From the Layman’s Desk: Miracles

–Islamic perspective in brief: 1.

َ‫ح َز ُنون‬
ْ َ‫هُم ي‬
ْ ْ ‫علَ ْي ِه‬
‫م َواَل‬ َ ‫ف‬
ٌ ‫خ ْو‬ ِ َّ‫أَاَل إِنَّ أَ ْولِيَا َء الل‬
َ ‫ه اَل‬

Forewords:

Of course, there is a plethora of literature on the subject written by the

great scholars and stalwarts of Islam, both past and present, as well as
by orientalists. Unfortunately, for those who know only English much of
those great works are not readily available to cherish and savour
except for abridged English versions of Kashful Mahjoob, Tadhkirat al-
awliya, the Ihya, some translations of the discourses of Hazrat Shaykh
Abdul Qadir Jilani ®, and a few others. Therefore, for those who are
well-versed with the subject, I am afraid, they will be disappointed
here. My only reason for foraying into this subject as a layman is that
maybe my two cents will expiate some of my sins and earn me some
reward from Allah who loves his Awliya whom I love for the sake of
Allah.

Miracles are mentioned in all Religions and

Cultures:

We do know that a miracle is an extraordinary act created by Allah

outside his usual custom, i.e. beyond the scope of scientific and natural
laws.

Miracles are common to all religion and culture. Old Testament and
Hebrew scriptures contain many accounts of miracles. So does the
Budhist and the Hindu scriptures. They attribute miracles to God,
prophets, saints, sages, and holy men. In non-Islamic religions and
cultures, we hardly find any distinction being made in the categories of
so-called miracles. As far as working miracles by personalities are
concerned, some religions believe that only the dead can work miracles
and not the living ones whereafter they are canonized as saints.
Sometimes the word “Miracle” is used in a metaphorical sense to the
happenings in daily life whence the Hindi expression: “Chamatkaar ko
Namaskaar Karna”. Sometimes, even magic, hypnotism, mesmerism,
charlatanism, clairvoyance, out-of-body experience, and the like are
termed as a “Miracle” by incredulous people. This is one of the reasons
why there is such a proliferation of fake gurus or a ‘Babas’ or ‘Pirs’ in
our society. However, trickery and self-aggrandisement do not preclude
the occurrence of real miracles. Islam too has a fair share of real
miracles, but with a unique difference as we shall see in due course.

Miracles of the prophets are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the
ahadeeth (prophetic traditions) and Islamic hagiography which are
generally accepted by the entire Muslim communities. However, as a
minute section frowns upon the very mention of Awliya-Allah and their
miracles, or deny their high-rank and status by imagining that every
believer is of the status of a Friend of God, we shall be restricting
ourselves to the miracles of Awliya-Allah. There is of course the general
closeness of every believer to Allah, which is categorized as Wilayat-e-
Amma. This is because Allah declares in the Holy Qur’an: We are nearer
to him than his own jugular vein” (Surah Qaaf, verse 16).  So we need
to get an idea of what or who is a Friend of God (Wali or saint).

Briefly, who are Awliya-Allah?

Scholars tells us that an Arabic word has a number of meaning, but for
simplicity, let’s restrict ourselves to the meaning of “Awliya” as the
plural of “Wali” or Friend of God or Saint, and the word Wali being
derived from “Wilaya” which means nearness or closeness (‘Qurb’) or
Sainthood. This word with different forms appear in the Holy Quran
over 200 times in different context and also means “Patronage,
”Protection,” and even “Intimacy”. The Holy Qur’an also categorises the
believers as ‘Muqarrabin’ (i.e. those brought near or favourties of
Allah), Sabireen (Patient Ones), Muttaqoon (God-conscious) Abrar (the
Virtuous), Zuhhad (the Pious ones), Siddiqun (the Truthful ones),
Saalihoon (the Pious Ones), Qanitoon (The Obedient Ones), Mohsinoon
(The Doer of Good),  Zakiroon (Those who remember Allah much),
Muminoon (the Believers),  besides using the word Awliya-Allah.  These
qualities are found in the Awliya-Allah.
Generally, Surah Waqiah of the Holy Qur’an gives the details of the
categories of the believers. The highest position is for those who are
called “the foremost,” “those brought nigh,” and “these will be those
who are nearest to Allah.” In the middle position are those souls who
attend to both the worlds who advance upward to the higher world by
obeisance and devotion, and who sometimes descend to the lower
world for administering their affairs and exercising sway over it. These
are the people of the right-hand who will be given their records in their
right hand. Most of the “foremost” and the “Right-Hand” will be from
the first generation and comparatively fewer will be from the later
generations. In Surah Nisa, verse 69, the categories of Prophets, the
Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous People are mentioned.

A very famous verse of the Holy Qur’an says about them: “Ala, inna
awliya Allah, la khawfun alayhim wala hum yah-zanoon!” , i.e. "Lo!
verily the friends of Allah! No fear comes upon them, nor shall they
grieve." (Quran-10:62)

For an explanation of the above verse, let’s refer to a prophetic

tradition:

It is reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, once said after the salat:

‘O people! Listen to this, understand it, and know it. Allah has servants
who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and whom the Prophets and
martyrs yearn to be like, due to their seat and proximity in relation to
Allah.” One of the Bedouin Arabs who came from among the most
isolated of people twisted his hand at the Prophet and said: ‘O
Messenger of Allah! People from humankind who are neither Prophets
nor martyrs and yet the Prophet's and the martyrs yearn to be like
them due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah?! Describe
them for us!"’

'The Prophet's face showed delight at the Bedouin's question and he

said: ’ ...

‘They are of the strangers from this and that place. They frequent this
or that tribe without belonging to them. They do not have family
connections among themselves. They love one another for Allah's sake.
They are of pure intent towards one another. On the Day of
Resurrection Allah will place for them pedestals of light upon which He
will make them sit, and He will turn their faces and clothes into light.
On the Day of Resurrection the people will be terrified but not those.
They are Allah's Friends [Awliya'] upon whom fear comes not, nor do
they grieve.’

[Haythami in Majma'al-Zawa'id says: 'Ahmad relates it, and Tabrani

relates something similar, and the men in its chain of transmission has
been declared trustworthy." Also related through several chains by Abu
Dawud, Ahmad, Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunna, al-Hakim in the Mustadrak,
Ibn 'Asakir, Ibn Abi al-Dunya in Kitab al-Ikhwan, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari,
Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mardawayh, and others].

Now, in the well-known prophetic tradition where Allah states through

the mouth of His Messenger (sallal laahu alaihi wasssallam) the above
Quranic verse is further amplified:
"Allah said, 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a
pious worshipper (walî) of Mine. And the most beloved things with
which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him
(i.e. made ‘Fard’); and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through
performing nawaafil (i.e. supererogatory prayers and doing extra deeds
besides ‘Fard’) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with
which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand
with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me,
I will give him; and if he asks for My protection (Refuge), I will protect
him; and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul
of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him."
(Narrated by Abu Huraira in Bukhari, vol8, hadith 509)

The above Quranic verses and the hadith shareef, surely sums up the
definition not of an ordinary believer but that of a pious person who
never ceases to strive for attaining the nearness (Qurb) of Allah by
carrying out all the compulsory religious obligations, required of a pious
believer, and topping that with additional prayers and good deeds to
such an extent that he comes under the protection of Allah and attains
the position of Wilayat and becomes a Wali. Then Allah becomes his
sense of sight and hearing as well as his limbs, and if the Wali were to
ask, Allah would surely give him, making him free from fear and grief.

Lest it be misconstrued, let me add that “Becoming free from fear and
grief” for Awliya-Allah simply means that for the pleasure of Allah, they
remain content with whatever state and condition they find themselves
in. Otherwise it is well known that the lives of Friends of Allah were full
of incredible hardship, suffering and pain. Higher the rank, higher the
trial.

The other meaning, as I see it is, Awliya-Allah always spoke fearlessly

in the face of tyrants who oppressed and mistreated their subject. For
example, Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani ® was one
such Friend of Allah whose admonitions the Caliph or Governors of his
time could not ignore. Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti ® who
settled down in Ajmer, India, against all odds, facing the might of the
Raja, his army and his magicians all by himself with the aid of Allah of
course . The last Khilji king of Delhi threatened to hang Hazrat
Nizamuddin Awliya ® who wouldn’t attend his court, got killed in a
court intrigue just before he could implement his order; or when a king
of the next dynasty wanted the saint out of the Delhi suburbs before he
reached Delhi, the saint uttered: Delhi is still far (Dilli hinoz duur ast).
True enough, the king himself could not reach Delhi as he got crushed
to death when the palace fell upon him. Thus, there are many such
instances when an Awliya-Allah was not seized by the fear of tyrants
but it was the other way about. Nor do they grieve even in personal
tragedies, thus remaining content with the decree of Allah, as
happened in the case of Mansur Hallaj whose mystical utterances of
Ana al-Haqq (I am the Truth) was considered as heresy, leading to his
imprisonment for 11 long years in Baghdad and final torture and
execution in the public by the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muqtadir.  All the time
during his trial and execution he remained unperturbed. Despite the
fact that stones were thrown by the public at him, and his eyes were
gorged out, his limbs were cut, his nose and ears were sliced off, his
tongue was severed, and finally his head was chopped off, he forgave
everyone who was present at his execution. He remained content with
the decree of Allah!  In passing it may be stated that Hazrat Data Ganj
Baksh has drawn our attention to the fact that if the religion of Mansur
Hallaj were suspect, Hazrat Shibli (a disciple of Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi
®) would not have stated: “Al-Hallaj and I are of one belief.”
In Kashful Mahjoob, Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh ® has beautifully
explained the concept by quoting Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi ® on “fear”
that a saint has no fear since it involves expectation of some future
calamity or loss of a desired object whereas a saint is the Son of his
Time (‘ibni waqtihi’) who has no future to fear nor has any hope of
relieving the misfortune or gaining an object of desire as that involves
the future. Nor does the saint grieve because he is in the radiance of
satisfaction (‘Rida’) and in the garden of concord (‘muwaafaqat’).
According to Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh ®, Fear and Grief, Hope and
Security belong to the interest of lower soul.

Awliya-Allah are known by various names, depending on their rank with

Allah. To add some more: Muhaqqiq (Fully Realised), Aarifeen (sing.Arif
– Intimate or experiential knowers), Qutb (Pole or Axis), Awtaad
(Pegs), Abdaal (Substitutes) and so on.  A great scholar of Islam Imam
al-Qastalani (Reh.) wrote:

"One of the karamat Allahu ta'ala has bestowed upon this umma is that
there are qutbs, awtad, nujaba' and abdal among them.

Anas ibn Malik ® said that the abdal consists of forty persons. The
hadith ash-Sharif quoted in al-Imam at-Tabarani's Awsat declares,
'There will always exist forty persons on the earth each of whom is
blessed like Ibrahim (a.s.). It rains because of their baraka. Allahu
ta'ala appoints another one when one of them dies. ' Ibn 'Adi said,
'Abdal embodies forty persons.'

The hadith ash-Sharif reported by Imam Ahmad declares, "There are

always thirty persons among this umma each of whom is blessed like
Ibrahim (a.s.)."

The hadith ash-Sharif reported by Abu Nuaym (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala)

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 abdal. They exist in every country.'

There are many other hadiths on this subject. The hadith ash-Sharif
reported as marfu' again by Abu Nuaym in Hilya declares, 'There always
exist forty persons among my umma. Their hearts are like
Ibrahim's(a.s.) heart. Allahu ta'ala redeems His human servants from
disasters for their sake. They are called abdal. They do not attain to
that degree by performing salat, fasting or giving zakat.' Ibn Masud ®
asked, 'Ya Rasul-Allah! 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 hadith ash-Sharif, 'The abdal
among my umma do not curse anything.

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (Reh.) wrote in his book Ta'reekh al-Baghdad,

'The nuqaba' comprises three hundred persons. The nujaba' comprises
seventy; the abdal forty; the akhyar seven and the 'amad represents
four persons. There is one ghawth. When human beings need
something, the nuqaba' pray first. If it is not granted [by Allahu ta'ala],
then the nujaba' pray. And if not granted again the abdal, akhyar and
'amad pray sequentially. If all are not granted, the ghawth, whose
prayer will certainly be granted, prays.'

" [Translation of Al-mawahib al-ladunniyya, p. 512.]"

The prophets are infallible (masoom) and form the highest rank. Among
the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) coming
after the prophets (a.s.) the superior are the Sahabas (the Noble
Companions of Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and the most
superior amongst them are the Righteous Caliphs (Khulfa-e-
Raashideen) namely, Hazrat Abu Bakr ®, Hazrat Umar ®, Hazrat
Uthman ® and Hazrat Ali ®. All the Sahaba, generally, are also Awliya.
But all Awliya are not Sahaba. The family of the Holy Prophet (sallal
laahu alaihi wassallam) and the Ahe-e-Bayt also occupy a special place
among the Awliya and deserve a separate topic. Thereafter comes the
group of actual Awliya-Allah who founded the various Orders for spread
of Islam throughout the world peacefully, headed by Hazrat Shaykh
Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani Ghaus-ul-Azam of the Qadiri Order
(Silsila).

The fact that there are many unknown saints whom even Hazrat Khizr
(a.s.) don’t know, is generally well-known. Also, some have been
Awliya-Allah since their birth as in the case of Hazrat Shaykh
Muhiyudeen Abdul Qadir Jilani ®.  The Sufi Shaykh, Imam ‘Abdallah ibn
‘Alawi al-Haddad of Arabia, explains that possessor of supreme degree
of veracity is called Qutb al-Ghawth. He adds, “As for the Qutb (Pole),
the Ghawth, he is one in each time. He is the all-comprehensive Fard,
and is known among the People as the viceregent (Khalifa), and the
Perfect Man (al-Insan al-Kamil). Pole were of three kinds, the Pole of
Sciences, such as the Proof of Islam al-Ghazali, the Pole of Spiritual
States, such as Abu Yazid al-Bistami, and the Pole of Spiritual Stations,
such as Shaykh ‘Abdal-Qadir.  Imam Abul-‘Abbas al-Mursi is also
reported to have said, “Al-Junayd was the Pole of knowledge, Sahl the
Pole of Stations, and Abu Yazid the Pole of States.”

In short, superiority of the status of Awliya is not dependant on miracle

they work, but are dependant upon their proximity to Allah and His love
for them and their desire to be with Allah to the exclusion of all others,
with no desire for the Jannah or the Houris or the world or the ability to
work miracles, or for any other purpose . Awliya are the inheritors of
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) when he said, the scholars of
the ummah are the inheritors of the prophets. Imam Sayuti said: The
Awliya of Allah are those, if you see them, Allah is mentioned, and if
they are absent, they are missed and if they come Allah will be
mentioned”.

Regarding the statement in the hadith of Abu Huraira ® in Bukhari,

vol8, 509, that we mentioned before: ‘I shall declare war on him who
shows hostility to Wali of Mine…even the rigorous Ibn Taimiyya has
gone to explain the statement to mean that Allah is expressing: "I will
seek revenge like an aggressive lion against anyone who comes against
My saints."

(TO CONTINUE INSHA ALLLAH)

Miracles –Islamic perspective in brief: Part 2.

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

As we noted in Part 1 of our Article, Allah declares war on the enemy of

His Friend.   Ibn Taimiyya said that Allah is expressing: "I will seek
revenge like an aggressive lion against anyone who comes against My
saints."
There was a disciple of Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi ® who bore him a
grudge and therefore left him. One day, however, he returned to the
Shaykh with the intention of testing him. Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi ® was
aware of the intention. So he asked him, “Do you need a formal answer
or a spiritual one?” “Both,” said the disciple. Replying to him, the
Shaykh said: If you had tested yourself, you wouldn’t have the need to
test me. And the spiritual answer is, I depose you from the Saintship.
The disciple’s face turned black immediately and the light of certainty
(‘Yaqeen”) also vanished from his heart. The disciple abandoned his
foolish self-conceit and implored the Shaykh to forgive him. Hazrat
Junaid Baghdadi ® told him: Don’t you know that Awliya-Allah possess
mysterious powers? You cannot endure their blows.” Saying this, and
considering the repentence of the disciple, the Shaykh blew a breath
over his face and the disciple was restored to his original self. 

