Islam, August 1992

AWLIYAULLAH AND KARAMAT

Awliyaullah--the beloved servants and close friends of Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala-- have extraordinary states and are given extraordinary capabilities (karamat). Qur'an, Hadith and reliable references support this fact. It has been witnessed throughout the history as well as our times. We, too, have witnessed many karamat in some blessed personalities and true scholars and spiritual teachers.

It is very beneficial and necessary to mention those extraordinary events because remembrance of righteous servants of Allah (SWT) brings the Mercy of Allah, and the value of these blessed people is appreciated better. It will instill in the audience a desire to be a beloved servant of Allah. It will also help in discerning the true Sufism (Tasawwuf) from the imitations. If it were not necessary to mention them, Allah (SWT) would not described such extraordinary events in His Qur'an. Thus it is necessary to talk about awliyaullah and their karamat to learn a lesson.

Those who closely know our beloved, dear, late teacher Mehmed Zahid Kotku (may Allah bless him) remember many of his karamat and do not mind describing them when asked. Testimony of many living witnesses could fill volumes of books.

I had written a brief biography as a preface to his books and used statements as "He would know what is people's heart," "Blessing would shower the places he went," and "He could influence dreams." It was brought to my attention that some people had difficulty understanding these statements and thought that such statements were contradictory to Shariah and should be corrected. One of them even had asked, "Was there such a thing in the Prophet's (pbuh) life? Did he ever claim he knew the ghayb (unseen)?" He ad even recited the 50th verse of Sura En'am to support his claim.

When I heard that this person was a member of the Fatwa Committee, I was stunned and felt sorry for him. What a shame! Resentfully I wondered if the Islamic Studies/Knowledge is going backwards. Had I been present, I would have replied his claims right there. Since he made such incorrect statements and incomplete comments in public, I am obliged to respond the same way.

It is true and and has happened that awliyaullah could know what is inside a person's heart or mind. This is called "kashf-i zamair, kashf ma fil-qulub." Examples of this could be found in many Tasawwuf books and biographies of awliyaullah. Even the western scholars have scientifically observed similar extraordinary events. Often it is known as "reading somebody's mind" or "telepathy." I have seen and experienced many examples with my teacher. I am sure that there are many who witnessed similar events. Many scholars before me also had said and written about it. No way does it contradict the Shariah. In a well-known Hadith (Qurb-i Nawafil) the Prophet (pbuh) informed us that Allah (SWT) said, "My servant comes closer to me through voluntary prayers and worship until I love him. When I love him, I become his seeing eye, hearing ear, speaking tongue, holding hand, and walking feet. He sees with Me, hears with Me, speaks with Me, holds with Me, walks with me." This hadith Qudsi explains it all!

Not knowing the meaning of ghayb and it s kinds, the criticizer is mistaken. Only Allah (SWT) knows the "absolute ghayb." No prophet or wali (close friend of Allah) knows about the absolute unseen unless Allah (SWT) informs them. A person's intentions and thoughts are not "absolute ghayb" as such, they could be known or "read" by others.

Another important point is that in a research, all details must be gathered and examined before reaching a valid conclusion. Taking only one verse about the subject and not considering the other verses on the same topic is nothing but shortsightedness, a mistake, even a crime, and a serious danger from a spiritual point of view. In sura En'am verse 50 we read: "Say: 'I am not telling you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor I am an angel. I only follow what has been revealed to me. É" On the other hand, we also read in Sura Yusuf verse 96 about Prophet Jacob saying, "É I know things that you do not know because Allah (SWT) informs me."

Allah (SWT) gave the knowledge about the past and the future to our beloved prophet (pbuh). It would be a grave mistake to compare him to ordinary people and not to recognize his extraordinary abilities and character. There are many Hadith indicating that he knew and let his companions know about the plots that the unbelievers were devising. He also informed people about events happening far away. He could also read people's mind. there are reports about his selected companions having similar abilities. As the heirs of the Prophet (pbuh), awliyaullah, too, have had similar capabilities, which are written in Tasawwuf literature.

We had witnessed personally that wherever our teacher went, he would bring with him blessings and abundance. We all remember that in his childhood when our Prophet (pbuh) was taken to the tribe of Banu Sa'd, there would be an extraordinary abundance in food. It does not contradict the Shariah to say such facts. I can write about other examples, but I am afraid this article would be too long.

As for the statement "He could influence dreams," it actually belongs to Celal Hoca (Jalal Khoja), a master of Ilm-i Kalam and Aqa'id, teacher of many teachers. I only quoted from him. It comes from a true event and experience between him and our teacher. It does not contradict the Shariah, oppose Aqeeda, or harm the belief of Tawheed (Unity). Nevertheless, not everybody could understand such spiritual matters; one should be deep in knowledge: "A jeweler appreciates the gem."

The criticizer had stated the importance of Tawheed and indicated that such statements would take a person to shirk (associating thing with Allah). What actually he was trying to say is that those people do not understand the concept of Tawheed, and they fall in shirk with their thoughts and words. Alas! Those who best understand the concept of Tawheed and put it in practice are the people of Tasawwuf. Ahl-i Zahir (those who take only the apparent) do not understand the secrets of Tasawwuf and make lots of mistakes about it.

I am a professor of theology, too. I have met many professors, doctors, specialists, and scholars in Turkey and in other countries. I am very familiar with Tasawwuf. Having been a strict supporter of Ahl-i Zahir and the Shariah, I came to know about Tasawwuf with the help of my teacher. True Tasawwuf is based on Aqeeda of the Ahl-i Sunnah; it complies with Islamic Sciences. It is pure, clean and straight. It is far from bid'a (innovations) and superstitions. It is wholesome and healthy! I also lived among true Sufis, so I know it well.

Every person should know his limits and stop making statements without knowledge. Knowing Arabic alone does not make a person a scholar. We should never forget that making statements and issuing fatwa without a detailed search have grave responsibilities and consequences in this world and in the hereafter.