Are Barelwis a new sect?

Apart from in India and Pakistan, are there any other people with “Barelwi” Aqaaid (beliefs)?

Answer

Alhamdulillah, Barelwis are not a new sect. When there was no seperation between the Deobandis and the Barelwis, Alhamdulillah what is now known as Barelwiyyat was also present then; since the time of the Sahaba, Taa’bieen and the Beloved Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. The proof of the Aqaaid and teachings of what is now known as Barelwiyyat are found in the Holy Qur’an, in the Hadith and from the sayings and teachings of the Sahaba e Kiraam.

And even today Alhamdulillah the proponents of Tawassul (seeking intermediaries), believers in the intercession of the Beloved Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, those who regard the Beloved Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam to have the knowledge of the unseen and that He sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam knows what happened and will happen and also that He sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam is the final Prophet, exist all around the world.

What today is known as Barelwiyyat in the Indian subcontinent, in the Arab world (the followers) are now famously known as Sufis to identify separately from the Najdis (Wahabbism).

Answered by Taajush Shari’ah Allamah Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan

Translated from the Weekly Q&A – http://jamiaturraza.com/session/26Jul09/21.mp3