MUSJIDUL HAQ

اَلَاۤ اِنَّ اَوْلِیَآءَ اللہِ لَاخَوْفٌ عَلَیۡہِمْ وَلَا ہُمْ یَحْزَنُوۡنَ ﴿ۚۖ۶۲﴾

  Listen carefully! No doubt, there is no fear nor any grief upon the friends of Allah

الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَکَانُوۡا یَتَّقُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۶۳﴾

  Those who believed and keep up their duty.

لَہُمُ الْبُشْرٰی فِی الْحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنْیَا وَفِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ؕ لَا تَبْدِیۡلَ لِکَلِمٰتِ اللہِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ہُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِیۡمُ ﴿ؕ۶۴﴾

  For them are glad tidings in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. The words of Allah are not changed. That indeed is the supreme triumph.

(Yunus 10, Verse 62-64)

There is no doubt that the Karaamat or the miracles which emanate from the Awliya are certainly based on truth. There are numerous Qur’anic verses, Ahadith and statements of the Awliya and ‘Ulama which substantiate this fact. The complete fraternity of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah are unanimous on this issue.  In the “Sharah Aqaa’id An Nasafi” it is mentioned that “Karamah of the Awliya is indeed the truth”.

In the Hadith Shareef, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Fear the vision of a true believer because he looks with the Nur of Allah.”

(Tirmidhi Shareef)

In a Hadith-e-Qudsi, it is explained, “I become the ears of My slave by which he listens.  I become the eyes of My slave by which he sees.  I become his hands by which he holds.” (abridged)

If this is the power of a Wali, you can imagine the power which can be displayed by a Wali.

There are many treatises which has been written on this subject.  One of the famous books is “Jamia Karamaat-e-Awliya” by Hadrat Moulana Allamah Yusuf Nibhaani – may Allah be pleased with him.

Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Qushayri Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – had also written a masterpiece in this regard called “Risaal-e-Qushayriyah”. In fact, the great Imam had mentioned the miracles of nearly one hundred and twenty-two Awliya.

Imam She’raani – may Allah be pleased with him – has also written a masterpiece called “At Tabqaat Al Kubra”. In this masterpiece, the great Imam has also mentioned so many Qur’anic verses, Ahadith and statements of the ‘Ulama Ahle Sunnah that it is difficult to count.

A Karaamat is explained as that supernatural event which Allah Almighty blesses the Awliya with which substantiates their position and their statement. This is also a specialty of those who truly follow and obey the Shari’ah of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. As for those unusual events which occur at the hands of a Kaafir, they are not called Karaamat but rather” Istidraaj.” One can also call it nothing but magic.  A Karaamat will only be referred to as a Karaamat if it appears from the hands of someone who follows the teachings of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah.  If it appears from the hands of anyone else, it is pure magic and nothing else.  In fact, one should not even bother about it.

What has been the opinion of the Awliya in this regard?

The Awliya have always discouraged the act of displaying a Karaamat.  Hadrat Sayyiduna Ali Khawwas – may Allah be pleased with him – who was one of the leading Awliya of his era mentions that, “The truly great people among the Awliya are extremely fearful of displaying any Karaamat.  Perchance, people do not think of it as Istidraj”.

In fact, some Awliya have also considered it as Waajib to conceal any Karaamat. However, some Awliya have mentioned that when there is an absolute need, there is no harm in displaying a Karaamat.

Such occasions would include, where one has to prove the truth of Shari’ah or when one wants to reveal the fraud of a certain magician or when there is a need to strengthen the Imaan of a certain disciple.  Or when the issue is out of one’s control and this appears naturally. In these circumstances, the Awliya have mentioned that the display of Karaamat in these instances are permissible.

In fact, in the “Futuhaat-e-Makkiyah” it is mentioned that an atheist appeared in front of Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaikh Mohiyuddeen ibn Arabi – may Allah be pleased with him –  and began to dispute the incident of the fire not harming Nabi Ebrahim – peace be upon him.  The great Saint placed a piece of hot coal in the hand of the atheist and told him to keep it on his palm for a long period of time. The person was shocked because the coal did not harm him.  After this incident, the person accepted this incident as being true.

