“It is claimed that awliyâ’, dead or alive,
miraculously help whomever they wish. People implore and ask help from them
when they are in distress. They go to their graves and want to be relieved of
their troubles. They think that the dead will work karâma. They call the dead
with such names as abdâl, nuqabâ’, awtâd, nujâbâ’, the seventies, the fourties,
the sevens, the fours, qubt and ghawth. Ibn al-Jawzî and Ibn Taimiyya proved
that it was false. It means to oppose the Qur’ân. The Qur’ân refutes the idea
that awliyâ’, alive or dead, can do anything. Allah is the Maker of everything.
Others cannot do anything. Many âyats state that there is no feeling or
activity in the dead. The dead cannot do anything for themselves and never for
others. Allah informed that souls are near Him. But, as for these zindîqs, they
say, ‘Souls do freely whatever they wish.’ Their claim that they work karâma is
a ile, too. Allah grants karâma to the walî whom He wills. It is not with the
walî’s wish. It is uglier to ask them for help when one is in distress. Prophets,
angels or awliyâ’ cannot do anyting bad or good to anybody. It is permissible
to ask living people for material things. But no one else but Allah is to be
entreated for immaterial, invisible things. It is polytheism for sick people or
for those who are in danger of being drowned or the poor to ask prophets,
souls, awliya’ or some other creatures for help. Calling these ‘karâmât’ is
like idolaters’ naming marvels. Allah’s awliyâ’ are not so.”
On page 299, he says:
“If someone says that he is a walî and knows what is
hidden, he is the walî of Satan, not of Allah. Karâma is something which Allah
produces in the hands of His pious servants who can attain it by praying or
’ibâda. The walî’s power or will does not affect it. Awliyâ’ do not say that
they are awliyâ’. They fear Allah. As-Sahâba and Tâbi’űn were the highest
awliyâ’. Yet, they did not say that they knew the ghaib. They used to weep out
of fear of Allah. Tamîm ad-Dârî would not sleep because he feared Hell much.
The Sűrat ar-Ra’d explains how awliyâ’ are. Such mutasawwifs can be called
awliyâ’.”
First of all, we have to say that he wrote the truth
of the matter in this last quotation. We wish he had not said that asking
awliyâ’ for help and prayer in tombs was polytheism, and how nice it would have
been if he had not said that it was necessary to demolish the domes. He
scatters poison between the true writings of his. He raises discordance among
Muslims.
The following is an explanation of the true meanings
of walî and karâma, as derived from the many letters of al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî’s
(rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) Maktűbât:
“Karâma is true. It means keeping away from
polytheism, attaining ma’rifa and deeming oneself nonexistent. Karâma and
istidrâj should not be mistaken for each other. To wish to possess karâma and
kashf means to love someone other than Allah. ‘Karâma’ means ‘qurb’ (nearness) and
‘ma’rifa.’ The frequent occurrence of karâma is due to more ascent and less
descent on the way of tasawwuf. Karâma is for strengthening yaqîn. A walî who
has been blessed with yaqîn does not need karâma. Karâma is of no value when
compared with the state of the heart which has got used to dhikr. There may be
mistakes in a walî’s kashf. The place where kashf takes place is the heart.
Genuine kashf is not of the imagination, and it takes place in the heart
through ilhâm. Kashfs mixed with imagination are not dependable. The kashfs of
awliyâ’ are reliable if they are congruous with Islam. If not so, they are not
to be trusted. The kashfs and ilhâms of awliyâ’ cannot be taken as proofs or
documentary evidences by other people. However, what a mujtahid said is a
document for the followers of his madhhab. The possession of kashf and karâma
does not indicate the highness of the spiritual status. Kashfs and tajallîs
occur to the wayfarers on the way of tasawwuf. Those who have reached the end
of the way are in amazement and busy with ’ibâdâ. One should come with a bowed
neck in modesty to a walî so that much benefit can be obtained. Much benefit
can be acquired if one puts on himself the clothes of awliyâ’ modestly and
respectfully. Allâhu ta’âlâ protects His awliyâ’ from committing grave sins.
