34 - ’Abd al-Ghânî an-Nabulusî wrote:

“One should be neither lax nor excessive but moderate in performing ’ibâdât. The 185th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-Baqara says, ‘Allâhu ta’âlâ wills ease for you. He wills not hardship for you.’ This is why He has permitted the sick and the traveller not to fast. He did not order us to do heavy, distressing duties. If a person is to make a choice between doing two things, it is right for him to do the lighter and the easier. The Prophet (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) heard that a man kept performing salât in the mosque for hours. He went to the mosque and, holding the man’s shoulders, said, ‘Allâhu ta’âlâ wants this umma to do easy things and He does not approve of hardship.’ Allâhu ta’âlâ has ordered easy things for this umma. It is very easy to follow the rules of Islam.

“The 90th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-Mâ’ida declares, ‘Oh believers! Do not forbid (make “harâm” or “unlawful”) the

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beautiful things that Allâhu ta’âlâ has made lawful (halâl) for you, and do not say “harâm” for what is “halâl”! Allâhu ta’âlâ does not love those who say “harâm” for which He said “halâl”![1]

“The Hadîth ash-sharîf says, ‘Allâhu ta’âlâ likes you to do what He has permitted as He likes you to do what He has ordered you to do.’ He has given permission (rukhsa) to commit a harâm and omit a fard in case of darûra (compulsion or emergency necessity); that is, there will not be any punishment for it. Carrying out the orders of Islam even in case of darûra is called ’azîma. It is sometimes better to do the ’azîma, for example, not to conceal one’s îmân when threatened with death; one becomes a martyr if he is killed. And sometimes, it is better to do the rukhsa, for example, for a traveller not to fast when travelling. The traveller will have committed a sin if he dies of an illness as a result of fasting.

“It is not permissible to search for the rukhsas and easy ways of the four madhâhib and do one’s affairs according to them to avoid practising the rules of Islam. Such an attempt is called talfîq. In case of necessity it is permissible to change one’s madhhab or to do a few things according to another madhhab. It is harâm to cheat in order to omit a fard or commit a harâm. This is called hîlat bâtila. However, it is permissible to prevent something from becoming fard or harâm before it becomes fard or harâm. This preventions is called hîlat Shar’iyya.

“In the book Ikhtiyâr, the annotation of the book Mukhtâr, it is written: ‘Riyâdâ, or eating very little, if it weakens one to the degree of preventing one from performing the fard, is not permissible. It is fard to work and earn enough money to afford the livelihood of oneself and one’s wife and children and to pay one’s debt. If a person who works with this intention dies, he will

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[1] Ibn ’Abd al-Wahhâb said ‘harâm’ for many things which are halâl, even for ’ibâdât. Even more, he said ‘polytheism’ for some of them. This âyat karîma shows that Allâhu ta’âlâ does not love him. He has shown the way to get saved from punishment when a believer commits a sin. He declares that the one who commits a sin will be forgiven if he repents of it and gives the kaffâra (attonement). Ibn ’Abd al-Wahhâb attacked against dawr (performance in a circle of poor Muslims) of isqât and said that such things were fabricated practices that caused evil people to sin. Would he charge against Allah’s forgiving sins of those who repent and atone? Would he dare slander the ease and mercy shown by Allâhu ta’âlâ by claiming that this would cause ill-willed people to commit sins?

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not be punished [for it in the next world]. A hadîth sharîf declares, “It is fard for every man to earn his livelihood.” It is permissible not to work for more than this. Âdam (’alaihi ’s-salâm) grew wheat and baked bread; Nûh [Noah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was a carpenter; Ibrâhîm (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was a clothmerchant; Dâwûd (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was a smith; Sulaimân (’alaihi ’s-salâm) wove baskets, and Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was first a shepherd, later he became a merchant, and later he was engaged in jihâd and became a soldier. Abu Bakr as-Siddîq was a cloth-merchant; ’Umar al-Fârûq was a shoe-repairer and shoemaker; ’Uthmân Dhi ’n-Nûrain was a food-importer, and ’Alî (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în) was a workman. It is mubâh to work so as to earn the amount of one year’s livelihood of one’s household. It is mustahab to work hard and earn more to help Muslims and to perform jihâd. A hadîth sharîf declares, “The best of mankind is the one who is beneficial to human beings.” ’ It is makrûh tahrîma to earn for ostention and boasting. The book Multaqâ writes that this is harâm. Working does not increase the sustenance (rizq). Allâhu ta’âlâ is the One who grants sustenance. By working, one holds fast to the causes, which is a sunna.