However, that which is considered as the greatest Karaamat by the Awliya is to remain steadfast on Shariah.

Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Abul Qasim Qushayri – may Allah be pleased with him – stated in the “Risaal-e-Qushayriyah” that, “Bear in mind that the greatest Karaamat among the Awliya is to remain steadfast in obeying Allah Almighty and to refrain from those actions which are prohibited in Shari’ah.”

The famous Sufi, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abul Abbas Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Subki – may Allah be pleased with him –  has stated that, “There is nothing greater than to obey the commands and advice of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – in matters pertaining to his actions, his morals and his commands.” (Shuz Raatuz Zaheb)

Bear in mind that closeness to Allah Almighty is achieved through Imaan and good deeds and all of this is based on true Aqaa’id.  This is the reason that the most eminent of the Awliya have mentioned that the display of Karaamat is not an indication that one has achieved the Divine Closeness of Allah Almighty.  This is not the purpose of Tasawwaf.  If these actions are according to Qur’an and Sunnah, then they are to be accepted.  The actual purpose of a true Sufi is to achieve the Divine Closeness.

Allama Syed Mahmud Alusi Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him  explains in the “Tafseer Ruhul Bayan” that, “There have been many explanations pertaining to the revelation of Unseen Knowledge as explained in the incident of Khidr – peace be upon him.  There are certainly issues which needs to be looked at. All these issues which are revealed by the Awliya including secret knowledge is not the actual purpose of the Awliya or the actual purpose of Suluk.  These are also, not issues which a true Saalik concentrates on.”

This is the reason that certain ‘Ulama have mentioned that the appearance of a miracle at the hands of someone does not mean that he has attained the greatest state among the ranks of the Awliya.

When we look at some of the masterpieces written in Islam such as “Tabqaat Ibn Sa’ad”, “Usdul Ghaabah”, “Al Usaabah,” etc. we will not find so many miracles mentioned in these treatises.  The reason is that the Awliya have time and again emphasised the importance of remaining steadfast on Shari’ah as the greatest of miracle or Karaamat.

In fact, there is another interesting incident which took place in the time of Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Al Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him.  It is mentioned that once a person came to become his Mureed and decided to spend some time in the blessed company of the great Saint.  In fact, his actual intention was to see some Karaamat appearing from the hands of Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Al Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him.  He spent a few months or years in the blessed company of this Saint and decided to leave.

Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Al Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him – called him and asked, “Why have you decided to leave.”

He replied, “I had come with purpose of seeing some miracle because I had been told that you are the greatest Saint of your era.  But I had spent so many days in your company, but I have not seen one single Karaamat.”

Hadrat Sayyiduna Junaid Al Baghdadi – may Allah be pleased with him – asked, “Tell me, in all of this time you have been here, have you ever seen me going against the laws of Shari’ah?”

The Mureed replied that he had never seen something like this.

The great Saint replied, “This was my greatest Karaamat but sadly, you did not notice it.”

It is mentioned that there was once a person who came to Madina Shareef from the province of Sindh in Pakistan.  However, he had missed his companions when they returned and was left all alone in Madina Shareef.  The people in Madina Shareef then informed him that he should go to the Qabr Shareef of Hadrat Sayyiduna Ameer Hamza – may Allah be pleased with him and make Du’a because he is certainly the Ameer of Madina Shareef.

This person then went to the Qabr Shareef and pleaded for help and assistance. Bear in mind that he also did not have the financial means to return home.  One night, while he was sitting at the blessed Qabr Shareef, he noticed a light in the distance like someone was calling him.  He decided to follow this person. However, as much as he tried to catch this person, he could not manage to do so.

As he walked along, they came to what looked like a small puddle of water on the road and the person informed him to watch his clothes as he passed this puddle of water.  In fact, the person merely had to just place one foot over the puddle, and he passed this puddle.