Some awliyâ’ were seen far from the place where they lived. It was the
appearance of their souls in their bodily forms. Awliyâ’ are not protected from
small sins, but they are soon awakened from ghafla, and they make tawba and do
pious deeds and ask for forgiveness. Awliyâ’ beckon people both to the evident
orders of Islam and to the secret, subtle knowledge. Some awliyâ’ did not
descend back to the world of causes. They are not aware of the excellences of
prohethood, and they are not
helpful to the people. They cannot supply faid. Most
awliyâ’ had the excellences of wilâya. For example, qutbs, awtâd and abdâl were
so. They are able to bring up the youth with ’Alî’s (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh)
help.
“The superiority of the status of awliyâ’ is
proportional to the degree of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s love for them. Wilâya is the
state of having attained to the zills (shadows, images, see next paragraph).
Awliyâ’ love and enjoy only the shadows. Wilâya is the shadow of nubuwwa (prophethood).
One should take wilâya as wudű’ (ablution) and nubuwwa as salât. Wilâya means
purification from bad habits. A walî does not have to know that he is a walî.
It is not a defect for the walî if he is granted wilâya without being made
aware of it. To be a walî, it is necessary to expell the love for this and the
next world out of the heart. It is good to be fond of the next world, this
being one of the excellences of prophethood. There exist in
man ten latîfas, ten faculties from the spiritual world. The superiorities of
wilâya and prophethood occur on these ten latîfas. Wilâya means fanâ’
and baqâ’. It means to detach the heart from this world and to attach it to the
hereafter. Wilâya cannot be comprehended through intellect or logic. Wilâya
means nearness to Allâhu ta’âlâ, and it is bestowed on those who have driven
out of their hearts the thought of creatures. Throwing the thought of creatures
out of the heart is called fanâ’. All excellences of wilâya are to be obtained
by obeying Islam. And the excellences of prophethood are given to those
who obey also the inner subtleties of Islam not known by everybody. The
excellences of prophethood is not the prophethood itself. The kashfs
and ilhâms occuring to those who, passing all the degrees, have reached the end
of wilâya happen to be in complete accordance with the knowledge drawn from the
Nass, that is the Book and the Sunna, by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. Half of
the progress in wilâya is upwards and the other half is downwards. Many people
supposed that the upward progress was of wilâya and said that the downward
progress was of prophethood. In fact, the descent is also of wilâya as the
ascent is. Wilâya consists of jadhba (attraction) and sulűk (progress by
endeavouring), which are the two main corner-stones of wilâya but non-essential
for the excellences of prophethood. The last rank in the wilâya is the degree of
’abdiyya (slavery to Allâhu ta’âlâ). There is no further rank higher than this
rank. Awliyâ’ are directed towards Allâhu ta’âlâ. However, with the excellences
of prophethood, there are directions both towards Allâhu ta’âlâ
and khalk (creatures, human beings), and these two
[directions] do not harm each other. Although the nafs of awliyâ’ has become
mutma’inna (tranquil), the materials of the body are still needy and wishful.