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti ® narrated that there was a

man who hated the Awliya-Allah. After he died, he was placed in a
grave where the people tried to turn his face towards the Qibla. To their
astonishment, as much as they tried, that man’s face always turned
away from the Qibla. A voice from nowhere announced that it would be
an exercise in futility trying to turn his face to the Qibla because that
man used to turn his face in disgust on seeing the Awliya-Allah. “I will
turn away My face from him. He is a condemned soul, and on the Day of
the Judgment such people would appear with faces of the donkeys.”
That is one of the ways how Allah deals with those who bear grudge
against Awliya-Allah.

Of course, there are also instances when Awliya-Allah suffer the

ignominy heaped upon them but they bear it without complaint – which
goes to show their extreme forbearance, tolerance and patience with
the ignorant for the ‘Rida’ of Allah, depending upon their ranks.

Awliya-Allah are the persons of Ahl-e-

Tassawwuf: 
Allah has exalted status of knowledge and power of the Awliya. Allah says
about them:  “Whosoever mortifify themselves for Our sake, We will
assuredly guide them in Our ways." (Qur’an: 29:69).

Shaykh Hakim of Tirmidh in the second chapter of his Adab al-muridin

describes such mortification or striving as a kind of door which leads to
nearness to Allah. Now attaining this nearness (which is not physical)
is itself not easy because it requires the mastery of bringing the carnal
soul (Nafs-e-Ammaara) under control which in itself is ‘Jihaad-e-Akbar’
( the greater Jihad) as per the famous hadith of Mohammed Mustafa
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) which he (s) stated to his Companions
while returning from a battle which he (s) merely termed as “Jihaad-e-
Asghar” (i.e. Lesser Jihad).

Observance of outer state by man is "mortification".  "Guidance" consists

in Allah's maintenance of man's spiritual feelings of Inner Truth or Inner
Reality.  Thus there are two aspects:  The first is the Shariat consisting of
the outer state or external ordinances.  The second is what is at the heart
of the revelation - which is called Haqiqat.  Shariat cannot be maintained
without the Haqiqat and conversely Haqiqat cannot be maintained without
the Shariat.  Those who uphold both Shariat and Haqiqat are called people
of Tasawwuf or the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat that consists of the four
schools of thoughts namely, the Hanafi, the Shafii, the Hanbali, and the
Maliki. 

Again, regarding the Quranic verse, ittaqullah wa yu`allimukumullah ("Be

aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you" 2:282), Hazrat Shaykh
Abdul Qadir Jilani ® points out in Discourse 16 of Futuh al-Ghaib: And fear
Allah and He will teach you, then He will invest you with the power of
controlling the universe with a clear permission which will have no
obscurity in it... and He has done this with many of His Prophets and
awliya and people especially favored from among the children of Adam.
Then there is the hadith shareef: “ man `amila bi ma `alima
warrathahullahu `ilma ma lam ya`lam ("Whoso acts upon what he knows,
Allah will make him inherit a knowledge that he did not have"). Hazrat
Bayazid of Bistam cited this hadith in response to a question: "From where
and from whom did you get this knowledge which you claim to have?"

Awliya-Allah are the people of Tasawwuf and are also called the "Sufis". 
They fulfill the requirements of the 'Deen' (Religion), which consists of
Islam, Imaan and ihsaan,  as aptly explained in the Hadith of Jibreel.  With
the evolvement of the language, it is "ihsaan" that came to be known as
"Tasawwuf" in later centuries, and the two aspects of Ihsan came to be
known as Mushahada and Muraqaba, i.e one where one worships God as if
he sees God; and the other where one is unable to worships God in the first
way, he at least worships God knowing that God sees him.  Awliya-
Allah are the most ardent defenders of  Shariat, and their path from the
outer Shariat to the inner Haqiqat is known as "Tariqat".  A qualified
seeker can traverse this Islamic spiritual path but under the direction of
the qualified guide known as Pir-O-Murshid who is well-versed with the
Holy Quran and the prophetic traditions (ahadeeth), and practising the
Shariat.     Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh says that Law without Truth is
ostentation, and Truth without Law is hypocrisy.  Truth or Inner Reality
means knowledge of Allah and such religious practices which are made
perfect by sincerity.  The word "Awliya" represent conformity with the
revealed religion and as such to the truth.  There is no heresy as there
is no departure from the revealed religion or from the truth.  Even
orientalists such as Louis Massignon and others have irrefutably
demonstrated that the doctrines and practices of the Sufis, i.e. the
Awliya-Allah, are entirely based on and derived from the Holy Qur'an -
which is the very base of Islamic orthodoxy. 

It is to be remembered that the word Sufi should be used only of the

Awliya-Allah who have attained the proximity of Allah, though it has
become a fashion nowadays to distinguish a Sunni Muslim by calling
him a Sufi.  Even a great Awliya such as Hazrat Abul Hasan Kharqani
(R) used to say:  "Don't call me Sufi."  Such is the weightage of this
word.  The righteous 'ulema of the traditional four schools of
thought are, more or less, Awliya-Allah or Sufis, and no Awliya-Allah
are found in other sects.     

Modern scholars and pseudo-sufis have based their school of thoughts

on the teachings of the sufi stalwarts of Islam, but under their own
labels. We need to reject the false Wali and seek the real Wali-Allah.  It
is not easy to recognise a Wali-Allah.  But as a general rule one way of
recognizing them is to know that “The friends of Allah are those who
when they are seen, Allah is remembered” (Majma’uz Zawaid; Vol. 10,
Pg. 78, Bazzaar).  Another general way is to rectify our own heart and
adopt his company.  If his company generates thoughts and love of
Allah in our heart then he is a Wali.  If the heart indulges in worldly
thoughts then he is not a Wali since it is said that the heart is a mirror
of another heart.   We must also note the observation of the Shariat in
him, remembering that even the Sultan of Awliya, Hazrat Shaykh Abdul
Qadir Jilani Ghausul Azam, did not give up the Shariat, including the
ritual prayers.  Or the instance when Hazrat Bayasid Bistami (R)
refused to accept a person as a Wali when he learnt that while entering
the Masjid that person had put his left foot forward.  There are many
examples of such a nature. 

At the same time, we must not come to a swift conclusion in judging a

person who is known as a Wali because we might commit an error of
judgment, which reminds me of the anecdote of Hazrat Bayazid Bistami
(R) who,  while travelling to another town during the month of
Ramadan,  found that almost the entire town had come to receive him,
an Awliya-Allah.  Since he did not like it,  he removed a khubooz
(bread) from his sleeve and began to munch on it.  Seeing this, all the
people lost faith in him and went back home.  To think about it, the
Shaykh had done nothing wrong with the Shariah, since eating and
drinking on a Ramadan day is allowed on travelling certain
distances.  He did that just to be left alone, but see how the people
judged him hastily.    Even Ibn Taimiyya who himself belonged to the
Qadri Order, considered Bayazid as one of his masters.  About him he
said:  "There are two categories of fana': one is for the perfect Prophets
and saints, and one is for seekers from among the saints and pious
people (saliheen). Bayazid al-Bistami is from the first category of those
who experience fana', which means the complete renunciation of
anything other than God. He accepts none except God. He worships
none except Him, and he asks from none except Him." He continues,
quoting Bayazid saying, "I want not to want except what He wants."

Awliya-Allah have influenced other religions too.  Quranic verses and

the sayings of Baba Farid (Hazrat Shaykh Fariduddin Masood Ganj-e-
Shakhar (R)) are found in the holy book of the Sikh, Adi Granth; while
the Rosicrucian sect of Christianity has liberally borrowed from the
teaching of Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani. 

The lives of  Muslim Saints are a source of inspiration to the Muslims all
over the world -  even in those pockets where their teachings are being
suppressed.  Their unswerving love of Allah, their Tawakkal (piety)and
Tauheed (Unity of Allah), courage of conviction, strength of charcter,
religious zeal and devotion to earning the pleasure of Allah, sprinkled
with countless miracles at their hands, and their empowerment of Allah
on this earth and the hereafter have earned them the title of Friends of
Allah.     

To continue....

Miracles –Islamic perspective in brief: Part 3.

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

Tasawwuf is not new to Islam:

We need to explain a few more things before we come to the

"Miracles".  We noted earlier that Deen consists of Islam, Iman and
Ihsan. We further noted that Ihsan is what came to be known later as
Tasawwuf.  In other words, the reality of Tasawwuf existed during the
time of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam). Those who say
that it is borrowed from other discipline simply want to mislead the
Muslims.  In the early period of Islam, the followers of Tasawwuf or
Sufism were known as Muqarrabin (favourites of Allah) Sabirin (patient
ones), Abrar (the virtuous), Zuhhad (the pious), Awliya-Allah (Friends
of Allah), Siddiqun (Truthful) which were all the Quranic terms.
Therefore, absence of the word “Tasawwuf” or “Sufi” does not indicate
that the reality was not there. In fact, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu
alaihi wassallam) was the first Sufi who used to retire to Ghaare Hira
for Dhikr Allah. During the early years of his ministry forty-five men of
Makkah joined as many others of Madinah the Radiant, took an oath of
fidelity to the doctrines of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) and formed a fraternity, engaging themselves in devotion,
renouncing the active life of the world and engaging themselves in
prayers and meditation. They occupied the verandah of the Masjid and
came to be known as the Ahle Suffa, whence came the word “Sufi”. 
Earliest mention of those words has been made by Hasan Basri ®
(d.110 A.H.) and by Sufyan al-Thawri the Islamic scholar, jurist, Hafiz
who learnt various shades of meaning of 'Riya' (Ostentation) from
a Sufi.   

The Sufis have also adopted themselves to the pattern of Hazrat Abu
Bakr ® in stripping themselves of worldly things; to Hazrat Umar ® in
wearing of the patched robe or Muraqqa and rigorously performing
religious duties; to Hazrat Uthman ® in resigning their affairs to Allah,
sincerity of devotion and sacrificing life and property; to Hazrat Ali ® in
endurance of affliction, and in respect to the truth of outward
expressions and subtleties of inward meanings, severance of all things
from the heart except the remembrance of Allah who keeps his
servants in whatever state He wills, and consideration of Divine
Providence.

Imam Muhammed Mathum al-Faruqi ® has given us details on the

subject in the 59th letter of the second volume of his Maktubat.
According to him, all the paths of tasawwuf come from Rasulullah (sall-
allahu alaihi wasallam). The superiors of tasawwuf have attained the
ma’arif emanating from the blessed heart of Rasulullah (sallal laahu
alaihi wasallam) through their Guides in every century. In fact all the
external and the internal (spiritual) perfections were attained through
the Holy Messenger (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam). The external form
of command and prohibition was transmitted by the learned scholars of
the four schools of thoughts. The hidden knowledge relating to the
heart and soul were conducted by the Sufis. Indeed the terms fana’,
baqa’, jadhba, suluk and sair-i ila’llah, which were used for attainments
on the way of tasawwuf, were first used by the great leaders of
tasawwuf.

Imam-e-Rabbani points out that it  is written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari

that Abu Huraira (radi-Allahu ta’ala ’anh) said:

‘I filled two cups from Rasulullah (sallallahu ’alaihi wasallam). I have

explained the contents of one of them. You would kill me if I disclosed
the other.’

{Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 121: where” two cups” are
sometimes translated as “two kinds” or as G.F. Haddad  recommends:
“Two vessels”. }

Those who don’t believe in Tasawwuf, the above hadith has been the
butt of frequent criticism. But it is there in Sahih Bukhari unless it has
been expunged.   For brevity's sake, I don't intend to go into
background of this hadith shareef.   

It is also written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari that when ’Umar ® died, his
son ’Abdullah ® said that nine-tenths of knowledge had died and,
seeing that the listeners were confused, added that he meant not the
knowledge of fiqh (jurisprudence) but the knowledge of knowing Allah
(Gnosis).

Sufi terminologies such as Tawajjuh (thinking deeply) of Allah Most

High, the dhikrs of nafi (negation) and ithbat (affirmation) and
muraqaba (meditation) existed during the time of the Holy Prophet
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and that of as-Sahabat al-kiram ® .
Although the above terms had not been heard from the Holy Prophet
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) but he did have the above states {ahwal
(pl. of hal, spiritual state)}.

According to Shah Waliyulla Dehelvi, the four periods of mysticism were

to the liking of Allah. During the first and the second century of Islam,
the outcome of mysticism and the sum-total of the religion was Ihsan.
The second began with Junaid Baghdadi ® when emphasis was put on
the acquisition of attributes, i.e ‘Ta’alluq Billah’ (attachment with
Allah). The third began with Shaykh Abu Sa’id Fazlullah Ibn abi’l Khayr
of Mayhana and with Abu’l Hasan Kharqani ® when on crossing the bar
of action the mystics acquired the degree of ‘ Jadhb’ (Absorption). The
fourth period began with ibn al-Arabi when other relevant problems of
mysticism were discussed (such as “Wahdat al-Wajud or Unity of
Being).

In passing it may be noted that later when Ahmad Sirhind Mujaddid Alf
Sani confronted the Unity of Being with his own, Unity of Witnessing,
(Wahdat al-Shuhud) it was Hazrat Shah Waliullah Dehelvi who brought
about the reconciliation between the two doctrines (Maktoob-i-Madani;
Lamhaat, Lamha 21).   Care must be taken to remember that the
differences, if any, were not theological ones  as between Asharism and
Mutazilaism,  but merely "Irfani" (Gnostic) ones.  Earlier it was Imam
Ghazali (d.1111 c..) who brought about the reconciliation between the
theological Islam and the mystic or sufistic Islam where it was
necessary to get rid of evil dispositions, vile qualities and the appetites
of the flesh. Then it was for the heart to be cleared of all except Allah -
and this could be done by Dhikr-Allah. This could not be acquired by
learning but by inward transformation and actual experiencing. That
was why Imam Ghazali detached himself from worldly ties and turned
wholly to Allah. But that’s another subject. 

That brings us to the importance of loving Awliya-Allah. We have never

seen the Awliya-Allah of the past but we do love them for the sake of
Allah since they are the beloved of Allah.

IMPORTANCE OF LOVING AWLIYA-ALLAH:

We have to remember that Awliya-Allah have strived to help the

Ummah of our beloved Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam).
Everyone Muslim knows that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) has clearly indicated that on the Day of Resurrection,
Hazrat Uwais al-Qarni ® would intercede for as many people of the
Ummah as there were the sheep of Rabia and Muzzer tribe. Before the
Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) assumed the veil from this
material world, he had also asked Hazrat Umar ® and Hazrat Ali ® to
seek him and give him his mantle and also ask him to pray to Allah for
forgiveness of both of them – which they did. Generally, such is the
status of Awliya-Allah.

Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani Ghousul Azam ® once

said that if Allah grants him a station of honour in His sight, he would
obtain from his Creator a covenant on behalf of his disciples, to be
binding till the Day of Qiyamah, that none of them would die without
being in a state of repentance, and that he would be the Surety for
them in this regard.

Hazrat Bayazid Bistami ® too states that he had made a resolve to pray
for all the creatures. However, then a thought came to him that the
station of intercession belongs to the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam). So he observed his manner. He tells us that then he heard
a voice saying, because of this one observance of good manners, I have
exalted your name so that until the Resurrection, men shall call you the
Sultan of the Gnostics.

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti ® too prayed for the salavation
of followers till the Day of Qiyamah (Last Day) and obtained it while he
was absorbed in prayers at the Ka’ba shareef in 583 A.H.

Without purifying our heart, it is very difficult to receive “Faiz” from

Awliya-Allah. Once when someone asked Hazrat Bayazid Bistami ® the
reason why the former had not gained spiritually despite remaining in
his company for so long, the Shaykh replied: “It’s because of your
‘Nafs’ (carnal self) which is not under your control. You do not regard
honour the same as disgrace. Consider both of them equal.”

