engine it will also not be able to go anywhere because only those coaches can move that are behind the engine.
Secondly, the engine does not see whether the coach is first class or third class; as long as it is attached and behind the engine, it will reach its destination. In fact the value of the coach is not in whether it is 1st or 3rd class, it is in whether the coach is attached to the engine or not. Even if it were 1st class and not attached to the engine, no one would get onto it because it would not be able to go anywhere.
Thirdly, in whichever direction the engine goes the coaches follow in exactly the same speed and direction without the slightest change. They follow the engine day in and day out knowing that it is only through the engine that their goal of transporting people will be fulfilled. In the same way, we must cling onto the Daaman of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and follow him without question and with total love and respect. Whatever he says we must do, whichever direction his Shariah tells us to take we must take. We must remember that we will always be the slaves at his feet and that without him we will not reach our goal of pleasing and gaining the love of Allah Ta’ala.
Just like if you put a coach next to the engine it will go nowhere, those who say Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is just like us and like our big brother will go nowhere in reaching Allah Ta’ala. Just like the coach in front of the engine that will not move an inch towards its destination but will be towed to a side track to make way, those like Molvi Qasim Nanotwi who say that in A’maal (good deeds) the Ummatis can actually equal or even exceed Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) (Ma’azAllah), such people will go nowhere in achieving the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. So no matter what a sinner you are just hold fast onto the Daaman of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and follow him like the coach behind the engine, with an obligatory condition of utmost love and respect, and In Sha Allah you will remain on the Siraat-e-Mustaqeem and will reach your destination In Sha Allah. {Shaan-e-Habeeb-ur-Rahman Min Aayaatil Qur’an}
And this is what Ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) taught us. This is what Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat is; to have utmost love and respect for our Beloved Aaqa Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) did not create a new religion; he did not one day decide to conjure up a new sect and belief system in Islam. All he did was revive the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). All he did was stand up against falsehood when the Munafiqeen were attacking Islam from all sides and snatching away the Imaan of people. All he did was revive the beliefs of the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam, Taaba’een, Tabe-Taaba’een and the Awliya Allah. All he did was instil the love and respect of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in the hearts of the believers. This is what we call Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat. That is why Qutbe Mauritius Hazrat Allamah Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim Khushtar Siddiqui Qadri Razvi (Alaihir Rahmah) states in a Manqabat:
Hubbe Muhammad Jaane Imaan, Aine Imaan, Asle Imaan
Ye Hain Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu
Love of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the life of Imaan, the essence of Imaan, the reality of Imaan; this is Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). {Qaseem-e-Bakhshish}
At that time when people were like wolves in sheep clothing, and were misleading the Ummah by spreading false beliefs and disrespect for Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), Ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) stood up for Haq and ensured that today we have love and respect for Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). If one goes through the work of Ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) one would realize that all he did was defend the dignity and status of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and revive a belief system that is more than 1400 years old.
That is why Faqeeh-e-Millat Hazrat Mufti Jalaaluddeen Ahmad Amjadi (Rahmatullah Alaih) states, “The Deen and Mazhab (belief system) of the great Aalim of Bareilly Shareef (Ala Hazrat Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) is in his books, and that is exactly the Deen of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam); the one who stops people from becoming Bareilwi (followers of Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat), he indeed stops people from becoming Muhammadi!” {Fataawa-e-Faizur-Rasool, Vol. 1}
We must therefore always keep in mind the beautiful words of Huzoor Taajush Shariah Hazrat Allamah Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan Qadri (Alaihir Rahmah):
Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat Pe Qaaim Raho
Zindagi Di Gayi Hain Isi Ke Liye
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to follow Maslak-e-Ala Hazrat and to have true love and respect for our Beloved Aaqa Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), Allahumma Ameen.
