This letter, written to Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu’mân ‘quddisa sirruh’, states that to be a Walî means to be close to Allâhu ta’âlâ and that being a Walî does not require having khâriqas and karâmats:
May our hamd be to Allâhu ta’âlâ! Our salâms be to those people loved by Him! I have been praying for the good health of my most beloved brother, Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu’mân. Reaching the Wilâyat [being a Walî] does not require the occurrence of khâriqas and karâmats. As it is not necessary for Islamic scholars to exhibit khâriqas (wonders), so it is unnecessary for the Awliyâ to make a show of khâriqas. For, Wilâyat means qurb-i ilâhî [being close to Allâhu ta’âlâ], and Allâhu ta’âlâ bestows this qurb [closeness] upon His Awliyâ after fanâ [that is, after forgetting everything other than Allâhu ta’âlâ]. He may bless a person with this closness and yet may not inform him with unknown things in this world. Someone else may be both given this and informed of the unknown. And a third person may
be given none of this closeness but may be informed of the unknown. The third one is a man of istidrâj. His nafs being polished, he is being informed of unknown things, thus being made to fall into the pit of heresy. The state of such people is declared in the eighteenth âyat of the sűra of Mujâdala: “They think they are
doing something good. Know that they are consummate liars. Shaytân has deceived them and led them astray. He has made them forget Allâhu ta’âlâ to such an extent that they neither mention nor remember Allâhu ta’âlâ. They have become the soldiers, the servants of Shaytân. Know that these people who are in Shaytân’s group have missed the inexhaustible blessings. They have been caught by endless torment.” People in the first and second groups who have been honoured with the fortune of qurb are Awliyâ. Informing about the unknown does not increase or decrease their Wilâyat. The difference between them is in respect of the grade of closeness. A Walî who has not been informed of anything unknown may be more advanced and higher on acount of the qurb bestowed upon him. Hadrat Shihâbuddîn ’Umar Suhrawardî ‘quddisa sirruh’, author of the book Awârif-ul-ma’ârif, is one of the greatest Awliyâ. All the other Awliyâ like him. After explaining karâmats and khâriqas in his book, he says “A Walî of high grade may be given no karâmats or khâriqas, or, karâmats are given in order to increase yaqîn (belief). A person blessed with yaqîn does not need
karâmats or khâriqas. All these karâmats are inferior to the dhikr of Dhât-i ilâhî and to the heart’s being ornamented with this dhikr.” Shaikh-ul-islâm, Khwâja Abdullâh-i Ansârî, one of the greatest of the Sôfiyya-i aliyya, says in his book Manazilussâyirîn, “There are two kinds of firâsat. The first one, the firâsat of the men of ma’rifat, is to detect the talents of the disciples and to recognize the Awliyâ of Allâhu ta’âlâ. The second one, the firâsat (clairvoyance) of those who subject themselves to mortification and who polish their nafs by hunger is to know of the secret things about creatures. Most people, not remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ but thinking of the world day and night, search for those who give information about the worldly things which they want to obtain. They
deem them great. In fact, they think of them as Awliyâ close to Allâhu ta’âlâ. They do not even turn to look at the ma’rifats, the true and subtle knowledge of the Awliyâ. But perhaps they speak ill of them and, saying, ‘If they were Allah’s beloved slaves, they would know about our lost things, about our secret thoughts. A person who knows nothing of our states can never understand the subtle knowledge which is above creatures’; they deny the firâsat of Awliyâ and their knowledge of Allah’s person and attributes. Because of their wrong estimation they are deprived of the correct knowledge and ma’rîfats of these great superiors. They are unaware of the fact that Allâhu ta’âlâ has concealed these superiors from the eyes of
the ignorant and has made them belong to Him. He has made His Awliyâ busy not with worldly affairs but with Himself. If the Awliyâ were attached to men’s deeds and states they would not be worthy of Allah’s presence.” Abdullah-i Ansârî wrote much more about this.
I have been told by my master, Khwâja Muhammad Bâqî, ‘quddisa sirruh’ that Shaikh Muhyiddîn Arabî ‘rahmatullâhi aleyh’ wrote as follows: “Those Awliyâ on whom many karâmats and khâriqas were seen have repented at their last breath of having exhibited them. They have said that they wished they had had no karâmats seen.” If the superiority of a Walî were to be measured with his exhibition of khâriqas, it would be out of place to repent for them.
Question: When it is not a condition of Wilâyat to exhibit wonders, how will the true Walî be distinguished from false shaikhs?
