TThe Obligation to Differentiate the Awliya of Allah from the Awliya of Shaytaan

[madeenahsh]

TThe Obligation to Differentiate the Awliya of Allah from the Awliya of Shaytaan
by Shaykhu-l-Islâm Ibn Taymiyyah
(d. 728 AH / 1328 CE)

Translated by Abu Rumaysah


When it is understood that there are amongst mankind those who are the Awliya of the Most Merciful and those who are the Awliya of Shaytan, it becomes necessary to distinguish between the two, in the same way that Allah and His Messenger (SAW) distinguished between the two.


1.1 The Description of the Awliya of the Most Merciful
Therefore the Awliya of Allah are the pious, God-fearing believers. Allah, the Exalted says,
"Unquestionably, for the Awliya of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve - those who believed and were fearing Allah. [Yunus (10): 62-63]


In the sahih hadith, reported by Bukhari and others, from Abu Hurayrah (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said,

"Allah says, 'whosoever has mutual animosity with a friend (Waliy) of Mine, then he has declared war on Me - or I declare war on him. My servant does not draw close to Me with anything as he does by carrying out what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me by performing optional deeds such that I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his leg with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give him and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him. I am never so hesitant to do something as I am to take the soul of my believing servant, he dislikes death and I Dislike to harm him but he must die'" [1]


In another report the wording is,

"So it is for My sake that he hears, it is for My sake that he sees, it is for My sake that he strikes and it is for My sake that he walks." [2]


This is the most authentic hadith that has been reported concerning the Awliya and in it the Prophet (SAW) explained that whosoever displays enmity to a Waliy of Allah has declared war against Allah.

In another hadith it is mentioned,

"Indeed I will fight for My Awliya like the fighting of a ferocious, angry lion." [3]


Meaning that I will fight against those who display enmity [to My Awliya] on their behalf in the same way that the ferocious, angry lion fights. This is because the Awliya of Allah are those who have believed in Him and befriended Him. They love what He Loves, hate what He Hates, are pleased with what Pleases Him and are angered by what Angers Him. They command what He commands, they prohibit what He prohibits, they give to those whom He Loves to be given and they withhold from those who He Loves to be withheld from. It is reported in at-Tirmidhi and others that the Prophet (SAW) said,

"The firmest bond of Faith is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah." [4]]


In another hadith reported by Abu Dawud, the Prophet (SAW) said,

"Whosoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah and withholds for Allah has perfected faith." [5]



1.2 The Basic Meaning of Wilayah
Al-Wilayah, or loyalty, is the opposite of al-'Adawah, or enmity. The essential meaning of al-Wilayah is love and closeness whereas the essential meaning al-'Adawah is hatred and distance. It is also postulated that the Waliy is called so because of his muwalah, or persistence and regularity in performing actions of obedience, meaning by this his following up [good actions] with more [good actions]. The first analysis is more correct. [6] The Waliy, therefore, is one who is close. It is said, 'this is yali to that,' meaning close to. Also in this respect is his (SAW) saying,
"Give the assigned portions [of the inheritance] to their rightful owners, then that which remains should be given to the nearest (awlaa) male man." [7]


Meaning the closest male relation to the deceased. He stressed this by mentioning the word male [alongside the word man] in order to clarify that the above ruling is specific to men only and that women are not included. In a similar vein, he (SAW) said with regards to the zakah,

"[...Then give] a male son of a milk-giving camel that is in its third year." [8]


Since the Waliy of Allah is the one who conforms to and follows Allah in all that He Loves and is Pleased with, Hates and is Displeased with, orders and prohibits, [it is not then surprising that] the enemy of the Waliy becomes His enemy. Allah, the Exalted says,

"O you who have believed! Do not take my enemies and your enemies as Awliya." [Al-Mumtahinah (60): 1]


Therefore the one who shows enmity to the Awliya of Allah has shown enmity to Him, and the one who has shown enmity to Him has declared war on Him. This is why he said,

"Whosoever has mutual animosity with a friend (Waliy) of Mine, then he has declared war on Me."



1.3 The Best and Most Noble of the Awliya
The best and most noble of the Awliya of Allah are His Prophets. The best and most noble of the Prophets are the Messengers amongst them and the best of the Messengers are those of firm determination (Ulul 'Azm), these being Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhim wa sallam). Allah, the Exalted says,
"He has ordained for you the same religion that He enjoined upon Noah and that which We revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein." [Ash-Shura (42): 13]
"And [mention] when We took from the Prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant. That He may question the truthful about their truth. And He has prepared for the disbelievers a painful punishment." [Al-Ahzab (33): 7-8]



The best and most noble of the Messengers of firm determination is Muhammad (SAW), the seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the pious and God-fearing, Master of the children of Adam, the Imam of the Prophets when they gathered and their spokesman when they came in delegations. He is the owner of the Praiseworthy Station (Maqam al-Mahmud) for which he will be shown [permissible] envy[9] by the first and succeeding peoples, carrier of the banner of praise, possessor of the Fount (hawd) at which the believers will gather and drink from [on the Last Day], the intercessor for the creation on the Day of Judgement and the owner of the rank of intercession (wasilah) and noble standing (fadilah). He is the one who Allah sent with the best of His Books, legislated for him the best laws of His religion and made his nation the best of nations brought forth for mankind. He gathered together all the noble and virtuous qualities for him and his nation that were only to be found scattered amongst the nations before him. They were the last of the nations to have been created yet the first of the nations to be resurrected as was mentioned by him (SAW),