There was a person whose mother had been telling him off and on to
offer supererogatory prayers (‘nawaafil’) and sit in the company of
Bayazid Bistami ®. Like many of us today, he thought that if he has at
all to offer additional prayers or do some extra good deeds, why not do
it on our own and alone! The answer holds good today as it was then.
The Faiz (Divine Effusion) of Allah would come to that person in his
individual capacity which is not much compared to that he would get by
sitting in the company of Awliya-Allah who have the ‘Qurb” (nearness)
of Allah.

Allah has promised us that He will accept the prayers of those whom he
Loves. We know that Messengers of Allah, Prophets, Siddiqeen (the
Truthful), Shohda (Martyrs), Awliya-Allah (Friends of Allah) and the
Saliheen (the Pious and Righteous people) are loved by Allah. “Faiz”
and “Marifa” have been over-flowing from Hazrat Imam Jafar Sadiq to
the great Sufi Masters and Awliya through Hazrat Abu Bakr ® and to
those of other Orders (Silsilas) through Hazrat Ali ®.

A man asked Bayazid, "Show me a deed by which I will approach my

Lord." He said, "Love the friends of Allah in order that they will love
you. Love his saints until they love you. Because Allah looks at the
hearts of His saints and He will see your name engraved in the heart of
His saints and He will forgive you." For this reason, the Naqshbandi
followers have been elevated by their love for their shaikhs. This love
lifts them to a station of continuous pleasure and continuous presence
in the heart of their beloved.
In his first letter, Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi ® has indicated that “no
one who sits with them (i.e. the Awliya) is wretched,”  as reported in
the Sahih.  He quotes a hadith from Sahih Bukhari regarding the
evidence against turning away from sitting with them: “Shall I tell you
about the three men? One of them took himself to Allah and Allah took
him in. The other was shy, so Allah was shy with him. And the other
turned away, so Allah turned away from him.” Awliya-Allah are the
endless treasure trove, impenetrable fortress, “the universal
interspace” and the overflowing sea.

Therefore, we need to seek the company of such emancipated souls. No

less a person than Hazrat Fariduddin Masood Ganj-e-Shakhar ® who is
known in the sub-continent of India and Pakistan as Baba Farid and is
the third Peer-O-Murshid in line of the Chishtiya Silsila, himself used to
set out to meet saints, i.e. before he met Hazrat Qutub-ud-din Bhaktiyar
Kaki.

“Uth Farida gaun kar duniyaa bekhan jay,

Mat koyee bakshaa milanwajay tuu bhee bakshaa jay”

(Get up O Farid and roam about the world/Maybe in thy wandering ye

may meet some emancipated soul, receive his blessings and achieve
deliverance.)

Hazrat Baba Farid ® has narrated that a there was a sinful young man
who died in Multan. It was revealed in a dream that the young man had
been pardoned by Allah for the reason that one day when Hazrat
Khwaja Baha-ul-aq Zakarriya Multani was taking a walk, the young man
had kissed his hand with utmost respect. It was because of this gesture
that he had been pardoned.
On the subject of Loving of Awliya-Allah, this is especially applicable to
loving the Ahle Bayt or People of the House of Prophet (sallal laahu
alahi wassallam).  According to the prophetic traditions, not loving
Hazrat Ali (R) is a sign of a hypocrite (Munafiq) and offending Hazrat
Fatimah (R) is offending the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) whose dear daughter she is.  The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu
alaihi wassallam) has categorically shown his love for Imam Hasan and
Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with them both).    According to a
Sahih Hadith in Tirmidhi, the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) has said: "When I am loved, then my family members
whom I love, should also be loved." 

Loving someone means having affinity with that person and having
a strong affection for that person, and accepting the deeds and beliefs
of that person.  This should not be confused with the words: "although
I have not acted like them.." which appears in Sahih Muslim, in a hadith
reported by Anas bin Maalik in addition to the one, that when a person
told the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) that "I have
made no significant preparation with prayer and fasting and charity,
but I however love Allah and His Messenger,' thereupon the Messenger
of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said: "you would be along with
the one whom you love."   These words underline that although I do not
possess their strength of belief, their actions, their piety and their
powerful proximity to Allah with their devotions, yet with all my faults
and shortcoming in controlling my 'Nafs' (carnal soul or the lower self)
and striving to do those deeds, I do love them while admitting that I
have not acted like them.  Allah tells us: Whoso obeyeth Allah and the
messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of
the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best
of company are they! (Qur'an 4:69).  In fact that this company begins
from the Barzakh itself is also proven from the prophetic traditions. 
This will definitely bring out the paramount importance of loving those
whom Allah has shown His favours though we may not to anything as
far as their rank with Allah goes, or we may not even belong to their
'Jamaat', yet by loving them we can expect to be in their august
company right after leaving this transitory world.  As Allah says in the
next verse: That is bounty from Allah (Qur'an: 4:70).  What a bounty it
is! As it has been said “Zikr-ul-Anbiah Ibada tun Wa Zikr-ul-Auliya
Kafara tun” i.e. Discussing about the Prophets of Allah is a form of
Ibaadah, and discussing the Awliya is atonement. Mercy of Allah
descends when His Awliya are discussed.

To continue, Insha Allah….

Miracles –Islamic Perspective in brief:Part 4 - Continued.....

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

“His command when He desires a thing is just to say to it, ‘Be!’ and it
is.” (Surah Ya Sin, 82)

Allah is the Real Doer, Causator and Creator

of Miracles:

Now before we come to “Miracles” it is important to draw the attention

of the uninitiated non-muslim readers that while in non-Islamic
religions “miracles” are usually directly attributed to the human agency
that seems to be the author, this is not so in Islam because human
attribution is not allowed.

Imam Tahawi, who was one of the Salafs (not to be confused with
modern Salafi sects), says: Nothing happens except what Allah wills.
Everything happens according to His degree and will, and His will is
accomplished. The only will that people have is what He wills for them.
What He wills for them occurs and what He does not will, does not
occur. Allah has been always the Creator and the originator and the
Lord.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Allah is the Creator of all things.” (Sûrah
al-Zumar: 62 , and Sûrah al-Ra`d: 16). There are quite a few verses of
this kind in the Holy Qur’an that says that it is Allah the Almighty who is
the Creator, Real Doer, Author, Originator and Causator. This applies
not only to the creation of the universe and creatures and all that is
there, but also to day to day activities and occurrences and miracles.
Everything takes place in the universe because of the decree of Allah.
Therefore, the bottom-line is that while the miracles may be attributed,
as the case may be, to prophets and the Awliya-Allah or a pious person,
in our hearts we must always know and believe that it is Allah alone
who is the Causator, Doer and Creator of Miracles. Therein remains our
safety as far as the religion of Islam goes.

Hazrat Bayazid Bistami ® stated that ‘Maarifat’ (Gnosis) consists in

knowing that without Allah’s permission no one has the least control of
his kingdom. It is Allah who creates the ability to act and puts the will
to act in the heart since the human actions are metaphorical and Allah
is the Real Causator. It is only when Allah gives strength that we are
able to carry on the spiritual exercises. Bishr al-Hafi ® whom even
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal used to consult, stated that an individual and
his actions are created by Allah. Allah being the Provider, if He makes a
creature the means of giving you sustenance, consider it that it has
come from Allah and not the creature.

Before we come to the "Miracles" there is one more aspect to be

understood about the miracles.  It is this:

Miracles are downplayed in Islam:

The Holy Qur’an sent down upon the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) is the greatest sign sent down to mankind. Generally, not
much weightage is given to miracles. The Holy Qur’an says: And yet
they say, “Why are signs not sent down upon him from his Lord? Say:
“The signs are indeed with Allah, and I am but a clear warner.” (29:50).
Indeed, Awliya-Allah have also not attached much significance to
miracles and marvels.

When the great saint of Mayhana, Hazrat Abu Sa’id Fazlullah ibn Abi’l
Khayr ® (967-1049 c.e.) was told that so- and-so walks on water, he
replied that it was easy since frogs and water-fowls do it.  When
someone drew his attention that so-and-so flies through the air, he
merely replied that so do the birds and insects.   Again, when someone
told him that somebody goes from one town to another in a moment, he
replied that things such as these are of no great value since even Satan
travels from East to the West in a moment. According to him, the true
saint eats and sleeps and has social intercourse with the people. He
even marries and lives among them. He carries on buying and selling in
the market. However, he never forgets Allah even for a single moment.
It is true that some of them renounced worldly activities in order to
worship Allah unhindered. However, that was nothing new since we
have the example of Ashab us-Suffa (People of the Verandah), i.e. the
Companions of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) who resided
in the verandah of the Masjidun Nabawi and who were extremely poor,
and about whom it is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an: “Do not drive away
those who call unto their Lord, at morn and eve, desiring His face”
(6:52).   Despite their privations and sufferings, the Ahle Suffa were
great lovers of Allah and His holy Messenger (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam).    It is significant to note that included among these are
such famous names as Bilal ibn al-Rabah, Salman al-Farsi, Abu Dharr
al-Ghiffari, Abdullah ibn-Masood, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abu Huraira,
Muadh b. al-Haris and others (may Allah be pleased with them all),
some of whom even attained martyrdom in several battles of nascent
Islam.

When Hazrat Bahaudin Naqshbandi was asked about showing

miraculous power, he said: “What more miraculous power do you want
than that we are still walking on this earth with all these sins upon us
and around us.” Hazrat Shihab ad-din Suhrawardi (d.632H/1234 c.e.)
mentioned in his Awaarif Al-Ma’arif that “Marvels and Karamaat are of
no value in comparision with the heart’s dhikr of Allah”.

Hazrat Bayazid Bistami ® says: I seek His Grace from the Bestower of
Graces. I don’t seek miracles. He also said that if you see a person
sitting cross-legged in the air, don’t be fooled by his act!  Observe his
approach and attitude to the compulsory acts (Faraaiz, Waajibaat) and
prohibited acts (Haraam, Makrooh Tahreemi) and detestable acts
(Makrooh) and other restrictions and etiquettes of the Shariah. (Risalah
Qushayriya)

Further, according to Imam Muhammad Mathum (d.1074H/1668 c.e.)

of Sirhind, knowing Allah is more valuable than possessing Kashf and
Karamah. The reason is that being a knower of Allah (Aarif Billah)
entails the secret knowledge about Allah’s Essence and Attributes;
while Karamah or marvels manifest secret knowledge about creatures.
Awliya-Allah don’t want marvels because they don’t desire knowledge
about the creatures. As Allah loves his Awliya very much, He does not
keep them preoccupied with creatures. Those who are addicted to the
world cannot recognize and do not like men of Allah who can
comprehend and reveal secrets about creatures better than others
provided they choose to think about them.

In short, it is important to realize that just as the pre-eminence of

prophets depends not on miracles or evidentiary miracles but on their
exalted ranks and being preserved from defilement of sin, similarly,
working miracles or ‘Karaamaat’ is not an end in itself for a Vali
(Saint).  As Dr. Tahir al-Qadri explains, Miracle is not Vilayat
(Sainthood), and Vilayat is not miracle. Miracle is just a by-product of
being a Vali because for a Vali a miracle is not a product. According to
him, there is Ijma (consensus) among the scholars that a Karamat is
“Nafs-ki-Talab” while “Allah’s Talab” is Isteqaamat (remaining firm on
the right path, or rectitude, steadfastness). Isteqaamat is higher than
Karaamat. There have been many Friends of Allah who have had no
miracles, and what is more, there are many unknown Awliya-Allah who
are unknown to the world. As far as the Vilayat is concerned, all Awliya-
Allah are equal, but they differ as far as the status is concerned.
To continue....

 Miracles –Islamic perspective in brief: Part 5 – Continued….

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

Karamaat of Awliya-Allah are true:

Believing in miracles of the Messengers of Allah, the prophets, and the
Awliya-Allah is among the fundamentals of the people of Sunnah and
the community. This is evident from the Holy Quran, the Sunnah of the
Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam), reports from the Sahaba,
and the overwhelming majority of the Sunni scholars and the Sufi
Shaykhs.

According to the Islamic scholars, only the people of Bidah

(innovations) and deviation and those of weak faith in Allah’s attributes
and actions deny the miracles of Awliya-Allah. Those who don’t believe
that Allah has given the power of disposition and effectiveness to His
awliya, about such people the scholars of Ahle Sunnat had anticipated
them by way of a Karamat and refuted them before hand by giving a fit
reply. Such scholars included ibn al-Arabi and his successor Sadrudin
Qunawi, Jalaludin Rumi and Ahmad al-Badawi among many others.

The Holy Qur’an establishes the fact that miracles are also vouchsafed
to people other than the prophets, in which case they are called
Karamaat. Let’s see some of the very well-known Quranic examples of
Karamaat:

Regarding Mary, mother of Jesus:

Whenever Zachariah (Zakaria a.s.) went into the sanctuary where she
was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto
thee this (food) ? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without
stint to whom He will. (Qur’an: 3:37) and

Regarding the People of the Cave and the

Dog:
Or deemest thou that the People of the Cave and the Inscription are a
wonder among Our portents ? When the young men fled for refuge to
the Cave and said: Our Lord! Give us mercy from Thy presence, and
shape for us right conduct in our plight. Then We sealed up their
hearing in the Cave for a number of years. And afterward We raised
them up that We might know which of the two parties would best
calculate the time that they had tarried. (18:9-12)

And thou mightest have seen the sun when it rose move away from
their cave to the right, and when it set go past them on the left, and
they were in the cleft thereof. That was (one) of the portents of Allah.
(18:17)

Regarding the one with the knowledge of the

scripture: (Asif Barkhiya)
One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee
before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his
presence. (Qur’an: 27:40).

Now, Mary (Maryam a.s.) is not an apostle. Owing to her piety and
devotion, Allah raised her in rank as one of the best women.  Her story
in the Holy Quran is one of the best stories ever told. The entire Chapter
is devoted to her - something that is not found even in the Christian
Bible.  In fact she was very young and miraculously pregnant with child
Jesus. When the pangs of parturition drove her to the palm tree the
miraculous child told her: And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward
thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee. (Qur’an: 19:25). He
also told her that “Thy Lord has placed a rivulet beneath thee.”(19:24)
Zakariya a.s. (Zachariah) had taken charge of her. Whenever Zakariya
(a.s.) went into the sanctuary (Hujra) where she was, he found her
with provisions. In fact, in summer he saw her with the winter fruit,
such as culms of corn, and in winter he saw that she had summer fruit,
such as the grapes. When he asked her from where did she get it, she
answered that Allah sends this from Paradise and that Jibrail (a.s.)
(Gabriel) brought it to her.

As for the People of the Cave, they were in the cave for 309 years. The
cave was an open-ended one so that the sunlight could come both at
sunrise and sunset. But Allah commanded the sun to change its path so
that the the men did not feel the heat of the sun. Shaykul Islam Dr.
Tahir al-Qadri explains that if someone says that the course of the sun
was natural, the answer to that would be then there was no need for
Allah to mention it in the Holy Qur’an. This was the sign of Allah
(Ayatillah), just as Mary’s conception as well as the She-camel of Allah
were far from the natural process. According to him, Imam Nasafi is an
authority and he says in Tafseer Nasafi that the sun used to bend one
side. Moreover, there was also a dog outside the cave for all those
years. ‘Lahuti’ nutrition was provided for the Ashab. During their sleep,
they used to change sides every six months. Even the dog
correspondingly changed sides with them, stretching out his paw on the
threshold. Imam Qurtubi in his Tafseer and Imam Razi in Tafseer al-
Kabeer say that the dog did not belong to the ‘Ashab’. It had joined
them on the way. The Ashab were hiding from the tyrant king and were
afraid that the dog would bark and expose their hideout. They threw
stones at it to drive it away. The dog prayed to Allah to give the power
of speech which was granted. The dog asked them why did they hurl
stones at him. They said: “You’ll bark!” The dog informed them that he
was not a barking dog. The dog had “Muhabbat”, “Mutabiyat”, and
“Isteqamat”. There was no change in their condition. So a speaker
asked “How long have you tarried” (18:19). They had tarried in the
Cave for 309 years (18:25).

