The aqtaab and abdaal in Sufi thought
Q: I have heard
and read about what are known as abdaal and aqtaab etc. Do they
really exist amongst us? Is the hadeeth, "Do not revile the people
of Syria, for there are abdaal among them" saheeh or not?.
A:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, the wali (in the sense of being a close
friend of Allaah) is as defined by Allaah, may He be glorified and
exalted, in His holy Book, where He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"No doubt! Verily, the Awliya' of Allaah, no fear shall come upon
them nor shall they grieve.
63. Those who believed, and used to fear Allaah much (by abstaining
from evil deeds and sins and by doing righteous deeds).
64. For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world,
and in the Hereafter. No change can there be in the Words of
Allaah. This is indeed the supreme success" [Yoonus
10:62-64].
{أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا
خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (62) الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (63) لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ
الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ۚ
ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ}, Transliteration: 'Alā
'Inna 'Awliyā'a Allāhi Lā Khawfun `Alayhim Wa Lā Hum Yaĥzanūna,
Al-Ladhīna 'Āmanū Wa Kānū Yattaqūna, Lahumu Al-Bushrá Fī
Al-Ĥayāati Ad-Dunyā Wa Fī Al-'Ākhirati Lā Tabdīla Likalimāti Allāhi
Dhālika Huwa Al-Fawzu Al-`Ažīmu
This verse states that the wali (close friend) of Allaah is the
pious believer who fears Allaah, who loves Allaah and supports His
Religion, and seeks to please Him, who adheres to the limits He has
set and supports His law and His religion. He is one of the slaves
of Allaah, and is not beyond His control and authority, rather he
does not even have the power to benefit or harm himself, and he
does not know what Allaah has decreed for him. This is the wali of
Allaah according to Ahl al-Sunnah.
The way in which a person may attain the status of being a wali is
to perform obligatory duties, then start to perform naafil acts of
worship until Allaah loves him, then when He loves him, he will be
a true wali of His. In the saheeh hadeeth it says:
«When Allaah loves a person, He calls
Jibreel (A) and says: 'I love So and so, so love him.' So Jibreel
loves him, then he calls out to the people of heaven, 'Allaah loves
So and so, so love him.' So the people of heaven love him and he
finds acceptance on earth» [Narrated by Muslim, 2637].
Secondly:
With regard to the definition of the wali among the Sufis, it has
another, innovated meaning that is different from that understood
by Ahl al-Sunnah. Among them the wali of Allaah is one who has been
chosen by Allaah, even if he does not have the characteristics of
righteousness and piety that qualify him to be loved by Allaah. The
status of wali, in their view, is a kind of divine gift that is
given for no reason and with no wisdom. Hence they believe that
some wrongdoers, evildoers, insane and immoral people etc are
awliya' simply because they perform extraordinary feats, such as
hitting their bodies with knives, playing with snakes and fire, and
so on. They even include among their awliya' people who drink
alcohol and commit zina, and they say: The true wali can never be
affected by sin.
And they do not stop there in their definition of a wali; rather
they say that the wali controls the universe; he says to a thing
"Be!" and it is. In their view, every wali has been appointed by
Allaah to control some aspect of creation. Four awliya' are holding
the earth by its four corners, and they are called al-awtaad (lit.
tent pegs). Seven other awliya' each control one of the seven
continents of the world, and they are called al-abdaal (because
when one of them dies, another takes his place - badalahu). There
are a number of awliya' in each region: thirty or forty in Egypt,
and a similar number in Syria and Iraq, each of whom is appointed
in charge of something. Above all of them is one wali who is called
the al-qutb al-akbar (lit. great pole or axis) or al-ghawth (source
of help), and he is the one who is running the affairs of the
entire realm. Thus they believe in an unseen realm which controls
the affairs of mankind like a political state. This state is led by
the qutb or ghawth, followed by two imams or ministers, then the
four awtaad, then the seven abdaal.
This is the concept of awliya' according to the Sufis, and it has
nothing to do with the Islamic concept of awliya' that is mentioned
in the Qur'aan. The wali in Islam is a person whom Allaah has
guided and helped, and he has earned his Lord's pleasure by
following the rules of His sharee'ah; he fears that he may fall
into hypocrisy and meet a bad end, and he does not know whether
Allaah will accept his deeds or not. Whereas they have given the
Sufi wali divine characteristics by means of which he controls some
aspect of the universe, and he ignores whatever he wants of the
laws of Allaah, and the angels are subject to his will.
The basic principles of Sufi concept of awliya' are taken from
ancient Greek philosophy which is based on the idea of polytheism.