Answer: In this world the Walî does not have to be known. The true one and the false must be mixed. In this world, the true and the false, the right and the wrong must be mixed with each other. Nor is it a condition for a Walî to know of his own Wilâyat. Many Awliyâ did not know of their own Wilâyat. How could others recognize them? And it is not necessary to recognize them, either. Yes, prophets ‘alaihimussalâm’ had to exhibit miracles. Thus a prophet was distinguished from a person who was not a prophet. For, it is necessary for everybody to know a prophet’s prophethood. Since the Awliyâ invite people to the Sharî’at of their own
prophet, the prophets’ miracles are enough for them. If the Awliyâ invited people to something other than the Sharî’at, it would certainly be necessary
for them to exhibit wonders. Since they invite to the Sharî’at, it is never necessary that they exhibit wonders. The savants of the dîn invite everybody to do the commandments written in the books. The Awliyâ both invite to this and call to the bâtin of the Sharî’at. First they invite to the Sharî’at. Then they show how to mention the name of Allâhu ta’âlâ. They especially ask us to busy ourselves with dhikr-i ilâhî all the time, incessantly. By doing so, one’s body will altogether be suffused with the dhikr, and the heart will contain nothing but Allâhu ta’âlâ. Everything else will be forgotten so utterly that one will not be able to remember anything besides Allâhu ta’âlâ however hard he may try to do so. Why should it be necessary for the Awliyâ to exhibit wonders for these two kinds of invitations? Guiding means
to give these two kinds of invitations. Miracles
and wonders have no place here. We must also say that a vigilant disciple perceives many of his master’s miracles and wonders as he makes progress on the way of tasawwuf. In that unknown way every moment he has recourse to his [master’s] help and is always blessed with his help. Yes, it is not necessary for him [his master] to exhibit wonders to others. But to his disciples he exhibits miracles every moment and wonders come upon them one right after another. Can it ever be that the disciple will not feel the wonders of his master, who has enlivened his dead heart? He has made him attain mushâhadas and kashfs. The ignorant think it is a great miracle to enliven a dead man and resurrect him out of his grave. But the great superiors have especially dwelt upon curing sick souls.
Khwâja Muhammad Pârisa, one of the greatest Sôfiyya-i aliyya, notes, “Because most people think of someone who enlivens the dead as great, those who are close to Allâhu ta’âlâ have not wished to do this but have enlivened dead souls and have tried to enliven the dead hearts of their disciples. Indeed, enlivening the dead is of no value when compared with enlivening hearts and souls. In fact, the former is useless, it means to waste time doing useless things. Enlivening a dead man provides him with a few more days to live. But enlivening the heart provides an endless life. The existence of those who are close to Allâhu ta’âlâ is a miracle in itself. Their inviting people to Allâhu ta’âlâ is one of Allah’s compassions. Their enlivening dead hearts is their greatest miracle. Men’s salvation is by means of their existence.
They are the most valuable creatures. Allâhu ta’âlâ showers His compassion through them. He sends food by means of them. Their words are medicine. One single compassionate glance they cast at you is a healer. They are jalîs-i ilâhî. Allah’s gifts and blessings are never absent from the place where they are. Those who are with them are never evil. Those who know them are never deprived.”
The most clear difference distinguishing them from liars is the fact that their words and actions are suitable with the Sharî’at and that the hearts of those who are with them are filled with the fear and love of Allah and cease to care for other things. These signs are seen on those who are in contact with the Awliyâ. Those who have no relations with them are deprived of everything. Translation of a Persian couplet:
A person who is not apt for goodness,
Will not benefit, even if he sees the Prophet.
[Hadrat Ubaydullah-i Ahrâr says in Rashahât, “To do himmat means for an exalted person who has relation with Allah’s names to keep the accomplishment of only one thing in his heart. He pays his tawajjuh to that thing. He does not bring anything else to his heart. He wants only that thing to be done. And Allâhu ta’âlâ creates that thing. This is Allah’s ’âdat. It is also a witnessed fact that things on which disbelievers have paid their himmat have come about. Allâhu ta’âlâ has bestowed this power upon me. But occupying this grade requires adab. And adab, in its turn, means the slave’s adapting himself to Allah’s will, not adapting Allah to his will. It means to be always under Allah’s command and to do himmat when He decrees a command.” Khwâja Muhammad
Yahyâ, Hadrat Ubaydullah-i Ahrâr’s son, says, “There are three groups of those who have tasarruf (power to do himmat, to pay tawajjuh to others). Those who are in the first group use their tasarruf whenever they want in the heart of any person they like and make him reach the grade of fanâ. Some do not use their tasarruf unless Allâhu ta’âlâ commands. They pay their tawajjuh to people they are commanded to do so to. The third group perform their tasarruf in others’ hearts when some attribute, some hâl enwraps them.”]
