Question:
In defense against those who believe that Islam is devoid of spiritual ranks of merit, mysticism, or miracles; what is the basis for belief concerning the awliya and their hierarchy? What is agreed upon as regards their existence and the existence of the Qutb? Can anyone recommend a book demonstrating how the idea of the qutb has been mentioned in the works of Ahl al-Sunnah throughout history;
Wa `alaykum as-Salam
The Holy Qur’an explicitly mentions the Awliya and describes them as the Believers who fear Allah. So we must all agree that there are Awliya and that they exist co-terminally, which means co-everlastingly, with the Religion.
Next, the Holy Qur’an explicitly mentions that the Believers have “levels” (darajaat), and that “He raises” (yarfa`u) some of the Believers above others, and that “above every knowledgeable one there is one more knowledgeable,” and that “those whom Allah has particularly graced” are defined as “the Prophets, the Siddiqs, the Shuhada‘, and the
Righteous” in that order, and that some Prophets were exalted above others. So we must all agree that there is a hierarchy of Believers in general, and hierarchies of Awliya and Prophets in particular.
The early scholars of hadith were very interested in the topic of the Awliya’ and they gathered not only the hadiths but even non-Prophetic accounts about their states and miraculous gifts, and even dreams. For example, Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s al-Awliya and the compilations respectively entitled al-Awliya‘ and Karaamaat al-Awliya’ by the two Hanbalis al-Khallal and al-Lalika’i.
These books are available to us but ignorance is human and people tend to be the enemies of what they don’t know, including “those who believe that Islam is devoid of spiritual ranks of merit… or miracles.” The Holy Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, said that the only cure for the malady of ignorance is to ask. Sufyan ibn `Uyayna said, “The learned scholar does not care for people’s positions or feelings when he disseminates the Divine wisdom; if you accept he praises Allah, and if you reject he praises Allah.” (As for the term “mysticism,” it is best to steer clear of it since it is largely misunderstood to mean something ethereal or purely spiritual and tends to betray the fact that the
Awliya are the most practical and act-oriented people of humankind.)
As for a specific terminology for the Awliya’ the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, did use certain terms such as Abdal (substitutes), or certain qualifications of intercession such as the hadiths in which he refers to certain arch-intercessors such as our liegelords `Uthman ibn `Affan and Uways al-Qarani. Ibn `Asakir in his Tarikh (51:282)
narrates with his chain that when Imam al-Shafi`i finished memorizing the Qur’an he said to himself: “You have obtained the Qutb al-A`zam” i.e. the greatest axis or authority around which the Religion revolves.
However, the terms “ghawth”, “qutb” and the like to mean individuals among the Awliya’ may have been devised as a convention among later scholars (see, for example, the treatises by al-Suyuti in al-Hawi lil-Fatawi and Ibn `Abidin in his Rasa’il) and are not binding upon the Muslims as terminology. As the scholars say, “la mushahata fil-mustalah,” meaning: Don’t nag about how we call things.
bookstore in Makka al-Mukarrama. It is sad and ironic that all other copies that I saw in Damascus have been expurged of that particular treatise as well as Ibn `Abidin’s treatise in defense of his Shaykh, Mawlana Khalid al-Naqshbandi.
Ahadith Regarding Qutb, Abdal, Nuqaba, Nujaba, Awtad
(supports, or pegs), and Aqtab (poles, or axial pivots), while there are numerous hadiths and narrations which affirm their existence and reality. So I have collected these narrations in this booklet to be of benefit. And know that the denial of the stubborn is not to be given any weight or importance… So I say, it is authentically narrated from (and then he lists 18 Companions and Followers), and those after them, innumerable reports which attest to the above.”39
Then for the next 15 pages he lists over 50 narrations to demonstrate his point, from which we will choose a few, also adding some that he did not mention.1) From Umm Salamah: “Disagreement will occur at the death of a Khalif and a man of the people of Madina will come quickly to Makka. Some of the people of Makka will come to him…and swear allegiance to him between the Corner (Rukn) and Maqam. An expeditionary force will be sent against him from Syria…when the people see that, the Abdal of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him…” 40
This hadith alone suffices as evidence of their existence to the end of times.
Sayyidina Ibrahim (asws) had. They did not succeed or rise above the other people with much fasting or prayer…but rather through being truthful in their scrupulousness, having noble intentions, having sound wholesome hearts, and giving all the Muslims sincere counsel, desiring by that the Pleasure of Allah, with patient forbearance, and a merciful core (of being), and humility without being meek. They do not curse anyone, or harm anyone, nor
do they see themselves as being higher or nobler than anyone under them, or envy those above them. They do not fake their humility, nor fake their being dead to the world, nor are they ostentatiously impressed with themselves. They do not love the world, nor love for its sake…” 43
head. So he said, “O Abu Hurayra, that’s him,” and then said to the man three times, “Welcome to Yasaar (other versions mention Hilal).” This man used to sweep and clean the Mosque, and he was a servant of Mughira ibn Shu’ba. 51
are the angels, seeking them out. So if they are in need, they (the angels) help them; and if they fall ill, they visit them; … and when they are present (in the masajid), they say, “invoke Allah, may Allah invoke you.” 57
does not complete his request until it is answered.”Shaykh al-Yafi’i wrote in his book Kifayat al-Mu’taqid (“Sufficiency of the Believer”):
“The righteous (Saliheen) are many, and they mix with the common people for the sake of their worldly and other-worldly benefit. And the Nujaba’ are fewer in number than the righteous, and the Nuqaba’ are fewer in number than the Nujaba’, and they mix with the elect servants. And the Abdal occupy the great countries of the earth. They only occupy a country one after another, so blessed be the people of a land among whom are two Abdal. And the Awtad are 4, one in Syria, one in Yemen, one in the East, and one in the West. And Allah causes the Qutb to travel the four horizons of the Earth, just as the constellations travel their course across the sky. And the states of the Qutb are veiled from the common and the elect, out of Allah’s jealousy for him, except that he is seen to be (at the same time) knowledgeable and ignorant, dim-witted and intelligent, taking and leaving, near and far, gentle and harsh, safe and dangerous…(meaning that he combines in himself the opposites). And the states of the Awtad are revealed to the elect. And the states of the Abdal are revealed to the elect and the Gnostics (who are under the elect). And the states of the Nuqaba’ and the Nujaba’ are veiled from the common, but they are revealed to each other. And the states of the righteous are revealed to both the common and the elect, so that Allah’s plans may be enacted. The number of the Nujaba’ are 300, and the number of the Nuqaba’ are 40, and the number of the Abdal is said to be 30, or 14, or 7 (and this is the most correct number), and the number of the Awtad are four. So when the Qutb dies, Allah replaces him with the best of the four Awtad. And when one of the four die, Allah replaces him with the best of the seven Abdal…and so on. And when Allah desires to start the Day of Judgment, He takes the life of all of them. Because of them and through them, Allah sends down rain from the sky and averts His punishment and tribulations from His servants… And the Qutb is the one mentioned who is upon the heart of the angel Israfil (upon him be peace), and his relation to the rest of the Awliya’ is like the center of the circle in relation to the circumference, and thus it is through him that Allah sets right the affair of the world… the Prophet (upon him be blessings and peace) did not mention anyone as being upon his heart, since Allah never created anyone whose heart could be comparable to his heart in its luminousness, subtlety, and nobility. So the hearts of the remaining Prophets and Angels and Awliya’ are to his heart like the light of the distant stars compared to the perfect light of the proximate Sun.”
was one of the Abdal,” and other Imams and Huffaz 62 who would describe people in such a way.”