As for the one with knowledge of the scripture, it was Asif bin Barkhiya,
a righteous individual who had the knowledge of ‘Ism-e-Azam’ (Allah’s
Greatest Names). When these are invoked in a supplication for
something it is immediately granted . He said that he would bring the
throne of Bilqis (the queen of Sheba) before the glance of Solomon
returned to him. The Afreet Jinn told Solomon to look up heaven-wards,
which he did. As soon as the glance returned to the normal, i.e. in front
of him, he found the throne of Bilqis. What had happened was, that as
soon as Solomon looked upwards to heaven Asif bin Barkhiya, by
invoking the Ism-e-Azam, supplicated to God that He bring it there.
This was done when the throne travelled under the earth until it sprung
up below Solomon’s seat. Allamah Sayyad Mahmood Alusi states that
Shaykh al-Akbar said that Asif bin Barkhiya did ‘Tasarruf’ with the
throne of Bilqis. He made the throne disappear from its location and
appear before Sulaiman (a.s.) before anyone could realize it, except for
Him who knows everything. Everything happened in a moment.
Chronologically speaking, Asif bin Barkhiya performed only one action
since the accomplished persons gain a state where their speech is
granted immediate action by the announcement of “Kun” (Be!) by Allah.

Thus the Holy Qur’an bears testimony to the fact that not only Allah
loves His Awliya, but He also creates whatever they want through them
to honour them. The miracles of the saint too helps the religion of Allah
- as happened with Bilqis who was the sun-worshipper but adopted the
Abrahamaic religion after meeting Solomon.    

Shaykh al-Akbar, Ibn al- ‘Arabi explains the phenomenon of a miracle

as of two types: Apparent (Hissi) and Spiritual (Ma’nawi). The first type
is generally seen by the common people, such as flying through the air,
walking on water, foretelling future events, traversing hundreds of
kilometers in a step and so on. The second type of miracle can only be
seen and perceived by special people it consists in controlling the
carnal desires, adopting virtues through divine guidance, refraining
from corrupt practices, and punctually practicing all the compulsory
acts (Waajibaat).

According to Al-Aqidah al-Wasitiyah of ibn Taimiyya, Allah created

supernatural acts through the Awliya in all aspects of life, revelations
(Mukashafaat), power and impressions. This is known of ancient
nations in Surat al-Kahf (Chapter 18 of the Holy Qur’an) and in other
Quranic chapters, and is known of the early men of this Ummah
amongst the Sahabas (Companions of the Prophet sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam), and the Tabiian (Successors of Sahabas) and also among
the rest of the generations of this Ummah. It will be with them till the
Day of Resurrection.

In Majmu’a Fataawa, Ibn Taimiyaa says: It is said that after the Seal of
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) revelation does descend but it is
not called so. Rather it is called as what the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) referred to as the “Light of God”. The believer sees with the
Light of God. When the believer sees through the Light of God he sees
all things – the First and the Last; the Present and the Absent. How can
anything be concealed from God’s light? And, if something does appear
concealed, then it is not the Light of God. Therefore, the meaning of
revelation exists even if it is not called so. Further, according to him:
What is considered as a saint’s miracle, is that sometimes the saint
hears what others do not hear or sees something that others do not see
– not while he is asleep, but in a wakened state of vision. He even
knows things that others cannot know, through revelation or
inspiration – not while he is asleep, but in a wakened state of vision. He
even knows things that others cannot know through revelation or
inspiration.

In a book published by al-Madani Publishing House, namely Mukhtasar

al-Fatawa al-Misriyya, the statements of ibn Taimiyya are: The miracles
of saints are absolutely true and correct, and the Muslim scholars have
acknowledged it. The Qur’an has pointed to them at various places. The
Hadiths of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) too point them.
Whoever denies the miraculous powers of saints are either people of
‘Bidah’ (innovators) or those who follow the innovators.

Ibn Taimiyya said (Vol.11 p.313): Allah the Almighty unveils to his
saints states that have never been unveiled before and He gives them
support without measure. If that saint begins to speak from the things
of the unseen – past, present or future – that constitutes miraculous
knowledge. Therefore, we have to accept anything that a saint does, as
coming from the unseen, for the people or listeners, of healing or
teaching knowledge. According to ibn Taimiyya, we must thank Allah
for the unveiling of the appearances.

Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani ® said in Discourse 9 of

his Futuh al-ghayb: To awliya' and abdal (Substitute-saints) are
disclosed such workings of Allah in the course of kashf and mushahada
as overwhelm the reasoning power of man and shatter into pieces all
habits and customs.

Nor is it impossible that some saints of the Prophet's Community, like

the Prophet himself, do know the Unseen except for what Allah hides
from them and reserves to others of His creatures -- such as angels --
or exclusively to Himself, according to His will.

Allamah Nasafi (d.1013 c.e.) has also said that the charismatic miracles
of the Friends of Allah are true – “Karamaat al-Awliya haqqun”.

To continue…

Miracles–Islamic perspective in brief: Part 6

– Continued….

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

“And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw (a handful
of dust in the Battle of Badr), but Allah threw.”(Quran: 8:17)

Mujizah and Karamah are two broad

categories of Miracles in Islam:

A miracle is broadly categorized as ‘Mujizah’ and ‘Karamah’, and as

stated before, are actually the actions of Allah. In Islam, the
phenomena that happen beyond the laws of causation are distinguished
by their sources, that is at whose hands they are shown, as we shall
see below:

1. The miracles wrought by Prophets and Messengers of Allah are called

Mujizaat. The literal meaning of Mujizah is something that
“incapacitates”, i.e. it is derived from the word ‘ijaaz’ which means
“inability”

2. The miracles or marvels attributed to Awliya-Allah are called

“Karamah” or “Karamaat” which is a gift of Grace or  a “token of
honour”.   In English language the word is commonly termed as
miracle.  However, some orientalists do make a distinction by terming
Mujizah as “Evidentiary Miracle” and Karamah as “ non-evidentiary
miracle, Marvel, etc”.   Generally, no Wali claims that he can work
miracles and can make on attain whatever one wishes.

3. Those that happen through the disbelievers are called “Sihr” i.e.
magic.

4. Those that happen at the hands of those whose sins are many
(Fasiqs) are called “Istidraj” which proves the person to be an imposter
and are a means to degrade and demote him gradually. The marvelous
acts related to Shaddad, Nimrod and Pharaoh fall under divine
deception. So also the extraordinary acts of Dajjal that are related from
many ahadeeth (prophetic traditions) about the future events fall under
Divine deception.

5. Those that happen in any community from people who are not
Awliya-Allah (Friends of God) is called Firasat (say, Clairvoyance).
However, if it is the effect of the light which Allah sets in the purified
heart of the Awliya-Allah, Firasa is reckoned among the gifts and is
accepted as evidence of holiness. The exalted position of the Awliya’s
“Firasat” is evident from the hadith: “Beware of the vision of the
believer, for he sees with the light of Allah.” The miracles of Hazrat Abu
Sa’id Fazlullah ibn Abi’l Khayr mainly consisted of the powers of Firasa.
6. ‘Kashf’ or spiritual unveilings are the knowledge disclosed to the soul
of the one who constantly remembers and worships Allah. Kashf
consists, according to al-Sharif al-Jurjani's definition in his Kitab al-
ta`rifat, in "apprehending beyond the veil of ordinary phenomena,
whether by vision or experience, the meanings and realities that
pertain to the unseen. It is a kind of intuitive knowledge or discovery
that exemplifies Awliya-Allah whose ranks are raised by Allah with the
affirmation. The reality of Kashf is established in Sacred Law and it
refers to a hidden knowledge of a tremendous nature - what has also
been called the “Secrets of Allah the Exalted.” Kashf is reliable if it is in
conformity with Islam. The vision seen while one is awake is Kashf and
that seen in a dream is called Ru’ya. The purer and the cleaner the
mirror of the mind is, the more correct and reliable is the Kashf and the
Ru’ya. Prophet’s dream are absolutely reliable, and most dreams of
Awliya too are reliable since their ‘baatins’ (states of inner conditions)
are polished like bright mirrors because of their obedience to prophets.
Allah mentions in the Qur'an thus: "Allah has fulfilled the vision (ru'ya)
for his Messenger in very truth" (48:27). The Prophet said: The vision
or dream (al-ru'ya) is one-fortysixth part of prophecy.

7. The process of receiving the gift (karamah) for the saint is through
ilham (inspiration). In addition to those mentioned above, the others
are mubashshira (glad tidings from Allah), mushahada (mutual vision)
or mukhataba (divine conversation).

Distinction between Mujizah and Karamah:

Just a few points:

The holy Qur’an as well as the prophetic traditions are replete with the
examples of Mujizaat worked by the Prophets and Messengers. The
Holy Qur’an ratifies the miracles of Moses and Jesus, including the
Virgin Birth of Jesus, amongst those of other prophets of Bani Isra’il.
Since there are no disagreements regarding the Mujizaat, we won’t
delve into these.
We have mentioned before that the miracles worked by Messengers and
Prophets of Allah are called Mujizaat and those worked by other than
Prophets and Messengers, such as Awliya-Allah, are called Karamaat.
In his celebrated Kashful Mahjoob (Unveiling of the Veiled), Hazrat Ali
bin Uthman al-Hajwiri, who is also known as Data Ganj Baksh ® in the
sub-continent of India and Pakistan, has dealt with this subject at
length nearly a thousand years ago. To put it very succinctly, this is
what he says: Mujizaat involve publicity since they affect others.
Karamaat involve secrecy since they are peculiar to the person by
whom they are performed. The doer of Mujizaat is quite sure that he
has worked a miracle while the doer of Karamaat is not sure, whether
he has really worked a miracle.

According to Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh ®, however, the quality of ijaaz

(inimitability) is the same as in the other and not affected. He gives a
classic example: When the infidels were putting Khubaib ® on the
gallows in Makkah, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam)
who was with his Companions in the Masjid at Madinah Munawwara
told them what was happening to Khubaib ®. Allah also lifted the veil
from the eyes of Khubaib ® so that he saw the Holy Prophet (sallal
laahu alaihi wassallam) and greeted him (s). Allah caused the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) to hear that salutation so that
he gave the answer, and He also caused Khubaib ® to hear that answer.
Both were extraordinary acts but one was an example of Mujiza and the
other, that of a Karaamat.

Data Ganj Baksh ® makes another important statement: There is no

difference in absence in time and absence in space. For Khubaib ® the
Karaamat was wrought when he was absent from the Holy Prophet
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) in space.  The later days miracles were
performed by those who were absent from the Holy Prophet (sallal
laahu alaihi wassallam) in time.  Data Ganj Baksh ® says that this is a
clear proof that a Karaamat cannot be in contradiction with ‘ijaaz, i.e.
the miracles performed by prophets.  Karamaat are not established
unless and until they testify to the truth of the one performing the
mujizaat. Therefore, Karamaat are not given except to a pious believer
who gives such testimony. The Muslim saints are witnesses to the truth
of the mission of Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and
therefore, it is impossible that Karamaat may be worked by unbelievers
because as the law of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) is
permanent, so must the proof (hujjat) be also permanent.  All Karamaat
of a saint or Wali are the mujizaat of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu
alaihi wassallam).

To continue Insha Allah….

Miracles - Islamic Perspective in Brief - Part 7.

Continued....

Regarding the Awliya-Allah, one of the Islamic doctrines mentioned in

Tahawi’s Aqida is: “We believe in what has appeared regarding their
marvels and such narrations of them as have been authentically
reported from trustworthy persons. In order to deny the Karamaat,
some ignorantly claim that the Sahabas did not work any miracles.
Nothing could be further from the truth as the following examples from
the prophetic traditions will show:

1. 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud ® narrated: "A man from among the humans
went out and was met by a man from among the jinn, who said: "Will
you wrestle with me? If you throw me to the ground, I will teach you a
verse which, if you recite it when you enter your house, no devil will
enter." So, he wrestled with him and threw him to the ground. He said:
"I see that you are very small and your forearms are like the front paws
of a dog. Are all the jinn like this, or only you?" He said: "I am strong
amongst them. Let us wrestle again." So, they wrestled again and the
human threw him to the ground. So, the jinn said: "Recite Ayat al-Kursi,
for no one recites it when he enters his house except that Satan leaves,
passing wind like a donkey."" It was said to Ibn Mas'ud ® : "Was that
man 'Umar ®?" He said: "Who else could it have been, other than
'Umar?" ['Majma' az-Zawa'id'; 9/71]

2. When the bodies of the martyrs of Uhud were being relocated forty
years after their burial (during the reign of Mu'awiyah), the foot of
Hamzah bin 'Abd al-Mutallib ® was scratched in the process of being
moved, and it started gushing blood. ['al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah'; 4/43]

3. Ibn 'Abbas ® died in at-Ta'if, and a bird, the likes of which had never
been seen before, was seen at his funeral. The bird entered the hole in
the ground where Ibn 'Abbas was to be buried. So, we looked and
waited to see if it would come out, and it didn't. When his body was
finally placed in the ground, we could hear the verse {"O, the one in
rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord, Well-pleased and well-
pleasing!"} [al-Fajr; 27-8] being recited from the edge of his grave, but
we were unable to find out who had recited it. (Authentically reported
by al-Hakim in 'al-Mustadrak' 3/543)

4. Khayshamah narrated: "Khalid bin al-Walid ® came to a man

carrying a jug of alcohol, so, he said: "O Allah! Turn it into honey!" So,
it turned into honey."
[Reported by Ibn Hajar in 'al-Isabah fi Ma'rifat as-Sahabah'; p. 414]

5. The Romans imprisoned a son of the Companion, Abu Qurfasah ®. So,

whenever it was time for prayer, Abu Qurfasah would climb the wall of
'Asqalan (in Syria) and call out: "O, son! It is time to pray!" And, his son
would hear him all the way from the land of the Romans." ['Majma' az-
Zawa'id' (9/396)]

6. When Sa'd and the Muslim army arrived at the Tigris River during the
battle of Qadisiyyah, Salman stopped and said: "A river from the rivers
of Allah. Will it not carry the soldiers of Allah?" So, he took Sa'd by the
hand and stepped onto the water, leading all 30,000 soldiers across the
Tigris River on foot. The Persians saw this and escaped, saying: ‘The
demons have arrived! The demons have arrived!’"
[Reported by at-Tabari in 'at-Tarikh' (3/123), and Ibn Kathir in 'al-
Bidayah wan-Nihayah' (7/64)]

7. During the khilafah of 'Umar ®, the governor of Egypt wrote to him

asking for help as the river Nile had failed to flood. 'Umar ® wrote a
letter in return, addressing the Nile itself. This was then placed in the
Nile, and no sooner this was done, than the Nile's water began to flood.
[Tarikh Ibn Kathir, volumes 1 and 8, chapter on Rivers and chapter on
Khilafah of 'Umar, ®

8. Abu Hurairah narrated: "al-'Ala' al-Hadrami supplicated for rain, and

it then began to rain in the middle of the desert. In another incident, he
supplicated, and we were able to walk over the water in the Arabian
Peninsula (near Bahrain), without even the bottom of our feet getting
wet. When he died, we buried him, and after a while, we opened up his
grave to find that he was not there."
('Majma' az-Zawa'id'; 9/276)

9. During the Caliphate of Hazrat of 'Umar ®, a fire was noticed in the

desert. Hazrat 'Umar ®, asked Tamim al-Dari ® to assist him. They
approached the area of the fire when Tamim al-Dari ® began to gather
the fire with his hands and started shoving the fire into a hole in the
ground. This was a karamah of Tamim al-Dari ®. (Tarikh Ibn Kathir,
Vol. 6, chapter on Miracles, and Sirat un-Nabi, Ibn Kathir, chapter on
Mu'jizat)

10. Sa'id bin al-Musayyib, a famous Tabi, narrated: "Zayd bin Kharijah
al-Ansari died during the reign of 'Uthman bin 'Affan. When he was
wrapped in a shroud in preparation of the burial, a gurgling sound was
heard coming from his chest. Then Zayd got up and said: "Ahmad!
Ahmad! He is in the first Book! Abu Bakr has spoken the truth! 'Umar
has spoken the truth! 'Uthman has spoken the truth!" [Authentically
reported in 'al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah'; 6/293]

11. Sa'id then said: "Then, another man died shortly thereafter. When
he was wrapped in a shroud in preparation of the burial, a gurgling
sound was heard coming from his chest. The man then got up and said:
"Zayd bin Kharijah has spoken the truth!”
['Majma' az-Zawa'id'; 8/230]

12. A Sahaba once pitched his tent on a plot of ground without realizing
that he was doing so over a grave. After a while, he realized that his
tent was over a grave for he could hear the recital of the Surah Mulk.
He related the entire episode to the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam), who replied that the recital of Surah Mulk indeed assists the
person within the grave and protects him from pain and punishment.
(Tirmidhi Shareef)

From this episode, we see that the beloved servants of Allah are still
alive within their graves, or else the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) would have merely disregarded the entire incident. But he
did not do so. Rather, he commented on the excellences of the Sura
Mulk, which means that he also accepted that the beloved servants of
Allah Ta'ala are still alive within their graves.