“Those who work are of five categories: in the first group are those who believe that sustenance is earned only as an exchange for work; disbelievers believe so. The second group of people believe that Allâhu ta’âlâ grants the sustenance, and working is meant to hold fast to the causes, and they do not disobey Allâhu ta’âlâ while working; they do not commit the harâm and are sincere, pious Muslims. The third group of people disobey Allâhu ta’âlâ while working, although they believe that Allâhu ta’âlâ grants them the sustenance; sinning believers are of this group. The fourth group of people believe that the sustenance comes both from Allâhu ta’âlâ and from their efforts; polytheists are of this group. The fifth group knows that sustenance is granted only by Allâhu ta’âlâ, but they are not sure whether He will grant it or not; munâfiqs are of this group.

“It is written in the fatwâ book Tâtârkhâniyya that it is makrûh tahrîma to shut oneself in a mosque or house and worship all the time and to neglect eating, marrying, pleasures like going for a walk, and earning halâl sustenance.

“Question: ‘The above statements of the ’ulamâ’ of the religion do not agree with those statements of mutasawwifs which praise undertaking riyâda and leading an ascetic life. Which one is better of the two?’

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Answer: Some mutasawwifs said that he who keeps himself hungry for forty days starts comprehending the Divine Mysteries. Sahl ibn ’Abdullâh [at-Tusturî, d. Basra, 283 A.H. (896)] used to eat once in fifteen days. Al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî [d. Tus, 505 A.H. (1111)] wrote: ’Abu Bakr as-Siddîq (radî-Allâhu ’anh) ate once in six days. Al-Junaid al-Baghdâdî performed four hundred rak’as of salât every day. Sahl ibn ’Abdullâh became a hâfiz when he was seven years old. He fasted every day and ate solely barley-bread for twelve years.” Abd al-Wahhâb ash-Sha’rânî [(rahmat-Allahi ’alaih), d. 973 A.H. (1365)] recited the whole Qur’ân twice during the time between the evening and night salâts. One should not hesitate to believe this; awliyâ’ have spiritual (rûhânî) power, and the soul (rûh) can do many things in a moment.

“The ’ulamâ’ have declared that one should not be excessive and distress oneself in performing ’ibâdât. This statement is related to the things that are fard, wâjib or sunna for the whole Umma. Every Muslim should do as such. The austerities undertaken by mutasawwifs are the supererogatory (nâfila) ’ibâdât. Not every Muslim should do them. The 16th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat Taghâbun declares, ‘Fear Allah as much as you can!’ The 70th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-Furqan says, ‘For those who believe and repent and do pious deeds, I convert their sins into thawâbs. Allâhu ta’âlâ is the Forgiver of sins and Merciful.’ Upon hearing this âyat, Wahshî said, ‘It states conditions to be fulfilled for being forgiven. I fear if I cannot fulfil them. Is there no easier way out?’ Then, the âyat, ‘Allâhu ta’âlâ forgives everything but polytheism of His human servants whom He wishes,’ was revealed. Then, Wahshî worried: ‘What shall I do if Allâhu ta’âlâ does not wish to forgive me?’ Thereupon, the âyat al-karîma, ‘Oh My servants who tyrannize themselves! Do not be hopeless of Allah’s Grace! Allâhu ta’âlâ forgives all sins. He is ghafûr [and] rahîm!’ was revealed. ‘This good news is sufficient for me,’ said Wahshî, and he became a believer. This âyat karîma is good news for everyone on the earth until the Resurrection. For those who cannot find water and are to perform tayammum for ablution, Allâhu ta’âlâ first declared, ‘Rub your hands and face with clean soil!’ but later declared, ‘Rub your hands and face with your hands dusted with clean soil!’ He ordered men not to rub with soil and made the order easier. When Allâhu ta’âlâ told His Prophet that He would turn the hills around Mecca into gold if he wanted, Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam)

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did not think of spending that much gold for Allah’s sake to perform jihâd against the enemies and did not want it, but he wished to experience difficulties. However, he asked his companions’ help before the Battle of Tabuk, saying, ‘I give him the good news of becoming destined for Paradise who supplies the needs of this army.’ It is noted in books that Rasûlullâh did not break his fast for days and tied stones on his blessed abdomen [not to feel hunger]. It is also reported that he performed salât late at nights until his blessed feet were swollen. His blessed wives (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhunna), too, performed that much ’ibâda. But, because he was very merciful to his umma, he did not want them to undertake that much difficulty. He ordered them in rukhsa, but he himself performed ’ibâda in ’azîma. Islam is not a religion of mere orders; it is composed of both rukhsas and ’azîmas. The âyat al-karîma of Sûrat at-Tahrîm, ‘Do not make harâm the beautiful things which Allâhu ta’âlâ has made halâl for you!’ means ‘Do not deny those rukhsas which are permitted! It is zuhd and good for you if you give up the rukhsas and abstain from them without regarding them as harâm. It is not a sin to do or use them.’ The hadîth ash-sharîf, ‘He who does not accept my sunna has no relation with me,’ means ‘He who does not accept the things I permit but undertakes difficulties does not belong to my umma.’

