Do you own the book Ar Raheeq Al Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar, Biography of the Noble Prophet –peace be upon him) by Saifur Rahman Al Mubarakpuri? How about a particular edition of Riyad us Saliheen, the famous An Nawawi compilation of holy traditions with commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf? If so, you are hosting texts on your bookshelf by Darussalam Publications which has been known not only to inject false text into the English translations of sayings related from the Holy Last Messenger (peace be upon him) and shown utmost disrespect to the Beloved of Allah, but also to have distorted Islamic history –specifically with regards to the descendants of the Holy Last Messenger who are known as Ahli Bait. They demonstrate a complete rejection of the authentic scholars of Islam and even advocate for the killing of pious Muslims, based on scholarly claims proven to be erroneous.
El Sheikh Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani Hashmi, himself a descendant of the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), advises the Muslims at large: “Keep away from all of their works, including their books, history, even hadiths –traditional sayings of the Holy Last Messenger, everything. They have distorted things, disrespected and dishonored the Holy Last Messenger and his family (peace be upon them all).”
Darussalam Publications promote themselves as a multilingual international Islamic publishing house based in Riyadh, with outlets on all continents. The publisher claims to present “books free from sectarianism and in accordance with the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the way of the Holy Last Messenger, peace be upon him).” However, it cannot be imagined how much division is created when the works presented by Darussalam claim the majority of Muslims have abandoned Islam, and that their blood is lawful to shed.
Darussalam Publications uphold distortions of Islam and mistranslate the holy traditions. The resulting works are used to accuse the community of polytheism. In one such instance, it is found that the publishers mistranslated a hadith wherein a companion of the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad, peace be upon him, narrated to the Beloved of Allah his experience setting up a tent in a place not knowing there was a grave underneath, and hearing Surah Mulk from Holy Qur’an being recited from it. The Darussalam translators instead write that it is the visitor who recited Surah Mulk. This was done presumably because to acknowledge pious people to be alive in their graves contradicts the teachings of Ibn Abdul Wahhab, the founder of the Wahhabi (or some say Salafi) movement in 1713. The publishing house’s website refers to Ibn Abdul Wahhab “Imam,” or leader. According to Ibn Abdul Wahhab, who is believed by historians to have been in collusion with a British spy known only as Hempher, declared that Muslims who visit the graves of the pious people with the intention of gaining benefit from them, have abandoned monotheism and deserve death. It was on this premise that thousands of Muslims were massacred in the Najd uprisings against the Ottoman Empire, which established the current kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The works of Abdullah bin ‘Abdul- ‘Azeez bin Baz, the grand mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1992-1999, also confirm the teachings of his imam, Ibn Abdul Wahhab, in his various books and in erroneous commentary on the books of others, many of which are widely distributed by Darussalam. In just one example, Bin Baz slanders a companion of the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him), Bilal ibn al-Harth in his remarks on the text Fath al-Bari. Bin Baz claims the visit of Bilal ibn al-Harth to the grave of the Mercy to all of the Worlds, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his asking the Almighty for the sake of the Holy Last Messenger to bestow rain was “aberrant” and “an avenue to polytheism.”
By these things, the publishing house misleads the Muslims with interpolations. However, similar aims are equally achieved by their omissions. While volumes upon volumes have been written by authentic scholars on Islamic history, Darussalam works and books –comparatively short texts– intentionally delete the history of the descendants of the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (may the peace of Allah be upon him and upon his family). This effort to negate the contributions and legacy of the Ahli Bait is in direct rejection of the well-established tradition passed down from the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad, which commands the Muslims to cling to his family and descendents after him, peace be upon them.* For example we find in one text called Commanders of the Muslim Army, by Mahmood Ahmad Ghadanfar, chapters are dedicated to different personages, yet no mention is made of the greatest commander and cousin of the Holy Last Messenger, Ali ibn Abi Talib, nor of his son, the king of martyrs, Hussein ibn Ali. This could be due to the fact that Wahhabis and Salafis, who produce the majority of the works at Darussalam, bear allegiance to the Umayyad clan.
The Umayyads during the time of the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him), swore vengeance upon the family of the Beloved of Allah for the Meccan pagan chiefs who were killed during the first battle of Islam, the Battle of Badr, in which the fledgling Muslim state in Madinah defended themselves against the torture and aggression of the Umayyads. Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Lion of Allah, killed 70 of those chiefs. The Umayyads, via Yazid son of Muawiyah son of Abu Sufyan, the main enemy of the Holy Last Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), carried out a most bloody and brutal massacre in which Hussein the son of Ali, and the majority of the descendents of the Holy Last Messenger, were martyred. Needless to say, although Imam Hussein continued to fight valiantly, even after suffering extreme hunger, thirst, and witnessing atrocities against his beloved children, his blessed name is not included in Commanders of the Muslim Army.
It seems being free from sectarianism demands the murder of all those who do not agree with the Umayyad, or Wahhabi, philosophy.
Muslims are hereby warned to guard their imaan –the faith foundation which allows the upholding of true Islamic principles—by rejecting all works published and products sold by Darussalam Publications. Thereby, Muslims can hope to not only safeguard themselves and their families from false ideologies, but also take a firm stand against the divisive spread of such teachings in the Muslim community at large. Muslims should be aware that every cent which goes into the coffers of this Saudi-based publishing group is used to distort Islam around the world, in the eyes of Muslims and non-Muslims, for which the entire Muslim world pays.