13. It is recorded that in the period of Hazrat Mu'awiya (R) a canal was
dug between Mecca and Medina. Co-incidentally, the canal passed
through that plot of land where the Shuhada (Martyrs) of Uhud lay
buried. A person while digging accidentally cut the foot of a Shaheed
with a spade. As a result of this, blood began to flow from the blessed
foot. We learn from this incident that aside from their souls, even the
bodies of these great and beloved servants of Allah are alive. (Jazbul
Quloob, Sharahus Sudr)

Imam an-Nawawi was a wali and a great scholar who authored many
works. A karamah of his states that when the lantern extinguished for
want of oil, Allah illuminated his finger for him at night so he could see
and continue writing about the Religion. Imam Nawawi has mentioned
some miraculous incidents of the Sahaba in his Riyadh as-Saliheen
(Meadows of the Righteous):

1. Quraish ordered ‘Uqbah bin Al-Harith, whose father had been killed
by Khubaib ® himself, to execute him. They also appointed someone to
guard his corpse.   Al-Harith’s daughter reported that shortly before his
execution, Khubaib ® was seen eating a bunch of grapes when no fruit
was available in Makkah at that time. [In fact, it was nothing but
sustenance bestowed upon him by Allâh.]

2. ‘Asim ibn Thabit, who had previously slain one of the Chieftans of
Quraysh in the Battle of Badar. When the Quraysh were told that he had
been slain, they sent a few of their men to bring something that might
identify him. To their disappointment, they could not reach his corpse
because a large swarm of hornets had been shielding him against any
malicious mutilation. ‘Asim had already sought his Lord’s pledge to
protect his body from mutilations by the polytheists. He had also kept
aloof from any contact with the enemies of Allâh. On hearing this piece
of news, ‘Umar ® exclaimed, “Allâh verily protects His believing slave
after death just as He does during his lifespan.” ( from al- Bukhari)

3. Ibn Umar ® said that he never heard from ‘Umar say about anything
that I conceive to be thus and thus, but that it turned out to be in
accordance with what he had conceived.

4. Jabir bin Abdullah ® related that his father called him on the eve of
Uhad and said: ‘I believe I’ll be the first among the Sahaba to be killed,
and after the Holy Prophet (s) you’re the one most dear to me.
Discharge my debts and treat your sisters well. The next morning, he
was among the first to be killed and I buried him along with another in
the same grave. Thereafter, I was not happy that I should leave him
with another in the same grave. So I dug up his body after six months,
and he was in the same condition as he was on the day I had buried
him but for his ear. Then I buried him in a separate grave. (Bukhari)

5. Anas related that Holy Prophet’s (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) two
companions (Usaid ibn Huzair and Abbad ibn Bishar) left the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) late one dark night and
perceived as if there were two lights in front of them. And, when they
separated each had one light before him till the time he reached home.

6. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, "In the nations before you there were
people who were spoken to (by Allah). If there was to be such a man
among my community, it would be 'Umar." [al-Bukhari. Muslim
transmits it from 'A'isha.]

7. 'Urwa ibn az-Zubayr reported that Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Umar ibn
Nufayl had litigation instigated against him by Arwa bint Aws before
Marwan ibn al-Hakam. She claimed that he had taken some of her land.
Sa'id said, "Would I take any of her land after what I heard from the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?" He said,
"What did you hear from the Messenger of Allah?" He said, "I heard the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say,
'Anyone who wrongfully takes a hand's width of land will wear it round
his neck down through seven earths.'" Marwan said to him, "I will not
ask you for evidence after this." Sa'id said, "O Allah, if she is lying,
make her lose her eyesight and kill her in her land!" He said, "She did
not die before her eyesight had gone, and while she was walking in her
land, she fell into a pit and died." [Agreed upon] A variant of Muslim
from Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar has something to the
same effect and says that he saw her blind, groping for the wall, saying,
"The invocation of Sa'id has struck me." She passed by a well in the
house regarding which she had litigated and fell into it and it became
her grave.

To continue, Insha Allah…

Miracles –Islamic perspective in brief: Part 8 – Continued….

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

From Shawahid an-Nabuwwa of Noorudin al-Jami (d.1492 c.e.) also, we
learn of the karamaat of Sahaba al-Kiraam and the Tabiian, and a few of
which are mentioned below:

1. Abu Bakr ® the first Caliph of Islam, willed at the time he was about
to leave the world that his children would be looked after by Aisha ®.
He said: My son and two daughters, I entrust them to you.” Now other
than Aisha ® he had only one daughter named Asma. Aisha ® asked: “ 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.” Indeed, after his demise,
a baby-girl was born to his wife as he had said. [This is also reported by
ash-Shatibi in 'al-Muwafaqat' (4/85), and Ibn Taymiyyah in 'Majmu' al-
Fatawa' (11/318)]

2. When he was about to die, Hazrat Ali ® instructed his son, Husain ®:
“Take my coffin to a place called ‘Arnanin where you will see a
luminous white rock. Dig up a grave and bury me there.” They carried
out the instruction and actually saw what Hazrat Ali ® had told.

3. While travelling with ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair ®, Hazrat Hasan ® stopped

to take rest at a date grove. The date palms having withered, ibn Zubair
® said: “How nice it would have been if there were dates on the tree!” 
Thereupon, Hazrat Hasan ® supplicated to Allah. Soon a palm bloomed
into clusters of dates. Seeing this, the people around him said: “This is
magic”! Hasan ® said: “No, it is not. Allah the Exalted created it
because of the supplication of the grandson of the Messenger of Allah
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam)”.

4. Abdullah ibn Umar ® while travelling once met some wayfarers who
were waiting on the road. He asked them what had held them there. A
traveler replied: “We’ve heard that there is a lion on the way. That’s
why no one can traverse further. Abdullah ibn Umar ()R) went up to the
lion and patting its back, removed it away from the road.

5. According to an account stated by Safina ®, an ex-slave having been

set free by the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam), he
was travelling by ship when a tempest set in and the ship was wrecked.
He clung to a log and was driven ashore by waves. He now had to cross
a forest on his inland. A lion came out of the forest. He told the lion that
he was a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam). The lion bowed its neck and led him out of the forest. The
lion murmured something at the time of parting. He understood that
the murmuring as bidding a farewell to him.

6. Once Ali ibn Husain (also known as Zain al-Abidin ®) was dining in
the countryside along with the members of his household. A gazelle
approached and stood waiting. He said: “O gazelle! I’m Ali ibn Husain
ibn Ali, and my mother is Fatima the daughter of Rasool (sallal laahu
alaihi wassallam). Come and eat too.” The gazelle did eat after which it
went away. The children begged him to call the gazelle again. He said:
“I shall, only if you will not disturb it.” The children agreed. He called
out the gazelle again. The gazelle came up to them, and ate its fill. Only
when one of the children patted its back, that it shied away from them.

7. A blind Muslim came to Abdullah ibn Mubarak (d.181H/797 c.e.) and

begged him to pray for his sight. Abdullah prayed long, and soon the
blind man gained his sight. Many people witnessed this incident. Among
those who saw the blind man coming to Abdullah ibn Mubarak was al-
Fudhail bin Iyadh.

8. Hamid at-Tawil narrated: A brick fell when closing the grave of

Thabit al-Banani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala)after his burial. They saw al-
Banani performing ‘salaat’ (the ritual prayer or Namaaz) in the grave.
Thereupon, they went to his house and inquired from his daughter
about her father. She informed them that her father performed salaat
late every night for fifty years and habitually supplicated before dawn:
“O my Allah! If you have granted the performance of salaat in the grave
to anyone besides the prophets, let it fall to my lot too.”

9. Once Ayyub as-Sahtiyani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) 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 Ayyub died.

Let us now turn to Yusuf an-Nabhani (1849-1932 c.e.) who wrote forty-
seven valuable books has also documented the Karamaat of fifty-four
as-Sahaaba, corroborated by eye-witness account, in his book two-
volume Jami’ al-Karamat-al- Awliya [Compendium of Miraculous Gifts of
Friend of Allah]. Some of these Karamaat are in fact well known:

1. During the time of Caliphate of Hazrat ‘Umar ® the Muslim army was
engaging a huge army of the Persians who outnumbered them five to
one. Sariya, the commander of the Muslim army, engaged the Persians
on the plain of Nehavend (A.H.23). Just at the time when the Persian
army was about to encircle the Muslim army, Hazrat Umar ® who was
delivering a ‘Khutba’ (sermon) on the minbar of the Masjid at al-
Madinah, came to know about the condition of the Muslim army. He
cried out: Ya Sariya! To the hill! To the hill! Sariya and his companions
heard the Caliph’s voice and backed off to the hill. Reorganizing
themselves from there, they attacked the enemies on the plain,
completely routing the Persians. (This incident is also reported in
Bayhaqi’s Irshaad at-Taalibin on the authority of ibn Umar ®, and also
by Ibn Katheer in Taareekh). It may be noted that when Sariya had
heard the voice of Umar ® he was at a distance of two months’ journey
from Madinah the Radiant, and Muslim army were in fact outnumber to
the ratio of 1:5.

2. During the time of Hazrat ‘Uthman ® caliphate, Anas ibn Maalik ®

visited him, and seeing him Hazrat Uthman ® remarked “I see there is
a sign of ‘Zina’ (fornication) in your eyes. On his way to the Caliph,
Anas had cast glances on a woman. This fornication of the eye became
apparent to Hazrat ‘Uthman ® and hence constitutes a miracle. (This
incident is also mentioned in Maktubat III, 19th letter, of Muhammad
Mathum al-Farooqi).

Briefly, there are more miraculous incidents involving the Sahaba or

Tabiian and others:

1. Hadith al-Ghaar: Story of three friends who were blocked in a cave by

a huge rock, and how the rock shifted gradually on its own each time
one of them narrated his good deeds, and finally they were freed when
the rock moved completely aside.

2. A tradition related by Abu Huraira ® of infants who were

miraculously endowed with speech (i.e. other than Jesus): A child who
exculpated the monk Jurayj (Gregory) when he was falsely accused by
a harlot; a child who divined the characters of a horseman and a
woman.

3. The story of Khalid b. Waleed ® who said “Bismillah” and drank a

deadly poison which did not harm him.

4. Hazrat Umar ® being saved by two lions when a Persian assassin

was about to kill him.

5. The fire refusing to burn Abu Muslim al-Khawlani who was thrown
into a burning fire when he had refused to acknowledge al-Aswad al-
Ansi of Yemen as prophet. After being banished, Abu Muslim came to
Madinah the Radiant and met Hazrat Umar ® who praised Allah for
letting him see the man who had performed the same miracle as
Ibrahim a.s. (recorded by Shaykh Abdullah Ayad al-Qarni).

To Continue, Insha Allah….

Miracles, Islamic Perspective in Brief: Part 9

continued....

In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most

Merciful.

Those slain in Allah's Path are alive:

In addition to the Karamaat of Awliya-Allah that have been mentioned
in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Mutwatir’ (recurrent) accounts have come down to
us by truthful and reliable narrators of the prophetic traditions, Islamic
literature and eye-witnesses about the bodies of the martyrs who
sacrificed their life in the way of Allah. Their bodies did not decompose
and the colour of the skin did not change. Their bodies still bled and
when positions of their hands went back to their original position if it
were changed. Musk of smell emanated from graves. The bodies were
growing beards too, and were not devoured by animals or birds and
remained in tact despite remaining in the desert and being exposed to
the harsh climatic conditions for years.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “And say not of those who are slain in the
way of Allah: ‘They are dead’. Nay, they are living though you perceive
it not.” (2:154)

This is further emphasized to wipe out any doubt about their “living”,
by the fact of their being provided for: “Think not of those slain in
Allah’s way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance from their
Lord. They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah” (3:169-170).The
martyrs in the cause of Truth are not dead. They are alive in a much
beautiful and joyous life than that on this material earth. The general
idea of decomposition of the dead bodies do not apply to the Martyrs
and other notable exceptions that are above the rank of the Martyrs
generally, namely, the Prophets, the Truthful or the Awliya-Allah whose
isthmus life is stronger than that of the Martyrs. Thus they are also
alive in body and soul. Allah categorically states: “you perceive it not”
(2:154) which means that we are unable to comprehend the life in
Barzakh (lit. “Partition between the material life on earth and the Day
of Resurrection” or the world of grave) where every person has a
special kind of life receiving punishment for sins or enjoying rewards of
good deeds.

In fact we noted before that Allah states Surah Nisa, verse 69 of the
Holy Qur’an that whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be in
the company of those whom Allah has shown favour, namely, prophets,
the truthful, the martyrs and the Saliheen. Remember, this
companionship is not of Paradise alone but rather it begins in the
Barzakh itself. According to ibn Qayyim the companionship is
established in this ‘Dunya’ and is resumed in the Barzakh and in the
Hereafter. Therefore, it is impossible that while the Martyrs remain
alive and receive sustenance from their Lord, the prophets (Ambiya),
who are of the highest rank and much nearer to Allah, should be
deprived of it. Similarly, the rank of Awliya-Allah too is higher than the
general category of the martyrs.  Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (Reh.)
states in his monumental commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari, Fath al-Bari:
"When life of the martyrs is proven from the text of the Qur’an, then
this is also proven from a analogical point of view. And the Prophets are
superior then the martyrs" (Fath al-Bari, Volume 006: Page No. 379). 
Also, Qadi Shawkawni writes: "In the Qur'an it is mentioned that
martyrs are alive and food is provided for them.  The Prophets and
righteous people are a lot higher in status than them so what will be
their place?  It has been proven through Ahadith that Prophets are alive
in their graves.  Both Imam at-Tirmidhi and Imam al-Bayhaqi have said
that these are authentic Ahadith" (Nayl al-Awtar, Volume 003, Page No.
82).No doubt, Allah has stated: Every soul must taste of death (Qu’ran
21:35. But that’s momentarily. After the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu
alaihi wassallam) had assumed the veil of departure from this material
world, Hazrat Abu Bakr ® while kissing his cheek said: You have tasted
the death which God had decreed: a second death will never overtake
you.
Insha Allah, we shall discuss about this when we begin a new subject
sometimes in the future. For the moment, suffice it to say that
Prophetic traditions as well as the annotator of the Tahawi Belief
mentioned that: “Allah orders the earth not to decompose the Prophets’
bodies and that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) is alive
in the grave has been proven beyond doubt by the Sunni Shaykhs and
Righteous Ulema. According to Mulla Ali Qari (d.1014 c.e.) since the
bodies of the prophets have been made ‘Haraam’ to the earth, there is
no difference in the conditions pertaining to life and death of the
prophets. He further says that this means that ‘Salawaat’
(benedictions) are presented to both soul and body of the the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam). Regarding “nourishment” he
clarifies that it can mean both material and spiritual one, which cannot
be seen or felt by the ordinary senses. .

