LETTER 10: THE MIRACLES OF SAINTS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

[N.B. For the sake of convenience, the word used to denote a prophetic miracle (Majinar) is translated with a capital M, whereas the word for the miracle of a saint or the miraculous in general (karamar) is tanslated with a small m.]

Dearest brother Shamsuddin may God's blessings be upon you! The orthodox doctors of the Law agree with the mystics that the miracles of the saints are admissible, even if they occasionally attain the status of Miracles. The Mutazilites, however, do not admit them, except as something that could be common to both sinners and obedient Muslims. They say it could be an answer to prayer, for example, if someone in a desert, perishing with thirst, finds a spring of water, or if someone gives him a glass of water to drink; of if a host offers bread to a ravenous person. They maintain that when one of God's slaves acquires faith, he advances from the stage of hostility to that of holiness, and since holiness can lay claim to miracles on the argument that equality is implicit in the meaning of holiness then it should be that all have equal power to command!

The answer to the Mutazilite position is that the holiness that comes with faith does embrace all, and at this stage, both be who sins, and he who submits are equal, as are the prophet and the nonprophetic. But real sanctity is something different, and it requires special miracles. Just as a king has an army and all are equal insofar as they have postings, yet the prime minister and the chamberlain will have a thousand miracles to display, while a doorkeeper or a carpet layer will not. One could say that if God Almighty wants a prophet to display his prophethood, he should do so by a miracle. Yet if a nonprophetic were also capable of such Miracles, doubt would arise. How could genuine prophethood be displayed? The net result would be that a prophet would not be distinguishable from a non prophet. The answer to this difficulty is that a genuine saint says exactly the same thing as a prophet and desires the same thing he desires. In addition to this, he states clearly, In whatever I have discovered, I have found confirmation of Him, but note, I myself am not a prophet! The display of miraculous powers on the part of a saint is a confirmation of the Prophet, the truth of his claim is thus borne out, and no doubt should arise. [A legal example is cited.]

One might say: How can it be that a saint can perform miracles? It is a forcible breach of the natural order for him to reach the very boundary of Miracles! Will he then make a claim to prophethood? But this is impossible, since truthfulness of speech is a precondition of saintliness. A claim against what is genuine would be a lie, and no liar can be a saint! Someone might say, How can you assert that a Miracle goes contrary to the laws of nature and yet is an indication of the genuineness of a prophet? If you admit the same thing for a non-prophet, its occurrence would become routinized and it would no longer remain the sign of a genuine prophet.

I would not agree with your persistent concern, namely, that the miracles of the saints could usurp the proper role of the Miracle of the prophet, which is defined as an act contrary to the natural course of affairs. The reason is that the miracles of the community are The Miracle of the Prophet. Just as the Law continues to remain, so should the proof of its authenticity! We can say that the saints bear witness to the genuineness of the gift of prophecy that the Prophet exercises until the very Day of Resurrection. If you ask what the difference between a Miracle and a miracle is, it should be stated that in a Miracle, one finds the revelation of the condition, whereas in a miracle, it remains hidden. Also, the prophets know that a Miracle is to occur and give news of it in advance, whereas saints do not have information about a miracle before it comes to pass.

This is the basis for saying that there is really no proof that a saint has acquired saintliness until he considers himself the lowliest of all creatures. If he sees himself in this fashion, how could he go around claiming to perform miracles? Since there can be no such claim, a fortiori how could he give news of the coming occurrence of such? It is also said that those who seek anything from God except God Himself can never attain genuine saintliness. If a person claims to be a miracle worker, it means that he has sought something other than the Friend. This would banish saintliness rather than prove its existence.