“Wilâya is of five degrees. Each degree corresponds to
the exaltation of one of the five latîfas and is related to the path of one of
the prophets called Ulu ’l-’azm, the first degree being related
to the path of Âdam (’alaihi’s-salâm). The wilâya of a prophet
at the first degree of wilâya is more valuable than the wilâya of a walî of the
fifth degree. The nafs should be annihilated to reach the highest degree of
wilâya called wilâyat
khâssa. The order ‘Die before you die!’ points to this annihilation. Wilâya is either khâssa (special) or ’âmma (common). Wilâyat khâssa is Muhammad’s (’alaihi
’s-salâm) wilâya. And among his umma, those awliyâ’ who follow him may attain
to this wilâya, which is complete fanâ’ and mature baqâ’; the nafs is
annihilated and resigns itself to Allâhu ta’âlâ and Allâhu ta’âlâ is pleased
with it. The highness of wilâya does not depend on the degrees or the
succession of the five latîfas. One who has attained the wilâya of the latîfa
akhfâ which is the highest, is not necessarily superior to the awliyâ’ of
wilâyas of other latîfas. The superiority of wilâya is measured by nearness or
farness to the Origin (’Asl). A walî who has attained the wilâya of the latîfa
qalb, a latîfa of lower degree, if closer (qarîb) to the Origin, is higher than
the walî of the latîfa akhfâ but who has not come as close to the Origin as the
former has. A walî who has attained Muhammad’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) wilâya is
secured from being dismissed. Walîs of other degrees are not secured and are in
danger. Wilâya can be obtained only by the annihilation of qalb (heart) and rűh
(soul). But this in its turn requires the annihilation of the other three
latîfas. The wilâya of a walî is called wilâyat sughrâ (minor
wilâya), and that of a prophet is called wilâyat kubrâ (major
wilâya). Wilâyat sughrâ continues until the end of the progress in anfus and
âfâq. In wilâyat sughrâ, there is no way of escape from error and illusion. It
is the other way round with wilâyat kubrâ. Wilâyat sughrâ begins after passing
beyond the originals of the five latîfas outside the ’Arsh and ends after
passing the zills (shadows, images) or appearances of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s
Attributes which are the originals of the above-mentioned originals. Wilâyat
sughrâ takes place in âfâq and anfus, that is, the creatures outside and inside
man. In other words, it takes place in zills or images. Those who reach the end
of this part of the way attain to the tajallî al-barqî,
that is, tajallîs (appearances) like instantaneous
lightning. Wilâyat kubrâ takes place in the originals of these images and is a
progress closer to Allâhu ta’âlâ. The wilâya of prophets is of this
kind, and its tajallîs are continuous. Wilâyat sughrâ consists of jadhba
(attraction) and sulűk (progress by endeavouring). Attaining to the perfections
of wilâya is possible by sulűk, the qalb’s dhikr, muraqaba (meditation) and
râbita. However, the progress in the perfections of prophethood
is attained by reciting the Qur’ân
al-karîm and performing salât. For further
advancement, there is no means left, but it is only by Allâhu ta’âlâ’s favour
and benevolence that one may make further progress. One cannot go out of Islam
however far one might advance. All the virtues of wilâya that have been
attained will be ruined if there is any slackness in obeying Islam. It is
through love and affection that one can advance beyond this point. Love and
affection are different from favour and benevolence. Even the wilâya of prophets
is inferior to their prophetic perfections. The Wilâyat al-Muhammadiyya has brought together the wilâyas of all the prophets
in itself. Attaining to the wilâya of a prophet is equivalent to
attaining a part of this wilâyat khâssa. The superiority of a walî is as great
as his downward progress. His bâtin, that is, his qalb, rűh and other latîfas,
has been separated from his zâhir, that is, his sense organs and mind. The
ghafla state of his zâhir does not confuse his bâtin. A walî can never attain
to the status of a prophet. A walî may be superior to a prophet
in one respect, but that prophet has an overall superiority over the walî. A walî may
commit a venial sin but soon he repents and begs for forgiveness and he is not
dismissed from his status of wilâya. The thing sought for in the way of
tasawwuf is beyond fanâ’ and baqâ’, tajallîs and zuhűrs, shuhűd and mushâhada,
words and meanings, knowledge and ignorance, names and attributes, and
imagination and wisdom.
“The murshid or rehber is the wâsita who guides one to
Allâhu ta’âlâ. The more a disciple loves his rehber, the more faid he receives
from his rehber’s heart. The rehber is the vehicle and the tenor (purpose) is
Allâhu ta’âlâ. Al-murshid al-kâmil is like a suction pump; on the one side,
having descended to the stage of qalb, he is connected with the rűh, and, on
the other, he has a connection with the nafs. He conducts the faid and ma’rifa
from the rűh to his disciples through the nafs. Anyone who hurts or does not
believe the rehber cannot attain the true faith. [This is why the Wahhâbîs
remain deprived of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s faids and ma’ârif.] It has been declared, ‘A
dog is better than you if your
heart is not broken by the one who offends your
rehber.’ Progress is impossible if there is any wavering in believing and
trusting the rehber. There is no medicine for such wavering. For receiving faid
from a rehber without his tawajjuh, it is sufficient only to love him. The îmân
of those who are in the presence of a rehber gets stronger and a desire to obey
Islam aries. His words, hâls, actions and ’ibâdât are totaly congruous with
Islam; the one who follows and obeys him will have obeyed Rasűlullâh. He who is not so cannot be a rehber. [Those who are not on the right
path and pass themselves off as rehbers, though they are not true ones, will
mislead and harm their disciples.]