The Martyrs of Uhud:

The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said: “When your
brethren were martyred at Uhud, Allah placed their souls inside green
birds which drink from the rivers of Paradise, eat of its fruits and seek
shelter in gold-lamps that are suspended in the shade of the ‘Arsh’
(Throne). When they saw how beautiful their food, drink and the abode
was, they pleaded, ‘Who will tell our brothers about us, that we are
alive in Paradise and being amply provided for, so that they will not
turn away from Jihad or abandon the battlefields. Allah ta’la said: ‘I
shall tell them!’ The verse was then sent down:  “Think not of those
slain in Allah’s way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance
from their Lord. They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah” (3:169-
170)In his series (Story of the End) Dr. Tariq Suwaidan mentioned that
Sheikh Muhammad As-Sawwaf, one of the scholars who were chosen to
rebury the martyrs of Uhud after the flood that uncovered the bodies,
told him that their bodies did not change, decompose, or rot even after
1400 years from their death. Sheikh Muhammad As-Sawwaf said that:
“Among the bodies was that of Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him).
He was big and his nose and ears were cut. His abdomen was ripped
apart and he put his hand on it. When we took his hand up, blood flew
down as if he died one hour ago.

The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] supervised the martyrs’ burial and said:
"I bear witness that anyone who is wounded in the way of Allâh, Allâh
will resurrect him with his wound bleeding a liquid which is blood-like
in colour but musk-like in scent." [Ibn Hisham 2/98]

Similar instance had also occurred as we noted before that when the
bodies of the martyrs of Uhud were being relocated forty years after
their burial, the foot of Hamzah bin 'Abd al-Mutalli b ® was scratched in
the process of being moved, and it started gushing blood. ['al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah'; 4/43]

The above incident is also evident from a hadith shareef in Sahih

Muslim where it was mentioned that Muslim historians had reported,
when Mu’awiyah ruled, he was planning for a water channel to be built
in Madinah. In order for this development to be achieved, the channel
had to be routed through the middle of the Madinah cemetery.
Therefore, he ordered the remains of the dead in the graves to be
transferred to another place. In the midst of the dismantling and
relocation process, the people found that the corpses were still in their
original states. When one of the shovels they used accidentally hit and
slashed the leg of Hamzah bin Abdul Mutalib, blood was seen flowing
from the cut. Whereas, that occurrence had already surpassed the
Battle of Uhud by 50 years.

At the same time, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, it was mentioned that ‘Amr bin
Jamuh and Abdullah bin ‘Amir, both from the Ansar, had been buried in
one grave during the Battle of Uhud, and when once the area was hit by
a big flood due to very heavy rains, their grave was washed away by
the current. The people of Madinah were forced to take the grave apart
in order to relocate it to a safer place and the moment their grave was
taken apart, the people discovered that the conditions of their corpses
did not change at all, as though they had only died the day before. In
actual fact, when they were digging up the grave for the relocation, it
had already been 46 years since the corpses were buried in the grave,
ie. since the Battle of Uhud.

It so happened that one of them was found placing his hand over the
wound of which he had died but he was buried in the same position.
When the grave had given way, people noticed that his body was still in
the same position with the hand over the wound. When some of them
tried to reposition the hand, the hand came back to the original position
over the wound.

Jabir bin Abdullah ® whose father had attained martyrdom in the Battle
of Uhud, wanted to dig out the remains of his father Abdillah for
relocation to another place. He also noticed that the body of his
martyred father was in the state as if it had been buried days before.

'Umar bin Abdul Khattab:

In an article submitted by one “Mujahid” to a website, we are informed
that “In one genuine incident, from the people of Madinah it was
related that during the rule of Khalifah Al-Walid bin Abdul Malik, one
shocking incident occurred unexpectedly when one of the walls
retaining the grave of Rasulullah SAW caved in. A lot of people were
shocked in this incident when they saw a pair of legs popping out from
one of the areas in the burial site. They were worried if they were the
legs of Rasulullah SAW. Sa’id bin Al-Musaiyib immediately came
forward and narrated a hadith which mentioned that the bodies of the
Prophets were not let by Allah SWT to remain in the grave for more
than 40 days since the day of the burial, they were raised by Allah SWT
thereafter. Then, Salim bin Abdillah bin Umar bin Khattab arrived and
informed the crowd that the legs belonged to his grandfather, Umar bin
Al-Khattab RA.”

Amazing incident about Hazrat Jabir bin

Abdullah and Hazifa Yamani (R):

Thirty kilometers east of Baghdad there is the Salman Park where there
are the tombs of Hazrat Abdullah bin Jabir, Hazifa Yamani, and Salman
Farsi, may Allah be pleased with them all. Actually the bodies of the
first two companions of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam)
have been relocated during the reign of Shah Faisal 1 (1885-1933) of
Iraq. Iraq was carved out in 1920 by the British from the Ottomon
Empire in 1920 after Turkey’s defeat in World War 1.

The article about the relocation I had read many years ago and I came
across the same article on websites, which I reproduce below. This too
goes to show without a shadow of doubt again that by Allah’s grace,
the bodies of martyrs remain intact even centuries after their burial.

“In 1932 A.D. (1351 A.H.) the then ruling King of Iraq Shah Faisal I,
dreamt that he was being addressed by Hudhaifa al-Yamani, who said :-
"O king ! Remove Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari and me from the bank of
river Tigris and bury us at some safe place because my grave is already
water-logged, while Jabir's grave is slowly getting water-logged." This
dream was repeated again the next night but King Faisal I, did not pay
attention to it on account of his pre-occupation with state affairs. On
the third night Hazrat Hudhaifa was seen in the dream by the grand
Mufti of Iraq. Hazrat Hudhaifa said to the grand Mufti :- 'I have been
directing the king since two nights to transfer our Bodies but he has not
paid any heed. Tell him emphatically to arrange for the transfer of our
graves!'

"So after discussing this matter, the King, his Prime Minister and the
Grand Mufti decided to carry out this work. It was decided that the
Grand Mufti should issue a fatwa(religious ruling) on this matter and
the Prime Minister will issue the fatwa to the press, so that the public
may know about this great event. It was declared that on 10th Zilhajj
after noon prayers the graves shall be opened and the holy bodies shall
be transferred to another place.

"As it was Hajj season, pilgrims had gathered in Mecca. They requested
King Faisal to postpone the event for a few days so that they all could
attend the event after performing the Hajj. Hence, the King postponed
this event to 20th Zilhajj.

"After noon prayers, on 20th Zilhajj 1351 A.H. a large number of

Muslims and non-Muslims gathered in Baghdad, and the city was
heavily crowded. First when the grave of Hazrat Hudhaifa was opened
water was fond inside. The body was lifted with a crane in such a way
that it safely came on a stretcher. Then the stretcher was lifted by the
King, the Grand Mufti, the Prime Minister and Prince Farooq of Egypt
and brought to a glass coffin box made especially to keep the holy
bodies. The body of Hazrat Jabir was also transferred to the glass box
in the same scrupulous manner.

"The most marvelous spectacle was now seen by the huge crowd that
had gathered to witness this great event. Both the holy bodies of these
true companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) were fresh and intact
while their open eyes issued forth such divine light that the spectator's
eyes were dazzled. Furthermore, their coffin, clothes, kaffan were also
intact and at first glance, it appeared as if these heroes of Islam were
alive. The two bodies were then taken away and buried afresh near the
grave of another great hero of Islam, Salman-e-Farsi, in Salman Park
which is 30 miles from Baghdad. This miracle amazed the scientists,
philosophers and doctors. They were all bewildered and spellbound to
witness this great miracle.

"A German physiologist who had been showing a lot of interest in this
was so impressed by the conditions of the bodies, which were buried
for more than a thousand years, that he immediately came to the Grand
Mufti, held up his hands and said, "What more evidence can there be in
support of Islam. I embrace Islam so teach me about it!" Thus before
thousands of people this German doctor became a Muslim. His example
was followed by many Christians and Jews and for a long time it
continued in Baghdad and a large number of people became Muslims as
a result of this miracle.

"Some of the material above was published in a Pakistani newspaper,

"Daily Jung" on 7th June 1970.”

To continue …Insha Allah.

Miracles,Islamic Perspective in Brief: Part 10.

Continued:

In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most

Merciful.
If Allah does not give Noor to someone, he cannot become enlightened
(“Munawwar”)Qur’an, Surah Noor, v.40

Let us refer to some more miracles: Tayy al-

Musaafa:
Shaykh Abd al-Haqq Muhaddith Dehelwi states in Madarijun Nabuwat:

“Allah the Exalted has given the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) the strength and power to go anywhere he likes; he can go
with his own body or only in soul, on the earth, in the sky, in the grave,
while maintaining connection with his own shrine.”

In Tafseer Roohul-Bayaan, it is mentioned that Imam Ghazali said: The

Holy Prophet (s) and his Companions’ souls have been the right to
travel the world and many Awliya-Allah have seen the Prophet (sallal
laahu alaihi wassallam). Hence, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wassallam) is conscious of the believers and observes them by Divine
leave.

In the physical world, some pious believers who include the Awliya-
Allah are able to traverse great distances in moments. This is called
Tayy al-Musaafa. But as we are not discussing prophets and angels
miracles about the speed and so we won’t cite those examples,
including the incident of Night of Isra and Ascension.

In the book, Wahhabiyya, it is written: “Traversing long distance in a

moment is a Karama bestowed upon Awliya. It is ‘Wajib’ to believe in
this.”

Therefore, prophets and Awliya, as well as angels are able to traverse

great distances within short time. Spiritual power being unconstrained
by space and time such occurrences also occur with the permission of
Allah in the cases of prophets and Awliya and pious people who have
assumed a veil of departure from this material world.
 Sahl bin Abdullah, a great and venerable Sufi, was
known for his self-mortification and ascetic training. He has been
quoted as saying that he heard from a saint (Wali) called Abdallah bin
Salih that every ‘Kaamil’ (complete) saint gather in Makkah every
Thursday evening, i.e. the night of Jumma’ and it was for that and the
reason that countless blessings and mercies descend on the city when
angels perform the ‘Tawaaf’ (circumambulation) of the Baitullah day
and night, and since he has seen wonders there that he had stayed
awhile longer than his practice. Among the wonders he haad seen was
regarding one called Maalik bin Qasim Jili whom he asked why did his
hand smell of cooked meat when he replied that he had in fact not
eaten for the entire week but that he had just fed his mother way back
home and buried back to catch the Fajr prayer with the gathering. He
had in fact travelled 900 ‘Farsakh’ or 2700 miles between his home and
Makkah in a short span of time. After relating this wonder, Abdullah bin
Salih asked Hazrat Sahl bin Abdullah whether he believes him. When
the latter replied in the affirmative, the former exclaimed: “Praise be to
Allah! I have found one Mumin person.

From the above incident it is evident that even in the physical world of
ours it is possible for a Friend of Allah or a pious believer to travel long
distances in a short period of time or within moments.

In fact there are numerous accounts given in the Rowdh and other
Islamic literature where not only the time for travel is reduced to
moments but the ground beneath the feet itself is not felt or if felt, it is
as if walking on the “rolling waves”; or the shoes being dry despite
walking on the rain-soaked muddy mire (e.g. as stated by Hazrat Data
Ganj Baksh about his Shaykh.) In Kashful Mahjub, he mentions the
narration of Abu Warraq’s regarding his journey along with his Shaykh
al-Hakim (Muhammad bin Ali Tirmidhi) from Tirmidh to the Desert of
Bani Isra’il and back within a short time so that the disciple could not
restrain himself from asking his Master: O Shaykh, O Shaykh, how did
we reach the Desert of Bani Isra’il from Tirmidh in such a short time?”
The answer that he got was: It is your business to arrive (‘rasidan’) and
not to ask questions (‘pursidan’).

We are informed by the author of Kashful Mahjub, Hazrat Ali bin

Uthman al-Hajweri (Data Ganj Baksh ®) that once he went to pay his
respects to Baab ‘Umar and his old wife Fatima so that the Shaykh who
was one of the Awtaad (high-ranking saints or officers of the Divine
Court who have the power to loose and bind) might look on him with
kindness. For this he had to travel from Uzkand to a remote village
Ashlaatak in Farghana. He was surprised to learn that the Shaykh had
been continually seeing him from the day of his initiation to the path.
The Shaykh also informed him that travelling distance (Tayy al-musaafa
or sipardan-e-musaafat) is child’s play. He bade his wife to bring them
something to eat, when she brought some fruits which could not have
been procured during that season and in that village. The Shaykh
advised him to pay visits by means of thought.

Ibn Hajar Haytami (Reh.) wrote in his Fatwa:  “The number of those
who have said that if a Wali goes to a very distant place in the west (in
a short time) after having performed the evening salaat, and if the sun
has not set there yet, he does not need to perform the evening salaat
for the second time at that place, are many.”

Imam ar-Rabbani mentions in his Letters that some awliya were seen
far from the place where they lived, and that it was the appearance of
their soul in bodily forms.

Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyudden Abdul Qadir Jilani Ghousul Azam ® too had
spiritual powers to go to the far-flung places instantly to the rescue of
the ones in distress who appealed for his aid. In fact, even his maternal
grandfather, Abdullah as-Sawma’i, was known for numerous miracles
and people used to ask for his spiritual intervention in times of distress
as stated in the introduction of Jila’ al-Khatir (Purification of the Mind)
which contains edited discourses of Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani ®.
Once a caravan of group of merchants of Jilaan while heading for
Samarkand was accosted by bandits. The merchants who were unable
to defend themselves invoked the intercession of the saint. Suddenly,
they saw ‘Abdullah as-Sawma’i in their midst. He was reciting the
formula. The bandits took to their heels and the saint disappeared as
suddenly as he had appeared among them. When the merchants related
the story to the people of Jilaan, they told them that the saint in fact
had never left Jilaan during the time of their journey.

In his book, Lawaaqi-ul Anwaar Fi Tabqaatil Akhyaar (The Infused

Lights of the Biographies of the Righteous), Shaykh Abdul Wahab
Sha’rani (reh.) records an incident to show that Awliya can appear at
far off places from their actual location. A disciple of Sayyidi
Muhammad Ghamri ® was once passing through the bazaar when the
foot of the animal on which he rode, slipped. In extreme panic he
screamed: “Ya Sayyedi Muhammad, Ya Ghamri!” As if by co-incidence,
Ibne Omar Saeed the ruler, who had been made a prisoner by Sultan
Chiq’miq was also passing through the bazaar at the same time. He too
heard the screams. He inquired of the disciple as to who was Sayyidi
Muhammed ®. When he was informed about him he also screamed: “Ya
Sayyedi Muhammad, Ya Ghamri!” No sooner he had proclaimed the
name, than the great Wali and spiritual master appeared and drove
away his captors, freeing the captured ruler. The Shaykh then departed,
blessing the ruler.
Hazrat Habib al-Ajmi, the disciple of Hasan Basri ® was another Awliya-
Allah who was known for Tayy al-Musaafa. Many times during the Haj
season he was seen at Basra (Iraq) on the 8th day of the lunar month
of Dhu’l Hijja, and on the next day on the 9th he was spotted at the
plains of Arafat near Makkah. This is mentioned in Jami’s Shawahid an-
Nabuwa that documents the miracles of Sahaba and Tabiian. The
distance between Basra and Makkah by flight is at least 1,238
kilometres or over 769 miles. Imagine then, that those were the days of
caravan and how many months it used to take to cover that distance on
land! Dhows were the other mode of transport. 

