| al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad | |
| Author: | Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri |
| Editor: | Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari |
| Title Orig: | المهند على المفند |
| Title Working: | مباحث في عقائد أهل السنة |
| Translator: | Translated into Persian by 'Abd al-Rahman Sarbazi |
| Country: |  India |
| Language: | Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, and Persian |
| Publisher: | Dar al-Fath, Jordan (Revised Arabic edition) |
| Publisher2: | Library of Darul Uloom Karachi |
| Pages: | 150 |
| Isbn: | 9789957234409 |
| Notes: | The book answers the 26 most common questions people have about 'aqidah of Sunnis, according to Deobandis. |
(Arabic: المهند على المفند|lit=The Sword on the Disproved|translit=al-Muhannad ʿalā al-Mufannad), also known as (Arabic: التصديقات لدفع التلبيسات|lit=Endorsements Repelling Deceits|translit=al-Taṣdīqāt li-Dafʿ al-Talbīsāt) and (Arabic: مباحث في عقائد أهل السنة|lit=Discussions in the Beliefs of the People of Sunna|translit=Mabāḥith fī-ʿAqaʾid ʾAhl al-Sunna),[1] [2] is a book authored by Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri. It explains the beliefs and creed of Deobandism.[3] [4]
The book is not an independent book on creed, but rather a compilation of questions and answers which were asked by the Arab scholars at that time. These questions were sent to the Deobandi scholars by Husain Ahmad al-Madani, who was living in Medina, so Saharanpuri responded and answered them, and then these questions and answers were compiled into a book and were printed under the name of al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad.[5]
The text succinctly summarizes Deobandi perspectives on a range of controversial issues, such as: the ruling on Wahhabis, the ruling on celebrating Prophet Muhammad's birth (al-Mawlid al-Nabawi), whether the Deobandis believe it commendable to visit the Prophet Muhammad's grave (they do, according to Saharanpuri), whether intercession through the Prophet or saints is permissible (it is, so long as one understands the power to intercede comes from God), whether the Prophet is living in his grave (he is), whether it is permissible to send salutations to the Prophet (it is), whether any part of creation is better than the Prophet (it is not), whether the Prophet is the Seal of the Prophets (he is), and the possibility of the occurrence of lying or reneging on a promise, among other topics and issues that were raised by various sects of Islam towards Deobandi scholars.[6]
According to Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, the book first appeared in the 1325 Hijri year.[7]
The edited version of al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad by Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, entitled Mabahith fi Aqa’id Ahl al-Sunna al-Musamma al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad was first published in Arabic in 2004 in Amman (Jordon) by Dar al-Fath for Research and Publishing and copies of it are available in bookshops in many Arab counties such as Syria, Jordon, UAE, Yemen and Egypt.[7]
The book was translated into Pashto by Habib al-Rahman Habibi.[5]
The book was translated into Persian by Abd al-Rahman Sarbazi, an Iranian Sunni Hanafi scholar, and published in 2015 in Mashhad.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Here are some quotations from the book:
The book has been described by Muhammad Ali Jalandhari (1895–1971) as “the ‘official spokesperson’ (sarkari tarjuman) for the maslak (track) of Deoband, to accept which is to be Deobandi, and to deviate from which is to depart from the maslak of Deoband.”[13]
Qadi Mazhar Husayn (1914–2004) said: “Al-Muhannad is, as it were, a unanimous historical document of the senior scholars (akabir) of Deoband that has preserved the maslak of Deoband in terms of its principles.”[13]
Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianvi (1932–2000) said, as mentioned in Fatawa Bayyinat (Urdu: فتاوى بينات):[14]
Several prominent scholars praised the book, including Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Muhammad Shafi' Deobandi, Muhammad Yousuf Banuri, Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, Zafar Ahmad Usmani, Mahmud Ashraf 'Usmani, and (chief Maliki mufti and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar), and others.[5]