He then continued to walk for a few more steps and suddenly he was shocked because right in front of him, he could see his house.  He then continued towards the front door and when he looked around, he could not find the light which had guided him.

One important point to bear in mind is that from Madina Shareef to Pakistan or from Madina Shareef to Sindh, one must cross the Indian ocean.  Was this the small puddle which the person had seen on the road and which he crossed over by merely taking one single step? This is certainly the Karaamat of Hadrat Sayyiduna Ameer Hamzah – may Allah be pleased with him. (Hayaat Qutbe Madina, Moulana Ziaudeen Madani – may Allah be pleased with him)

With one look all the containers were filled.

Hadrat Sayyiduna Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Jahd – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that, “On the night on which a baby was born in the house of Hadrat Sayyiduna Shurayh bin Yunus – may Allah be pleased with him – the eminent Saint came to me and said, ‘Take these three Dirhams and give me honey for one Dirham, ghee for one dirham and some barely for one Dirham.”

“However, at that time all these goods in the shop had been depleted and there was nothing in any of these containers. I also made the intention that in the morning, I will go to the market and purchase these items. I then said to the eminent Saint, ‘Hadrat! At this time, all my goods are finished and there is nothing in the shop and in the morning when I go and purchase these items, all these which you have asked for, will be given to you.’

“However, he insisted that I go and look carefully at these containers.  When I looked inside these containers, I was shocked to see that all of them were filled with these items.  Even the container which had barley inside was filled to the brim.  I then brought all these items and placed them in front of the great Saint. He then asked me, ‘You have informed me that everything was empty, how come all of these items are now found in your shop?’ I then asked him to kindly remain silent and take these items.

“He insisted on knowing how come these items had suddenly appeared as if from nowhere and that if I did not explain to him then he would not take these items. I said to him, ‘When you had said to me to go and look carefully inside these containers, I found that all of them were filled and there is no doubt that all of this is through your Barakah.’

“When he heard my words, he declared, ‘Beware, as long as I am alive, you should never reveal this to anyone.’ In other words, such was the manner of the Awliyah that they did not want to reveal their true identity.  (Uyunul Hikaayah)

A pious person narrates the following incident.  He mentions that, “Once, I was making Tawaaf when I noticed someone making Du’a in Sajdah. He kept repeating the words, ‘O Allah! What has happened to me?’ He kept repeating these words.

When he had completed his Ibadah, I then approached him and asked him about these words which he kept repeating.  He then narrated his story.  He explained, ‘You should remember that we were once fighting in Rome and we had besieged a certain fort in Rome.  The person in charge of the Muslim army had also gone with a large army towards another Roman city.  The commander then chose ten of us and sent us as scouts to keep an eye on the Romans.

As we went forward, he noticed about sixty Romans and on the other side of the plain, there were about six hundred Romans. When we informed the commanding office about this, he sent a battalion against them.

We then captured all these Roman soldiers. After this, the commander mentioned that we were very lucky soldiers and again sent us out on a night patrol. However, before we knew it, we were surrounded by nearly a thousand Romans soldiers. All of us were taken prisoners and presented to the Emperor.  He then received news that the Roman prisoners had been killed and decided to kill us in retaliation.

What made it worse was that among the Romans, the cousin of the Emperor had also been killed.  Obviously, since he was extremely angry, he ordered our deaths. He then ordered that we be blindfolded.

However, there was a person who was standing next to the Emperor who was wearing silk clothing and who had become a Murtad, mentioned to the Emperor that he should leave our eyes open so that we could see the death of each other.

When I heard these words, I did not say anything to this person but looked towards the sky.  I noticed ten maidens from Jannah who were standing in the heavens.  Each one of them had a cloth and a trey.  Above these ten maidens, there were also ten doors of the heaven which were open.  As each one of my companions were martyred, one of these maidens appeared and took the soul of this person and wrapped it in the cloth and placed it on the tray. She then continued to the heavens and as she entered; that door closed after her.  I was the last one to be placed on the platform and as I drew near the platform, I also noticed that this female was coming towards me.