There is another classic case of Tayy al-Musafaa and this relates to

Khwaja Abdul Wahid bin Zaid Abul Fadhal (d.793 c.e.) a student of
Imam Abu Hanifa and disciple of Hazrat Hasan Basri and Master of
Hazrat Fudhail bin Ayadh.   Abdul Wahid Bin Zaid relates:  I purchased a
slave on the condition that he serves me. Once, when it became dark I
looked for him in the house, but could not find him.  Early in the
morning he came and presented me with a dirham. I asked, “Where did
you get it from?” He replied, “I receive a dirham daily and will only give
it to you on the condition that you do not ask for me at night.” He would
disappear every night and return in the morning with a dirham.  One
day my neighbours approached me and shrieked, “O Abdul Wahid sell
your slave. He is a grave digger!” This news depressed me. After this I
decided to keep a vigilant eye on him. That night after Isha Salah, the
slave stood up to leave, he pointed to the door and it opened. He made
his way to the second door and did the same and then the same again
to the door from which I was watching him. He left the house so I
followed him till he reached a stretch of barren land.  He took off his
clothes and put on a cloth sack and prayed till Fajr. He then lifted his
hand towards the heaven and said, “Oh my Master, give me my small
masters pay”. A dirham then fell from the sky. I was mystified and
amazed at this. I stood up and performed two rakats and sought
forgiveness from Allah, from the evil thought that had crossed my mind.
I promised myself that on returning, I would free him.  As I made by
way back I looked for him but could not find him. He was no where to
be seen. All of a sudden a knight on an armoured horse appeared. He
asked, “Oh Abdul Wahid what are you doing here?” I related the
incident to him. He then inquired, “Do you know the distance from here
to your city?” Oblivious to where I was, I replied in the negative. He
informed me that I was approximately two years travelling distance
from home. He then said, “Do not move from here till your slave returns
tonight”.  When it became dark my slave came. He came with a tray full
of food and greeted me with joy and said, “Eat my master, you should
not have followed me here”. I ate while he prayed till Fajr. Once he had
finished he held my hand and walked a few steps. Instantly we were
back to my house. He said, “Oh master now that we are back, did you
not make the intention to free me?” I replied affirmatively. He added,
”Free me and take the money you paid for me and you will be
rewarded”. He then picked up a stone and gave it to me. I looked at it.
Astonishingly it had turned into gold.  He had come to realize that his
slave was not a grave-digger but a 'Noor' digger.

 Those who refuse to understand the powers that Allah bestows upon
his pious believers and Awliya (not to speak of the high-ranking
prophets and messengers a.s.) come out with a convenient answer that
there is a Jinn (genie) behind miracles. While it is true that according to
Mishkaat the Iblis on hearing the call for prayers runs thirty-six miles
away from that place and comes back in an instant after the completion
of the call, it is misleading to attribute the Karamaat of Awliya to the
deeds of deceiving Jinns. This assertion about the Jinn being behind the
miracles is far-fetched and not true. 

Tayy al-masaafa is one of the powers, among others, bestowed on the

Friends of Allah by the Creator Himself and so it cannot be the
handiwork of a Jinn as the deniers of Karamaat would have us believe.
We have noted in the last post how Asif bin Barkhiya was not of the
Jinn but a human being, “one who had the knowledge of the Book,” and
yet he was instrumental in bringing the throne of the Queen of Sheba
(Bilqis) before Sulaiman (a.s.) in twinkling of an eye, and thus leaving
the wonders of the Jinns far behind. This is also called “Tayy al-Ardh”
(Folding up of earth) that is, instead of taking a step forward towards
the object, the earth turns towards the traveler rapidly no matter how
far the distance. Islamic scholars have defined this as “The ceasing and
termination of the matter in the initial location, and its reappearance
and creation in its final location.” Otherwise too, the physical world
may be restricted but the spiritual world is free from the restriction of
time and place. In short, Awliya-Allah of high ranks are able to travel
great distances in a short time. The term they use is “Tayy al-Makaan”.

Ibn Taimiyya says: “Sometimes the Jinn will take the form of those
admired and stand at ‘Arafat and who believe well of him will think that
he actually stood in ‘Arafat. Many others have also been actually carried
by the devils to ‘Arafat and other sacred places.”  He further says: 

“Satan is able to make such misdeeds appealing to them by convincing

them that they are among the Karamaat of the righteous…”  (Al-
Furqaan Bayna Awliyaa ar-Rahmaan wa Awliyaa ash-Shaytaan)

Now, at the outset the question arises why would the Satan do that by
making people think that they have sighted an “admired one?”
Wouldn’t that, on the contrary, strengthen the belief in miracles? 
Anyway, it is significant to remember that a perfect Wali is an inheritor
of the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam), his status
being proportional to the degree of Allah’s love for him. Hence the
Karamaat of the perfect Wali can never be in contradiction of the
Islamic letter and spirit – this too we have noted before. Suggesting
that a Jinn may take the form of a Wali is mischievous and misleading.

According to Sayyidi Abdulhakim Arwasi (Reh.), the Shafi’i scholar,

Allamah al-Jaili, wrote in his commentary to Sahih al-Bukhari: “The
Devil cannot appear in the shapes of perfect Walis who are Rasool-Allah
(s) inheritors, just as it cannot take Rasool-Allah’s (s) shape.”

Once it is accepted that a Jinn cannot impersonate a perfect Wali, the

theory of Jinn impersonating Awliya-Allah for misleading people falls
flat  to the ground.

Sayyidi Abdulhakim Arwasi (reh.) also informs us that according to

jurisprudence and principles thereof, the ‘ulema and Awliya among the
community of the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) are
the inheritors of his every “Haal” save those which are among his
“Khasais” (i.e. peculiar or special to him).

To continue…Insha Allah!

Miracles - Islamic Perspective in Brief- Part 11.

 Continued...

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most

Merciful.

SOME MORE MIRACLES:

One day, while Imam 'Ali Rida ® [He was the eight of the twelve Imams
and passed away in Tus, that is, Mashhad, in 203 A.H. (818 A.D.).] 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 Imam to
the person sitting by him. "No," the person answered, "Allah, His Rasul
and His Rasul's grandson know." Hazrat Imam said, "It complains that
a snake has climbed close to its nest to eat its chicks. It wants us to
rescue them from her enemy. You follow the bird and kill the snake."
The person followed the bird and saw the snake as he was told.

One day, while Imam 'Ali Rida ® [He was the eight of the twelve Imams
and passed away in Tus, that is, Mashhad, in 203 A.H. (818 A.D.).] 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 Imam to
the person sitting by him. "No," the person answered, "Allah, His Rasul
and His Rasul's grandson know." Hazrat Imam said, "It complains that
a snake has climbed close to its nest to eat its chicks. It wants us to
rescue them from her enemy. You follow the bird and kill the snake."
The person followed the bird and saw the snake as he was told.

The miracles of Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyuddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani are too
many to recount here. We shall just mention a few, insha Allah. One of
the major wonders was the role that Allah assigned Ghous-e-Paak for
promoting Islam. In 1117 c.e., on a Friday, while on his way to
Baghdad, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani ® was saluted by a frail and sick
man in the customary Islamic greeting. As the Shaykh replied to the
greeting, the frail man asked him to help him sit up. No sooner than the
Shaykh helped him, that man started to grow tall in stature and
informed him that he was the religion of his grandfather, adding that as
a result of his help he stands revived. Later, at the Masjid where the
Shaykh had gone to offer the Jummah Prayers, a man approached him
and gave him a pair of shoes and addressed him as “Muhiyuddeen”, i.e.
“Reviver of Religion”. Indeed, these incidents proved ominous and
Islam received a great impetus owing to the guiding efforts of Hazrat
Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani ® .

Other well-known miracles include (1) Transforming the entire gang of

thieves and robbers to the right path by virtue of his being truthful
which placed him in the rank of ‘Siddiqeen’ at the age of 18 years; (2)
Transforming a thief, who had come to rob his house, into an ‘Abdaal’
or a high-ranking saint; (3) Rescuing the 16-year old beautiful daughter
of Shaykh Abu Sa’id Abdulla from the clutches of a mischievous Jinn by
summoning the king of Jinns; (4) Rescuing the sinking ship from the
sea by placing his hand inside his cloak at the time when he himself
was delivering lessons in his convent in Baghdad; (5) His cloak that
protected against illness (cloak was given to Shaykh Ali bin Haiti’s
disciple who never fell sick thereafter; (6) Seeing the Holy Prophet
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) with his physical eyes at the time
Shaykh Ali bin Haiti fell asleep in his Majlis and was seeing the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) in his dream; Tearing and killing
of the Shaykh Ahmad Jaam’s lion by an old and lean stray dog that used
to sit outside the home of Ghaus-e-Paak and the saint’s consequent
submission before Ghous-e-Paak; On requests of the citizens of
Baghdad, putting his staff in River Tigress (ad-Dijla) to keep it from
flooding Baghdad; commanding the rain to stop as people had started
leaving the Majlis; being clairvoyant and knowing the conditions of
heart of others, etc. Many, many other miracles have been recorded by
the biographers the readers are urged to refer them for details. There
are a host of books in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, English and other
languages.
Hazrat Abu Sa’id Fazlullah ibn Abi’l Khayr ® , the “Shahbaz-e-tariqa’”
was known chiefly for “Extraordinary power of reading men’s secret
thoughts.” To cite just a few miracles among the many:

1. According to one of his disciples, Abdul Samad, when the Shaykh

went to Sarakhs for spiritual guidance from his own Shaykh Abul Fadl,
he usually flew through the air but this phenomenon was witnessed by
persons of mystical insight.

2. While passing by a number of children standing together in the street

of the Christians in Tus, the Shaykh is said to have pointed out to one of
the boys saying, “If you wish to look at the Prime Minister of the world,
there he is!” He was referring to the future, and the celebrated Persian
poet and Vizier of the Seljuq empire, Nizam ul-Mulk (1018-1092 c.e.)
who became the Chief Administrator of the entire Khorasan province in
1058 c.e..

3. In Tus, while preaching to crowded gatherings, he moved them to

tears. On one such occasion, an infant fell from the gallery that was
occupied by women. Abu Sa’id said: “Save it” when a hand appeared
and caught the infant in the air, placing it unhurt on the floor.

4. Once at Nishapur at his instance a feast was being prepared when

large bundles of aloes-wood were burnt in the oven so that the entire
neighbourhood could enjoy the perfume. A great numbers of candles
were lighted though it was daytime. A powerful police inspector of
rationalistic views who detested the Sufis came into the Khanqah
(monastery) and said that burning the whole lot of aloes-wood and
lighting candles during the day was against the law. They Shaykh told
him that he did not know that. He told him to blow out the candles.
Though the inspector huffed and puffed at the candles, the flame flared
over is face, his hair as well as his clothes. Most of his body got burnt.
“When someone tries to blow out the candle that has been lighted by
God, his moustache gets burnt,” said the Saint. The inspector thence
onwards revised his opinions of the Sufiya.

5. Once two friends, a weaver and a tailor, wanted to test the Shaykh if
he could identify their professions. According to them, the Shaykh was
an imposter. Disguising themselves, they went to the Shaykh who at
once recognized them and their profession. They soon repented and fell
at his feet.

6. In Nishapur there was an ascetic woman, named Ishi, who had not
gone out of her home in forty years and people used to come to her for
seeking her blessings. She used to give eye-salves to the people. When
Hazrat Abu Sa’id came to Nishapur, reports of his miracles reached her
ears. So she sent her nurse to gather reports about his preachings.
However, the nurse could remember nothing of the speech of the
Shaykh but merely recited some verses of revelry hearing which Ishi
told her to wash her mouth for she could not bring herself to believe
that ascetics and divines could speak such words. That night onwards
she began to have nightmares and her eyes began to ache and even her
own eye-salves were of little avail. No physician could cure her and her
pain went on increasing. One night she dreamed that if she wanted a
cure she must win the favour of the Shaykh of Mayhana. The next day,
she gave a thousand Dinars to her nurse and bade her to present them
to the Shaykh after his sermon. After the sermon it was customary with
the Shaykh to have some bread and use a toothpick thereafter. So when
the nurse had heard the sermon, she presented the purse to the
Shaykh. When she was about to depart he called her addressing her as
a nurse. He told her to take that toothpick of his to her lady who must
stir some water with it and then wash her eyes with that water in order
to cure her outward eye. He also bade her tell her that she must remove
all doubts and suspicions about the Sufis so that her inner eyes may be
cured too. Ishi did accordingly and was cured. In short, she gave up her
house, and brought all her dresses, ornaments and jewellery to the
Shaykh who accepted her as a disciple on her repentence. She was
conducted to the mother of his eldest son for donning of a khirqa and
after serving the women of this fraternity she became a leader of the
Sufis in her own right.

7. Now Hazrat Abu Sa’id was known for holding feast for the dervishes
and for Sama'.  This invited the jealousy of his opponents who spared
no efforts to complaint to higher authorities.  However, their efforts
always proved futile.  Often the feast and Sama' would even make some
travelling sufis come to erroneous judgments.  Once, an arrogant
ascetic who knew nothing about the Shaykh’s forty years of initial
austerities and strivings challenged him to a forty days’ fast for he
assumed that the Shaykh had always lived like that. He wanted to
shame the Shaykh by his challenge and at the same time rise in esteem
of others. The challenge was accepted with “May it be blessed”. While
the ascetic used to break the fast as per the practice by eating a little
amount of food, the Shaykh did nothing of the kind but yet seemed to
growing stronger and fatter and ruddier. All the time the dervishes
feasted under their gaze and indulged in Sama. The ascetic went on
becoming paler, thinner and weaker, with the rich feast of the
dervishes working more on him. As time went on, he could scarcely
perform his obligatory prayers. He realized his folly and made
repentence. After the forty days had passed, the Shaykh told him that
he had complied with his request but he should now comply with his:
namely, that while they fasted they had been going to the privy, and
now they should sit and never go to the privy. Though the ascetic had
doubts about this feat, the Shaykh proved him wrong and the ascetic
became his disciple.

There are many more astounding miracles of Hazrat Abi’l Khayr , such
as his meeting with Khidr (a.s.), reading thoughts and even anticipating
events, but he never encouraged the writing of such anecdotes but told
his disciples to be such a man that anecdotes be told of them. He placed
the hidden and unrecognized saints above the saints manifest and
known. According to him, when people come to him renouncing
wickedness, vowing penance, sacrificing wealth, and filled with burning
love from the end of the world seeking God, what miracle could be
greater than this! He said: “Whosoever belongs entirely to Karim
(Giver), all his acts are gifts” (miracles).

8. Next, it is written in Farid ad-din al-Attar's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala)

Persian Tadhkirat al-awliya that Ahmad ibn Hanbal attended the
lectures of many mashayikhs, for example, Dhu'n-Nun al-Misri's and
Bishr al-Hafi's (150-277). A crippled woman sent her son to Imam
Ahmad and asked him to pray for her. The Imam performed an ablution
(wudu) and salat and prayed. The son found his mother welcoming him
at the gate when he returned home. She recovered her health through
the blessing of Imam Ahmad's prayer.

9. Talking about Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, it is mentioned in the Kashful

Mahjub that when the Mutazilites were in power at Baghdad they
wanted him to say that the Qur’an was “created”. Though he was an old
man by then, they put him in the rack and gave him thousand lashes to
make him say that. But he would not. During the punishment, his ‘izaar’
became loose. Since his own hands were fettered he could not tie the
‘izaar’. At that time another hand appeared and tied it. Seeing this
evidence they let him go.  Despite this, he said that he would not claim
redress from them on the Day of Resurrection for “mere blows” since
they had flogged him for Allah’s sake, thinking he was wrong. Such was
his magnanimity!