“The superiors of tasawwuf have preferred ’azîmas, yet they have not denied the right of practising (’Amal) with rukhsas. As Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) did, they have ordered everyone to practise with rukhsas. Tasawwuf means obeying the Qur’ân al-karîm and the Sunna, abstaining from bida’, being respectful towards the superiors of tasawwuf and being merciful towards everyone and omitting the practices that are rukhsas. The ’ulamâ’ of the Ahl as-Sunna would give up about seventy halâls lest they should commit a harâm, for they acted with ’azîma and warâ’. Abu Bakr as-Siddîq (radî-Allâhu ’anh) declared, ‘We would abstain from seventy halâls lest we should commit a harâm.’

Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) ordered Abû Huraira (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) ‘Do with warâ’ so that you will become the best of the ’âbids.’ It is understood from this hadîth sharîf that Islam is not a system of rukhsas or being moderate in every affair; ’azîma, zuhd and warâ’ are Islamic, too. It is for those who cannot endure and whose body and mind may suffer harm that undertaking riyâda or hunger is makrûh

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tahrîma, because it is harâm to expose oneself to danger. Undertaking riyâda is permissible and useful for those whose spiritual powers prevent this danger.

“The necessity of a rehber can be appreciated from this point, too: the perfect rehber perceives the condition of the health, character and spiritual power of the disciple and orders him to undertake riyâda appropriate for his capacity and protects him against dangers. The perfect rehber is an expert in both the knowledge of the body and that of the soul and religion. He is an inheritor, a deputy, of our master Rasûlullâh. No one among those trained by perfect rehbers have been seen to suffer any harm or danger. They all have made progress and attained to perfection. None of them have shown any slackness in obeying Islam during their progress on the way of tasawwuf. It is harâm to do something that causes the omission of a fard. A rehber protects one against such harâms. It is for this reason that it is necessary to perform supererogatory ’ibâdât with his permission.

Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) was very merciful to his umma. On the Mi’râj Night, he asked that salât of fifty times a day be reduced to only five times a day. He did not permit his companions to undertake severe riyâda so that heavy orders would not be conveyed to his umma. It cannot be thought that he did not inform his umma of the ’ibâdât which would be very helpful, or that he prevented those who performed them. He taught, performed and made others perform the best and most useful of everything. Since the practice of rukhsas, that is, being a human servant without excessiveness or laxity would be useful for all his umma, he openly practised them and ordered their practice. However, he also taught secret knowledge and ’ibâdât to the superior ones among as-Sahâbat al-kirâm. The 282nd âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-Baqara declares, ‘Fear Allah! Thus, He will teach you many things,’ which are Divine Ma’rifa and secret [esoteric] knowledge. A hadîth sharîf declares, ‘Knowledge has subtle and secret constituents. Only the men of Allah know them. The ignorant will not believe if they disclose what they know.’

“The hadîth about the Mi’râj, written in Al-mawâhib by al-Imâm al-Qastalânî, declares, ‘My Rabb revealed to me three different sciences. He told me not to reveal the first one to anyone, because no one but I can understand this science. He said, “You may communicate the second science to those whom you wish. Teach the third science to all of your umma!” ’ It is seen that

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Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) did not declare, ‘The science revealed to me by Allâhu ta’âlâ is solely the science ordered to be taught to all the umma.’ He told that there were two other true sciences, too. The second science which Rasûlullâh had been permitted to teach to whomever he wished was wilâya, that is, the science of tasawwuf. This science deals with the bâtin and reality of Islam, and it can only be obtained through taqwâ. Referring to Khidir (’alaihi ’s-salâm), Sûrat al-kahf declares, ‘Knowledge from Us was given to him.’ This âyat karîma indicates the science of wilâya. As the knowledge of fiqh, which was ordered to be revealed to everybody, is the collection of the blessed sayings and deeds of Rasûlullâh, so the ma’rifas of wilâya have been flowing from his blessed heart into other hearts. This is why Abu Huraira (radi-Allâhu ’anh) said, ‘I learnt two sciences from Rasûlullâh. I have conveyed to you the first one. You cannot comprehend the second one and you would kill me if I disclosed the second one.’ The first science is ’ilm az-zâhir, and the second one is ’ilm al-bâtin. Only awliyâ’ and siddîqs know the latter.