"We are the last ones, the first ones on the Day of Resurrection even though they were given the Book before us and we were given it after them. This is their day over which they have differed - meaning Friday - which Allah has guided us to. The people then follow after us; tomorrow for the Jews, and the day after tomorrow for the Christians." [10]


He (SAW) said,

"I am the first one who the earth will give up." [11]


He (SAW) also said,

"I will come to the door of Paradise and attempt to open it. The guard will ask, 'who are you?' I will reply, 'I am Muhammad.' Thereupon he will say, 'you are the one for whom I was ordered to open and to no one else before you.'" [12]



1.4 Wilayah is Conditional Upon Following the Prophet (SAW) Inwardly and Outwardly
The noble qualities of the Prophet (SAW) and his nation are many and from the point that Allah commissioned him [as a Prophet], He appointed him as the determining factor between His Awliya and His enemies. Therefore no one can be a Waliy of Allah until he believes in him, all that he came with and follows him both inwardly and outwardly. Whosoever claims to have love for Allah, closeness and loyalty to Him, yet does not follow the Prophet (SAW) is in reality not from the Awliya of Allah. Indeed whosoever opposes him (SAW) is from the enemies of Allah and the Awliya of Shaytan. Allah, the Exalted says,
"Say: If you truly love Allah then follow me, Allah will Love you..." [Ali 'Imran (3): 31]


Al-Hasan al-Basri (RH) said, 'a people claimed that they loved Allah, so Allah revealed this verse in order to test them.' [13] In this verse Allah has made clear that whosoever follows the Messenger, then Allah will Love him but whosoever claims to love Allah, yet does not follow the Messenger (SAW), is not from the Awliya of Allah. This is despite that fact that many people deceive themselves into thinking, about themselves or others, that they are the Awliya of Allah, even though they are not in reality. For example the Jews and the Christians, they claim that they are the Awliya of Allah and that none shall enter Paradise except those who are with them, indeed they even go as far as claiming to be the children of Allah and His beloved! Allah says,

"But the Jews and Christians say, 'we are the children of Allah and His beloved.' Say, 'then why does he punish you for your sins?' Rather you are human beings from those He has created." [Al-Ma`idah (5): 18]
"They say, 'none will enter Paradise except one who is a Jew or a Christian.' This is merely their wishful thinking. Say, 'produce your proof if you should be truthful.' Yes, [on the contrary], whoever submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord and no fear will there be concerning them, neither will they grieve." [Al-Baqarah (2): 111-112]



The polytheist Arabs used to claim that they were the 'people of Allah' because they lived in Mecca, neighbouring the House, and they used to exult in this and pride themselves over all others. Allah, the Exalted says,

"My verses had already been recited to you, but you used to turn back on your heels in arrogance regarding it [the revelation], conversing by night and speaking evil." [Al-Mu`minun (23): 66-67]
"And [remember] when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Mecca]. But they plan, and Allah plans and Allah is the best of planners.... But why should Allah not punish them while they obstruct [people] from the Holy Mosque and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know." [Al-Anfal (8): 30-34]



So He, Glorious is He, explained that the polytheists are not His Awliya and neither are they the Awliya of His House, rather His Awliya are only the pious and God-fearing.

It is established in the Two Sahihs from `Amr bin al-As (RA) who said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying loudly and not in secret, "indeed the family of so-and-so are not my Awliya - referring to a group of his close relations - indeed my Waliy is only Allah and the righteous believers." [14] This is in complete conformity to the saying of Allah, the Exalted,

"Then indeed Allah is his Protector (Mawla), and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers." [At-Tahrim (66): 4]


The righteous of the believers are the pious, God-fearing believers - the Awliya of Allah. Included amongst these are Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali and all of those who gave the Pledge of Allegiance with which Allah was well pleased (bay'atul ridwan) - those who gave the pledge under the tree. [15]These people numbered fourteen hundred[16] and all of them are in Paradise as is established in the Sahih from the Prophet (SAW) that he said,

"No one who gave the pledge of allegiance under the tree shall enter the Fire." [17]


This fact is also mentioned in another hadith,

"My Awliya are the pious and God-fearing, whosoever they may be and wheresoever they may be." [18]


In a similar vein [to the Jews, Christians and polytheists] are those from amongst the disbelievers who also claim to be Awliya of Allah, although in reality they are not but instead are enemies of Allah.

Similarly there are from the hypocrites [those who would claim to be a Waliy of Allah]. Such people who openly display Islam, those who outwardly acknowledge the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped save Allah, that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and that he has been sent to the whole of mankind - indeed both the races of mankind and Jinn. However, inwardly they conceal that which nullifies this such as their not really acknowledging that he is the Messenger of Allah and that instead he is a king who enjoins a great following, who is governing the people by way of his intellect and views and is no different to other kings. Or they believe that he is the Messenger of Allah but he has only been sent to the illiterate people [the Arabs] and not to the People of the Book as stated by many Jews and Christians. Or they believe that he has been sent to the generality of the creation but Allah has a special elite, His Awliya, to whom he was not sent and they are in no need of him, rather such people have a route to Allah that does not go via him (SAW) as was the case of Moses and Khidr. [19] Or they believe that they can take from Allah all that they require, and benefit from what they have acquired such that they are in no need of intermediaries [with respect to conveying the revelation]. Or they believe that he has truly been sent, but he has been sent with mere outward, superficial laws and they agree to conform to these. However, as for the inner realities then he was not sent with these, or he not know them, or they have more knowledge of them than him, or they know them as he knows them but they have acquired this knowledge in a way that was not his way.