“Tasawwuf means to follow in the footsteps of Rasűlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam). Different paths have appeared
as a result of [the differences in] men’s nature. The purpose of tasawwuf is to
increase the ikhlâs. A rehber is necessary on the way of tasawwuf. The Twelve
Imâms and ’Abd al-Qâdir al-Jîlânî and those who were like them
(rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) were rehbers.
“There are two ways leading to Allâhu ta’âlâ: the way
of nubuwwa and that of wilâya. A rehber is not necessary on the nubuwwa way,
which leads one to attain to the ’Asl (Origin). A rehber is necessary on the
wilâya way. There are no such things as fanâ’, baqa’, jadhba or sulűk on the
way of nubuwwa. To make progress on the wilâya way, it is necessary to forget
about everything [this world and the next] and not to set the heart upon them.
As for the nubuwwa way, the next world need not be forgotten. Tasawwuf is the
way of strengthening the faith and living up to Islam with ease. Tarîqa and
haqîqa are the servants of Islam. Tarîqa teaches that creatures should be
deemed nonexistent. Haqîqa teaches that Allâhu ta’âlâ should be known as
existent. Tarîqa does not teach one to keep away from people or to shut oneself
up in some nook but to perform al-amru bi’l-ma’rűf wa ’n-nahyu ’ani ’l-munkar
and jihâd and to live up to the Sunna.”
Not one Islamic scholar has ever said, “I can perform
miracles. I can make you attain to whatever you wish.” Islamic scholars have
tried to veil their karâmât and struggled to disseminate Islam, the knowledge
of the Qur’ân al-karîm and Hadîth
ash-sharîf. This writer, citing the
wrong, heretical words of the heretics, munâfiqs and zindîqs and unintentional
misdeeds of ignorant Muslims, attacks the ’ulamâ’ of Islam and the great leaders
of tasawwuf and calumniates Muslims of the right path.
He is endeavouring to misuse âyats and hadîths to
affirm his lies. And this is the most inferior, disgusting and evil example of
heresy. No Islamic scholars have ever said that He knew the Lawhal-mahfűz,
either. Allâhu ta’âlâ gives secret knowledge to His beloved servants whom He
wills and selects. He grants them karâmât. But, such beloved servants do not
talk about karâma to anybody. Karâmât take place without their will.
It was said in a hadîth sharîf that munâfiqs
and fâjirs might tell the truth. This hadîth sharîf predicted that
the lâ-madhhâbî would deceive Muslims by quoting âyats and hadîths. Allâhu
ta’âlâ promised that He would accept the prayers of those whom He loved.
Therefore, Muslims, relying on this promise of Allâhu ta’âlâ, believe that the
prayers of Islamic scholars, who obey Islam and follow in the footsteps of Rasűlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam), will be accepted. They beg
those blessed human beings to pray and intercede for them.
We are ordered to say, “We ask Allah alone for help,” in the Sűrat al-Fâtiha. This âyat karîma shows that
no creatures can ever create anything, but only Allâhu ta’âlâ can. Anyone who
asks someone other than Allâhu ta’âlâ to make something becomes a polytheist.
This writer classifies men into two groups, the dead and the living, and writes
that anyone who asks for help of those who are far away or dead becomes a
polytheists, while he permits asking for material help from the living nearby.
Thus, he opposes the Sűrat al-Fâtiha and distorts the Qur’ân al-karîm, for, the âyat quoted above states that even the
living nearby cannot be asked to make anything and that no one other than
Allâhu ta’âlâ can create anything. So, he must be a polytheist according to his
understanding of the âyat.
