The reason for explaining all these points is that our hearts may remain steadfast with respect for our mashâ’ikh, pious elders, and respected ‘ulamâ’ who are the capital for our salvation. Listen! I consider love for our pious elders to be the means of our salvation. This is not just my statement. Rather, it is the statement of a very senior ‘âlim of the Tablîghî jamâ‘at, Maulânâ Shâh ‘Abdul ‘Azîz Sahib Du‘âjû rahimahullâh whose grave is in Tando Adam. When he was on his death bed, he called Mufti Rashîd Ahmad Sahib, and the latter personally related this to me that Maulânâ Shâh ‘Abdul ‘Azîz Sahib rahimahullâh said to me when he was on his death bed: “O Mufti Rashîd Ahmad! You must bear testimony that ‘Abdul ‘Azîz Dehlawî is passing away on the path of Maulânâ Gangohî rahimahullâh, Maulânâ Qâsim Nânautwî rahimahullâh and Maulânâ Ashraf ‘Alî Thânwî rahimahullâh.” Shah Sahib rahimahullâh was a man of the Tablîghî jamâ‘at. He spent his entire life in tablîgh. But with regard to his path, he considered love and affinity with our elders to be the means for his salvation.

I am relating these things to you so that you may not be influenced by the statements of some foolish and witless people and thereby think that if any Japanese did not embrace Islam at the hands of any ‘ulamâ’, then such ‘ulamâ’ are condemned.

The Tablîghî jamâ‘at is the best of groups and the ummah is benefiting tremendously from it. Students in the schools, colleges and universities are becoming righteous. But when the “car gets stuck”, refer to the ‘ulamâ’. For example, you have created a yearning for salâh, but if a person commits a mistake in his salâh, then it is the responsibility of the ‘ulamâ’ to teach him the ruling. The ruling will have to be explained in order to correct the mistake. Now if a person thinks that this person is against salâh, then this is nothing but stupidity. In like manner, if anyone commits a mistake in tablîgh, it is the responsibility of the ‘ulamâ’ to explain the ruling for this as well. This is because tablîgh is also a department of Islam. It is therefore foolish and stupid to consider such ‘ulamâ’ to be against tablîgh.