Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, the allies of Allah will have no fear, nor will they grieve. Those who believe and fear Allah. For them are glad tidings in the life of this world and in the Hereafter; there is no change in Allah’s words. That is the supreme triumph.} [Surat Yūnus: 62-64]
And He says: {Shake the trunk of the palm tree towards yourself; fresh ripe dates will drop upon you. So eat and drink} [Surat Maryam: 25-26] And He says: {Every time Zachariah entered her prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, “O Mary, where did this come from?” She said, “It is from Allah, for Allah provides for whom He wills without measure.”} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 37] And He says: {When you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship other than Allah, take refuge in the cave; your Lord will extend His mercy to you and make for you an easy way out of your ordeal.” You would have seen the sun when it rose, it would incline away from their Cave to the right; and when it set, it would turn away from them to the left} {Surat al-Kahf: 16-17]
Karāmāt: any extraordinary matter that Allah manifests through the followers of the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) either to honor them, or to establish an argument, or to achieve a need like supporting the truth or nullifying falsehood. The best Karāmah (singular of Karāmāt) is to remain steadfast on the straight path. The concept of Karāmāt is established by the Islamic law and reality.
1) The conditions for attaining the status of Wilāyah, which means being a Wali or an ally of Allah, are faith and piety.
2) A person cannot be described as Wali unless he has fulfilled these two conditions. The Karāmāt that sorcerers and impostors claim to perform are nothing but lies and fabrications which the devils aid them to do.
1) Rather, when a slave does what pleases Allah Almighty, He gives him security against fear, supports him in weakness, helps him, and raises his status in the worldly life and the Hereafter.
1503/1- Abu Muhammad, ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abi Bakr As-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The people of Suffah were poor people, and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) once said: “Whoever has food enough for two, should take a third one (from among them), and whoever has food enough for four, should take a fifth or sixth (or something similar to that).” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) took three people home with him while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) took ten. Abu Bakr then took his supper at the home of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and stayed there till he offered the ‘Ishā’ prayer. After a part of the night had passed, he returned home. His wife said to him: “What has detained you from your guests?” He said: “Have you not served them supper?” She said: “They refused to eat until you come. They [the servants] presented the meal to them but they refused to eat.” I (the narrator) went and hid from him. Abu Bakr (my father) called me and rebuked me. Then he said to them: “Please eat. By Allah! I will never eat the meal.” ‘Abdur-Rahmān added: By Allah, whenever we took a morsel of the meal, the meal grew from underneath more than that morsel we had till everybody ate to his fill; yet the remaining food was more than what was in the beginning. On seeing this, Abu Bakr called his wife and said: “O sister of Banu Firās! What is this?” She said: “By the pleasure of my eyes! The food is now three times more than it was.” Then Abu Bakr started eating and said: “My oath not to eat the meal was because of Satan.” He took a mouthful from it and carried the rest to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), so it was in his house in the morning. In those days there was a treaty between us and the pagans and when the period of that treaty elapsed, he (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) divided us into twelve groups and every group was headed by a man. Allah knows how many men were under the command of each leader. All of them ate from that meal.”
According to another narration: So Abu Bakr swore not to eat from the food and so did his wife and the guest – or guests – until he eats from it. Abu Bakr said: “My oath (not to eat from it) was inspired by Satan.” He ordered for the food to be brought, then he ate and so did they. Whenever they took a morsel, the food increased from underneath more than that morsel. So he said (to his wife): “O sister of Banu Firās! What is this?” She said: “By the pleasure of my eyes! The food is now more than it was before you eat from it.” So they all ate and he sent the remaining food to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) who said that he ate from it.
In another narration: Abu Bakr said to ‘Abdur-Rahmān: “Look after your guests. I am going to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), so finish serving them before I return.” ‘Abdur-Rahmān went at once and served them what was available at that time in the house and asked them to eat. They said: “Where is the head of the house (i.e. Abu Bakr)?” ‘Abdur-Rahmān said: “Take your meal.” They said: “We will not eat till the head of the house comes.” ‘Abdur-Rahmān said: “Accept your meal from us, for if he comes and finds you not having taken your meal yet, we will be blamed severely by him.” But they refused to take their meal. So I was sure that he (my father) would be angry with me. When he came, I went away (to hide) from him. He asked: “What have you done (about the guests)?” They told him the whole story. Abu Bakr called: “O ‘Abdur-Rahmān!” I kept quiet. He then called again: “O ‘Abdur-Rahmān!” I kept quiet, and he called again, “O ignorant (boy)! I ask you by Allah, if you can hear my voice, then come out!” I came out and said: “Please ask your guests (and do not be angry with me).” They said: “He has told the truth; he brought the meal to us.” He said: “So you have been waiting for me! By Allah, I will not eat of it tonight.” They said: “By Allah, we will not eat of it till you eat of it.” He said: “What is wrong with you? Why don’t you accept your meal of hospitality from us?” (He said to me): “Bring the food you have.” I brought it to him, and he put his hand in it, saying: “In the name of Allah. The first (state of fury) was because of Satan.” So Abu Bakr ate and so did his guests. [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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Suffah: a place at the backside of the Prophet’s Mosque where the poor Companions used to stay.