However, as I was placed in front of the executioner, the person with the silk clothing mentioned to the Emperor that if I was killed, who would inform the Muslims of what had happened.  They then decided to let me go free.

I returned to the Muslims and from that moment, I have been asking what has happened to me.  I mentioned to him that he should not give up hope and have patience as Allah Almighty certainly rewards those who are patient.

(Uyunul Hikaayah)

Sayyiduna ‘Isa – peace be upon him – Teaches his Companions about the Status of Awliya:

Once the companions of Nabi ‘Isa – peace be upon him – asked him, “O ‘Isa! Who are those Awliyah upon whom there is no fear or grief?”

Nabi ‘Isa – peace be upon him – explained, “They are those blessed people who when the world becomes apparent to someone, they are looking at the eventual destruction of the world.  If there is anything in the world which can create danger to them, they completely remove those things.  When they see something, which will eventually leave them, from the beginning they stay away from that object.  Everything material seems small to them and they do not concentrate on things which will only remain for a few moments.  When material things are given to them, they become saddened.  They are unaffected by worldly calamity. They refrain from accepting any man-made position or rank.  In their eyes, the world has become old and ancient and they do not wish to renew it.  In their eyes, the world is nothing.  It has no importance in their eyes.  Carnal desires have died within them.  After divorcing the world, they never wish to acquire it. They only think about the reward of the Hereafter.  In place of the wonders of the world, they have purchased the wonders of the Hereafter.

“They are very pleased with this trade and consider it a very profitable trade. When they see people fighting for position and material wealth, they busy themselves in thinking about death.  They forget about thinking of material things and objects.  They are people who love the Dhikr of Allah Almighty and are blessed with immense Nur.

“Their speech and words are very strange and unusual.  In the Divine Message of Allah Almighty, there is glad tidings for these people and they practise on the Divine Commands of Allah Almighty.  Their attributes have been described in the Qur’an and they increase in the recitation of the Qur’an.  They understand the message of the Qur’an. They do not think highly of their good deeds but consider it very little. They only think about the reward of the Hereafter and have great hope in this.  They do not fear anything except the Fire of hell.”

(Uyunul Hikaayah)

There still continue to exist certain people who continue to insult these special servants of Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta’ala without even giving it a second thought. Yet, they do not realise that Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta’ala and His beloved Prophet Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam have on numerous occasions praised these special servants of Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta’ala.  How can the Imaan of these people remain protected when they insult such eminent souls of Islam? Our intention is not to present a lengthy discussion, but to present a brief explanation so that important lessons can be learnt.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
” إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا، فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ، كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ، وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ عَبْدِي الْمُؤْمِنِ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ مَسَاءَتَهُ
رواه البخاري

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – said that the Messenger of Allah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has said:

Allah Almighty stated: Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him.  My servant draws not near to Me with anything dearer to Me than the obligations I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with Nawaafil so that I shall love him.  When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his vision with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him.  I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about seizing the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.

(Bukhari)

The status and position of a Saint or Wali

 Hadrat Baba Fareed Ganje Shakar Radi Allahu ‘Anhu explains that, “There are seventy thousand states or degrees in a Wali.  Has long as he does not pass beyond every one of them and is not completely proficient in each one of them, he is not to be termed a ‘Derwish.’  At the same time, there are seventy thousand universes and as long as the Derwish is not familiar with each one of them, he is not called a ‘Derwish’.  Despite this, if he still insists on calling himself a ‘Derwish’, then he is merely wearing the outer garment of a Derwish so that he can take care of his stomach.