In fact, Allâhu ta’âlâ alone is the one who creates or
makes everything. But, He creates everything through some causes. Âyats,
hadîths and daily events are obvious proofs of this fact. Not only the learned
but also the ignorant know this fact. And this is why the life in this world is
called the ’alâm al-asbâb (the world of causes). For obtaining something, it is
necessary to do the work which is the cause for that thing to be created. It is
not in opposition to the Sűrat al-Fâtiha to hold on to the means by which
something is done. The hadîths, “There are ways of attaining everything. The way to Paradise is
knowledge”; “The means for attaining maghfira is to please Muslims”; “One of
the means which leads [one] to maghfira is to give food to a hungry Muslim”;
“We do not ask help from a mushrik”; “Teaching
knowledge causes grave sins to be
forgiven”; “There is a medicine for every illness”; “Anyone who wants to
strengthen his memory should eat honey,”
and “Drinking wine causes
evil,” indicate that Allâhu ta’âlâ
creates everything through some causes. Allâhu ta’âlâ declared, “I taught Dhu’l-qarnain the reason for
everything,” in the Sűrat al-Kahf.
As we have mentioned in the preface of this book,
every living and non-living thing, near us or far away, is the cause of an
event or a reaction. In order for non-living things and animals to be a useful
means for a person, he has to use them reasonably. For a person to be an
intermediary for something, first he has to accept being an intermediary and
then has to do some work or pray. His acceptance of mediation is either by his
own realization of such a necessity or by being asked for mediation. That
writer, like the Muslims of Ahl as-Sunna, believes that non-living things and
animals may be causes for Allâhu ta’âlâ’s creating, and he does not say that
clinging to causes is polytheism. He believes that Allâhu ta’âlâ will create
what man expects of the means and also that a living human being nearby will
help by praying if he hears the request for help. But he does not believe that
people far away and the dead can hear and help by praying.
As it is seen, this writer, like Ahl as-Sunna,
believes that intermediaries are not creative. Thus he protects himself from
being a polytheist. However, he departs from Ahl as-Sunna by not believing that
the people far away and the dead can hear and pray and that their prayer will
be accepted. He calls Ahl as-Sunna “mushrik” because they believe so. We will
prove in the twenty-fourth article that the people far away and the dead can
hear and the prayers of the pious servants of Allâhu ta’âlâ are accepted. The
following hadîths are quoted from the book Kunűz ad-daqâ’iq: “Prayers said for a brother-in-faith in
his absence will not be refused”; “Prayers of the oppressed will be accepted”;
“Prayers of the youth of my umma who do not commit sins will be accepted”;
“Prayers of the father for the son are like the prayers of the Prophet for his umma”; “Prayers ward off evil.”
The hadîths in the book Tanbîh al-ghâfilîn say: “It will surely be accepted if a Muslim prays,” and “The prayers of the one who eats a harâm morsel will not be accepted
for forty days.” The hadîth ash-sharîf quoted in Bostan declares, “Anyone who says three times the prayer,
‘Bismi’llâhi ’l-ladhî lâ yadurru ma’asmihî shai’un fi ’l-ardi wa lâ fi’
s-samâ’i wa huwa ’s-samî’ al-’alîm’, in the morning will be free from evil
until the evening, and, if he says it
in the evening, he will be free [from evil] until the morning.” These
hadîths indicate that the prayers of the pious and awliyâ’ will be accepted.
The writer of the book attacks this fact all along, saying that it is
polytheism to beg Allâhu ta’âlâ’s beloved servants. How can one liken begging
Allâhu ta’âlâ’s beloved servants and asking for their mediation to begging
idols, who are Allâhu ta’âlâ’s enemies, and to asking idols to create the
wishes? How can one confuse the right with the wrong! May Allâhu ta’âlâ grant
wisdom and a sense of justice to the lâ-madhhabî and guide them to the right
path! May He redeem Muslims from this calamity! Âmîn!