10. Abu’l Abbas Muhammed al-Qassab ® (1126-1196 c.e.) the son of a

meat-vendor, was one of those uneducated persons whom Allah by His
bounties raised to such a status that he was able to answer any
question that related to the principles of religion, including ‘Tauhid’
(Unification). His association with the leading Shaykhs of Transoxania
benefitted him a lot. He was known for his ascetic practices, and lofty
spiritual gifts and rose to great eminence in his time. He was also
known for his abundant miracles one of which is given below: One day
a boy with a heavily-laden camel was navigating the bazaar of Amul
which used to be always filled with slime. The camel slipped and broke
its leg. People who gathered there thought of unburdening the beast
and the boy began to implore Allah’s help. Abu’l Abbas happened to
pass by at that time. The people apprised him of the incident. He picked
up the rein of the camel and prayed to Allah that the camel may become
fit, adding “if You will not do so, then why have You let the heart of
Qassab (i.e. a butcher) be melted by the tears of a lad?” No sooner had
he finished his prayers than the camel immediately got up and moved
on its way in a perfectly healthy condition. It may be noted that the
Shaykh of Mayhana, Abu Sa’id, looked to Abu’l Abbas al-Qassab for
spiritual guidance after the death of his own Shaykh, Abu’l Fadl.

11.  According to Imam Metawalli ash-Sha'rawi's (1911-1998) "The

Light of Ahl al-Bayt: My Spiritual Experiences Unveiled,"  Nafisa at-
Tahira (145-208 Hijri) who was a descendent of the Holy Prophet
(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) has many miracles both while she was
alive and after she passed away from this world.  (In fact, Imam ibn
Hajar al-Asqalani too wrote about her miracles.) One of her miracles
includes making the River Nile to overflow at a time (201H/816 c.e.)
when the river had failed to flood as was its custom thus making it a
bleak season for the crops.  When the people went to Nafisa at-
Tahira (R) and asked her to pray so that Allah may cause the Nile to
over-flow its bank, she gave them the veil that used to cover her face,
telling them to throw it into the Nile which "will flood by Allah's
grace."  They followed her instructions, and by the grace of Allah the
River Nile began to overflow its banks.   Owing to one of her
other miracles, the entire non-Muslim tribe in her neighbourbood
entered Islam.  This was when the water of her wudhu cured the
Christian girl who was paralyzed from the waist downwards.  Her
miracles continued even after her death. 
Citing miracles of Awliya-Allah can take up volumes. Also, even the
miracles of the Awliya-Allah such as Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan
Chisti (Ata-e-Rasool), Hazrat Khwaja Kutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
(Qutubul Aqtaab), Hazrat Khwaja Fareedudin Masood (Ganj-e-Shakar)
Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Awliya (Mehboob-e-Ilahi)  (May Allah be
pleased with them all) of the Chishtiya Silsila, Hazrat Bu Ali Shah
Qalandar,  Lal Shah Baaz Qalandar, and others  in the sub-continent of
India and Pakistan too are very well known and therefore they are not
being repeated here.

I take this opportunity of only mentioning the

names  of the Walis in my hometown of Mumbai and around such as
Hazrat Haji Abdul Rehman “Dulha” Malang Shah Baba whose origin is
lost in antiquity but probably the Sufi saint had arrived about 700-800
years ago;  Hazrat Makhdoom Shah Baba (1372-1431 c.e.)  Hazrat
Bahauddin Shah Asfraini (over 300 years old Dargah) , Hazrat “Pedro”
Shah Baba, Hazrat Bismillah Baba, Hazrat Shaykh Hasan Shah Ghazali,
Hazrat Shaykh Momin Shah Ghazali, Hazrat Haji Ali Baba Bokhari, 
Hazrat Abdul Rehman Shah Baba, Hazrat Shakrullah Baba, Hazrat
Ghaiban Shah Baba, Hazrat Chand Shah Wali, Hazrat Gulab Shah Baba,
Hazrat Noor Ali Shah Baba, Hazrat Ishaq Shah Baba and many others,
where supplications are accepted by Allah and His 'Faid' (favours and
bounties)  is received.

To continue, Insha Allah.

From the Layman's Desk-7: Miracles -Islamic Perspective in Brief- 

Concluding Part-12. 

Miracles after Death:

Short relevant observations were already made before to show the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) as well as all other Prophets
(a.s.) are alive in the Barzakh. I say “short” because this is a huge topic
by itself and cannot be cited in details in our subject. However, that can
be recapitulated in fine words of the great Mufassir of Quran and
commentator of Sahih Muslim Imam al-Qurtubi (rah) who writes:

Translation: Death is not something which brings a total end to

something, it is rather transferring from one station to another, the
proof of this is that martyrs remain alive after getting killed or dying
and they also get happy. “This is the quality of the people who are alive
in this world,” so when martyrs are alive then “PROPHETS ARE MORE
DESERVING OF LIFE THAN THEM” and it has come in Sahih hadith that
Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets,
and on the night of Miraaj the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gathered
with all Prophets in Masjid ul Aqsa and the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) also “SAW MUSA (A.S) PRAYING INSIDE HIS GRAVE” plus the
Prophet has also provided the information that “ANYONE WHO SENDS
SALUTATION UPON HIM, THEN HE REPLIES BACK”.Other than this,
other ahadith also establish “TO CERTAINTY” that the meaning of death
given to Prophets is that “THEY DISAPPEAR FROM OUR EYESIGHTS BUT
IN REALITY THEY ARE ALIVE AND PRESENT” and their condition is like
that of Angels, because Angels are also alive and “PRESENT” and
nobody from human beings is able to see them, “EXCEPT FOR THE
AWLIYA WHO THROUGH THEIR KARAMAH CAN EXPERIENCE THEM” [al-
Mafhim lima Ashkala min Talkhis Kitab Sahih Muslim Volume 006, Page
No. 233-4].

Let’s straightway then, come to the Karamaat-e-Awliya after the veil of

departure from this world.
There is no disagreement with the fact that the believers souls in
Paradise are capable of instantaneous connection with their graves,
and the souls may meet and communicate with other souls of the dead
and those sleeping.  It is commonly held by Sunni scholars and even
Ibn Qayyim, (1292-1350 c.e.),    ibn Abid-Dunya, Ibn Abdul Barr and
ash-Shanqeeti that the dead in their graves have the faculty of hearing
a visitor's greetings, his speech, his supplications, et al.  The dead even
know about the work of living amongst his relatives and brothers.   The
power of the souls corresponds with their  own strength and
weaknesses, as pertaining to closeness with Allah.  The Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said ‘when you go to the graves
of the dead, say ‘Assalamu alaikum ya ahlal quboor’ – meaning ‘peace
be upon you O’ people of graves’.  Greetings are given to those who
faculties are intact.  In short, there is an overwhelming evidence on this
subject in favour, but we need to get on with ours at the moment.   

Those who attribute the working of miracles to the Jinn, should note
that no doubt the Jinn manage to do great work. But they are not so
perfect and strong as the souls and the angels. The soul being ethereal
(Jism-i- Latifa) is not bound by space and time and comprehends
events unperceived by sense organs. The souls are by their graves and
are attached to their bodies in an unknown way. They are permitted to
effect and dispose their bodies and also be present in their graves.
According to Khwaja Muhammad Hasan Jan Sahib in Tarikh an-Najaat
(1976), Mufassareen (exegetes) such as al-Baidawi, has stated in his
Tafseer regarding the fifth verse of Surah Naziaat: “(I take an oath) on
Those who do hard work” that the souls being immaterial, do the hard
work along with the angels by permission of Allah. This is also
mentioned in its commentary by Shaykhzada in Tafseer-i-‘Azizi, as well
as in Tafseer Ruh al-Bayaan, and in Tafseer-i-Hussaini.

In the prophetic tradition, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib ® after his martyrdom,
was seen among the angels and they were giving the glad tidings of the
coming rains to the people of Beesha. According to another hadith,
Ja’far ® came to the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam)along
with an angel and he had two wings which were blood-stained, and
they were going to the valley of Beesha in Yemen. Then there is a long
hadith that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) informed
Asma’ bint ‘Umais how her husband, Ja’far, came to him (s) with Jibrail
and Mikail (a.s.) and explained how he attained martyrdom; that he had
two wings, and that Ja’far ® told him that he flies in and out of
Paradise whenever he wished and he also eats the fruits of Paradise,
and so on. Therefore, according to Imam Sayuti, the souls are
permitted to attach to and dispose their bodies while they are at ‘Illiyin’
(the Seventh Heaven in which there are believers' souls). These ahadith
also reveal that Allah Subhana Ta'la permits his martyrs and pious souls
to do the useful deeds for people.

Shah Wali-Allah ad-Dahlawi (rahmat allahi 'alaih), one of the great

'Ulama of India, wrote in his work Hujjatullahi 'l-baligha (vol. 1, p. 35),
"When a human being passes away, no relation is left between his soul
and the world of matter. The souls return to their origin, become like
Angels, and, like them, give inspiration and help to men. They help in
the dissemination and strengthening of Allahu Ta'ala's religion. They
rush to help those who work for this path. It has been witnessed that
they come to help in groups." ‘Abd al-Hakim Arwaasi, a great Islamic
scholar and a Wali,  (R) points out that a Muslim who attaches his heart
to a perfect (Kaamil) Wali will attain Allah’s “Faid” through the blessed
heart of that Wali. Since the souls are not bound by time and place, the
‘kamaalaat’ (perfections) of the Wali do not depart from him even after
his death. It makes no difference whether the Wali is alive or dead. The
‘tasarruf’ (disposal or personal initiative) of their souls is by Allah’s
‘tasarruf’ on them. Since the Awliya-Allah are able to perform miracles
during their life, they able to do so even after leaving this material
world.

Imam Abdullah an-Nasafi has written in Umdat al-Aqai’id that the soul
does not change whether in sleep or in death. That is, in sleep as well
as in death a Muslim remains a Muslim, a Prophet remains a Prophet.
While commenting on the above, ‘Abd al-Ghani an-Nabulsi (Reh.) states
in his Al-Hadiqa, that likewise an Awliya is an Awliya whether in sleep
or in death, and they possess ‘karamaat’ after they die too.

‘Ali Ajhuri, an eminent Maaliki scholar of Egypt, said:  “A living Wali is

like a sword in its scabbard. After his death, his influence becomes
stronger in the manner of a sword that is out of its scabbard.”

The above statement is also quoted in Noor al-Hidaaya by Abu’Ali Sanji.

Therefore, the Mu’jizaat (miracles peculiar to prophets) and Karamah of

Awliya do not cease after death.

According to Muhammad Thana’ullah al-Uthmani ad-Dehlvi, the author

of Irshaad al-Talibeen, emanation of a ‘Faid’ (benefits) from Awliya
does not end but even increases when they die, though for a deficient
person to receive such ‘Faid’ sufficiently may be seldom possible.

Muhammad Haadimi (Reh) of Konya (d.1176H/1762 c.e.) who quoted

‘Ali Ajhuri and Abu ‘Ai Sanji in his book Bariqa, maintains the
continuance of Mu’jiza and Karamah after death, and that hundred
thousands of these have been reported in many valuable books, and
that it is permissib le to pray to Allah Subhana Ta’la through Prophets
and the Awliya.

According to Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti ® (530-627

Hijri/1135-1232 c.e.) the world-renowned Awliya of Ajmer in India, the
miraculous performances of Awliya remain active and so also his
benevolence to devotees after death in the same manner as they were
during his lifetime. This is evident from the valuable sayings quoted in
Khwaja-e-Aazam, a short biography by Sabri Ajmeri. In fact, in Spiritual
Sovereign of India (by Syed altaf Hussein Chishti) it is mentioned that
one of the British Viceroys of undivided India, Lord Curzon, has
declared in his Memoirs: “There is a grave in India – which rules.”
Perhaps he was bewildered by the throngs of hundreds of thousands
devotees to Khwaja’s shrine each year and the miraculous power that
Allah bestowed upon the spiritual sovereign of India even after his
assuming the veil of departure from the material world.

Imam Ghazali (reh) says in Ihya…the spiritual knowledge of the

believer is everlasting as the soul of the believer has got no death. By
“believers” he means those having great spiritual knowledge and not
just the ranks of Muslims with outward faith.

'Allama Shams ad-din ibn an-Nuaym (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), a Hanafi

scholar, wrote in Kitab ar-Ruh, 'Souls may be in a different state other
than when they are in their bodies. The souls of awliya' are at Rafiq al-
ala and also have a relation with their dead bodies. If a person visits
such a wali's grave and greets him, his soul at Rafiq al-ala anwers that
person.' This is also noted in al-Imam as-Suyuti's Kitab al-Munjali. All
these proofs show that awliya' have powerful tasarruf (disposal) and
influence after their death in a way which we may not know.

Sayyid Ahmad al-Hamawi al-Misri [d.1686 c.e. ], a Hanafi alim and the
annotator of the book Ashbah, noted in his book Nafakhat al-qurb wal-
ittisal bi-ithbati 't-tasarrufi li awliya'i'llahi ta'ala wal-karamati ba'd al-
intiqal that the ruhaniyya (spirituality) of awliya' was more powerful
than their jismaniyya (physical existence), and they therefore could be
seen in different places at the same moment. He quoted the following
hadith ash-Sharif as a document for his words: 'There are people who
will enter Paradise through every gate. Each gate will call them to
itself,' upon which Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radi-Allahu 'anh) asked, 'Will
there be anyone to enter through all of the eight gates, oh Rasulullah?'
and Rasulullah (sallal lahu alaihi wasallam) answered, “ I hope you will
be one of them.” One can appear in different places at the same
moment when his soul acquires the power of having connection with
his original position in 'alam al-amr. Since the soul's interest in the
world decreases when a man dies, his soul becomes more powerful. It
becomes easier for him to appear in different places at the same
moment.  Jalal ad-din as-Suyuti, a Shafi'i scholar, says in his book At-
Tabaqat al-Kubra, 'The twenty-second kind of karamat is that awliya'
can appear in forms of different persons.   "Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jandee
(reh. death 1365 c.e.) a Maliki scholar and author of the book
Mukhtasar, wrote, 'The ability to appear in various forms is given by
Allahu ta'ala to a wali when he becomes perfect. This is not impossible,
because the images that are seen in different shapes are non-material;
the body is not seen. Souls are not material and do not occupy a place
in space.'A tradition reported in Musnad of al-Bazzaaz with a fair
(‘Hasan’) chain on the authority of Anas ® which is also cited by
Sakhawi says that the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said:
“Allah has servants who know (the truth of  about people) through
reading the signs (tawassum). The above hadith has been reported by
others too.

Accordingly to Shaykh ‘Ali Mahfooz (d.1361/1942), a scholar of Al-

Azhar University, stated in his Al-Ibda’ that irrespective of the fact that
the Awliya are dead or alive, Allah the Exalted blesses the ones whom
He will, and through their ‘karamaat’ He cures the ill, rescues those
who about to be drowned, helps those who are against the enemy and
makes lost things found. He considers this not only logical but also
supported by the teachings of the Holy Qur’an.

Imam Ghazali (reh) that a person who was made an intermediary and

gave 'faid' could be made an intermediary and he could give 'faid'  after
his death, too.   One of the superior great shaikhs said that he had seen
four great Awliya who were active after death as well as when they
were alive:  two of these were Hazrat Maruf-i Karkhi and Hazrat Abd-ul-
Qadir Jilani ®.

I will have to conclude the topic at this stage since it will otherwise be
stepping into the realm of Soul, Visiting the Graves, Wasila, istaghasa
and intercession all of which are interlinked  and true, and which are
huge topics by themselves.  However, do take care not to fall a victim to
those who belittle the Awliya-Allah and their miracles or those who say
that no miracles were vouchsafed  to the Sahaba and early Muslims,
and those who belittle the miracles by explaining them as a natural
causations.     
Allah and His Rasool know best.

O Allah pray on our Master Muhammad a prayer by means of which we

will be saved from every awe-inspiring harmful thing, 
and that will take care of all of our needs,
and purify us by means of it from all of our ugly qualities and
characteristics
and raise us and purify us by means of it from all of our ugly qualities
and characteristics
and raise us up by means of it in Your Presence to the highest of
degrees,
and cause us to reach by means of it the extremes of all goodness in
our life and after our death
and this prayer be upon his family and his companions
and may he be given safety and much salaam.

CONCLUDED:

NASIR