Wilāyah is a high state, a lofty rank of closeness that Allāh most High and Glorious bestows upon His dear slaves, and grants them this rank from His Grace and Bounty to whom He Wills. Legal Precepts: 1.
Wilāyah [or sainthood] is a bestowed attribute; it cannot be acquired by anyone by simply performing intense worship and plenteous good deeds; indeed, plenty of good deeds pave the way for being eligible to be granted this Gift of Allāh – even though some of them are blessed with this rank, right from the beginning. 2. Wilāyah is not given to an ignoramus or an illiterate.
A waliy [saint] will possess knowledge, whether obtained by external means [such as studying under scholars or from books] or by enlightenment bestowed upon him by Allāh táālā sans a medium.
Eminent saints among the followers of Sayyidunā Muĥammad ﷺ are superior to all the saints among the followers of other Prophets عليهم السلام. Among the saints in our nation [i.e. followers of Sayyidunā Muĥammad ﷺ] the four rightly guided caliphs are superior in spiritual illumination [márifah] and closeness [qurb] to Allāh.
The order of their superiority is the same as the order of their reign – the one highest in spiritual knowledge and nearness to Allāh is Abū Bakr al-Şiddīq; then Úmar al-Fārūq; then Úthmān Dhu’n Nūrayn and then Mawlā Álī al-Murtađā رضي الله عنهم. Indeed, when we talk of the rank of perfection, our Master, the Holy Prophet ﷺ appointed the two sages [Abū Bakr and Úmar] as his deputies in the aspects of prophethood and Mawlā Álī as his deputy in aspects of sainthood. Thus every saint [waliy] after him attains the good fortune through him and is subordinate to him;
thus it will be until Judgement Day. The Sufi Path [ţarīqah] does not contradict or oppose the Sharīáh. In fact, it is the inner aspect of the Sharīáh. Ignorant claimants of taşawwuf who say “The Sharīáh and Ţarīqah are two separate things” are astray and misguide others. It is an invalid claim and explicit kufr to consider oneself free from the bonds of Sharīáh.
Legal Precepts: 3. Nobody is exempt from the rulings and the binding of the Sharīáh; no saint or righteous person, howsoever great he may be, is exempt from following the Sharīáh. Some ignorant and illiterate ‘sufis’ claim that: “Sharīáh is the road and one needs to walk upon it until they reach their desired destination. We have reached the destination [and are therefore, are not bound by the Sharīáh].”
The doyen of the Sufis, Junayd Baghdādī described them as:
They tell the truth and indeed they have reached destination.
But where? Their destination is Hell-fire.
However, if a man is absorbed in an ecstatic state and has lost his mind, like an unconscious man, the pen of the Sharīáh is lifted [and such a person is indeed exempt]; but one should also know that such a person will not make claims or speak like this – nor will he ever contest or oppose the sharīáh. 4.
Allāh táālā has bestowed upon immense powers to His saints [Awliyā’a] – and the greater ones among them have been granted powers to dispense in affairs of this world. They are the true deputies of the Prophet and the powers are granted to them as his deputies; [a part of] knowledge of unseen is given to them.
Some are granted the knowledge of the past and the future [mā kāna wa mā yakūn] and some are given the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet [al-lawĥ al-maĥfūż] – and all this is given to the Awliyā’a through the means of RasulAllah ﷺ.
Non prophets can never know about the unseen, except by the intercession of one of the Messengers of Allāh. Miracles of saints [awliyā’a] are real and true; one who denies miracles is misguided and is a heretic.
Legal Precepts: 5.
Miracles [khawāriq] such as: bringing back the dead to life, giving sight to a congenitally blind person, curing the leper and making him whole, travelling from the east to the west in a short span of time and all such things that defy natural laws can occur at the hands of saints [awliyā’a], except those miracles [mújizah] which are proven to be exclusive for Prophets – such as producing something like a chapter of the Qur’ān, or beholding Allāh táālā in this world with waking eyes, or being honoured by Divine Speech.
These are special attributes of Prophets and anyone who claims them for any saint [waliy] or oneself is a kāfir.