“In each of this dimension and state, the Derwish faces many challenges and tests. At every dimension, he faces an ocean of trials and tests so that his steadfastness can be tested and examined.  If the slightest bit of weakness is shown, then this position is taken away from him.  However, that Derwish who displays patience and perseverance and is satisfied with these trials and tests, his status is elevated. He then passes beyond these seventy thousand universes and enters the dimension in which there is no time or space.  This is that person who the people of Ahle Sulook consider to be a true Derwish.

“In these seventy thousand dimensions, when this Derwish passes the very first state, he finds himself standing in front of the Divine Throne.  He also performs his five daily Salaah with those who are present at this station.  When he returns, he finds himself in front of the Ka’ba.  When he finally arrives back in his world, the entire universe can be seen by him between his two fingers.  This is the state of only the first dimension.  However, when he passes the seventy thousand states and degrees or dimensions, then his being is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.  In this state, nothing is between him and His Creator and this is a secret between him and his Creator and again a secret which no one understands or comprehends.”

The Insight of the Awliyah

It is mentioned that once Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – and Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – were sitting together in a certain Masjid.  A few moments later, a person entered the Masjid and Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – mentioned, “My insight tells me that this person is a blacksmith.”

However, Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – replied, “My insight tells me that this person is a carpenter.”

After the person had completed his Salaah, the people asked this person what his occupation was, he replied, “A year ago, I used to be a carpenter but this year, I am working as a blacksmith.” (Nuzhatul Majaalis)

This is the inner vision of the true believers which we had read about.  There are hundreds of examples where the true ‘Ulama merely looked at a person and informed him or others of the person’s occupation.  At the same time, they were also able to gaze at a person and reveal his thoughts as well.  This is the reason that we have been told that when one sits in front of the ‘Ulama, one should watch one’s tongue but when one sits in the ‘Ulama who are also Awliyah, then one should watch one’s tongue and heart.

Sayyiduna Ghaus Paak brings the Dead back to Life:

One day, the great Saint was passing by a neighbourhood, when a Christian was debating with a Muslim and was saying that Nabi Esa (alaihis salaam) was greater than the Holy Prophet (salal laahu alaihi wa sallam) because even the Quran of the Muslims admit that Nabi Esa (alaihis salaam) used to make the dead come alive.  He then declared to this Christian, “I am not a Prophet but a mere follower of the Holy Prophet (salal laahu alaihi wa sallam) and if I can make the dead come alive, what then?” The Christian replied that he would become Muslim. They then went to the nearest graveyard and the great Saint advised the Christian, “Place your hand on whichever grave you wish, I will make that person come alive.” The Christian pointed to a very old grave.  The great Saint declared, “This person used to speak and if you wish, I will make him arise (from his grave) while he is singing”. The Christian replied that if this happened, it would indeed be a great thing.

The great Saint then asked the Christian, “When your Prophet used to make people come alive, what did he say?” The Christian replied, “He used to say, “Arise, with the Divine Permission of Allah”. The great saint then pointed at the same old grave and declared, “Arise! with my permission”. Suddenly, the grave opened up and the person came out of the grave singing.  This same person then asked the great Saint, “Has the day of Judgement arrived?” The great Saint replied. “No! however, this is my miracle.” When the Christian saw this, he immediately became a Muslim.

(Tafreehul Khaatir, As raarut taalibeen)

Restoration of His Saintly Station:

It is reported that once the spiritual state of a certain saint was taken away.  Even though nearly three hundred other saints made Dua for him, his name still appeared in the Lahw Mahfuz as those who were disgraced.  People also began to look at him with scorn and disdain.  His face also became dark and at the end, he was forced to present himself in the blessed court of Hadrat Ghous Paak (radi Allahu anhu).  The great Saint replied, “Even though you have become cursed in the Divine Court of Almighty (azza wa jall), yet, I have been given permission in the Divine Court of the Almighty (azza wa jall) to turn a cursed person into a beloved person.