1.5 The People of Suffah
Some of these may even say, 'the Ahlus Suffah were in no need of him and he was not sent to them.' Others from amongst these say, 'Allah revealed to the Ahlus Suffah inwardly all that He revealed to him on the night of the Mi'raj, and hence they achieved the same status as him.' These people, by saying this, betray the profound depths of their ignorance for they do not know that the Night's Journey occurred [while he (SAW)] was in Mecca, as Allah, the Exalted says,
"Exalted is He who took His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the Masjid al-Aqsa whose surroundings We have blessed..." [Al-Isra` (17): 1]


However the [Ahlus] Suffah did not exist until [after the Prophet (SAW) migrated to] Madinah. The Ahlus Suffah were a people who resided in the northern part of his (SAW) Mosque, they were strangers [to Madinah] who had no family or friends with whom they could live. This is because the believers used to migrate to the Prophet (SAW) to Madinah, so whosoever was able to find a place of residence set up his abode there, but the one who was unable to, stayed in the Mosque until it became easy for him to move to another place.

Because of this the Ahlus Suffah were never a specific group of people who permanently resided in as-Suffah, [rather their numbers varied] such that sometimes they were small in number and other times many in number. A man would stay there for some time and then move on to another place. Those who resided there were just like the remainder of the people, they had no specific quality that would make them stand out with regards their knowledge or religion. Indeed from them were those who apostated and were killed by the Prophet (SAW), an example of this lies with the people who came from 'Uraynah and found it difficult to acclimatise to Madinah and as a result fell ill. The Prophet (SAW) ordered them to go to those camels whose udders were heavy with milk and to drink their milk and urine. After they had recovered, they murdered the shepherd who was tending to the camels and drove them away. The Prophet (SAW) dispatched a delegation to pursue them and they brought them to him [after having captured them]. He ordered that their hands and feet be amputated and that their eyes be cauterised, then he left them in al-Hurrah [20] "Allah says, 'whosoever has mutual animosity with a friend (Waliy) of Mine, then he has declared war on Me - or I declare war on him. My servant does not draw close to Me with anything as he does by carrying out what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me by performing optional deeds such that I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his leg with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give him and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him. I am never so hesitant to do something as I am to take the soul of my believing servant, he dislikes death and I Dislike to harm him but he must die'" [1] [desperately] asking for water but finding none who would give them drink [until they died].

The hadith about them is to be found in the Two Sahihs being reported from Anas, [21] and it is mentioned therein that they were residing in as-Suffah. Therefore, the likes of these people would reside there just as the best of the Muslims would also reside there, such as Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas who was the best of those who lived there after which he moved on. Abu Hurayrah also lived there. Abu 'Abdur-Rahman as-Sulami collected the history of all those who lived in as-Suffah.

As for the Ansar [22] then they never constituted part of the Ahlus Suffah and likewise the seniors of the Muhajirun [23] such as Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talhah, az-Zubair, 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, Abu 'Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah and others. [24]

1.5.1 Some Fabricated Ahadith Concerning the Awliya
It is reported that a servant of al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah used to reside therein and that the Prophet (SAW) said about him, "this is one of the seven." [25]
This hadith is a lie by agreement of the People of Knowledge even though Abu Nu'aym has reported it in his 'Hilyah.' The same applies to every hadith reported from the Prophet (SAW) concerning the number of the Awliya, al-Abdal (the Substitutes) [26], an-Nuqaba` (the Leaders) [27], an-Nujaba` (the Nobles) [28], al-Awtad (the Poles) [29] and al-Aqtab (The Axis). [30] Examples of this would be [the ahadith mentioning that they are] four, seven, twelve, forty, seventy, three hundred, or three hundred and thirteen in number, or that the Qutb (Axis) is one - nothing of this is authentic from the Prophet (SAW) [31] and such names were not mentioned by the Salaf with the exception of the term al-Abdal. [32]

A hadith concerning them, stating that they are forty in number and that they are from Syria, has been reported in the Musnad [of Ahmad] from 'Ali, may Allah ennoble his face. [33]This hadith is munqati' and is not established [authentic]. It is known that 'Ali and those of the Companions who were with him were better and more noble than Mu'awiyah and those who were with him in Syria. Therefore the best and most noble of mankind would not be found in the army of Mu'awiyah to the exception of the army of 'Ali.

Bukhari and Muslim report from Abu Sa'id from the Prophet (SAW) that he said,

"A group will desert the religion at a time when a split occurs between the Muslims. They will be killed by the closer of the two parties to the truth." [34]


This group refers to the Khawarij, the Hururiyyah, [35] who deserted when the split occurred between the Muslims during the Khilafah (Caliphate) of 'Ali. They were fought by 'Ali bin Abi Talib and those with him, hence this authentic hadith clearly proves that 'Ali and those with him were closer to the truth than Mu'awiyah and those with him. So how is it that the Abdal be found in the lesser of the two parties and not in the better?