6. It is desirable to seek help by their means [istiáānah, istimdād]. They aid those who seek their help when one asks in a manner that is permissible. But do they help independently and without Allāh’s permission? Certainly not! This is the deception of the Wahābīs. No Muslim believes or imagines that a saint can act independent of Allāh’s Will.
It is the peculiar trait of the Wahābī to deliberately distort and impute ugly meanings to actions of Muslims. 7. Visiting their graves is a means of gaining blessings. 8. To call them for help from near or far is a practice of our elders. 9. The saints are alive in their graves; their knowledge, abilities of perception, hearing, sight are more powerful than what they possessed in their worldly lives. 10.
It is a desirable and praiseworthy thing to donate reward of good deeds to them. Gnostics have termed it as nadhr or niyāz. This is not the same as the sharaýī concept of Vow [nadhr] for Allāh. Rather, it is similar to a tribute given to kings and rulers. Especially, the fātiĥah of gyarahwīn is one such act that is a great source for blessings and prosperity. 11. The úrs of the Awliyā’a is praiseworthy.
By úrs, we mean: recitation of the Qur’ān, recitation of fātiĥah, recitation of poems in praise of the Prophet ﷺ, religious sermons and donating rewards of good deeds, are all praiseworthy actions.
As for those actions prohibited by the sharīáh – they are prohibited and condemnable at all times and places; in fact, such things are even more deplorable at the blessed resting places [i.e. graves] of Awliyā’a. Warning: Praised be Allāh, common Muslims respect and honour the Awliyā’a and they look upon Sufi Masters [mashā’ikh] with special reverence.
Being admitted in their circles is deemed to be a reason for success in this world and the hereafter.
It is therefore, that Wahābīs in our time have also started the practice of accepting aspirants in a shaykhled ţarīqah – merely to deceive the commonfolk, even though Wahābīs repudiate and deny Awliyā’a. Therefore, those who wish to be admitted as aspirants [murīd] in a Sufi chain, should make enquiries and ensure that the shaykh to whom one pledges allegiance is a proper Sunni – otherwise, if he turns out to be a heretic, one risks losing his faith [īymān] altogether!
Iblīs [the devil] sometimes appears in the form of humans
Therefore, one should not place his hand in every hand
There are four conditions for one to be a spiritual guide. It is obligatory to investigate these things before one becomes a disciple of a shaykh. 1. The said shaykh should be a Sunni, and follow the correct creed; i.e. the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah. 2. He should be a scholar.
At the least, he must know answers for common religious matters and [if he doesn’t know already] he should have the capability to refer to books and find out answers by himself. 3. He should not be a flagrant sinner or a reprobate [fāsiq múlin] 4. He should have an unbroken chain of authorisation reaching the Prophet ﷺ.
We ask Allāh táālā for forgiveness and safety – in this world and in the Hereafter. We beseech Him to keep us steadfast on the Pristine Sharīáh, and my success is not except by the Grace of Allāh. I have put my trust in Allāh and I turn towards Him for aid. Blessings of Allāh, Most High, be upon His beloved Messenger, and upon his descendants, his Companions, and his grandsons, and his group forever and ever.
All praise is due to Allāh, the Lord-Sustainer of the universe.
The poor [servant of Allāh]
Amjad Álī Aáżamī
May Allāh forgive him.
•••
END OF PART ONE OF BAHĀR E SHARĪÁT
Footnotes
It can be described as sainthood; a waliy is a saint (but not in the context or meaning used by Christian clergy); he/she is a friend of Allāh. When we say ‘friend’ of Allāh, we mean that Allāh táālā loves him and the slave has become totally submissive to Allāh, whereby he does not say or do anything that displeases Allāh or is against the command of Allāh. Such a person is an upright Muslim, a righteous man [or woman] who strictly adheres to the sharīáh – the sacred Law given by our master, Muĥammad ﷺ.
Long before one has attained renown for worship and righteousness; some are granted such state from birth – such as our master, Shaykh Ábdu’l Qādir al-Jilani رضي الله عنه.
Our masters: Abū Bakr, Úmar, Úthmān and Álī رضي الله عنهم.
Şiddīq al-Akbar: Şiddīq is the highest rank of saints and Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه is the greatest among them.