The one who made up this mischief did great harm to
Islam; now the ignorant sprinkle poison in Muslim countries. Muslims have to
learn Islam correctly from the books written by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna
(rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) so that they will not be deceived by the lâ-madhhâbî.
Those who learn Islam correctly will not be taken in by their lies and will see
that they are heretical separatists striving to disunite Muslims. The ignorant
who do not learn Islam well will be taken in by their lies and slanders.
Especially those who have fallen into their traps try to disseminate
anti-madhhabism in their countries and mislead Muslims to calamity by
translating their corrupt, poisonous books. Many hadîths foretold that these
heretics would come about and have the characteristics of the Dajjal. It is
openly stated in a hadîth
sharîf that al-Mahdî (rahimah-Allâhu
ta’âlâ), after killing the Dajjal, will go to Mecca and Medina and put thousands
of men of religious posts to the sword. Al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî (rahimah-Allâhu
ta’âlâ) annotated this hadîth
sharîf in detail in Maktűbât. If they had attacked the disbelievers and the heretical groups instead
of Ahl as-Sunna, the Muslims of the right path, they would have served Islam.
Fortunately, serving Islam does not fall to the lot of those who demolish
Islam.
A great scholar of Islam al-Qastalânî (rahimah-Allâhu
ta’âlâ) wrote: “One of the karâmât Allâhu ta’âlâ has bestowed upon this umma is
that there are qutbs, awtâd, nujabâ’ and abdâl among them. Anas ibn Mâlik
(radî-Allâhu ’anh) said that the abdâl consists of forty persons. The hadîth ash-sharîf quoted in al-Imâm at-Tabarânî’s (rahimah-Allâhu
ta’âlâ) Awsât declares,
‘There will always exist forty persons on the earth each of whom is blessed like Ibrâhîm (’alaihi ’s-salâm). It rains because of their baraka. Allâhu ta’âlâ
appoints another one when one of them dies.’ Ibn ’Adî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) said, ‘Abdâl embodies
forty persons.’ The hadîth ash-sharîf
reported by Imâm Ahmad (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) declares, “There are always thirty persons among this
umma each of whom is blessed like Ibrâhîm (’alaihi ’s-salâm).” The hadîth
ash-sharîf reported by Abu Nu’aim
(rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) in the book Hilya states, ‘There exist some good people among my umma
in every century. They are five
hundred in number. Forty of them are abdâl. They exist in every country.’ There
are many other hadîths on this subject. The hadîth ash-sharîf reported as
marfű’ again by Abu Nu’aim in Hilya declares, ‘There always exist forty persons among my
umma. Their hearts are like Ibrâhîm’s (’alaihi’s-salâm) heart. Allâhu ta’âlâ
redeems His human servants from disasters for their sake. They are called
abdâl. They do not attain to that degree by performing salât, fasting or giving
zakât.’ Ibn Mas’űd (radî-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anh) asked, ‘Yâ Rasűl-Allâh! By what means do they attain that degree?’
‘They attain it by being
generous and by advising Muslims,’
said the Prophet. It was declared in another hadîth sharîf, ‘The abdâl among
my umma do not curse anything.’ Al-Khatîb
al-Baghdâdî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) wrote in his book Tâ’rîkh al-Baghdâd, ‘The nuqabâ’ comprises three
hundred persons. The nujabâ’
comprises seventy; the abdâl forty; the akhyâr seven and the ’amad represents four
persons. There is one ghawth. When human beings need something, the nuqabâ’ pray
first. If it is not granted [by Allâhu ta’âlâ], then the nujabâ’ pray. And if
not granted again the abdâl, akhyâr and ’amad pray sequentially. If all are not
granted, the ghawth, whose prayer will certainly be granted, prays.’ ”[1]
As it is seen, the lâ-madhhabî writer denies the
teachings of tasawwuf based on the hadîth ash-sharîf and insists
on deceiving Muslims by saying that the lâ-madhhabî are obeying the hadîth ash-sharîf.
