📘 ❞ Strengthening of the Faith ❝ كتاب ــ شاه إسماعيل شهيد

عن كتاب Strengthening of the Faith:




At a time when the general milieu in the subcontinent of India was overwhelmed by the powers
of darkness, and the soundness of Faith was reeling under the potentially threatening squalls and
the blinding forages of superstitions and paganism, Allah the Almighty, by dint of His special
blessing, sent a personality, who, by the strength of his Faith, knowledge and rhetoric, dissipated
the redoubtable forces of depravity and smashed the self-made idols of Shirk (polytheism) and
Bid'ah (innovations in religion) and established the base of pure Tauhid (Islamic Monotheism).
This great personality was Shah Ismail Muhaddith Dehlawi {May Allah have mercy on him},
who was the grandson of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, a man of profound knowledge and great name
to be reckoned with in terms of his authentic scholarship among the most qualified and famous
celebrities of his time. The services which he has rendered for the reformation of Ummah and his
undertaking the task of Da'wah (the mission of propagating Islam); especially after the previous
works of Shaikhul-Islam Imam Ibn Taimiyah and Muhammad bin AbdulWahhab, are absolutely
unforgettable and shall always be cherished in our minds. His status is specially far more
prominent and elevated due to the fact that he not only carried on with his struggle on the strength
of his pen and tongue, but he practically joined Tahreek-ul-Mujahidin (the first Islamic Mujahid
movement) under the inspiring leadership of Saiyid Ahmad Shaheed and achieved martyrdom in
his armed struggle against the Sikhs at Balakot and hence set an ideal example for the weak,
incapacitated and oppressed Muslims of India.
The age of Shah Ismail Shaheed was infested and contaminated with the poisonous atmosphere of
Shirk and innovations. The Indian Muslims, under the influence of the Hindu mythological faith,
had entered such rituals and beliefs in Islam that they even surpassed the ones observed during
the pre-Islamic period (in terms of their polytheistic rituals).
Taking the above facts into consideration, Shah Ismail Shaheed's religious sense of honor and the
integrity of his Faith could not tolerate the spectacle that Islam which has been choiced for the
slaves of Allah to confirm His Oneness (which is also the purpose of affirming one's faith in the
Prophethood), should be infiltrated with and gnawed by the concept of associating partners to
Allah. In order to achieve this august and noble purpose, he compiled Taqwiyat-ul-Iman (the
strengthening of faith), wherein he, along with construing and elaborating on Qur'an and Ahadith,
also expatiated at length about the pure Islamic beliefs, and declaring all the innovations and
rituals the source of ignorance in the light of Qur'an and Sunnah, he emphatically enjoined upon
the Muslims to avoid being involved with them. Apart from bearing such exalted and elevated
aims, this book, on account of its elegant, breezy, simple and elaborate style of prose (according
to the requirement of its age), proved to be so much popular among the peoples that it has so far
been published in millions and has enlightened trillions of delinquent and strayed people and has
guided them to the Right Path.
It must be brought to the attention of our readers that a preface written by Maulana Ghulam
Rasool Mehr (the late), encompassing an eloquent description and a mighty rhetoric on the
comprehensive benefits and profitability of Taqwiyat-ul-Iman is also included in this book and
hence we presume that writing anything further in this regard shall be amounting to proverbially
carrying coals to Newcastle.







The author refers to the Quranic verses and Ahadith by interpreting them in a very simple and comprehensible style, and also brings to light the true status of all the unlawful customs and rituals which are commonly practiced in the society and are detrimental to the faith of Tauhid. Tauhid Oneness of Allah is the basis of the Islamic religion.