[Another inauthentic hadith] is that which is reported from the Prophet (SAW) that when he heard a poet recite, The serpent of base desires has bitten my liver
There is no doctor for it, nor one who could perform ruqya
Except for the Beloved whose love has encompassed all my heart[36] For with Him lies my ruqya and purification.

He (SAW) was overtaken with spiritual ecstasy (wajd) such that his cloak fell off his shoulders. This narration is a lie by agreement of the Scholars of Hadith. [37] An even greater lie is what some of them report [in another version of this hadith] that he ripped apart his cloak [in ecstasy] and that Jibril took a piece of this cloak and hung it on the Throne. This narration, along with those like it, are known by the People of Knowledge and cognisance of the Messenger (SAW) to be the most obvious of lies against him.

The same applies to what they report from 'Umar (RA) that he said, "the Prophet (SAW) and Abu Bakr used to talk to each other and I would be amongst them like one who had no comprehension of what they said."[[38] Again this narration is a lie and fabricated by agreement of the Scholars of Hadith.

The point of this discussion is to show that there are amongst the people those who accept his message, generally and outwardly but inwardly believe that which nullifies their [outward show of belief], and hence become hypocrites. Such a person goes on to claim about himself and those like him that they are the Awliya of Allah despite their inner disbelief in what the Messenger of Allah (SAW) came with - either through rejection or ignorance.

This is similar to the belief of many Jews and Christians that they are the Awliya of Allah, that Muhammad is truly the Messenger of Allah, but he was only sent to those other than the People of the Book and as such they are not obligated to follow him, reasoning that Allah had already sent Messengers to them before him.

All of these people are disbelievers, even though they believe that their particular party are the Awliya of Allah, for the true Awliya of Allah are those He has described as deserving His Love and closeness,

"Unquestionably, for the Awliya of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve - those who believed and were fearing Allah. [Yunus (10): 62-63]



1.6 True Faith
[True] Faith must include belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day. It must also include belief in every Messenger that Allah sent and every Book that Allah revealed, as He, the Exalted says,
"Say, 'we have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [having submitted] to Him.' So if they believe in the same way as you believe, then they have been rightly guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension and Allah will be sufficient for you against them. He is the Hearing, the Knowing." [Al-Baqarah (2): 136-137]
"The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers, [saying], 'we make no distinction between any of His Messengers.' And they say, 'we hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.' Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned.'Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. Pardon us; forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our Protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.'" [Al-Baqarah (2): 285-286]

"Alif, Lam, Mim. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who fear Allah - who believe in the unseen, establish the prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them. Who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are successful." [Al-Baqarah (2): 1-5]



Therefore true Faith must include the belief that Muhammad (SAW) is the Seal of the Prophets, that there is no Prophet after him, and that he was sent to the entirety of the two races - the Jinn and mankind. So anyone who does not believe in what he came with is not a believer, let alone being one of the pious, God-fearing Awliya of Allah! Furthermore, whosoever believes in a part of what he came with and disbelieves in the remainder is also a disbeliever and in no way a believer. Allah, the Exalted says,

"Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His Messengers and say, 'we believe in some and disbelieve in others,' and wish to adopt a way between - those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment. But those who believe in Allah and His Messengers and do not discriminate between any of them - to those He is going to give their rewards. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful." [An-Nisa` (4): 150-152]


Part of believing in him (SAW) is to believe that he is the intermediary between Allah and His creation with regards to conveying His command and prohibition, promise and threat and what He declared to be lawful and prohibited. Hence the lawful is what Allah and His Messenger declared to be lawful, the prohibited is what Allah and His Messenger declared to be prohibited, and the religion comprises only that which Allah and His Messenger (SAW) legislated. Therefore whosoever believes that there is a person from amongst the Awliya who has a route to Allah, other than through following Muhammad (SAW), is a disbeliever and from the Awliya of Shaytan.

As for Allah creating the creation, His providing for them, His answering their supplications, His guiding their hearts, His helping them against their enemies, and other such things that promote benefit and repress harm - then this is for Allah Alone. He does this through setting up whatsoever causes (asbab) He Wills [that would lead to acquisition of these benefits] and the mediation of the Messengers has no role to play in this whatsoever.

1.7 The Obligation to Believe Everything the Messenger Came With
Furthermore, if a person were to reach the heights of asceticism (zuhd), worship ('ibadah) and knowledge ('ilm), yet not believe in everything that Muhammad (SAW) came with then neither can he be a believer, nor a Waliy of Allah, the Exalted. An example of this lies with the Rabbis and Monks from amongst the scholars and worshippers of the Jews and Christians. The same applies to those who are attributed to knowledge and worship amongst the polytheists - the polytheists of the Arabs, Turks, Indians and others such as those [thought to be] the wise men of India and Turkey. Such a person may possess knowledge, asceticism or worship in his religion but is not a believer in everything that Muhammad (SAW) came with, as such he is in reality a disbeliever and an enemy of Allah, even if a group of people believe him to be a Waliy of Allah. The same also applies to the wise men of Persia found amongst the Magians - they too are disbelievers as are the wise-men of Greece such as Aristotle (Aristu) and those like him, all of these people are polytheists who used to worship idols and the stars. Aristotle lived three hundred years before the Messiah (AS) and was a minister for Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian, about whom the Roman, Greek, Jewish and Christian historians wrote.
This Alexander is not Dhul Qarnain who Allah mentioned in His Book, as surmised by some people, which in turn led them to believe that Aristotle was a minister of Dhul Qarnain. They fell into this error because they saw that his name was Alexander just as Dhul Qarnain [39] was possibly also called Alexander - this was the presumption of ibn Sina and those with him. The matter is not like this - this polytheist Alexander, whose minister was Aristotle, lived after the other, this Alexander was not the one who built the barrier and nor did he travel to the lands of Ya`juj and Ma`juj (the Gog and Magog). It is this [polytheist] Alexander who finds mention in the well-known annals of Rome.

