The book's popularity has led to translations in multiple languages, including English and French, establishing it as a major resource for the Tablighi Jamaat, a transnational pietistic movement.
[6] Some new Urdu editions also include Muslim Degeneration and its Only Remedy (1939) (Musalmānoṉ kī maujūdah pastī kā wāḥid ‘ilāj) by Ihtishamul Hasan Kandhlawi.
[7] Some editions of Faza'il-e-A'mal do not contain Zakariya's Virtues of Durood (1965) because it is the last treatise of the Fada'il series, which was published after the publication of the main Tablighi Nisab.
In the 1940s, Abdul Majid, the editor of the magazine Nedaye Islam, made the first translation of the Virtues of Prayer from the Fada'il series and another book, both of which were published in Calcutta.
[9] The translation of the Virtues of Prayer was carried out by Abu Mahmud Hedayet Hossen, a former teacher of Faridabad Madrasa, with a foreword by Abdul Aziz, Amir of Bangladesh Tabligh Jamaat.
[10] Finally, in 2001, Muhammad Obaidullah obtained permission from the leaders of Tablighi Jamaat Bangladesh to translate the entire work, which was then published by Darul Kitab.
The English and French translations retain the madrasa idioms and the Uttar Pradesh town background and worldview of the original Urdu books.
[5] According to Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhary, a PhD scholar at the University of the Punjab, this work has had a transformative impact on millions of lives, contributing to an ongoing process of construction and reform.
[12] Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi, the Chairman of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, affirms that no other literary series has had a more profound influence in reforming the nation than Zakariyya Kandhlawi's Virtues Books.
[13] Certain scholars have expressed concerns about the inclusion of specific narrations in the book, questioning their authenticity and their alignment with mainstream Islamic teachings.
However, it is worth noting that this book contains various matters related to shirk, innovation (bid'ah), as well as fabricated (mawdoo') and weak (da'if) hadeeths.
[15] Shams ad-Deen al-Afghaani contends that the prominent imams of the Deobandis possess revered books within their tradition, yet these works are saturated with the myths of grave-worshippers and Sufi idolatry.
Surprisingly, the Deobandis have neither openly disavowed these books nor issued warnings about their content, allowing their printing and sale to continue unchecked.
Zakariyya Kandhlawi himself took the initiative to address the criticisms in his publication titled Questions and Answers on the Issues, Objections, and Queries about Fazail-e-Amaal.
[12][16] Ebrahim Desai clarifies the misconceptions surrounding Fazail-e-A'mal, stating, One common criticism directed towards this book is the presence of weak and fabricated narrations.
Moreover, weak narrations are considered acceptable when discussing the virtues of good deeds, excluding matters related to Aqidah and the rulings of Fiqh.