Saints, jinn, and further matters of belief
Wilayah and karamat, seeking wasilah, why no one is exempt from Shariah, the jinn, why we exist, and following a madhhab and a Sufi teacher.
When someone truly follows Allah and the Prophet ﷺ with sincere devotion, they can reach a high level called Wilayah, becoming a friend of Allah, a Wali. Sometimes a Wali can do amazing things that seem beyond normal human ability; this is called Karamat.
What to know about a Wali
- If someone who disobeys Allah does strange, unusual things, that is not Karamat, and it should not be trusted.
- A Wali does not have to show a miracle at all: what matters is that they follow the teachings of Islam.
- Loving the friends of Allah and following their good example brings happiness and blessing.
- Sometimes Allah gives a Wali special knowledge or insight, in a dream or while awake, called Kashf or Ilham. If it matches the teachings of Islam, we accept it; if it does not, we ignore it.
It is allowed to ask Allah for help by mentioning the names of prophets and saints as a way of drawing closer to Him (called Wasilah), and then praying to Allah Himself.
The prayers and charity of living believers can benefit people who have already passed away. Because of this, believers should always hope to pass away in a good state, since their final condition decides their reward or punishment.
Allah also created beings out of fire that we cannot see, called jinn. Just like humans, some jinn believe and some do not, and they can have families too. The jinn who refuse to believe are called Shayateen, or devils.
Allah and His Messenger ﷺ already explained everything about Islam in the Quran and Hadith, so adding new things that go against them is not allowed; this is called Bid'ah, or innovation.
Why we follow a madhhab and a teacher
- Because it is hard for everyone to study the Quran and Hadith deeply on their own, great scholars of the past studied them and worked out rules for us. These rules are called Fiqh, and the scholars who worked them out are called Mujtahid.
- Four of these scholars are especially famous: Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi'i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Every ordinary Muslim should follow the teachings of one of these four Imams.
- In the same way, some great people, called Awliya Allah, taught how to improve our character and be sincere. Their teaching is called Tasawwuf, and they are known as Sheikhs or Sufis. Four Sheikhs are especially famous for guiding people this way: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Sheikh Moinuddin Chishti, Sheikh Bahauddin Naqshband, and Sheikh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi.
- We should respect all of the Imams and all of the Sheikhs. Following one should never make us think badly of the others.
When a person follows Allah and the Prophet ﷺ with true devotion, they may reach a high level called Wilayah (being a friend of Allah), and are then called a Wali. A Wali can sometimes perform amazing things beyond normal ability, called Karamat, but if a disobedient person does strange things, this is not Karamat and is not to be trusted. It is not necessary for a Wali to display miracles; what is necessary is that they follow Islamic teachings. Loving the Walis of Allah and following their good example brings happiness and blessing.
It is permitted to seek help from Allah by using the names of prophets and saints as Wasilah, a means of drawing closer, while praying to Allah Himself.
The prayers and charity of living believers can benefit those who have passed away. Because of this, believers should always hope to pass away in a good state, since a person's final condition determines their reward or punishment.
Allah created certain beings from fire, invisible to us, called jinn. As among humans, there are believers and non-believers among the jinn, and they too can have families; the disbelieving jinn are called Shayateen (devils). Allah created both humans and jinn for the purpose of worshipping Him alone.
Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have already explained the full teachings of Islam in the Quran and Hadith; adding anything new that contradicts them is not permitted, and any such addition is called Bid'ah (innovation).
| # | Imam |
|---|---|
| 1 | Imam Abu Hanifa |
| 2 | Imam Shafi'i |
| 3 | Imam Malik |
| 4 | Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal |
It is necessary for ordinary Muslims to follow the teaching of one of these four Imams.
In the same way, certain great people called Awliya Allah (friends of Allah) explained how to refine character and act with sincerity; their teaching is called Tasawwuf, and they are known as Sheikhs or Sufis.
| # | Sheikh |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani |
| 2 | Sheikh Moinuddin Chishti |
| 3 | Sheikh Bahauddin Naqshband |
| 4 | Sheikh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi |
One who follows Allah and the Prophet ﷺ with true devotion may attain wilāyah, nearness to Allah as His friend, and is then termed a walī. A walī may at times be granted karāmāt, feats exceeding ordinary human capacity; but similar strange occurrences worked by a disobedient person are not karāmāt and carry no credence. Karāmah is not a requirement of wilāyah (what is required is adherence to the sharīʿah), and love for the awliyāʾ of Allah, together with following their good conduct, is a source of felicity and blessing.
Seeking tawassul, invoking Allah while naming the prophets or the awliyāʾ as a means (wasīlah), while the supplication itself is addressed to Allah, is permitted.
The duʿāʾ and ṣadaqah of the living benefit the deceased (thawāb al-aʿmāl reaching them); a believer should accordingly seek ḥusn al-khātimah (a good end), since the state in which a person's life closes determines their recompense.
The jinn are a creation formed by Allah from fire, imperceptible to human sight; as among mankind, they include muʾminūn and disbelievers and possess family structures, the disbelieving jinn being termed Shayāṭīn. Both jinn and mankind were created for the singular purpose of ʿibādah (worship of Allah alone).
Since Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have already set out the complete teaching of Islam in the Qurʾān and Ḥadīth, any addition contrary to them is impermissible and is termed bidʿah (innovation).
| # | Imam |
|---|---|
| 1 | Imām Abū Ḥanīfah |
| 2 | Imām ash-Shāfiʿī |
| 3 | Imām Mālik |
| 4 | Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal |
Taqlīd of one of these four Imams is necessary (wājib) for the ordinary Muslim (ʿāmmī).
Correspondingly, the Awliyāʾ Allāh, known as Mashāʾikh or Ṣūfiyāʾ, expounded the science of iṣlāḥ al-nafs (rectification of character) and ikhlāṣ (sincerity); this science is termed taṣawwuf.
| # | Sheikh |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ḥaḍrat Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī |
| 2 | Shaykh Muʿīn ad-Dīn Chishtī |
| 3 | Shaykh Bahāʾ ad-Dīn Naqshband |
| 4 | Shaykh Shihāb ad-Dīn as-Suhrawardī |
Terms on this page
Related
- Belief in the prophets, and the life of the Prophet ﷺ What a Muslim believes about the prophets and their miracles, and a brief account of the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
- Kufr, shirk, and treating a sin as permitted What counts as disbelief or associating partners with Allah, the two kinds of sin, and the three steps of repentance.
- Belief in the Last Day What happens from the questioning in the grave through the signs of Qiyamah, the Scale, the reckoning, the Bridge, and the Prophet's intercession.
- The Companions and the Prophet's family Who the Sahabah are, the four Rightly Guided Caliphs in their order, and the honour owed to the Prophet's ﷺ household.