1.8 The Influence of the Devils Over Their Awliya
Amongst all the categories of polytheists - the polytheists of Arabia, India, Turkey, Greece and others, there are found those who exert themselves in acquiring knowledge, asceticism, and worship, but these people do not follow the Messengers and neither do they believe in what they came with. They do not consider to be true what they inform and nor do they obey them in that which they command, hence these people are neither believers and nor are they the Awliya of Allah. The devils descend upon and accompany these people and through them they are able to unveil certain [unseen] realities to the people and perform some miraculous feats[40] of the type performed by magicians. Hence these people are nothing more than types of fortune-tellers and magicians upon whom the devils descend, Allah, the Exalted says,
"Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar. They pass on what is heard and most of them are liars." [Ash-Shu'ara (26): 221-223]


All of the above mentioned types of people are to be imputed with unveilings and miraculous occurrences because they are not followers of the Messengers, as such they must lie and deceive in what they do just as their devils lie to them. There must be in their actions that which is sin and transgression such as various types of shirk, oppression, indecent acts, extremism or innovations in worship.

It is for this reason that the devils descend upon them and accompany them and hence they become the Awliya of Shaytan and not the Awliya of the Most Merciful. Allah, the Exalted says,

"And whoever is blinded from remembrance of the Most Merciful - We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion." [Az-Zukhruf (43): 36]


The remembrance (dhikr) of the Most Merciful is the remembrance He sent the Messenger (SAW) with, such as the Qur`an. Therefore whosoever does not believe in the Qur`an, accept its narratives to be true and believe in the obligation of its commands has turned away from it and as a result is assigned a devil who accompanies him.

Allah, the Exalted says,

"And this [Qur`an] is a blessed message which We have sent down. Then are you with it unacquainted?" [Al-Anbiya (21): 50]
"And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind. He will say, 'my Lord, why have You raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?' [Allah] will say, 'thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; thus will you this Day be forgotten." [Ta Ha (20): 124-126]



This proves that His remembrance is His verses that He revealed. This is why if a person were to remember Allah continuously, day and night, along with fulfilling the pinnacle of asceticism, worship of Him and exert himself for this purpose, yet does not follow His remembrance that He revealed - which is the Qur`aan - such a person is from the Awliya of Shaytan, even if he were to fly through the air and walk on water for indeed, it is the Shaytan who carries him through the air. This is explained further in another place.


Footnotes
[1] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 8/336 no. 509] and ibn Hibban [no. 347]. The wording of Bukhari is, "Allah says, 'whosoever has mutual animosity with a friend (Waliy) of Mine, then I declare war on him. My servant does not draw close to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me by performing optional deeds such that I love him. And when I love him I am his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him. I am never so hesitant to do something as I am to take the soul of my believing servant, he dislikes death and I Dislike to harm him.'" Similar ahadith have also been reported from 'A`ishah by Ahmad [6/256]; Abu Umamah by at-Tabarani; 'Ali by al-Isma'ili, 'Musnad 'Ali'; Ibn 'Abbas by at-Tabarani; Anas by at-Tabarani; and Maymunah by Abu Ya'la. {Y} The wording, "then he has declared war on Me," has not been reported by al-Bukhari, rather it is reported by at-Tabarani from Abu Umamah and al-Bayhaqi from Abu Hurayrah. The wording, "but he must die," is also not reported by Bukhari but by at-Tabarani from Anas.
[2] {Y} Reported by al-Hakim at-Tirmidhi, 'Khatm al-Awliyaa'.

[3] {Y} Reported by al-Baghawi, 'Sharh as-Sunnah' [no. 1249] and al-Hafidh ibn Hajr,'Fath' [11/293] indicated that it is da'if .

[4] {F} At-Tirmidhi [no. 2521], Ahmad [3/438-440], Abu Ya'la [no. 1485, 1500] and al-Hakim [2/164].

The wording of at-Tirmidhi is, "whosoever gives for Allah, withholds for Allah, loves for Allah, hates for Allah, and marries for Allah has perfected his faith."

Then he ruled the hadith to be hasan. I say: the isnad is hasan insha`Allah. The hadith has witnesses that further strengthen it such as the following hadith.

Important note: you, O noble reader, will have noticed that the wording that Shaykh al-Islam attributed to at-Tirmidhi is different from the one found there, and maybe the reason for this was that he was quoting from memory, may Allah have mercy upon him. The wording that Shaykh al-Islam quoted is found in the hadith narrated by Bara`a bin 'Azib from the Prophet (SAW) recorded by ibn Abi Shaybah, 'al-Iman' [no. 110], Ahmad [4/286] and others.

Similar ahadith have been reported from ibn Mas'ud by at-Tabarani [no. 10531] with the wording of Bara`a; 'Amr bin al-Jamuh by Ahmad [3/430]; and Abu Dharr by Ahmad [5/146]. All of the above isnads are problematic.

