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Chapter 1: Who Are The Saints Of Allah?

Since the very time when Adam was expelled from the paradise and he set his feet upon earth obliged and compelled to accept this distance and separation. Allah never at all left him alone and by sending apostles, prophets descending holy books and broadcasting His messages informed the sons of Adam about their duties, and obligations and invited them to His worship, prayers and adoration.

Consequent upon this invitation, the sons of Adam (‘a) segregated into two groups, one of the two ignored the invitation of Allah and moved upon the way of Satan and those of the other group accepted the invitation from the core of their hearts and recognised the aim of the creation which was the same adoration and worship of Allah, and stepped along the course of Allah. These are all the friends of Allah whom Allah has led out of darkness towards the light.

Just as light has power and strength and sometimes weakness and dimness; the friendship of Allah too has degrees and stages. Those who have reached the higher stages have attained the station of Wilayat (devolution to holy Imam) and we call them Auliya’ Allah (the Saints of Allah).

The Holy Qur’an has introduced the saints as follows:

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Now surely the friends of Allah - they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. (10:62).

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ

Those who believe and guarded (against evil) (10:63).

لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

They shall have good news in this world's life and in the hereafter; there is no changing the words of Allah; that is the mighty achievement. (10:64).

A few of the facts which we comprehend from this verse of the holy book are as under:

  1. Fear and grief, the former one of which is the apprehension about the future and the later one is sorrow about the past, is away from the Saints of Allah and they enjoy peace and tranquillity of mind and heart, which are the important signs of the faith in Allah.

  2. The Saints of Allah possess two characteristics through which they have attained the station of Wilayat. The first one is faith and the second one is continuous and stable piety. (We must see that the text وكانوا يتقون leads to the continuity and, persistence of piety.)

  3. The saints of Allah hold the station of Bushra (glad tidings and good news) both in this world and Hereafter. Bushra in the Hereafter means making use and benefiting from the boons and benedictions of Allah and entering the paradise, and in this world, it consists of a kind of special and peculiar relation between Allah and His saint, which has been referred to as Mubashirat (fore runners) according to the Hadiths (traditions).

عن رسول الله أنه قال لهم البشرى في الحياة الدنيا الرؤيا الصالحة يبشر بها المؤمن جزء من سنة واربعين جزءاً من النبوة

The Prophet (S) said: Bushra which exists for the Saints of Allah in this World is the true and good dream through which a faithful one is given glad tidings and that is one part of the forty-six parts of Prophecy.1

وايضاً قال رسول الله إن الرسالة والنبوة قد انقطعت فلا رسول بعدي ولا نبي ولكن المبشرات. قالوا: يارسول الله وما المبشرات؟ قال: رؤيا المسلم وهي جزء من أجزاء النبوة

Again, the Prophet of Allah (S) said: Prophethood and apostleship has discontinued and no Prophet will come after me. But Mubbashiraat will remain there. They (the friends of Prophet (S) said: Oh Prophet of Allah what is Mubbashiraat? He said it is the dream of a Muslim and that is a part out of the parts of Prophethood.'' 2

Doubtlessly, the Muslim in this tradition does not consist of each and every Muslim, instead according to the symmetry and context of the verse and the narrations it means the same saints of Allah.

  1. The station which Allah has approved for His saints is like the traditions of Allah and is totally unchangeable.

لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ

There is no changing the words of Allah (10:64).

  1. This is a very much sublime and great status and is a gigantic success and great deliverance which is not achievable for and accessible to everyone. Many traditions of the Prophet (S) have reached us as an exegesis of this verse and the introduction to the Saints of Allah; we content ourselves with presenting one of those as an example.

قال رسول الله: إن من عباد الله عباداً يغبطهم الأنبياء والشهداء ، قيل : من هم يا رسول الله فلعلنا نحبهم؟ قال: قوم تحابوا في الله من غير أموال ولا أنساب وجوههم من نور على منابر من نور لا يخافون إذا خاف الناس ولا يحزنون إذا حزن الناس وقرأ ألا ان اولياء الله لا خوف عليهم ولاهم يحزنون

The Prophet of Allah (S) said: There are some out of the servants of Allah so that the Prophets of Allah and the martyrs’ envy upon (seeing) their status (station).

Companions of Prophet (S) said: Oh Prophet of Allah (S) whom does that group consist of, so that welcome their friends.

He said: They are a group who, without any attention to wealth or race, befriend each other, solely for the sake of Allah. Their faces are from the light and they stay on the Cathedra (tribune) of light and while the people have fear, they are not afraid, and when the people are sorrowful, they do not get sorrowful, and he (Prophet) recited this verse of the Holy Book:

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Now surely the friends of Allah - they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. (10:62). 3

We must note that according to this tradition the station of saints of Allah is above that of Prophets and martyrs since they envy and emulate their stations. The other point to be taken in view is that it is possible that the saints of Allah with such qualities and peculiarities may be present in every age but their tracing out and recognition itself is a much difficult and a cumbersome work.

According to the substance and purpose of the above-mentioned verse, the saints of Allah possess continuous, progressive and stable faith and piety, and it is difficult or rather may be impossible for us to recognise a person having persistent piety and who may have led his life from beginning to the end with piety and fear of Allah and avoid sins and prohibited activities, as this is a condition of the interior which only Allah and that person himself know.

Now, if Allah introduces us to some special and particular persons having such condition only in that way, we would recognise the saints of Allah with complete satisfaction.

Consequently, we say that Allah has introduced the Ahl al Bayt4 (‘a) in Qur'an, as persons who are pure, infallible and away from every kind of impurity, contamination and sin, that too in such a manner that the resolution and intention of Allah has become incumbent and is accrued in connection with their purity and not getting contaminated with impurities and sins.