The first one to propose the idea of the Sufi concept of awliya' at
the end of the third century AH was Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Hasan
al-Tirmidhi, whom they call al-Hakeem (the wise). He is not the
same as the imam who wrote the well known collection of hadeeth
which is called Sunan al-Tirmidhi. Then after that their views
became well known and the books of their leaders are filled with
these ideas. If we start reporting all that they have said about
this issue and all their false notions, it would take too long. But
so that no one will think that we are attributing to them things
that are not true, there follow the names of some of their sources,
and you will find that what we have mentioned is the least
abhorrent of their ideas. See: (al-Futoohaat al-Makkiyyah by Ibn 'Arabi,
2/455, 537); (al-Yawaaqeet
wa'l-Jawaahir by 'Abd al-Wahhaab al-Sha'raani, 2/79); (al-Mu'jam al-Sufi by Su'aad al-Hakeem,
189-191, 909-913). For references of Ahl al-Sunnah see:
(al-Fikr al-Sufi by Shaykh 'Abd
al-Rahmaan 'Abd al-Khaaliq, 343-383).
Thirdly:
The hadeeth mentioned by the questioner is a da'eef (weak) hadeeth,
which is not saheeh at all. There is nothing narrated via any
saheeh isnaad which mentions any of the degrees of awliya' as known
to the Sufis.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said in (al-Manaar
al-Muneef, 136):
"The ahaadeeth about the adbaal, aqtaab, aghwaath, nuqaba', nujaba'
and awtaad are all falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The closest of them is
the hadeeth which says "Do not revile the people of Syria, for
among them there are abdaal; every time one of them dies, Allaah
replaces him with another man." This was narrated by Ahmad, but it
is not saheeh either, because it is munqati'". End quote.
For more information on the ahaadeeth which have been narrated
concerning that and an explanation of why they are da'eef please
see al-Maqaalaat al-Qisaar by Abu Muhammad (al-Alfi, 69-81).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked about the hadeeth that was narrated about the abdaal - was it
saheeh or munqati', and were the abdaal only in Syria or were there
abdaal wherever Islam was established according to the Qur'aan and
Sunnah, in Syria and elsewhere?, Was it true that a wali could be
present among a group although his body was absent?, What did the
'ulama' say about the names used by some of those who claim to be
religious and virtuous, and who say this is Ghawth al-Aghwaath,
this is Qutub al-Aqtaab, this is Qutub al-'Aalam, this is al-Qutub
al-Kabeer, this is Khaatim al-Awliya'?
He (may Allaah have mercy on him)
replied:
As for the names that are in circulation among many of the pious
people and common folk, such as the ghawth who is in Makkah, the
four awtaad, the seven aqtaab, the forty abdaal and the three
hundred nujuba', these are names that are not found in the Book of
Allaah, nor are they narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) via any saheeh or da'eef isnaad, except the
word abdaal, concerning whom there is a Syrian hadeeth whose isnaad
is munqati'; it is narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be
pleased with him) and attributed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he said: "…for among them
[the people of Syria] there are abdaal; every time one of them
dies, Allaah replaces him with another man." These names are not
found in the words of the salaf in the manner mentioned there, nor
are they narrated in this manner and with these meanings from the
Shaykhs who are accepted by the ummah in general. They are narrated
in this form from some of the middle shaykhs, who mentioned them
either quoting from others or without confirming (that they are
true).
As for the phrase al-Ghawth and al-Ghiyaath, no one deserves this
title except Allaah, who is the helper of those who seek help
(ghiyaath al-mustagheetheen), so it is not permissible for anyone
to seek help from anyone else, not from any angel who is close to
Him or from any Prophet who was sent. Whoever claims that the
people of earth can refer their concerns, such as asking to be
spared harm or asking for mercy from the three hundred, and the
three hundred refer that to the seventy, and the seventy refer that
to the forty, and the forty refer that to the seven, and the seven
refer that to the four, and the four refer that to al-ghawth, then
he is a liar who has gone astray and is a mushrik. And Allaah tells
us about the mushrikeen (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon
vanish from you except Him (Allaah Alone)" [al-Isra' 17:67].
{وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي
الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَنْ تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ},
Transliteration: Wa 'Idhā Massakumu Ađ-Đurru Fī Al-Baĥri Đalla Man
Tad`ūna 'Illā 'Īyāhu
"Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed
one, when he calls on Him" [al-Naml 27:62].
{أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا
دَعَاهُ}, Transliteration: 'Amman Yujību Al-Muđţarra 'Idhā
Da`āhu
How can the believers refer their concerns via many intermediaries
when Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then
(answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I
respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me
(without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and
believe in Me, so that they may be led aright" [al-Baqarah
2:186].
{وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي
فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَرْشُدُونَ}, Transliteration: Wa 'Idhā Sa'alaka `Ibādī
`Annī Fa'innī Qarībun 'Ujību Da`wata Ad-Dā`i 'Idhā Da`āni
Falyastajībū Lī Wa Līu'uminū Bī La`allahum Yarshudūna
All the Muslims know that neither the common folk of the Muslims
nor their well known shaykhs conveyed their concerns to Allaah,
whether outwardly or inwardly, via these intermediaries. Exalted be
Allaah above any resemblance to His creations such as kings, and
far above what the wrongdoers say. This is akin to the Raafidi
claim that in every age there must be an infallible imam who is the
proof of Allaah (Hujjat-Allaah) against those who are accountable,
and that perfect faith cannot be attained otherwise. Rather this
sequence and number of intermediaries is in some ways like the
Ismaili and Nusayri etc belief in intermediaries (such as
al-saabiq, al-taali, al-naatiq, al-asaas, al-jasad, etc) for which
Allaah has not sent down any authority.
With regard to the awtaad, some say that So and so is one of the
awtaad, meaning thereby that by means of him Allaah establishes
faith and religious commitment in the hearts of those whom Allaah
has guided through him, just as the earth is made firm by its
"pegs" (mountains). This meaning applies to every scholar who met
this description. Every person by means of whom knowledge and faith
became established among the masses is like the awtaad and great
mountains. Whoever has less knowledge is a lesserk inf of watad.
But that is not limited to four or more or less than that, rather
limiting the number to four is akin to the astrologers' idea that
the earth should have four awtaad.
With regard to the qutub, this is also found in their words: So and
so is one of the aqtaab, or So and so is a qutub. Everyone who is
the focal point of some religious or worldly matter, whether
secretly or openly or outward, is the qutub and focal point of that
matter. This is not limited to seven or more or less than that. But
the one who is praiseworthy in this regard is one who is a focal
point for maintaining soundness in religious and worldly matters,
not simply maintaining soundness worldly matters. This is the qutub
according to them.
The same applies to the word badal, which is mentioned by many of
them.
With regard to the marfoo' hadeeth, it is most likely that these
are not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), for faith existed in the Hijaaz and Yemen before the
conquest of Syria. Syria and Iraq were kaafir lands, then during
the caliphate of 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), it was
proven that he (peace be upon him) said: "A group will split away
from the main body of the Muslims and they will be fought by the
one of the two groups that is closer to the truth." 'Ali and his
companions were closer to the truth than the people of Syria who
fought them. It is well known that those of the Sahaabah who were
with 'Ali, such as 'Ammaar ibn Yaasir, Sahl ibn Hunayf and the
like, were better than those who were with Mu'aawiyah. So how can
it be believed that all the abdaal, who are the best of creation,
were all in Syria? This is definitely false, even though there are
well known reports which speak of the virtue of Syria and its
people, because everything has its own characteristics and limits.
One should only speak on the basis of knowledge and justice.
Those who speak of the badal explain it in several ways, such as
saying that they are substitutes for the Prophets, or that every
time one of them dies, Allaah replaces him with another man, or
that they change their bad attitudes, deeds and beliefs into good
ones. None of these characteristics can be limited to four people
or more or less than that, or to the people of one region of the
earth. End quote from Majmoo' Fataawa
Ibn Taymiyah (11/433-444)
Fourthly:
It is mentioned in the words of some of the salaf and some of the
later scholars: So and so is one of the abdaal. For example, in
al-Tareekh al-Kabeer by al-Bukhaari
(7/127), in the biography of Farwah ibn Mujaalid, it says:
They did not doubt that he was one of the abdaal. End quote. As
narrated by al-Daaraqutni in al-'Ilal (6/29), Imam Ahmad said: "If
anyone in Iraq was one of the abdaal, it was Abu Ishaaq Ibraaheem
ibn Haani'". End quote.
But they did not mean thereby what the Sufis mean in their
innovated baatini terminology, rather they meant it in the
linguistic sense. Whoever among the scholars is spoken of in such
terms is one of the heirs of the Prophets by virtue of the shar'i
knowledge that he has, and it is as if he is their substitute in
conveying the message of the Revelation and teaching it to the
people.
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa
(4/97):
"As for the scholars, they used to say that they were the abdaal,
because they were the substitutes of the Prophets, and they took
their place in a real sense. They were not people who had no
knowledge or who were unknown. Each of them took the place of the
Prophets in the field in which he excelled, whether knowledge or
worship. They said that they were the group that would continue to
prevail until the Hour begins, because they are following guidance
and the true religion with which Allaah sent His Messengers, the
religion which Allaah promised would prevail over all other
religions, and sufficient is Allaah as a witness". End quote.
See also question no. 10527.
And Allaah knows best.
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