When you have grasped so much, ponder it carefully! It is not fitting for God to grant Miracles, which He reserves for just men, to any liar who lays claim to prophethood. A prophet is a just man and a confirmer of the truth. It is therefore necessary to put one's faith in him, whereas a false prophet is a liar and a mutilator, in whom it is not proper to put one's faith. A speaker of the truth should be separated from one who defaces it, and that would be by a Miracle. If, however, Miracles were to emanate from both, nothing would remain by which to distinguish the mutilator, nor would it be clear to the people whom they should trust. Thus, a resemblance would arise between the truthful man and the liar. What a dreadful prospect! Moreover, the sheikhs of this group and all the Sunnis agree that it is appropriate that any act that constitutes a forcible breach of what normally occurs, like a Miracle of the prophets or of the saints, even if it occurs at the hands of an infidel, should produce no doubt in any one's mind that might lead to deception. [The example of Pharaoh is cited: Though he laid claim to divinity through his miraculous deeds, any intelligent man could perceive that he was not God.]

Deception means that someone pretends to save, but actually destroys. The deceiver confers honor but brings subjection. He points out the way but induces error. With enemies there is this defect: No matter what they give, it is all obstinacy and deception! Thus, we have three forms of behavior: For the prophets, there are Miracles, for the saints, miracles; for enemies, deception and obstinacy. Yet another list is mentioned.) An obstinate and fraudulent sinner pride himself on what he does and places his trust in it. He considers himself deserving of praise and displays arrogance toward others. A genuinely good man, however, flees from miracles and is afraid of them. He cries out to God for help, and even holds his own body in contempt. The venerable Sufis have noted that in most cases, preoccupation with miracles indicates the extent to which a person is satisfied with what is not God. Eventually a withdrawal from God Himself will appear. Consider, for instance, the mother who wants her child to get away from her or to go outside. She gives him some sweet to eat. If the child is intelligent, he prefers to cling to his mother's skirt; but if he is foolish, he takes the sweet, rejoices, and goes outside, where he either falls into the water or under the feet of some passing animal. His attention is only on the sweet and not on how far away from his mother he is. Taking the sweet, the foolish child left his mother, but if he had continued holding on to her skirt, the sweet would also have been his.

A group of venerable Sufis has said that miracles are simply color and decoration, meant to help people a little. Every camel that people look after carefully, decorate and parade around the town, is honored by the people during this display, at the same time that the knife for the sacrifice is being quietly honed. If its throat were not destined to be cut, then all this preparation would be for nought. A sheikh has said: There are many idols in the world. A miracle is one of these, As long as infidels are associated with idols, they remain God's enemies. When they turn away from idols and sever all connections with them, they become saints. In the same way, a miracle can become the idol of a mystic! If he is content with miracles, he will one day be filled with shame! By not turning away from miracles, he makes idols of them. Thus, he cannot come close to the God who has been reveiled to him!

May it never happen, O dearest idol of mine, that love of You should depart my heart, or thought of You, my mind!

Even if You seek my death there will remain That taste for You in my rotting bones.

[Further elaboration, a story of Bayazid, and a couplet follow.

God forbid that my heart should ever become separated from You,

Or that it should grow intimate with anyone other than You.

Diverted from love of You, whom would it love?

If it were to quit your lane, where would it go?

To conclude, O brother, have you not heard that there is life at the beginning of love, but death at the end? And also that there is deceit at the beginning, but death at the end! and again, that in the beginning there are miracles, but grief at the end! It is with reference to such a situation that someone has said, Misfortunes are required for love, just as salt is needed in the cauldron.

Comforting it is to experience pain on account of the friend who is also a physician daily visiting the home of his sick.

Do you know who such a person is? It is everyone endowed with beauty who is not a lover of himself, and does not usurp, on account of his own beauty, the praise due to God, for he should be such that, if tomorrow there were to come an announcement, Look at Me! he would say, It is impossible! How could such Beauty be seen by eyes such as mine? Someone has said:

No matter how much you try, you will never describe that union

It is beyond the reach of the tongue or the power of utterance.

O brother, on that day that the carpet of love will be spread, all will throw their preconceived desires into the fire, for it has been decreed that they all belong to the Beloved! Total absence of desire is the lot of the lover. Hence it is that they say: He is merciful and compassionate toward ordinary slaves, but with lovers He is a King who accomplishes whatever He wants! [The sufferings of Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph are briefly reiterated.]

