Re: The Beloved Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)
Peace Sidi STONECOLD
If you get time you can read my blogs … In addition to them there is a lot I have not said … The biggest problem with our culutral rasms is NOT that we are doing things without knowledge … it is that through our devotion to our teachers we have failed to ask the questions and study Islam through systematic knowledge. Today the awaam are engrosed in practicing deep forms of sufi practice - without the basics being in place. When they are challenged they cannot answer. The Deobandis and Barelvis are two peas in a pod, but their adherents don’t realise it - or don’t admit it.
While Barelvis have continued in Sufi practices they have also continued in their ignorance, and Deobandis have studied and gained knowledge, but started to abandon the Sufi practices - because their search for knowledge has been gained more recently from secular or non-traditional sources … Looking back at both Barelvi and Deobandi accounts minus the criticisms of each both are solidly based on authentic hanafi fiqh and the Sufi practices have a basis in so much as their were passed down through a chain of scholars and traditions that were either not written down or sparsely documented.
As a person who has been brought up from a Deobandi background it was easy for me to sit and learn with Salafis. I never adopted their ways of praying, because I was firmly rooted in the Hanafi fiqh … The more softer Salafis accepted me for being a Hanafi, which was okay with me too. Later I found there to be major inconsistencies in the Wahabi/Salafi approach and learnt about the political slant of these movements.
The Muslim brotherhood groups were also appealing - i.e. but they too were not grounded in tradition and had an even greater political slant.
I found some meek looking Muslims, very clean and tidy, smelling nice, speaking softly and never wasted an opportunity to smile … on top of it all never questioned the source of their rizq - they gave and still do without holding back … Intense adab …
I knew that the prophet (SAW) came to perfect good conduct from my studies with the Salafis … I looked with interest at these people … then I felt that I had a lot of knowledge, they used to say to me that they are just lay people, with no knowledge … Later I learnt they were masters … The extent of polished knowledge in Arabic, Tawheed, Fiqh was outstanding …
Compare this to the highest domain of the Salafis - A friend of mine was studying with Al-Kauthir Institute - I was given permission to be his invigilator - I saw the exam paper … Each paper - was dotted with questions starting like this “How do you refute …”
I quickly realised that this is an organisation that defines itself by refuting others and in itself has no substance … And you will see the biggest and best of the Salafis are absorbed in “refuting” others …
I realised that although those Sufis have 10 times more knowledge they avoid argumentation … (It is a trait I am yet to master 
) … It makes them appear dumb and without knowledge … However our Shuyukh have seen the effect of the Salafis and in respose they have started to empower us with the counter-arguments … And they are strong …
My friends in the tariqah said … “The modern anti-taqleed order that they call “Salafism” s a self-defeating ideology” and it is … time has given them a clergy that they refer to and revere and hence they end up doing the taqleed that they are so against.
Similar to these are the modern secular Muslims who reject and accept things based on their own ideas of right and wrong / good and bad …
I knew the only place for me to be is here in tariqah …