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By the pleasure of my eyes (Wa qurrati ‘ayni!): an expression of delight at seeing what one likes. It is not meant as a form of swearing by other than Allah, but is rather used to stress the meaning. It is one of the expressions the Arabs commonly used to express amazement and emphasis. In fact, swearing by other than Allah is extremely forbidden. It is impermissible to swear by anything other than Allah; and this is an aspect of the completion and perfection of faith.
1) The Hadīth underlines the merit of Abu Bakr as-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) being the best Wali (ally) of Allah after the Prophets and Messengers.
2) One is not to blame for getting angry rightfully, and this should not undermine his merit and high rank.
3) If a person takes an oath regarding something and then sees a better course of action, he should do what is better and expiate for his broken oath.
4) Hospitality to guests is an indication of perfect faith.
5) One of the principles of upbringing is that a parent should be keen on raising his children upon honorable morals like showing hospitality to guests and helping those in need.
1504/2- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There were among the nations before you people who were Muhaddathūn (inspired). If there is any such person among my followers, then it is ‘Umar.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri. Muslim also narrated it on the authority of ‘Āishah] Ibn Wahb said with regards to both narrations: Muhaddathūn means inspired.
1) The merit of the glorious Companion ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him), being one of the allies of Allah who were praised by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) The stronger a slave believes in Allah, and the more he obeys Him, He will guide him to the truth in proportion to his faith, knowledge, and good deeds.
1505/3- Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “The people of Kūfa complained to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) about their governor Sa‘d (ibn Abi Waqqās) (may Allah be pleased with him). So ‘Umar dismissed him and appointed ‘Ammār as their governor. They lodged many complaints against Sa‘d and even alleged that Sa‘d does not know how to perform the prayer properly. ‘Umar sent for him and said: ‘O Abu Is-hāq (Sa‘d’s nickname), those people claim that you do not pray properly.’ He replied: ‘By Allah, I used to lead them in prayer exactly as I learnt from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). I prolong the first two Rak‘ahs of the ‘Ishā’ prayer and shorten the last two.’ ‘Umar said: ‘That is what I thought of you, O Abu Is-hāq.’ Then he sent a man (or more) with him to Kūfa to ask the people about him. This man went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about Sa‘d. All people praised him till he came to the mosque of the tribe of Banu ‘Abs, where a man called Usāmah ibn Qatādah and nicknamed Abu Sa‘dah stood up and said: ‘Since you asked, I am bound to tell you that Sa‘d never marched with the armies, nor did he ever divide the spoils of war fairly, nor was he ever fair in delivering justice regarding legal verdicts.’ This complaint reached Sa‘d and he said: ’By Allah, I shall make three supplications: O Allah, if this slave of Yours is a liar and got up for showing off and speaking boastfully, then prolong his life, make him poor for the rest of his life, and afflict him with trials.’ This man suffered, following the invocation of Sa‘d, and if asked (about his improper actions), he would tell people that he was an old man struck by the supplication of Sa‘d.”
‘Abdul Malik ibn ‘Umayr, who narrated the Hadīth from Jābir ibn Samurah, said: “I saw this man afterwards with his eyebrows shaggy and falling over his eyelids because of old age; and he used to harass young girls as they pass by in the roads and touch their bodies.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Highlighting a Karāmah of Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him), as he was one of the allies of Allah and his supplications were answered.
2) It is permissible for an oppressed person to supplicate against the one who oppressed him without transgression or aggression, for the supplication of an oppressed is surely answered.
3) The Commander of the Believers, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) took good care of his wards and shouldered the responsibility. That is why he was known for his justice and excellent handling of all matters.
