117186: Asking Allah for one of the “miracles” of the awliya’ (“saints”)

Praise be to Allaah.

We do not see anything wrong with the Muslim asking Allah to honour him with that with which He honoured His close friends (awliya’) with extraordinary things or miracles. This is for a number of reasons: 

1.     There is no report of any prohibition on doing so.

2.     It is not impossible for miracles to happen for a believer; rather there are many cases in which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, honoured His slaves with them, and He may grant miracles to whomever He wants. If a person asks his Lord for that, he will not be asking for something that is impermissible and he is not asking for something impossible, because it is not difficult for Allah.

3.     The hadeeth about the three men who were trapped in the cave by a rock, and each of them prayed by virtue of his righteous deeds for Allah to move the rock for them, and He moved it for them. This is an example of asking Allah for a true miracle, because moving a huge rock without any effort on the part of people can only happen by way of a miracle. The hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2272) and Muslim (2743).

4.     A similar report is the hadeeth about the man who put money in a wooden box and then threw it into the sea, and he asked Allah to make it reach its rightful owner from whom he had borrowed it. The hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari in a mu’allaq majzoom report, (2291).

5.     al-Laalkaa’i referred in Karaamaat al-Awliya’ to a number of miracles that happened to the righteous after they asked Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, for them, such as the du’aa’ of al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami who said: O Most Forbearing, O All Knowing, O Most High, O Almighty, give us rain (p. 150), and on another occasion he offered a similar du’aa’ so that he army could walk across the river. And there are many other similar stories 

All of this is evidence which indicates that in principle it is permissible to ask Allah for extraordinary events in the form of miracles. 

But we should point out to the one who wants to offer such a prayer a number of important things which should not be ignored: 

1.     First of all, the one who wants to pray for a miracle should intend first and foremost to ask Allah to make him one of His close friends and he should seek to draw close to Him, so that Allah will not withhold from him what he is seeking and will honour him with what he is asking for.

2.     His intention should be sincerely for the sake of Allah, and he should not intend thereby to boast or show off or compete with others. Rather he should seek the closest of status to Allah and the dearest of status to Him, so he should ask Allah for that which is permissible for him, which is karaamah. As for mu’jizah, that is only permissible for the Prophets.

3.     There should be a valid need to ask for this, such as one who asks Allah for a child even though he is advanced in years, or he asks Him for rain and for an end to drought and dryness in the land. As for asking Him for miracles for fun or asking for extraordinary things that will not benefit anyone in religious or worldly terms, it is not permissible to ask for that. 

Imam al-Quraafi said: One of the haraam actions which do not constitute kufr is asking Allah for things that are ordinarily impossible, unless one is a Prophet, because what is the norm for the Prophets (peace be upon them) is the extraordinary, so it is permissible for them to ask for that, as they asked for the table to come down from heaven and for the camel to come out of a solid rock. For one who is a wali (close friend of Allah) and usually has these miracles (karaamaat), then it is permissible for him to carry on with that, in the case of these two categories of people, it is not regarded as poor etiquette. 

A third category is the person who is not a wali but he asks for a miracle, and the meaning behind his asking for that is that so Allah might make him a wali who is close to Him, so that he will deserve these miracles. 

For these three types of people it is not haraam. 

As for that which is haraam, it includes for example, asking Allah to make one have no need of breathing air so that he can be sure that he will not be suffocated. The norm indicates that this is impossible. Other examples include asking Allah for a child without having intercourse or for fruits and crops without trees and plants. The norm indicates that this is impossible, so the one who asks for that is showing poor etiquette towards Allah, may He be exalted. End quote. 

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke at length and in great detail about some points and reservations surrounding this issue. But we have quoted here what we need concerning this matter. 

Anwaar al-Burooq fi Anwaa’ al-Furooq, 4/268 

And Allah knows best.

Islam Q&A

124838: The difference between mu‘jizah, karaamah (two types of miracles) and witchcraft

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

The mu‘jizah (miracle) is the extraordinary sign with which Allah supports His Prophets and Messengers, and challenges people. The karaamah is something extraordinary that Allah causes to happen at the hand of one of His close friends. There are many differences between the mu‘jizah and the karaamah, including the following: 

1.     The mu‘jizah is meant to be done openly and be seen and known by many people, and the one for whom it is done (the Prophet) is enjoined to show it openly, whereas the karaamah is based on concealment and the one for whom it is done (the wali or close friend of Allah) is enjoined to conceal it.

2.     The mu‘jizah may be accompanied by a challenge and claim of Prophethood, whereas the karaamah is not accompanied by any challenge or any claim of virtue or high status before Allah.

