The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 52
PREFACE 51 guides, and the imams of the time, and in their vain presumption they found them in conflict with the Book of Allah and the Prophetic tra- ditions, then some of the ulema expelled these pious guides and imams from the pale of Islam, while others, employing leniency, did not declare them kafir but excluded them from Ahl-e-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. Thereafter, when that era passed and another generation of ulema appeared, God Almighty opened up the hearts and minds of the later ulema and granted them the understanding of those profound subtle- ties that the former [ulema] had failed to grasp. Hence, they acquit- ted those previous pious guides and imams from any edicts declaring them kafirs. And not only that, they also came to believe that they were Qutabs, Ghauthes, and exalted Walis. ' The conduct of the ulema remained in this very pattern, with very few fortunate ones who came forward to accept those chosen in the court of Allah at the appropriate time. This is precisely the character and conduct of these superficial boasters of knowledge who have carried on since the time of Husain, the Perfect Imam, may Allah be pleased with him, to this time of ours, that they have never accepted any man of God in his time. Allah the Exalted had said in the Holy Quran about the Jews: افَكُلَّمَا جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَى أَنْفُسُكُمُ. . . الخ Meaning: O Children of Israel! Has it become your habit that of every Messenger that came to you, you rejected some of them and killed some others? The ulema of Islam have adopted the same characteristic and have thus established a full and complete resemblance with the Jews. In cop- ying them, they have spared nothing; it was necessary that this should 1. Qutb (pl. Aqṭāb—Guiding Stars), Ghauth (Saint), and Wali (Friend [of Allah]) are various designations used for Auliya'ullāh (Friends of Allah). [Publisher] 2. Surah al-Baqarah, 2:88 [Publisher]