1506/4- ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr reported that Sa‘īd ibn Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) had an issue with Arwa bint Aws. She complained to Marwān ibn al-Hakam that he had wrongfully taken possession of a portion of her land. Sa‘īd said: “How could I take a portion of her land after what I have heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)?!” Marwān asked him: “What did you hear from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)?” He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: ‘He who takes a span of land unjustly will be made to wear it around his neck (on the Day of Judgment) up to seven earths’.” Marwān said to him: “I shall not seek proof from you after this.” Sa‘īd then supplicated: “O Allah! If she is a liar, deprive her of her eyesight and cause her to die in her land.” ‘Urwah said: “She did not die till she had become blind. While she was walking in her land (concerning which the dispute arose), she fell into a pit and died.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In another narration by Muslim on the authority of Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar with the same meaning, he said that he saw her when she had become blind, groping along the walls and saying: “I am ruined by the supplication of Sa‘īd.” Later she fell in a well in the same disputed land and died, and it was her grave.
1) Highlighting the Karāmah of Sa‘īd ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), namely, that Allah answered his supplication against the woman who lied and wronged him.
2) The Companions’ keenness on adhering to and acting upon the Sunnah, as they were the most knowledgeable of all people of what Allah Almighty revealed to His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in terms of right and wrong.
3) A warning against harming the devout scholars, righteous callers to Allah, and pious allies of Allah.
1507/5- Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “When the Battle of Uhud was imminent, my father called me at night and said: ‘I have a feeling that I will be among the first to be killed from the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). I am going to leave none behind dearer to me than you except the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). Indeed, there is a debt that I have to pay off, so pay it off on my behalf, and take good care of your sisters.’ In the morning, he was the first to be killed. I buried with him another man in the same grave. I did not feel good about leaving him buried with another. So, I got him out of his grave six months later, and found him the same as the day I put him therein, except for his ear. Then, I placed him in a grave where he was buried alone.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) Underlining the Karāmah relevant to ‘Abdullah ibn Harām, the father of Jābir (may Allah be pleased with them both), as he told him that he would be one of those who will be the first to be killed. Also, when he was taken out of his grave six months later, he was just the same as the day he was placed therein, may Allah be pleased with him!
2) The Companions’ perfect love for Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and their preferring him to their own selves, their wives, and their children. May Allah be pleased with all of them.
1508/6- Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Two men from the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) left his house on a dark night and were led by two lights like lamp, illuminating the way before them. When they parted, each of them was accompanied by one of these lights until he came to his family.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri through several chains of narration. According to some of these versions, the two men were Usayd ibn Hudayr and ‘Abbād ibn Bishr (may Allah be pleased with them)]
1) The Hadīth informs about the Karāmah of these two honorable Companions, Usayd ibn Hudayr and ‘Abbād ibn Bishr (may Allah be pleased with them).
2) Whoever goes out for the purpose of seeking after the truth and knowledge, Allah Almighty will support him in all his affairs.
1509/7- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched a reconnaissance troop of ten men under the leadership of ‘Āsim ibn Thābit al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him). They proceeded until they reached Al-Had’ah, a place between ‘Usfān and Makkah, when the news reached a branch of the tribe of Hudhayl called Banu Lihyān. About one hundred of their archers hurried to track them. When ‘Āsim and his companions sensed them, they took refuge in a safe place. Their trackers circled them and said: ‘Come down and surrender. We give you our pledge and covenant that we will not kill any of you.’ ‘Āsim ibn Thābit said: ‘O people! As for me, I will not go down to be under the protection of disbelievers. O Allah, let your Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) know what has happened to us.’ The disbelievers then shot arrows at them until they killed ‘Āsim. Three of the men went down trusting their pledge and covenant; Khubayb, Zayd ibn ad-Dathinah, and a third man. When the disbelievers captured them and tied them up with the strings of their bows, the third companion said: ‘This is the start of a betrayal. By Allah, I will not go with you. I have a clear example in these (killed companions).’ So they dragged him and tried to force him to accompany them, but he refused, so they killed him. They took Khubayb and Zayd ibn ad-Dathinah with them and sold them as slaves in Makkah. This incident took place after the Battle of Badr. Khubayb was bought by the children of Al-Hārith ibn ‘Āmir ibn Nawfal ibn ‘Abd Manāf. It was Khubayb who had killed Al-Hārith in the battle of Badr. Khubayb remained as their prisoner for a several days, until they decided to kill him. Khubayb borrowed a razor from one of Al-Hārith’s daughters to shave his pubic hair. Without her being aware, her little son crawled towards Khubayb. When she saw her son on Khubayb's knee and he had the razor in his hand, she was terrified, and Khubayb noticed the fear on her face. He said: ‘Are you afraid that I might kill him? No, I would never do that.’ She later commented: ‘By Allah, I never saw a prisoner better than Khubayb. By Allah, I once saw him eating a bunch of grapes from his hand while he was chained up, but there was no such fruit at that time in Makkah. It must have been a blessing that Allah had bestowed upon Khubayb.’ When they took him out of the Haram (the sanctuary of Makkah), so they could kill him outside its boundaries, Khubayb asked them to let him pray two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer). They allowed him to do so, so he offered the two Rak‘ahs. Then he said: ‘By Allah, had I not reckoned that you would think that I am afraid of dying, I would have prayed more. O Allah, remove them altogether, slay them one by one, and spare none of them.’ He then recited the following verses of poetry:
‘I do not care how I will be killed as long as I will die in the cause of Allah, as a Muslim.