Denial of karâmât is an evidence of ignorance and
unintelligence in understanding the Islamic faith. The assertion that as-Sahâba
had not been seen performing karâmât is another vile and disgusting lie. Many
valuable books report the hundreds of karâmât each Sahâbî had been granted by
Allâhu ta’âlâ. The karâmât of fifty-four Sahâbîs, along with the eye-witnesses,
are written in Yűsuf an-Nabhânî’s (rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) Arabic book Jâmi’ al-karâmât. Here are some of these kârâmât:
[1] Translation of Al-mawâhib al-ladunniyya, p. 512.
Sâriya, the Commander of Muslims, engaged enemy
Persians on a plain near Nahâwand in
Anas ibn Mâlik (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) visited the
then Khalîfa ’Uthmân (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh). He had seen a woman on his way
to the Khalîfa. Hadrat ’Uthmân looked at him and said, “I see there is a sign
of zinâ[2]
in your eyes.” This was one of the karâmât of Hadrat ’Uthmân.[3]
The following karâmât are translated from Shawâhid an-nubuwwa:
People asked Imâm Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimah-Allâhu
ta’âlâ), “As-Sahâbat al-kirâm (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în) had not been
witnessed to have so many karâmât as their posterity had been. What was the
reason for this?” He said: “It was not necessary for karâmât be endowed upon
as-Sahâbat al-kirâm to strengthen their îmân, because their îmân was very
strong. However, because the posterity’s îmân was not so strong, they were
given karâmât to affirm their îmân.” Abu Bakr (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) willed
that his children would be looked after by Hadrat ’Â’isha (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anhâ) when he was about to leave this world. “My son and two daughters, I
entrust them to you,” he said. Whereas, he had only one daughter named Asmâ’
other than Hadrat ’Â’isha, who inquired, “I have only one sister. Who is the
other sister of mine?” He said, “My wife is pregnant. I think she will have a
baby-girl.” After he died, a baby-girl was born as he had said.
’Alî (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), when he was about to
die,
[1] Jâmi’ al-karâmât, p. 33; Qisâs-i Anbiyâ, p. 589; details in Shawâhid an-nubuwwa; that it was reported by al-Baihakî on the authority of Ibn ’Umar (rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihimâ), in Irshâd at-tâlibîn. [3] Here, ‘adultery’ of the eyes.
[2] Here, ‘adultery’ of the eyes.
[3] Hadrat Muhammad Ma’sűm al-Fârűqî (rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih), Maktűbât, III, 19th letter; details in Jâmi’al-karâmât.
ordered Husain (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), “Take my
coffin to the place called ’Arnain, where you will see a shining, white rock.
Dig there and bury me.” So they did and saw as he had explained.
Hadrat Hasan, on a journey with ’Abdullâh Ibn Zubair
(radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ), stopped to rest at a date-grove. The date palms
had withered. “How nice it would be if there were dates on the trees!” said
’Abdullâh ibn Zubair. Then Hadrat Hasan prayed. A palm soon bloomed into
clusters of dates. The people around said, “This is magic!” Hadrat Hasan
declared, “No, it is not magic. Allâhu ta’âlâ created it because of the prayer
of Rasűlullâh’s grandson.”
One day, ’Alî ibn Husain Zain al-’Âbidîn (radî-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anhumâ) was dining with his household in the countryside. A gazelle
approached and stood by them. “Oh gazelle! I am ’Alî ibn Husain ibn ’Alî, and
my mother is Fâtima bint (daughter, descendant, of) Rasűl (’alaihi ’s-salâm).
Come and eat, too,” he said. The gazelle ate and went away. The children begged
him to call the gazelle again. “I shall if you will not disturb it,” he said.
“We won’t do anything,” said the children. He called the gazelle again. The
gazelle came and ate, but when one of the children petted its back, it shied
and ran away.