3.      The fruits of the mu‘jizah bring benefits to others, whereas the karaamah usually only benefits the one to whom it is given.

4.     The mu‘jizah may be any extraordinary event; the karaamah can only be of a few types.

5.     The mu‘jizah is only for the Prophets, whereas the karaamah is for the close friends of Allah.

6.     The Prophets use their miracles (mu‘jizah) to establish proof against the mushrikeen, because their hearts are hard; the close friends of Allah (awliya’) use the karaamah to establish proof for themselves so that they will have peace of mind and certainty of faith, and will not be worried or anxious. 

Quoted from a Master’s thesis entitled al-Wilaayah wa’l-Karaamah fi’l-‘Aqeedah al-Islamiyyah by Muhammad Khayr al-‘Umari. 

There are also a number of other differences between the mu‘jizah and witchcraft, including the following: 

1.     The mu‘jizah is something extraordinary, i.e., it occurs contrary to the laws of nature and comes from Allah, may He be exalted. As for witchcraft, it occurs according to laws that the practitioner of witchcraft may learn.

2.     The mu‘jizah results in nothing but good, whereas no good can come from witchcraft.

3.     The mu‘jizah cannot be cancelled out, whereas witchcraft can be cancelled out or undone. It is well known that witchcraft can only be done by seeking the help of the devils and drawing close to them. 

End quote from Dr. Ahmad al-‘Awaayishah, Muhaadaraat bi’th-Thaqaafah al-Islamiyyah, p. 174 

4.     The mu‘jizah occurs at the hand of the Prophet, who is the best of people in knowledge, deeds and attitude, whereas witchcraft occurs at the hands of the practitioner of witchcraft, who is the worst of people in knowledge, deeds and attitude – people are put off by him and those who keep company with him.

5.     There is no cause for the mu‘jizah, hence no one other than the Prophet can do anything like it. As for witchcraft, it has causes that are well-known, which are incantations that are spoken or written, and he makes use of the jinn in doing it. Anyone who learns that and does it will get what he wants from witchcraft. In the case of the mu‘jizah, it cannot be obtained by learning and experience. 

See: al-Furooq by al-Quraafi, 8/116 

There follow some of the comments of the scholars on the differences between mu‘jizah, karaamah and witchcraft. 

Al-‘Allaamah as-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The difference between the mu‘jizah and karaamah, and devilish extraordinary things that happen at the hands of magicians and charlatans is as follows: 

The mu‘jizah is that which Allah causes to happen at the hands of the Messengers and Prophets of extraordinary events with which they challenge the people, so that they will believe in the message with which Allah sent them and by means of which He supported them, such as the splitting of the moon and the sending down of the Qur’aan, which is the greatest mu‘jizah ever bestowed upon a Messenger, as well as the grieving of the palm tree stump (which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used as a minbar until a minbar was built for him), the springing up of water from between his fingers, and many other miracles. 

The karaamah is an extraordinary event that Allah causes to occur at the hands of His believing close friends (awliya’), such as knowledge, power, and so on, and such as the shade that used to come upon Usayd ibn al-Hudayr when he recited Qur’aan, and the shining of light for ‘Abbaas ibn Bishr and Usayd ibn Hudayr when they left the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and when they separated there was light for each of them at the end of his whip. 

In order for it to be regarded as a karaamah, it is stipulated that the one at whose hand this miracle occurs should be adhering strictly to Islam and following sharee‘ah. If that is not the case, then these extraordinary things happen are the result of devilish work. Moreover, it should be noted that the fact that karaamah does not happen for some Muslims does not mean that they are lacking in faith, because karaamah only happens for certain reasons, such as the following: 

-         To strengthen the person’s faith and make him steadfast. Hence many of the Sahaabah did not see any karaamah, because of the strength and absolute certainty of their faith.

-         To establish proof against the enemy, as happened to Khaalid when he ate poison. He was besieging a fortress and they refused to yield until he ate the poison, so he ate it and then he conquered the fortress. A similar thing happened to Abu Idrees al-Khawlaani when he was met by al-Aswad al-‘Ansi in the fire and Allah saved him from that, because he needed that karaamah. We see something similar in the story of Umm Ayman when she set out to migrate to Madinah (Hijrah) and became extremely thirsty. She heard a sound above her and lifted her head, and she saw a bucket of water; she drank from it then it was taken away again. 

The karaamah may be a test or trial; some people may be blessed by it and others may be doomed as a result. The one at whose hands it happens may be blessed if he gives thanks for it, or he may be doomed if he is filled with self-admiration and does not adhere to righteousness.

