The miracles of the Auliya - The introduction

The Auliya (saints) are those special servants of Allah Ta'ala who spend every moment of their lives in the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala.  They have given up the desires of their flesh and have abandoned the pleasures of the flesh.  They spend their entire energies in the propagation of Islam.

 

The Holy Quran mentions them time and again.  This elite group of the Ummah will be high stations in the Day of Judgment and they will be granted many ni'mah.  However, in this world itself, to express their high status, Allah Ta'ala has granted them some special characteristics and qualities, which distinguish them from others.

 

Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Quran:

 

And surely We wrote in the az-Zabur (the Psalms) after (stating the) admonition that the inheritors of the earth (in the Hereafter) will be My pious servants.  Surah Ambiya (21:105)

 

In the interpretation of this verse, some exegetes of the Holy Quran have written that the "land" meant here is the land of the Jannah, while some others have said it means the land of this world.  Allama Ibn Kathir (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has written that the Auliya are the inheritors of the lands of both, the Jannah and this world. 

 

Translation:  Allah Ta'ala is describing those things about which He has made the final decision for His pious servants that there are glad tidings for them in this world and the next and the land of this world and the Aakhirah is their inheritance.

 

When Allah Ta'ala has made them the inheritors of the land, then out of his extreme benevolence, Allah Ta'ala has granted them power and command, which is called as "Karamah"

 

It is one of the basic beliefs of the Ahle Sunnah that the miracles of the Auliya are true, as given in the most basic tract on beliefs "Sharh Aqaaid Nasafi":

 

Translation:  The miracles of the Auliya are true.  (Sharh Aqaaid Nasafi, Pg. No. 144)

 

Difference between "Mujiza" and "Karamat":

 

"Mujiza" is the miracle, which is wrought at the hands of a Prophet and "Karamat" is the miracle, which is expressed through the Auliya.

 

If any apparent miracle is expressed through a non-Muslim and irreligious person, then it is called "Istidraaj."  As given in Sharh Aqaaid Nasafi, Pg. No. 144.

 

The miracles, which go against the accepted traditions/customs of the society and are seemingly impossible when judged the against the present corpus of human knowledge are in fact acknowledgement of the greatness of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Thus, Imam Imam Nabhani (May Allah shower His mercy on him) mentions the opinion of Imam Shahabuddin Suharwardi in the foreword of his famous book, "Jame Karamat Ul Auliya":

 

Translation:  It is narrated on the authority of Imam Shahabuddin Suharwardi (May Allah shower His mercy on him), he says:  Indeed!  Various miracles are expressed through the Auliya like they hear the divine voice (Hatif Ghaibi), they hear the voice of the inward (Batin) and recognize it, earth is rolled up for them and through the blessings of following the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the know of incidents before they happen.  The miracles of the Auliya are in fact the consummation of the miracles of the Prophets and are their blessings.  (Muqaddima Jame' Karamaat Ul Auliya, Pg. No. 36)

 

Why do we need the miracles of the Auliya

 

Allah Ta'ala has made the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the last and final Prophet.  Now there can be no Prophet.  Until the Qiyamah, everyone needs to believe in the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Obviously, for those who embrace Islam, these miracles of the Auliya make them come closer to Islam and facilitate their acceptance of Islam.  For this reason, the miracles of the saints of this Ummah are far more in number than the miracles of the saints of the previous Ummah.

 

Imam Yousuf Nabhani (May Allah shower His mercy on him) writes:

 

Translation: Allah Ta'ala better knows the reason why the miracles of the Auliya of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) are in such a great number.  One among them is that in the blessed life of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and after He passed away into the presence of Allah Ta'ala, His superiority over all other Prophets has been well established.  He is the Seal of all Prophets, the Beloved of the Lord Almighty and His religion is to remain until the Qiyamah.  For this reason, it is necessary that the signs that this religion is the true one have to be expressed in every era and among these authoritative proofs are the miracles of the Auliya, which are in reality the blessings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  (Muqaddima Jame Karamaat Ul Auliya, Pg. No. 36)

 

[Allah-willing in the next part, the proofs of the miracles of the Auliya from the Holy Quran and Hadith will be detailed]