psyah
November 25, 2014, 7:18am
45
Re: various ‘schools’ of thought in Islam
Brother Psyah Salaam
I think you have problem in understanding that fiqh (i.e Hanafi Fiqh) does not mean sect, it means laws, and two diferent sects can follow same laws (sometime sects could even modify laws to suit their needs). It is just like Muslims living in UK follow British laws (many of it contradicts or goes opposite to Islamic laws, even Christian laws), but that does not mean Muslims living in UK left Islam. Actually, Muslims modify or go round some laws to suit them and in many cases they could not, but while following British laws they still retain their religion and religious beliefs.
Same with Deobandis, who claim to follow Hanafi Fiqh just like Sunnis, but that does not means Deobandis and Sunnis are of same sect, as sect depends on beliefs (faith) and acts, not from what laws one follow. As far as beliefs and acts are concerned, Sunnis and Deobandis are completely different sect. Sometime even what they do, if it looks same, they have different intention and beleifs about the act (for instance, visiting graves for fatiha and prayers, if deobandi would perform that act, his belief of that act would be different than Sunnis).
In other words, though, both are Muslims just like many various sects are Muslims, as all sects believe on Kalma-e-Shahadah [give witness that Allah is one, and prophet (SAW) is prophet of Allah], many beliefs of Sunni and Deobandi are different … well, a lot different from each other.
'AlaikumuSalam brother
The beliefs of both Deobandi and Barelvi schools is Maturidiyya …
However, the Deobandi veer towards Azhari whereas the Barelvi veer towards ‘Ashari … All three are accepted belief systems of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ - I don’t know which ‘sect’ you see the Deobandis following … There are minor differences in belief yet the degree of sectarianism present between the followers is hugely disproportionate - this is a result of political/elitist affiliations rather than dogmatic and creedal ones …