{T} Shaykh al-Albani says about the hadith of ibn Mas'ud, "however at-Tabarani, 'al-Kabir' reports it from ibn Mas'ud from the Prophet (SAW) via another isnad and it is hasan, especially since a witness for it has preceded in the hadith of Bara`a bin 'Azib." - ibn Abi Shaybah, 'Kitab al-Iman' [no. 134], tahqiq al-Albani.

[5] {F} Abu Dawud [Eng. Trans. 3/1312 no. 4664] and al-Baghawi, 'Sharh as-Sunnah' [no. 3469] who has the additional words, "indeed the most noble of you are the ones who have the best manners and indeed good manners are part of faith." I say: its isnad is hasan.

[6] {F} I say: the waw, lam, ya making up the word Waliya means to be close. Derived from this is the word walyu, which means closeness. It is said, 'he became distant after being close (walyu).' It is also said, 'he sat close to me (yalini).' Therefore everyone who is next to you or close to you is a waliy. In 'as-Sihah' it is mentioned that the waliy is the opposite of the aduww, or enemy. Ar-Raghib said, 'al-Wala and at-Tawali means that two or more things occur such that anything that is not in them does not come between them.' The word can be applied to closeness from the perspective of place, origin, religion and from the perspective of friendship, aid and belief. Refer to: 'Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah' [6/141]; ar-Raghib, 'al-Mufradat' [pp. 533-534]; 'Al-Kulliyyat' [5/4]; 'Lisan al-'Arab' [15/406-407]; 'Nuzhatul A'yun an-Nawadhir' [pp. 613-614].

[7] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 8/477 no. 724, 8/479 no. 727, 8/481 no. 729, 8/487 no. 738] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 3/852 no.'s 3929-3931].

[8] {Y} Reported by Abu Dawud [Eng. Trans. 2/410 no. 1567], an-Nasa`i [5/18] and ibn Majah [no. 1800] {T} and the hadith is to be found in al-Albani, \\\\\\\\'Sahih Abu Dawud' [no.1385].

[9] {T}Ar. Ghubta, referring to the permissible form of envy where the envier wishes to have the same blessings as the envied but without desiring to see them removed from the envied. This is opposed to hasad, the blameworthy form of envy where the envier wishes to see the blessings removed from the envied.

10] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 1/150 no. 239, 2/1 no. 1, 2/9 no. 21, 4/128 no. 204, 4/457 no. 693, 8/406 no. 621, 9/18 no. 26, 9/131 no. 160, 9/435 no. 587] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 2/405 no.'s 1858-1861].

[11] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 3/351 no. 595, 4/400 no. 610, 6/128 no. 162, 9/38 no. 52, 9/385 no. 524] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 4/1230 no. 5655 - {T} although the relevant section of the hadith has not been translated].

[12] {F} Reported by Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/134 no. 284] and Ahmad [3/136].

[13] {F} Reported by ibn Jarir, 'Tafsir' [3/231] with the words, 'a group of people during the time of the Prophet (SAW) said, "O Muhammad! Truly we love our Lord." Thereupon Allah revealed the verse, "Say: If you truly love Allah then follow me, Allah will Love you...", hence making the following of His Prophet, Muhammad, a sign of those who love Him and [appointing] punishment for those who oppose him.' It is mursal.

It is also reported by ibn Jarir [3/231] and ibn al-Mundhir via the route of Abu 'Ubayd an-Naji - who is very weak (wahin) - from Hasan.

Refer to: 'Ad-Durr al-Manthur' [2/17]; 'Tafsir al-Baghawi' [1/233]; ibn Kathir [1/358].

[14] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 8/14 no. 19] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/140 no. 417]

[15] {T} Allah says, "indeed Allah was well pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest." [Al-Fath (48): 18]

[16] {F} The narrations differ as to the exact number who gave the pledge of allegiance under the tree and it is reported that they were fourteen hundred or fifteen hundred. Al-Hafidh [ibn Hajr] said in 'al-Fath' [7/440], "the numbers are reconciled by understanding that they were more than fourteen hundred in number and this reconciliation is strengthened by a third report from Bara`a bin 'Azib who said, 'they were fourteen hundred or more.' It was this reconciliation that an-Nawawi depended upon."

[17] {F} Reported by Abu Dawud [Eng. Trans. 3/1305 no. 4636] and at-Tirmidhi [no. 3860]. I say: its isnad is sahih.
A similar hadith has also been reported from Umm Mubashshir in Sahih Muslim [Eng. Trans. 4/1332 no. 6090].

[18] {F} Reported by Ahmad [5/235] and at-Tabarani, 'al-Kabir' [no. 241]. I say: its isnad is hasan.

Al-Haythami, 'Majma' az-Zawa`id' [10/232] said, 'its isnad is good'.

[19] {Y} He is the companion of Moses, it is said that he was a Prophet or a righteous servant - however the majority are of the opinion that he was a Prophet. This is because the realities behind his actions can only be known through revelation and because a person does not learn or follow except one who is above him and it is not possible that a non-prophet be above a Prophet. His name and life are greatly differed over and this difference is detailed by ibn Kathir. Refer to: 'Tafsir al-Qurtobi' [11/16] and 'al-Bidayah wan Nihayah' [1/355].

