Ahadits on the Awliya'

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The awliya’, the saints of God, are a special category of believers.  They are mentioned in the Qur’an directly or indirectly.  Pertaining to the exact number of awliya’, the following ahadits provide some indication along with their their rank and status. 

On the authority of Sayyidina Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (r.a.), Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said, “Allah (s.w.t.) has Created three hundred people, whose hearts are like that of Adam, and He Created forty people whose hearts are like Moses.  He also Created seven people whose hearts are like that of Abraham, and he Created five people with a heart like that of Gabriel, and three people with a heart like that of Michael and only one person with a heart like that of Rafael.  When such a person dies, Allah (s.w.t.) will Replace him with one of the three.  When one of such three dies, Allah (s.w.t.) will Replace him with one of the five.  When one of the seven dies, Allah (s.w.t.) will Replace him with one of the forty, and when one of the forty dies, He will Replace him with one of the three hundred and when one of the three hundred elite dies, Allah (s.w.t.) will Replace him with someone He Chooses from among the pious masses.  Such a person will live among the people, and through his prayers, by Allah’s (s.w.t.) Permission, life and death, rain and prosperity will come and calamity will be averted.”  Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani (r.a.) recorded this hadits in his Hilyat al-Awliya’. 

Imam al-Aswbahani (r.a.) also recorded this hadits in Hilyat al-Awliya’.  On the authority of Sayyidina ibn Mas’ud (r.a.), Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said, “Forty men from amongst my ummah are such whose hearts are like that of Sayyidina Ibrahim’s heart.  By virtue of them, Allah (s.w.t.) Protects His Creation from calamities; it is they who are known as Abdal.”  The rest of the hadits is the same as mentioned above to the end. 

Imam Abu al-Qasim Sulayman ibn Ayyub ath-Thabarani (r.a.) recorded the following hadits in his al-Aswath which is similar to Imam al-Aswbahani’s (r.a.) ahadits above.  On the authority of Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik (r.a.), Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said, “The Earth shall never be without forty men, whose hearts shall be upon Sayyidina Ibrahim (a.s.).  By virtue of them, the earth is in existence and by virtue of them, He Provides rain to you.  From among them, none dies but Allah (s.w.t.) Replaces him with another.” 

Imam al-Aswbahani (r.a.) recorded this hadits in Hilyat al-Awliya’ as well.  On the authority of Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-A’asw (r.a.), Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said, “The Akhyar amongst my ummah in every century are five hundred, and the Abdal are forty and their number does not increase.  Neither the five hundred nor forty diminish in number.  When one among the forty Abdal dies, Allah (s.w.t.) Replaces him with one of the five hundred.” 

Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.) recorded this hadits in his Musnad, and Imam Wali ad-Din Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khathib al-‘Umari at-Tabrizi (r.a.) in his Mishkat al-Maswabih.  Both are major compilations of ahadits.  The text as from Musnad Ahmad reads on the authority of Qadhi Shurayh ibn al-Harits al-Kindi (r.a.) that when the people of Sham were mentioned in Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib’s (k.w.) presence, someone said, “O Prince of the Believers, curse them!” 

Sayyidina ‘Ali (k.w.) replied, “No!  I heard Allah’s (s.w.t.) Messenger saying, ‘Abdal will be in Syria.  They are forty men; whenever one dies, Allah Almighty Replaces him with another man.  By virtue of them, He Provides rain and by virtue of them, He Provides Help against the enemies.  By virtue of them, punishment is averted from Sham.”


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