Muhammad ibn Hanafiyya (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ)
said, “I am your uncle and older than you. Let me be the khalîfa,” to ’Alî ibn
Husain (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ) who then suggested conferring with the
Hajar al-aswad. They went to the Hajar-al-aswad. ’Alî ibn Husain told his uncle
to ask about the matter. Muhammad asked the Stone but it kept silent. ’Alî ibn
Husain, his hands up, prayed and then said, “Oh Stone! Please explain for
Allah’s sake who has the right to be the kaliphate?” The Hajaral-aswad vibrated
and a voice was heard, saying, “It is ’Alî ibn Husain’s right to be the
khalîfa.”
One day, while Imâm ’Alî Ridâ[1]
(rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) was sitting by a wall, a bird came flying and
stood singing in front of him. “Do you understand what the bird is saying?”
asked Hadrat Imâm to the person sitting by him. “No,” the person answered,
“Allah, His Rasűl and His Rasűl’s grandson know.” Hadrat Imâm said, “It
complains that a snake has climbed close to its nest to eat its chicks. It
wants us to rescue them from her
[1] He was the eighth of the Twelve Imâms and passed away in Tus, that is, Mashhad, in 203 A.H. (818).
enemy. You follow the bird and kill the snake.” The
person followed the bird and saw the snake as he was told.
’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ) met,
on a journey, a group of travellers waiting on the road. He asked them why they
had stopped there. “We have heard that there is a lion on the way. That’s why
no one can go any further on his way,” a traveller replied. ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar
went to the lion and petted its back and removed it away from the road.
Safîna (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), one of the ex-slaves
set free by Rasűlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam), narrated:
“When I was travelling on a ship, a tempest set in and the ship was wrecked. I
clung to a log. I was driven ashore by waves. I had to cross a forest on my way
inland. A lion came out. I told it that I was a Sahâbî of Rasűlullâh. It bowed its neck and led me out of the forest. It murmured when I
left it. I understood that it had bid farewell to me.”
Once Ayyűb as-Sahtiyânî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) had a
hard time in the desert with his friend who was so thirsty that his tongue hung
from his mouth. “Do you have a problem?” he asked. “I am about to die of
thirst,” his friend said. “If you will not tell anybody, I may find you water,”
he said. His friend swore that he would not. Then, he stamped his foot on the
ground and a spring gushed out. They drank to their fill. His friend did not
explain the event to anybody until Ayyűb died.
It is seen that Allâhu ta’âlâ bestows karâmât upon His
beloved servants. Awliyâ’ veil their karâmât. They do not want anybody to hear
about them.
Hâmid at-Tawîl narrated: “A brick fell when closing
the grave of Sâbit al-Banânî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) after his burial. We saw
Sâbit al-Banânî performing salât in the grave. Thereupon, we went to his house
and asked his daughter about him. She said her father performed salât late
every night for fifty years and habitually prayed before dawn: ‘Oh my Allah! If
You have granted performing salât in the grave to anybody other than prophets,
let it fall to my lot, too!’ ”
Many times Habîb al-’Ajamî[1]
(rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) was seen in Basra on the Tarwiya Day and in ’Arafât on
the following day, the ’Arafa Day [the eighth and ninth days of the month
[1] Habîb al-’Ajamî was the disciple of Hasan al-Basrî (rahmat-Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) and passed away in 120 A.H. (737).
Fudail ibn ’Iyâd (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) witnessed: “A
blind Muslim came to Hadrat ’Abdullâh ibn Mubârak[1]
(rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) and begged much of him to pray for the recovery of his
eyes. He entreated earnestly. ’Abdullâh prayed long. Soon the blind man gained
his sight, and many people witnessed him see.”
The karâmât of as-Sahâbat al-kirâm and the Tâbi’űn (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în), which are translated from the book Shawâhid an-nubuwwa[2] and are reported in the preceding paragraphs, obviously prove that the lâ-madhhabî lies and cheats Muslims by saying that as-Sahâba and the Tâbi’űn never performed karâmât.
[1] ’Abdullâh ibn Mubârak was the disciple of al-Imâm al-a’zam (rahmat- Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) and passed away in 181 A.H. (797).
[2] Shawâhid an-nubuwwa was written by Nűr ad-dîn al-Jâmî (rahmat- Allâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih), who passed away in 898 A.H. (1492).