“Mutasawwifs undertake riyâdât and perform mujâhada to attain ’ilm al-bâtin. As there are false ’âlims in ’ilm az-zâhir, so there are false, ill-willed people who pass themselves off as mutasawwifs and make this blessed way a means for their worldly interests. It is necessary to identify such liars and to know them in order not to be trapped by them. Therefore, one should learn Islam very well, because it is the only touchstone to distinguish the true from the false. It is very good and useful if someone who practises fiqh also tries to make progress in tasawwuf. However, the supervision of a perfect rehber is necessary to make progress on this way, who is a specialist of the heart and soul. He diagnoses the illness in the heart of the tâlib (aspirant), chooses the proper riyâda and dhikr for him and orders him to do it. The tenth âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-Baqara says, ‘Their hearts are ill.’ Rasûlullâh’s suhba cured that illness, and there was no need for any riyâda for as-Sahâbat al-kirâm because they all received faid from his blessed heart through the blessings of his suhba and reached the highest degrees of tasawwuf, thus being superior to all awliyâ’ who came after them. The successors of as-Sahâbat al-kirâm have tried hard to get saved from the heart diseases by undertaking riyâdât, because they have not had the chance of attending Rasûlullâh’s suhba. ’Ilm al-bâtin does not occur separately from ’ilm az-zâhir; those who gain both of them are called ’ulamâ’ ar-râsikhîn. Only those are the ’ulamâ’ who are

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Rasûlullâh’s inheritors. Those who cure their hearts by undertaking riyâdât give up riyâdât after they attain to ’ilm al-bâtin. They do only what are fard and sunna. They perform ’ibâda also through their bâtins, their hearts, like the as-Sahâbat al-kirâm (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum) did. Even their buying or selling does not harm their bâtins’ ’ibâda. They do not forget Allâhu ta’âlâ even for a moment. They are praised in the Qur’ân al-karîm: the 37th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat an-Nûr says, ‘Buying or selling does not make them forget Allah.’ The as-Sahâbat al-kirâm reached this high degree very easily and quickly without undertaking riyâda. Hadrat ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ’anh) attained to this degree just in the first suhba. If as-Sahâbat al-kirâm had been permitted to undertake riyâda, the ’ulamâ’ of Islam, the imâms of madhhabs, would have recorded their riyâda in their books and all Muslims would have to do as they did.

“The hadîth ash-sharîf related in the book Mustadrak by Muhammad ibn ’Abdullâh Hâkim an-Nishâpûrî, a scholar of hadîth [(rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), d. Nishâpur, 405 A.H. (1014)], declares, ‘The food of the believers in ad-Dajjâl’s time will be their praising and sanctifying [Allâhu ta’âlâ], as it is the food of angels. Allâhu ta’âlâ will satisfy the hunger of those who praise and sanctify in that time.’ This shows that Allâhu ta’âlâ may put His servants whom He wishes into such a state that they do not need eating and drinking, and He will grant this state to every believer in the time of ad-Dajjâl. One of the mischievous acts of ad-Dajjâl will be his saying, ‘Worship me and obey me!’ wherever he goes. If people obey him, he will order the sky and the earth, and it will rain and crops will grow. If people do not obey him, he will order it not to rain and crops not to grow and they will suffer hunger. The above hadîth sharîf reveals that his mischief will not do any harm to the believers; they will not suffer hunger by praising and sanctifying Allâhu ta’âlâ.

“One should not get the feeling that undertaking austerities such as zuhd, patience, riyâda and hunger are incompatible with Islam, because Islam forbids the things that are painful and harmful to the body. These austerities are not harmful to mutasawwifs. They, like every rule of Islam, make up a part of the Islamic religion inherited from Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam). Denial of these austerities and of the awliyâ’ who undertake them is the denial of a part of Islam.

“One should not think that mutasawwifs were superior to prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salawâtu wa ’t-taslimât) or even to as-

