Sainthood

ولایت

Sainthood (Walāya): Sainthood (walāya) is, in one sense, proximity to Allah (qurbat ilā Allāh). The saints (awliyā') are of various schools — some follow the way of Moses, some the way of Abraham, some are placed on the way of the Muhammadan school. Each has a shaytan associated with him who tempts him and is his trial and examination.

The Prophets have two aspects: (1) Proximity to Allah (jihat qurb ilā Allāh) — from which they receive Wahi. (2) Proximity to creation (jihat qurb il-khalq) — from which they engage in the prophetic mission (tabligh). The superiority of the Prophet (al-nubuwwa afdal) in this meaning is: it is not that the Prophet is superior to the saints in terms of being close to Allah — no, the Prophet has the additional and superior dimension of proximity to creation, through the prophetic mission, which surpasses the saint. It is not that the Prophets from the standpoint of closeness to creation are superior to the saints who are followers (tābi'īn) and the Messengers — no, rather the walāya of the Prophets is superior to the walāya of the saints as a whole.

Annihilation of Acts, Attributes, and Essence (Fanā' al-Af'āl, al-Sifāt, wa al-Dhāt): By constantly repeating the Divine Names and meditating upon them, the names of these Names manifest. Trust in them increases. The acts of creation become the acts of the Creator, and some people say that the creation's sustenance-receiving becomes secondary — that God Himself sustains. Asma' as they are manifestations of Allah — they are all manifestations and distributors — as one says: lā hawl wa lā quwwata illā bi'Allāh.

لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

"There is no power and no strength except through Allah."

After the names and attributes comes the level of Dhāt (Essence): the Dhāt haqq becomes witnessed; existence and the Dhāt haqq become manifest — after one 'nothing' another 'nothing'. Death comes without a choice — in the world of knowledge (the ordinary world) knowledge does not remain. The world of Barzakh (Interworld) unfolds — a wali who has been counted among the Abrār (the righteous) and the Akhyār (the virtuous) and the Asfiyā' (the chosen) — now, in the world of the awliyā', he is an inner dweller. Now he returns to himself — he used to think of God as a mirror (muẓhir) — now he knows that God is the manifestation, and he becomes completely brilliant — the sun of Qamar (the moon) radiates upon him too.