The great Saint then made Dua, “O Allah! You have the Power to make a cursed person into a special and accepted person and a special and accepted person into a cursed person”.  The great Saint heard the reply thereafter, “O Abdul Qadir! You are unaware that three hundred Awliya have made Dua for this person, but I have not accepted their intercession”.  The great Saint then stated, “O Allah! If this is Your Divine Decree that this person remains a cursed person, why then (did) You give me the strength to make Dua in Your Court for him to become a beloved and special person?”

The reply came, “O Abdul Qadir! I have left this issue with you.  Whatever you wish to make of him, you may do so.  A beloved of yours, is My beloved as well and a person turned away by you, in My Court, he is also cursed.  I have given you the permission and choice to make (a person, either beloved or a cursed person.  Thereafter, the great Saint commanded this person to wash his face and immediately, the Almighty (azza wa jall) had this person’s name removed from the list of those cursed and included his name among those who were blessed.

(Tafreehul Khaatir)

The Miracle of Sayyiduna Owais Qarni

A person once reported that, “We were with a group of traders on a boat when suddenly a strong and powerful gust of wind started.  The waves also began to increase, and the boat started to sway from side to side.  Many people were obviously afraid and started to panic.  We suddenly noticed a person sitting on one corner of the boat who was covered in ordinary camel skin.

Suddenly, the boat began to sway very dangerously, and water began to fill into the boat.  All of us began to lose hope and we realised that very soon, we were all going to drown.  However, this person who was sitting on one corner got up and climbed out of the boat.  He began to read his Salaah on the water.  We then screamed to him to help us.  However, he did not pay any attention to us and continued to read his Salaah.

We then shouted at him, “We call you in the Name of that Divine Being Who has given you the power to perform your Salaah on the water, please help us and also save the boat.”

He asked us what the problem was as if he was completely unaware of what was happening to us.

We said to him to look at our state and very soon, the boat itself was going to sink.  He said to us, “All of you should seek nearness to Allah.”

We asked him how we could acquire the nearness to Allah Almighty and he replied, “By saving yourselves from the world.”

We replied that we had made this promise to ourselves.

After that, he said to us, “Take the Name and come out of the boat.”

Each one of us began to come of the boat and we began to walk on the water until we had gathered around him.  We were more than two hundred people. Suddenly, the boat sunk in front of us.  Whatever goods and items were on the boat also sunk with it.

He then said to us, “Now that you have been saved from the calamity of the world, you people can now leave.”

We took the Name of Almighty Allah and asked him who he was.  He replied that his name was Owais Qarani.  We informed him that the goods and items on the boat was intended for the poor and needy in Madina Shareef and this had been donated by a person from Egypt.

He then asked us, “If Almighty Allah gives this back will you people give it to the poor and needy in Madina Shareef?”

We promised that we would indeed give it to them.  He then recited two rak’ah of Salaah on the water and made a Du’a silently.  Suddenly the entire boat appeared from under the water with all the goods and items on board.  All of us then jumped in the boat but we realised that he had disappeared.  When we arrived in Madina Shareef, we made sure that all these goods were given to the poor and needy in Madina Shareef.

(Nawaadir Al Qalyubi)

The power and miracle of a Wali:

However, after listening to the answer of the Jinn, Nabi Sulayman ‘Alayhis Salaam mentioned that he wanted this throne to appear in front of him much quicker than that.

Hadrat Asif bin Bakhiyah, who was someone who had learnt the Ism-e-Azam, and who was present there, declared as is mentioned in Surah Naml (27) verse 40:

“One who had knowledge of the Book said, ‘I shall bring it to you before

the twinkling of the eye.’”