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Sahâbat al-kirâm (ridwân-Allâhi ’alaihim ajma’în) because they undertook riyâdât. Nor should one slander any walî. One should recognize that he himself is defective by being unable to understand the greatness of awliyâ’. A hadîth sharîf declares, ‘Good news to him who thinks about his own faults and defects so much that he cannot find time to look for others’ faults.’ Sahl ibn ’Abdullâh at-Tusturî said, ‘The worst sin is to eye a Muslim with suspicion. Most people do not regard this as a sin and never repent of it.’ A person’s respect and praise for all awliyâ’ are of no avail if he speaks ill of only one of them without any reason based on Islam. He who does not accept and approve of all awliyâ’ cannot become a walî. If one hurts a walî of Allâhu ta’âlâ by eyeing him with suspicion, he will have slandered a part of Islam. Abu’l-Mawâhib ash-Shâdhilî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) said, ‘He who does not respect the awliyâ’ of his time is immediately dismissed from the circle of awliyâ’.’ Muhyiddîn Ibn al-’Arabî (rahmat-Allâhi ’alaih) declared, ‘Most of our great scholars said that it caused disbelief to bear hostility towards awliyâ’ and towards those ’ulamâ’ who practise their ’ilm.’ ’Alî al-Khawwâs, who was ’Abd al-Wahhâb ash-Shârânî’s master, said that one must stay away from the person who bore hostility to a walî or an ’âlim. Opposing a walî or an ’âlim is a heresy, which leads one to destruction.

“Allâhu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ’ are those ’ulamâ’ who are ’âmil of (living up to, practising) their ’ilm. Denying with heart or tongue any dead or living walî is an obvious kufr (disbelief). Anyone who denies a walî becomes a kâfir (disbeliver) according to the unanimity of all Muslims, of all the madhhabs of Muslims, because this is a denial of the Islamic religion. An ignorant and stupid person may not be aware of his denial and may think that he denies a superistition or a bid’a or something unbecoming in his opinion, but he ruins himself by saying ‘fâsiq’, ‘kâfir’ or ‘zindîq’ for awliyâ’ and by misjudging their deeds and words. In reality, however, Allâhu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ’ are very far from his defamatory deferences. Their words and deeds are tâ’at and qurba and are compatible with Islam. But the ignoramus insists in obstinacy and does not understand the knowledge of awliyâ’ and the ma’rifa of siddîqs. His heart is dead, and he cannot see the truth. He has sunk into the abyss of disbelief, deviation, heresy and hypocrisy. He thinks he is a man of tawhîd and tâ’a who enlightens mankind. In the next world, he will be punished because of his kufr and suffer torture for his oppressions and slanders. He does not say ‘kâfir’ for himself and for the people who believe like him, because they all participate in this denial and

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consider themselves Muslims. On the contrary, to Muslims, they are kâfirs. Muslims believe Allâhu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ’ and their true hâls. Not knowing or misunderstanding is not an excuse for those who deny, since it is not an excuse not to know the religion. Their misunderstanding awliyâ’ is like the denial of Muhammad’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) true religion by Jews, Christians, Magians and idolaters. It is not an excuse for them to be ignorant of wilâya, just as it is not an excuse for non-Muslims to be ignorant of Islam.

“The denial of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ’ implies disbelief like the denial of a rule of Islam. The punishment inflicted upon the renegade who denies Islam should also be inflicted upon the kâfir who denies awliyâ’. But he is first allowed to give up his denial and to repent.

“Awliâ’ and prophets cannot go beyond being Allah’s human servants, no matter how high their degrees are. As human beings have no influence on the occurence of marvellous events or miracles, so they have no influence on those happenings that are created within the scope of [His] usual custom [or natural laws]. Allâhu ta’âlâ alone creates everything. Awliyâ’ and prophets have no influence on the creation of anything. But, Allâhu ta’âlâ has regarded His awliyâ’ and prophets as higher than other human beings and has bestowed upon them favours that He has not given to others. He creates the optional actions of every human being if He wills after he wishes. He does not create what men want if He does not will. He, too, always wills and creates some certain wishes of human beings. For example, when one wishes to raise his arm or blink his eyes, He instantaneously wills it and raises his arm and blinks his eyes; very rarely He does not will to create such wishes. There are some other wishes of human beings which He seldom wills to create and usually does not will and create. Most of our wishes in this world are of this kind. But, as it is witnessed every day, this condition is not the same for every human being. Hence, Allâhu ta’âlâ wills and creates most of the wishes of His awliyâ’ and prophets immediately, as if they were wishes like the raising of an arm or blinking of an eye. This is a favour of Allâhu ta’âlâ for them. Awliyâ’ differ from one another in this respect, and no walî can ever reach the degree of a prophet. Awliyâ’ do not wish anything worldly because none of them regards the world as valuable. And whatever they want of the world is for the other world and for Allah.”[1]

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[1] ’Abd al-Ghanî an-Nabulusî, Al-hadîqat an-Nadiyya, v. I, p. 190, Istanbul, 1920.

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Allâhu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ’ (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) centuries ago foresaw as a karâma that there would be the lâ-madhhabî who would deny awliyâ’ and become heretics and even apostates. They wrote everything necessary to protect Muslims against being deceived by them. Is not this apparent karâma sufficient to make one believe awliyâ’?