End quote from at-Tanbeehaat al-Lateefah fima Ahtawiyat ‘alayhi al-Waasitiyyah min al-Mabaahith al-Muneefah, p. 107 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: 

How can we differentiate between mu‘jizah, karaamah and kahaanah (sorcery)? 

He replied: 

The mu‘jizah is for the Prophets, the karaamah is for the close friends of Allah, the awliya’ of ar-Rahmaan, and kahaanah is for the close friends of the Shaytaan (awliya’ ash-shaytaan).  

Nowadays it is impossible for a mu‘jizah to occur, because the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the last of the Prophets. Karaamah happened at the time of the Messenger and may occur after his time, until the Day of Resurrection; it may occur at the hands of a righteous close friend of Allah (wali). If we know that the man at whose hand a karaamah occurred is a righteous man who fulfils his duties towards Allah and towards His slaves, then we know that it is indeed a karaamah. 

We should look at the man -- if this “miracle” comes from a kaahin (soothsayer) -- i.e., a man who is not righteous -- then we know that it comes from the devils; the devils sometimes help the sons of Adam to achieve what they want. 

End quote from Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh (no. 84; question no. 8) 

And Allah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Sura: An-Naml, The Ant -- Sura # 27, Verse # 9

O Moses, indeed it is I - Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

Storyboard

A place where dreams live; and you've to pick your dream and then it comes true.

A princess lives there -- she grants you any dream -- except the dream to marry her.

Treasure hunting (voyages)

Like people go on Yeti / abominable snowman expeditions. I'd love to go on marine salvage (voyages).

Psychometry

divination of facts concerning an object or its owner through contact with or proximity to the object

Psychometry

The supposed ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them.

Conversations with an imaginary girlfriend -- Draft copy

Kafkaesque -- she scribbled on the notepad  -- she didn't capitalize though.

Pardon. Franz Kafka -- you mean eh? I never read him . . . .

Braces

What's that eh? She mocked me.

An orthodontic appliance usually of metallic wire that is used especially to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth.

She laughed. You're so funny.

Really eh?

I think girls with braces are brainy. 

You can't date me -- old-timer.

Reconsider. If you marry me -- you'd get all my psychic powers.

Nope. Figure out some other way of . . . .

Faith healer . . . .

I'd love to be a raaqi (faith healer) and exorcist to help people -- I'd love to alleviate their suffering
in sha Allaah.

Jai Hind

I never told my religion to anyone -- I think it's quite implicit -- I'd like to share a secret with you today -- there's a mandir nearby -- I -- sometimes -- find some money there -- I take it for having tea -- I believe that it's God's way of giving me  -- an orphan -- money for tea -- When I'm going through dire financial crisis -- I'd like to thank God for this and you people for this -- I wrote this to let you all know -- let's celebrate being a secular citizen every day. Jai Hind.

Abu Dardaa' (ra) reports that "Allaah's Messenger (saw) stood for prayer and we heard him saying, "I seek refuge in Allaah from you".  Then he said, "I curse you with the curse of Allaah"  three times.  At the same time, he was stretching out his hand, trying to grab hold of something.  When he finished his prayer we said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah! We heard you say something in the prayer which we have never heard from you before and we saw you stretching out your hand".  He said, "That was the enemy of Allaah, Iblees. He came with a flame of fire and tried to throw it in my face.  I said, "I seek refuge in Allah from you" three times and then (I said), "I curse you with the curse of Allaah" three times and he did not hesitate.  Then I desired to capture him.  By Allaah! If it had not been for the supplication of our brother (the Prophet) Sulaymaan, he would have been tied up and the children of Madinah would have played about with him"". (Muslim).

Messiah complex

How many of you think that I've Messiah complex eh? i.e. A delusional mental condition in which a person believes that he or she is the true Messiah; (more generally) a belief held by any person that he or she is supremely powerful and capable of anything;

7874: What conditions should be met by a “raaqi”*?

Praise be to Allaah.

The correct view is that it is permissible for every reader who can recite the Qur’aan well and who understands its meanings, has a sound belief, does righteous deeds and is of upright conduct to use ruqyah. It is not essential for him to have knowledge of minor matters or to have studied all branches of knowledge in depth. This is because of the story of Abu Sa’eed and the man who had been stung by a scorpion, “… and we did not know that he ever did ruqyah before that incident”, as is stated in the hadeeth. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2276; Muslim, 2201). The raaqi must have a good intention and want to benefit the Muslim; he should not be concerned with money or payment, so that his reading will be more beneficial.

And Allaah knows best.

From Al-Lu’lu’ al-Makeen min Fataawaa Ibn Jibreen, p. 22.