Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss - Third Fascicle

in Shaytân’s group have missed the inexhaustible blessings. They have been caught by endless torment.” People in the first and second groups who have been honoured with the fortune of qurb are Awliyâ. Informing about the unknown does not increase or decrease their Wilâyat. The difference between them is in respect of the grade of closeness. A Walî who has not been informed of anything unknown may be more advanced and higher on account of the qurb bestowed upon him. Hadrat Shihâbuddîn ’Umar Suhrawardî ‘quddisa sirruh’, author of the book ’Awârif-ulma’ârif, is one of the greatest Awliyâ. All the other Awliyâ like him. After explaining karâmats and khâriqas in his book, he says: “A Walî of high grade may be given no karâmats or khâriqas. For, karâmats are given in order to increase yaqîn (belief). A person blessed with yaqîn does not need karâmats or khâriqas. All these karâmats are inferior to the dhikr of Dhât-i ilâhî and to the heart’s being ornamented with this dhikr.” Shaikh-ul-islâm, Khwâja ’Abdullâh-i Ansârî ‘rahmatullâhi ’alaih’, one of the greatest of the Sôfiyya-i ’aliyya, says in his book entitled Manâzilussâyirîn: “There are two kinds of firâsat. The first one, the firâsat of the men of ma’rifat, is to detect the talents of the disciples and to recognize the Awliyâ of Allâhu ta’âlâ. The second one, the firâsat (clairvoyance) of those who subject themselves to riyâdats and who polish their nafs by hunger is to know of the secret things about creatures. Most people, not remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ but thinking of the world day and night, search for those who give information about the worldly things which they want to obtain.

They deem them great. In fact, they think of them as Awliyâ close to Allâhu ta’âlâ. They do not even turn to look at the ma’rifats, the true and subtle knowledge of the Awliyâ. But perhaps they speak ill of them and, saying, ‘If they were Allah’s beloved slaves, they would know about our lost things, about our secret thoughts. A person who knows nothing of our states can never understand the subtle knowledge which is above creatures’; they deny the firâsat of Awliyâ and their knowledge of the Dhât-i-ilâhî and His Attributes. Because of their wrong estimation they are deprived of the correct knowledge and ma’rîfats of these great superiors. They are unaware of the fact that Allâhu ta’âlâ has concealed these superiors from the eyes of the ignorant and has made them belong to Him. He has made His Awliyâ busy not with worldly affairs but with Himself. If the Awliyâ were attached to men’s deeds and states they would not be worthy of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s presence.” ’Abdullah-i Ansârî wrote much more about this.

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