Fārūq al-Aáżam: The greatest Fārūq. Al-Fārūq means the person who accurately discerns, differentiates between the right and the wrong; one of sound judgement.
Dhu’n Nūrayn: The one bestowed with two lights.
Al-Murtađā: Lit., ‘he who has gained the pleasure [of Allāh],’ among the titles of Álī ibn Abī Ţālib رضي الله عنه. 136
Shaykhayn: Lit. the two shaykhs, the two sages.
Among the aspects of Prophethood are things like being leaders in guidance, giving laws, fighting disbelief and clarifying the sharīáh – and the two sages were deputies of the Prophet ﷺ in this aspect; for example, after the Prophet’s ﷺpassing, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr decisively put down the rebellion of the apostates; he fought the deniers of zakāt; similarly, Sayyidunā Úmar fought disbelievers and in his time the Islamic empire spread far and wide. [based on Fatāwā Ridawiyyah 29/234].
Every prophet has all the superlative attributes of the most accomplished saint; so he attains the highest ranks of sainthood [wilāyah]. And thereafter are the ranks of prophethood. Our master ﷺ is higher than everyone in the creation.
Imām Aĥmad Riđā: “There is no contradiction between the Sharīáh, Ţarīqah, Ĥaqīqah and Márifah; [all of these states/aspects complement each other]. If someone claims they are separate matters without having understood it, he is an ignoramus; if someone says so after having understood the terms, he is misguided and a heretic. Sharīáh is the name given to the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ, Ţarīqah is that which describes the actions of the Prophet ﷺ, Ĥaqīqah is about the states of Prophet ﷺ and Márifah is the peerless knowledge of Prophet ﷺ.” [Al-Fatāwā ar-Riđawiyyah 21/460; also see his monograph: Maqāl al-Úrafā on this topic].
No sane and pubert person [man or woman] in their senses can claim to have a special dispensation and exemption by the law [Sharīáh]. Indeed, there are situations, such as duress or coercion, or when a person is not in their senses or has lost their sanity, or a child who is still not come of age; such legal dispensations and special circumstances can be known and ascertained by consulting a qualified Muftī. 137
Sayyidu’t Ţā’ifah: The leader of the group, an authority among sufis.
In a ĥadīth: “The pen is lifted from three: a child until puberty, a man in sleep, until he wakes up, and a person who has lost his mind, until he recovers.” [Abū Dāwūd, §4403, Tirmidhī, §1428]. Imām Taqīyuddīn Subkī [d.756 AH] has explained the minutiae of this ĥadīth in a monograph titled Ibrāz al-Ĥikam min Ĥadīthi Rufiý al-Qalam.
Al-Malfūż, 2/240.
Awliyā’a are given this knowledge only due to their association and following a Prophet عليه السلام. 138
While this is deemed possible even for non-Prophets; only our Prophet ﷺ was given this blessing.
Nobody can do anything without the permission of Allāh. Everything and everyone in the creation is subject to Allāh’s Will and His Power.
Nadhr or Vow is a form of worship and it is kufr and shirk to make such a vow towards creation.
Fātiĥah of Gyarahwīn: A gathering of dhikr and a feast for the assembled people, on the eleventh day of Rabīý al-Aākhir. However, it can be held on any day throughout the year. The reward of these good deeds is donated to the soul of the eminent saint, Shaykh Sayyid Ábdu’l Qādir al-Jīlānī [d. 569 AH.] of Baghdad.
Shāh Ábdu’l Ázīz Dihlawī permitted and attended such gatherings. See Endnote 30. 139
Lit. silsilah: chain. Pledging allegiance to the shaykh and being admitted in his circle, in a continuous chain [silsilah] that reaches our Master, the Prophet ﷺ.
That is, they deny that Awliyā’a have a special rank and powers granted by Allāh.
That is, investigate the state of the shaykh, before you pledge allegiance as a seeker.
Every shaykh/master in the chain should be an upright man, and a trustworthy Sunni scholar. If a heretic or a person who professes beliefs that are incompatible with Ahl al-Sunnah, appears in the chain, it is deemed broken or interrupted. Allāh táālā knows best. 140