This is the same persistent piety about which Allah has informed us regarding Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) in Qur'an:

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanliness from you, o people of the House and to purify you a (thorough) purifying. (33:33).

Now, let us see who are the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) referred in this verse of Qur'an. The Prophet (S) has introduced his Ahl al-Bayt through numerous traditions, which have reached a stage of repetition and successive (hear say). You may focus your attention upon the following two traditions, as a specimen.

First Tradition

نزلت هذه الاية - انّما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيرا - في بيت أم سلمة فدعا النبي فاطمة وحسنا وحسينا فجلّلهم بكساء وعلي خلف ظهره فجللهم بكساء ، ثم قال: اللهم هؤلاء أهل بيتي فاذهب عنهم الرجس وطهرهم تطهيراً. فقالت أم سلمة: وانا معهم یانبى الله؟ قال: أنت على مكانك وأنت الى خير

This verse:

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ

Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanliness from you (33:33).

revealed in the house of Umm Salama (Prophet's wife) and the Prophet of Allah (S) called Fatimah (‘a), Hasan (‘a) and Husayn (‘a) (near himself) and covered them with a garb (cloak) and Ali (‘a) was at the back of them Thus, he covered all of them with the garb and then said: Oh Allah these are my Ahl al-Bayt (family members) let the impurity be away from them and purify them. Umm Salama said: ''Oh Prophet of Allah, am I not one of them? He said: ''You have your own place and you are blessed.

Second Tradition

عن عائشة قالت: خرج النبي غداة وعليه مرط مرحل من شعر أسود فجاء الحسن بن علي فأدخله ثم جاء الحسين فأدخله ثم جاءت فاطمة فأدخلها ثم جاء علي فأدخله ثم قال: انما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيراً

Ayesha (wife of Prophet (S) says: The Prophet (S) went out early in the morning and he had covered himself with a black woollen cloak. Then Hasan son of Ali (‘a) came be covered and took him under the cloak. So, after that he took Husayn (‘a) under the garb. Afterwards, Fatimah (‘a) came and he took her too under the garb. Thereafter, Ali (‘a) arrived; He made Him as well enter under the cloak. Thus, He said:

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanliness from you, o people of the House and to purify you a (thorough) purifying. (33:33).

It is clearly evident from these two traditions and many more, which have reached us in this connection, that Ahl al -Bayt in the (above mentioned) verse means Ali (‘a) Fatimah (‘a). Hasan (‘a) and Husayn (‘a). Of course, this verse was revealed as in the middle of the verses in which the wives of the Prophet (S) have been addressed.

But the pronouns used in the verses of both sides (before and after) which are concerned and pertaining to the wives of the Prophet (S) are in the form of feminine plural. Whereas in this verse those (Pronouns) are in the form of masculine plural which indicates that the addresses of this verse are different from those of the verses before and behind this particular verse.

Viewing this symmetry, context and similarly numerous traditions out of which we described two, should we say that the addressees of this verse are: the Prophet (S) Ali (‘a), Fatimah (‘a) Hasan (‘a) and Husayn (‘a). If they introduce another person or persons out of their children as Ahl al-Bayt we would certainly and doubtlessly accept it. According to this very verse these five persons never at all tell a lie. The reason for that falsehood and lie is a great impurity and contamination and Allah has moved impurity away from them.

Therefore, we conclude that the existence of Allah's saints, as a kind, with all those signs which are described in Qur'an, is possible in every age. But the recognition of their personalities is very difficult rather impossible and absurd for us. But if course only when Allah or the Prophet (S) introduce particular persons to us.

In the verse of Purification some qualities of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) have been described, which are distinctly and dearly concordable with the qualities of the Saints of Allah described in the other verse. Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) are the worthy valuable and distinct evidence and living proof of the existence of Saints of Allah.

We find in so many traditions that the love of Prophet (S) and his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) is considered as the part of the conditions of faith.

عن انس قال: قال النبي: ولا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من والده وولده أجمعين

Anas narrates from the Prophet (S) No one among you will be faithful unless I be more beloved to him than his father and sons. 5

عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال: قال رسول الله: انَّ الله عزوجل - حرمات ثلاثا، من حفظهن حفظ الله له أمر دينه وديناه و من لم يحفظهن لم يحفظ الله له شيئاً: حرمة الإ سلام و حرمتی و حرمة رحمی

The Prophet of Allah (S) said: Indeed, three reverences exists for Allah, if someone protects them Allah will protect and save the affair of his religion and World and if he does not protect them Allah will not protect anything for him, the sanctity of Islam, my honour, and the honour of my relatives. 6

عن الحسن بن علي أن رسول الله قال: الزموا مودتنا أهل البيت فانّه من لقى الله - عز وجل - وهو يودنا دخل الجنة بشفاعتنا والذي نفسي بيده لا ينفع عبداً عمله إلا بمعرفة حقنا

The Prophet (S) said: Do consider the love of our family as binding (incumbent) because the one who meets Allah (dies) while he loves us he will enter the paradise by our Intercession (mediation). By the One who has my life in His hands (Allah) the practice of no servant will benefit him except when he recognises our right.7

  • 1. Tatfsir At-Tabari vol. 7, p. 137.
  • 2. Al-Durr al-Mantur vol 4, p. 376.
  • 3. Tatfsir At-Tabari Vol. 7, p. 132.
  • 4. Family members of Prophet: Fatimah, his daughter, Ali her husband and eleven Imams from their lineage.
  • 5. Sahih Bukhari Vol. 1, p. 17.
  • 6. Al- Majma al-Kabir (Tabrani): vol 3, p. 135.
  • 7. Majma al-Zawaid Vol. 9, p. 171.