Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (d. 1943) was a very famous leading Deobandi scholar from Pakistan. In his monthly magazine Al-Imdad he had the audacity to publish a letter written to him by one of his beloved Salafi adherents. This is what he wrote:
“I see in a dream that while reciting the Kalima, ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, I am using your name instead of ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’. Thinking that I am wrong, I repeat the Kalima, but despite wishing in my heart to say it correctly, my tongue involuntarily says ‘Ashraf Ali’ instead of the Holy Prophet’s name. …. When I wake up and remember my mistake in the Kalima, to make amends for the mistake I send blessings upon the Holy Prophet. However, I am still saying: ‘O Allah, bless our master, prophet and leader Ashraf Ali’, even though I am awake and not dreaming. But I am helpless, and my tongue is not in my control.”
Al-Imdad, issue for the month of Safar, by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi 1336 A.H., circa 1918, page 35
Thanvi in his reply to the letter (also printed straight after) interprets the dream as follows:
“In this incident, it was intended to satisfy you that the one to whom you turn [for spiritual guidance, i.e. Ashraf Ali] is a follower of the Holy Prophet’s example”
Al-Imdad, issue for the month of Safar, by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi 1336 A.H., circa 1918, page 35
Is there anything more outrageous than this? The Nawasib love for his Master is such that he substitutes the name of the Prophet (s) with that of Maulana Thanvi. Rather than condemn his follower for this kufr act, Thanvi seeks to rationalise the dream in order to elevate his position to his audience. Would it not have been incumbent on Thanvi to put his follower in his place putting this dream down to a Devils deception? If a Nasibi scholar condones an action that takes you out of Islam, and fails to rebuke the perpetrator for this act, what religion are the Nasibis following? What is left of Islam and the finality of the Prophethood if a Nasibi can substitute the Shahada in preference of his teacher and yet this is not deemed kufr? What faith should anyone have in the Nasibi Ulema in light of this blasphemy?