You write in your valuable letter that the sultan of our time has been esteeming Islam, administering justice and observing the commandments of the Sharî’at. We are pleased to read these. As Allâhu ta’âlâ illuminates countries with their presidents’ light of justice, so He strengthens Hadrat Muhammad’s Sharî’at with their protection and help. O my dear brother! “The Sharî’at is under the sword’s protection,” was declared. That is, the Sharî’at’s spreading and being observed is dependent upon the presidents’ protection and help. [As long as the government is strong enough, everybody will enjoy security of property and life. Also, Muslims living in non-Muslim countries wherein human rights are observed and people perform their religious duties freely should
not stand against the government or violate the laws because they are given freedom, and also they should not cause fitna or anarchy. They should pay their taxes and debts in time and should be helpful to the government. Scholars of the Ahl as-sunnat advise us to act as we have explained above.] Sad to say, the Indian government’s protection of Muslims had been slack for a long time. And Islam had become weak, too. The Indian disbelievers had shamelessly ruined the mosques and turned them into their own temples and playgrounds. Demolishing the gaves
of blessed people, they had changed them into parks. While the disbelievers had been frankly committing every sin and every sign of disbelief, the Muslims had been suffering hardships in practising Allah’s commands. It being prohibited for the Indian disbelievers to eat and drink during their festivals, they had been preventing the bakers and cooks in the Muslim cities from selling bread and food. In the blessed month of Ramadân, they had been eating and drinking wildly before the Muslims at public places. The Muslims could not say anything. It is a shame that we had fallen down into such a weak and wretched situation though the state and grovernment officials were on our side. When esteemed by the authorities, Islam had shone and the highest savants, the superiors of Sôfiyya
had been loved and respected by everybody. With the authority given by the State, they had struggled for the spreading of the Sharî’at. As I have heard, when Timur (Tamerlane) ‘alaihirrahma’, the prosperous and victorious amîr, was passing a Bukhârâ street, he saw a number of men shaking off the dust from a number of carpets. He wondered whose they were. Upon finding out that the carpets belonged to Khwâja Naqshiband Bahâeddîn-i Bukhârî’s ‘quddisa sirruh’ residence, he approached the place and, replete with love and respect for Islam, stood under the dust of carpets, rubbed the dusts of the residence on his face and eyes as if putting on the perfume of musk and amber, and wanted to get honoured with the fayd and barakat of those who were on the way of Allah. He is hoped to have died with îmân owing to his love and
respect for those who were close to Allâhu ta’âlâ. As we have heard, when the news of Timur’s death was heard, one of the Awliyâ of the time ‘quddisa sirruh’ said, “Timur has died and taken away îmân with him.”
While reciting the khutba on Fridays, the khatîbs mention the sultans’ names after descending down to the lowest step. Its reason is that the sultans want to show the fact that they are lower than Rasűlullah ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’ and his four Khalîfas. They have it recited in this manner because they deem it unbecoming to have their names mentioned together with the names of those great people.
Sajda (prostration) means to put the forehead on the ground, which indicates inferiority, self-humiliation. It is the last grade of humbleness and reverence. For this reason, prostration is done only to Allâhu ta’âlâ. It is not permissible to prostrate oneself before anybody other than He. One day, while our Prophet was going somewhere, a villager came up to him and said that he
would have îmân in him if he would exhibit a miracle. Sarwar-i ’âlam ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’ said, “Go to the yonder tree and tell it that Allah’s Messenger calls it.” When the villager did so the tree left its place and came before Rasűlullah ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’. No sooner had the villager seen this than he became a Muslim. “O Rasűlallah! If you would grant, I will prostrate myself before you,” he said. ‘Before none but Allâhu ta’âlâ should one prostrate oneself. If it were permissible to prostrate oneself before others, I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands,” was declared. Some of the savants of fiqh permitted prostration before sultans with the intention of greeting them, but in this respect what would become the sultans is to observe their adab towards Allâhu ta’âlâ and not to permit prostration before anyone besides Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu ta’âlâ has made them superior to and dominant over everything and all others needy before them. In gratitude for this great blessing, they must allow prostration, the greatest expression of incapability and self-humiliation, only to Allâhu ta’âlâ, and not make themselves partners with Allâhu ta’âlâ. Though it has been permitted by some savants, they themselves [the sultans], on account of their beautiful modesty, must not permit it. Favours only will be the reward for those who bestow favours. I shall say more when we see each other. Salâm to those who are on the right way, who follow the footsteps of Rasűlullah ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’!