[20] {T} A well-known rocky place in Madinah. They were left there because this place was close to where they had committed the crime. Refer to 'al-Fath' [1/449].

21] {F} Reported by al-Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 1/148 no. 234, 5/354 no. 505, 6/106 no. 134, 8/519 no. 794-796, 9/25 no. 37] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 3/893 no.'s 4130-4137].

[22] {T} The Ansar is a term referring to a group of the Muslims already residing the Madinah, who aided those who migrated there.

[23] {T} The Muhajirun is a term referring to those Muslims who migrated to Madinah.

[24] {T} Meaning, therefore, that in the eyes of these people the elite of the people were not to be found amongst the elite of the Companions!

[25] {M} Reported by Abu Nu'aym, 'al-Hilyah' [2/24] under the biography of Hilal, the servant of al-Mughirah. His biography can also be found in 'al-Isabah' [3/575-576].

{T} The seven refers to the number of the Abdal as per al-Jarjani, 'at-Ta'rifat' [p. 93].

[26] {Y} Al-Abdal is derived from at-tabdil, to change or alter. According to the Sufis the Abdal are seven people. When one of them travels to a place he leaves behind him a body which carries his form so that nobody knows that he has left. They are upon the heart of Abraham (AS).

Refer to: 'Tahdhib al-Lughah' [14/132]; as-Samarqandi, 'Istilahat as-Sufiyyah' [p. 8].

{T} In 'al-Qamus al-Muhit' [p. 1247] it is mentioned that, 'the Abdal are a people through whom Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, will establish the earth. They are seventy in number, forty in Syria and thirty elsewhere. Not one of them dies except that another takes his place.' In 'an-Nihayah fee Gharib al-Hadith' [1/107] it is mentioned that the Abdal are called so because each time one of them dies, he is substituted by another.

[27] {Y} An-Naqib in the language means the one entrusted or the one responsible for looking after something. In the terminology of the Sufis it refers to those who have realised the inner or secret Name [of Allah] and hence gaze into the depths of man and come to know their innersmost secrets and thoughts due to the veils being lifted for them. They are three hundred in number.

Refer to: 'Tahdhib al-Lughah' [9/197]; al-Jarjani, 'at-Ta'rifat' [p. 266].

[28] {Y} An-Najib in the language refers to a person who is kind and generous, of noble lineage who carries on the noble ways of his ancestors. In the terminology of the Sufis it refers to those who have undertaken the responsibilty of carrying and resolving the burdens of man that normal human capabilities do not allow to be resolved. This is because of them being singled out due to their compassion and mercy and hence they only act for the sake of others.


Refer to: 'Tahdhib al-Lughah' [11/125]; 'at-Ta'rifat' [p. 259].

[29] {Y} Al-Watad refers to the peg that is driven into the earth to support a tent, its plural is awtad. In the terminology of the Sufis its refers to four individuals who are located at the four extremes of the earth - the north, south, east and west - and it is through them that Allah preserves those regions of the earth due to their being the place to which Allah, the Exalted, looks.

Refer to: 'Lisan al-'Arab' [3/444]; 'Istilahat as-Sufiyyah' [p. 7].

[30] {Y} Al-Qutb in the language refers to the center around which the spokes of the wheel revolve. The Qutb of a people refers to their master. In the terminology of the Sufis it refers to the individual who is the place to which Allah Looks in the world in every time and he is upon the heart of Israfil.

Refer to: 'Tahdhib al-Lughah' [9/4]; 'at-Ta'rifat' [p. 185].

{T} As-Sana'ani, after quoting the definitions of these terms as given by Jarjani, states,

We have only quoted these definitions so that the one who comes across them, and still possesses some knowledge of his religion and faith in Allah, His Messengers and what His Messengers came with, will know that all of them are divorced from that which the Messengers came with and was revealed in the Books of Allah, the Exalted. He will know that these are stances from amongst the stances held by those who deny Allah and His Messengers just as he will know that they are the words of the worshippers of servants and that they revolve around the same principles adhered to by those who believe in the divinity of stars. - As-Sana'ani, 'Al-Insaf fee Haqiqah al-Awliya' [p. 15]

[31] {F} Refer to: 'al-Manar al-Munif' [p. 136]; 'al-Maqasid al-Hasanah' [pp. 8-10]; 'Al-La`i al-Masnu'ah' [2/330-332].

[32] Such as the saying of ash-Shafi'i concerning some people, 'we used to count him amongst the Abdal' and the saying of al-Bukhari and others, "they were in no doubt that he was from the Abdal." Refer to 'al-Maqasid al-Hasanah' [p. 9].

[33] {F} Reported by Ahmad [2/171] and its isnad is da'if due to its being munqati'.

Shuraih bin 'Ubaid al-Hamsi did not meet 'Ali, he only met some of the Sahabah who were the last to pass away. Refer to 'at-Tahdhib' [4/328-329]; and Ahmad Shakir, 'Sharh al-Musnad' [2/171].

The text of the narration reads, "the people of Syria were mentioned in the presence of 'Ali while he was in Iraq. They said, 'curse them O Leader of the Believers!' He said, 'no, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying, "the Abdal will be in Syria, they are forty in number and each time one of them dies, Allah replaces him with another. By means of them Allah brings down the rain, gives [the Muslims] victory over their enemies, and averts punishment from the people of Syria."'"

{T} Refer to Appendix A for an analysis of the various ahadith concerning the Abdal.