Within these split seconds, Hadrat Asif bin Barkhiyah then brought the entire throne of Bilkis in front of Nabi Sulayman ‘Alayhis Salaam from the city of Saba to Baitul Muqaddas.  When Nabi Sulayman ‘Alayhis Salaam saw this, he declared as is mentioned in the Holy Quran as follows:

قَالَ الَّذِیۡ عِنۡدَہٗ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْکِتٰبِ اَنَا اٰتِیۡکَ بِہٖ قَبْلَ اَنۡ یَّرْتَدَّ اِلَیۡکَ طَرْفُکَ ؕ فَلَمَّا رَاٰہُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنۡدَہٗ قَالَ ہٰذَا مِنۡ فَضْلِ رَبِّیۡ ۟ۖ لِیَبْلُوَنِیۡۤ ءَاَشْکُرُ اَمْ اَکْفُرُ ؕ وَمَنۡ شَکَرَ فَاِنَّمَا یَشْکُرُ لِنَفْسِہٖ ۚ وَمَنۡ کَفَرَ فَاِنَّ رَبِّیۡ غَنِیٌّ کَرِیۡمٌ ﴿۴۰﴾

“Then when Sulaiman saw the throne set before him, he said, ‘this is of the grace of my Lord that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful.’ And whosoever is grateful is grateful for his own good.  And whosoever is ungrateful, then my Lord is Self-Sufficient, All Gracious.”

(Surah Naml, verse 40)

This Qur’anic verse clearly proves that without doubt Allah azza wajal in His Infinite Mercy and Grace has certainly bestowed great physical and spiritual powers on the Awliya.  This example of bringing a throne from many miles away in a split second is one proof.  At the same time, he did not even move from his place while he performed this miracle.

Likewise, when we see the stories of the Awliya over the years, we will see many examples of them bringing people and even animals from great distances in a few seconds.  This is the great power which Allah azza wajal has bestowed upon His special servants.  Therefore, one must be extremely cautious and not think of these great Saints as if they are equal to them.  Their physical powers are different, their spiritual powers are different, their entire life is different from ordinary humans, and hence people are certainly foolish who consider these special servants of Allah azza wajal as equal to them or as ordinary humans.  To think in this fashion is the quickest way of becoming misguided.

Food from Unknown Sources

There are many miracles or Karaamat which people reveal about this Saint and that Saint, but very few people mention the Karaamat which appeared at the blessed hands of the eminent ‘Ulama of Islam.  Bear in mind that these blessed souls are the very foundation of Islamic principles and Islamic knowledge.  There are thousands of Karaamat which appeared from the hands of these eminent souls of Islam, yet people hardly mention them.  Among these are the following.

It is mentioned that once Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi, Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal, Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Abu Thur and Hadrat Mohammed bin Al Kakam – may Allah be pleased with them all – were sitting together in one gathering. There is also no doubt that this was the genuine Ijtimah-e-Muhadditheen of their era.  They remained in the Masjid discussing various issues until ‘Isha.  After ‘Isha, they all retired to the residence of Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him.

Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – then made them sit and entered his house.  After a few minutes, he returned with a smile on his face.  Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – asked him the reason for this happiness and he replied, “A very strange thing has occurred in the house tonight.  When I left the house to perform the Maghrib Salaah, there was not a single thing in the house to eat.  However, just now, when I entered the house, there was so much of food and different varieties of food that everyone in the house were also shocked.  My wife had also mentioned that when I had left for the Maghrib Salaah, someone had knocked on the door and she had instructed the children to see who was at the door.  They narrate that they had seen a most handsome looking person at the door and his entire being seemed full of Nur.  He then handed the children this huge platter of food and mentioned that they should enjoy the sustenance of Allah Almighty and give thanks.”

In this platter there were nearly twenty different varieties of food. Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – then placed this in front of his esteemed guests and they all sat together to eat.  The miracle is that after eating this food, they did not feel hunger for the next whole month.

The balance of the food was then given to the family of Hadrat Sayyiduna Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – and despite them eating as much as they could, the food remained the same.  The four Imams then realised that this was a special sustenance sent to them from the Divine Court of Allah Almighty and the person who had brought this was in fact an Angel.

The son of the great Imam, namely Hadrat Saleh bin Ahmed – may Allah be pleased with him – mentions that has long as this platter remained in the house of the great Imam, their house always had food and drink.  At the same time, food and drink used to sometimes appear from completely unknown sources.

(Thamaraat Awraaq)