This is for Allah’s sake, and if He so wills, He may bless torn and amputated limbs.’
It was therefore Khubayb who established the Sunnah (practice) for any Muslim captive who is about to be killed to pray two Rak‘ahs. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) related to his Companions what had happened to the ten Companions on the day that it happened. Later, when some disbelievers from the Quraysh were informed that ‘Āsim had been killed, they sent people to fetch a recognizable part of him to confirm his death. They did so, because ‘Āsim had previously killed one of their chiefs. So Allah sent a swarm of bees, resembling a shady cloud, to hover over the body of ‘Āsim to shield him from their messengers, and they were not able to cut off any part of him.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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There are many other authentic Hadīths on this topic, and we mentioned some of them earlier in this book. One of them is the Hadīth about the boy who used to visit the monk and the sorcerer, the Hadīth about Jurayj, the Hadīth about the people of the cave who were trapped inside it when a rock blocked its entrance, the Hadīth about the man who heard a voice in the clouds saying: “Water the garden of so-and-so,” and others as well. There are abundant relevant proofs on this topic, and Allah is the Granter of success.
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1) Establishing that the Karāmah of the allies of Allah is true, and this shows in the following incidents:
a- Allah Almighty informed His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about what had happened to that group of the Companions.
b- Allah Almighty saved the body of ‘Āsim ibn Thābit from being mutilated after his death.
c- The provision Allah sent to Khubayb while he was detained in Makkah, and it was something that was not available in Makkah.
2) A Muslim’s supplication is answered, and he is honored in his life and after his death.
3) A slave is granted honor in proportion to his servitude and uprightness. The most honored people after the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) are his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), because they were the most excellent in terms of showing servitude to Allah Almighty, uprightness, and compliance with the guidance of His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
1510/8- Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “Never have I heard ‘Umar saying about something: ‘I think it to be so-and-so,’ but it proved to be as he had thought.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) Highlighting the merit of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his clear insight and for being perfect genius. He was inspired and one of the ten Companions who received the glad tidings of entering Paradise. He is the best one of the Muslim nation after the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
2) A true believer is granted true insight by Allah Almighty by which he can judge matters well.
Al-Hāfizh Al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said while stating the difference between the allies of the Most Merciful and the allies of the devil:
Allah Almighty says about His allies: {Those who believe and fear Allah.} [Surat Yūnus: 63] During the time of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, there used to be diviners who would tell people about matters of the unseen. Monks and sorcerers can also reveal some matters of the unseen, and even nowadays there are men and women who are possessed by devils and can tell about the unseen. They are so many in fact. Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) wrote that such people and the likes of them experience satanic states. Some such states that mislead lay people include eating snakes, entering into fire, and walking on air. Such things are done by people who commit sins and are negligent in performing religious duties.
We ask Allah to help us follow the Straight Path, instill faith in our hearts, and support us with guidance from Him. There is no might or strength except with Allah.
An ignorant person may come and say: “Shut up! Do not speak ill of the Awliyā’ of Allah.” But he cannot perceive that it is he who has discredited and insulted them by counting among them such possessed scum who are allies of the devil. Allah Almighty says: {But the devils whisper to their [human] friends to argue with you}, then He says: {and if you were to obey them, you would surely become polytheists.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 121] (Tārīkh Al-Islam, 48/329)
Book on Forbidden Matters