[34] {Y} Reported by Bukhari [Eng. Trans. 4/519 no. 808] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 2/513 no.'s 2325-2327].

The words, 'they will be killed by the closer of the two parties to the truth' are not found in Bukhari, just in Muslim.

[35] {Y} They are the one who fought against 'Ali at Siffin. They were called Hururiyyah because they withdrew to Hurura after returning from Siffin. At that time they numbered twelve thousand. 'Ali (RA) argued with them and some of them returned [to Ahlus Sunnah] and he fought the remainder, utterly defeating them. Refer to: 'al-Farq bayna al-Firaq' [pp. 75-81] and 'al-Fatawa' [3/279].

[36] {T} Ar: Shaghfah. Ibn al-Qayyim has described the various levels of love with his words, 'the starting point of love (mahabbah) is the heart being devoted and dependant upon that which it beholds. This then intensifies to become fervent longing (sababah) whereby the heart becomes totally dependant and devoted to the [object of its desire]. Then this further intensifies and becomes infatuation (gharamah) which clings to the heart like the one seeking repayment of a debt clings firmly to the one who has to pay the debt. Then this intensifies and becomes passionate love (ishk) and this is a love that transgresses all bounds. Then this further intensifies and becomes crazed passion (shaghafa) and this a love that encompasses every tiny part of the heart. Then this intensifies and becomes worshipful love (tatayyuma). Tatayyum means worship and it is said: tayyama Allah i.e. he worshipped Allah.' - 'al-Muntaqa min Ighathatul Lahfan fee Masayid ash-Shaytan' [p. 103] of ibn al-Qayyim, summarised by 'Ali Hasan.

[37] {F} This fabricated narration occurs in as-Sahrawardi, 'Awarif al-Ma'arif' [p. 121].

Refer to: 'al-Maqasid al-Hasanah' [p. 333]; 'at-Tamyiz' [p. 129]; 'al-Asrar al-Marfu'ah' [pp. 272-275]; as-Suyuti, 'al-Hawi' [1/566]; 'ad-Durar al-Muntathirah' [p. 282]; 'Tanzih ash-Shari'ah' [2/233].

[38] {F} Refer to: 'Ahadith al-Qussas' [pp. 77-78]; 'Tanzih ash-Shari'ah' [1/407]; 'al-Fawa`id al-Majmu'ah' [p. 335]; 'al-Manar al-Munif' [p. 115].

[39] {F} They have differed about Dhul Qarnain from a number of perspectives.

1. The reason for his being called Dhul Qarnain.
It is said, 'because he had in his head the likeness of two horns.' Wahb bin Munabbih said, 'he used to have two horns of iron on his head' but this is da'if.

Some of the People of the Book said, 'because he was the king of the Romans and the Persians.' It is also said, 'because he reached the rising and setting places of the sun (i.e. the whole earth) and reigned over all that lay between them.' This seems to be most likely and it is the opinion of az-Zuhri. Other opinions have also been mentioned.

2. They differed as to whether he was a Prophet or not. Some of the Salaf said, 'he was a righteous servant' and 'Ali said, 'he was not a Prophet, a Messenger or an Angel, rather he was a righteous servant.' It is also postulated that he was a Prophet or an Angel but these are strange positions.

3. They differed over his name.

It is reported from ibn 'Abbas that his name was 'Abdullah bin ad-Dahhak bin Sa'd. It is also said that his name was Mus'ab bin 'Abdullah.

In a hadith it is mentioned that he was from Humayr, that his mother was Roman and that he used to be called, 'the son of philosophy' because of his keen intellect.

As-Suhayli said, 'his name was Marzuban bin Marzubah as stated by ibn Hisham.' Other opinions have also been mentioned.

Qatadah said: Dhul Qarnain is Alexander, his father was the first of the Chosroes and was a child of Sam bin Nuh (AS).

As for the second Dhul Qarnain then he is Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian who lived a long time after the first.

Refer to: 'al-Bidayah wan Nihayah' [2/103-106]; 'Tafsir al-Baghawi' [3/178]; 'Tafsir ibn Kathir' [3/100]; 'Zad al-Masir' [5/183-185]; 'al-Bahr al-Muhit' [6/157-159]; 'al-Kamil fi at-Tarikh' [1/161].

[40] {Y} Khariqul 'Adah, or miraculous feats, when performed by Prophets are technically termed mu'jizat [sing. mu'jizah] and no one else is capable of performing a similar feat, they are of a number of different types and the author has mentioned some of the mu'jizat of the Messenger (SAW) at the end of the book. When they are performed by the Awliya they are called karamat [sing. karamah] and the author has mentioned a number of the karamat performed by the Sahabah and Tabi'in at the end of the book. When they are performed by a waliy of Shaytan then they fall under some type of deception, illusion or action performed by the devils, the author has mentioned examples of these at the end of the book.

Other terms are mukhatabah which refers to the servant hearing that which no one else can hear; mushahada which is his seeing that which no one else can see; and mukashafah which is his knowing what no one else knows.

This is in accordance to the terminology of the later scholars, as for the earlier scholars such as Imam Ahmad then they used to call any miraculous feat, mu'jizah and refer to it as an ayah (sign).

Refer to: Al-Jarjani, 'at-Ta'rifat' [p. 184] and ibn Taymiyyah, 'Majmu' Fatawa' [11/311