Day: April 15, 2026

■ Karamaat (Miracles of Aulia Allah)

Bismillah Irehman Niraheem

Dear Readers, in the world of spiritual effects and results, we mostly hear about “Kashf” (spiritual uncovering) and “Karamaat” (miracles of Aulia Allah). These two words are almost always found hanging out together, like tea and samosas. In the world of good deeds and spiritual excellence i.e Ehsaan, both Kashf and Karamaat are special gifts from Allah — one is a kind of divine insight, and the other is an honor given to Aulia Allah, Kamileen, Arifeen, Muarifeen and Saliheen (Qaddasallahu Sirrahum).

Now, about Kashf: yes, sometimes with lots of practice and hard spiritual training, a person might reach some level of it, but originally — and we’ve already talked about this in detail — it is actually a favor from Allah. It’s like a surprise gift, given to travelers on the path of wilayah, as something that breaks the normal rules of nature.

Just like the miracles of the prophets are 100% true, the karamaat of the Aulia Allah are also totally true. Both miracles and karamaat happen by the power of Allah. So what is the difference? A miracle proves that a prophet is really a prophet, and the whole world is left stunned, unable to do anything like it. That’s why it’s called a “miracle.” But a karamaat is not meant to prove that someone is a Wali Allah, because a real Wali Allah never goes around shouting, “Hey everyone, I’m a Wali Allah!” And neither does Allah force other people to believe in that Wali’s special status.

So if something out of the ordinary happens through a friend of Allah, it’s just an honor for that person — but you, as a regular Muslim, are not forced to accept it or even believe in it.

Shaykh Bu Ali Juzjani (Rahmatullah alayh) said:

“Be a seeker of staying firm on the straight path, not a seeker of karamaat. Because your own nafs is crazy about karamaat, but your Lord wants you to be steady in your Deen.”

(Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Volume 11, page 320)
[I also have many disagreements with Ibn Taymiyyah, but I want to select such statements from his book so that even his followers may realize that Ibn Taymiyyah himself believed in the the friends of Allah. He did not reject the people of Allah in any way, unlike how people do today]

Now in some circles of ignorant followers (mureeds), people love to tell wild stories about their spiritual guides shaykh. They’ll say things like, “My shaykh flew to Makkah for Fajr and came back for breakfast!” But if you actually investigate these stories, 95% of them are pure, homemade, spicy, delicious fake news. No proof exists from the real scholars or from the shaykh themselves. And when you ask for proof, they’ll just say, “The birds of the shaykh made the birds of the mureeds happy!” — whatever that means.

Honestly, if a shaykh tells his special followers to go and spread such fake stories among the ordinary followers, then that shaykh is not even worth shaking hands with, let alone making bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) with him.

But wait — don’t get the wrong concept. This doesn’t mean that real karamaat don’t happen. The true friends of Allah are indeed honored by Him with such things. The Ahlus Sunnah have agreed on this: karamaat of the Aulia Allah are real, and through them, Allah gives honor to His chosen servants. Just remember, the word “karamaat” literally means “honors” — not “magic tricks for entertainment.”

And one more thing: just like a prophet cannot show a miracle whenever he feels like showing off, a Wali cannot turn his karamaat into a talent show either. It’s not something they control. It’s all in Allah’s hands. So relax, focus on your prayers and Salawat in abundance, and don’t go chasing flying shaykh.

FJ 14.4.26