He does all these things yet, out of godly fear, The true man does not utter even a single sigh! For His face is like a mirror: One sigh would cloud it over!

Peace!

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

[N.B. For the sake of convenience, the word used to denote a prophetic miracle (Majinar) is translated with a capital M, whereas the word for the miracle of a saint or the miraculous in general (karamar) is tanslated with a small m.]

Dearest brother Shamsuddin may God's blessings be upon you! The orthodox doctors of the Law agree with the mystics that the miracles of the saints are admissible, even if they occasionally attain the status of Miracles. The Mutazilites, however, do not admit them, except as something that could be common to both sinners and obedient Muslims. They say it could be an answer to prayer, for example, if someone in a desert, perishing with thirst, finds a spring of water, or if someone gives him a glass of water to drink; of if a host offers bread to a ravenous person. They maintain that when one of God's slaves acquires faith, he advances from the stage of hostility to that of holiness, and since holiness can lay claim to miracles on the argument that equality is implicit in the meaning of holiness then it should be that all have equal power to command!

The answer to the Mutazilite position is that the holiness that comes with faith does embrace all, and at this stage, both be who sins, and he who submits are equal, as are the prophet and the nonprophetic. But real sanctity is something different, and it requires special miracles. Just as a king has an army and all are equal insofar as they have postings, yet the prime minister and the chamberlain will have a thousand miracles to display, while a doorkeeper or a carpet layer will not. One could say that if God Almighty wants a prophet to display his prophethood, he should do so by a miracle. Yet if a nonprophetic were also capable of such Miracles, doubt would arise. How could genuine prophethood be displayed? The net result would be that a prophet would not be distinguishable from a non prophet. The answer to this difficulty is that a genuine saint says exactly the same thing as a prophet and desires the same thing he desires. In addition to this, he states clearly, In whatever I have discovered, I have found confirmation of Him, but note, I myself am not a prophet! The display of miraculous powers on the part of a saint is a confirmation of the Prophet, the truth of his claim is thus borne out, and no doubt should arise. [A legal example is cited.]

One might say: How can it be that a saint can perform miracles? It is a forcible breach of the natural order for him to reach the very boundary of Miracles! Will he then make a claim to prophethood? But this is impossible, since truthfulness of speech is a precondition of saintliness. A claim against what is genuine would be a lie, and no liar can be a saint! Someone might say, How can you assert that a Miracle goes contrary to the laws of nature and yet is an indication of the genuineness of a prophet? If you admit the same thing for a non-prophet, its occurrence would become routinized and it would no longer remain the sign of a genuine prophet.

I would not agree with your persistent concern, namely, that the miracles of the saints could usurp the proper role of the Miracle of the prophet, which is defined as an act contrary to the natural course of affairs. The reason is that the miracles of the community are The Miracle of the Prophet. Just as the Law continues to remain, so should the proof of its authenticity! We can say that the saints bear witness to the genuineness of the gift of prophecy that the Prophet exercises until the very Day of Resurrection. If you ask what the difference between a Miracle and a miracle is, it should be stated that in a Miracle, one finds the revelation of the condition, whereas in a miracle, it remains hidden. Also, the prophets know that a Miracle is to occur and give news of it in advance, whereas saints do not have information about a miracle before it comes to pass.

This is the basis for saying that there is really no proof that a saint has acquired saintliness until he considers himself the lowliest of all creatures. If he sees himself in this fashion, how could he go around claiming to perform miracles? Since there can be no such claim, a fortiori how could he give news of the coming occurrence of such? It is also said that those who seek anything from God except God Himself can never attain genuine saintliness. If a person claims to be a miracle worker, it means that he has sought something other than the Friend. This would banish saintliness rather than prove its existence.

When you have grasped so much, ponder it carefully! It is not fitting for God to grant Miracles, which He reserves for just men, to any liar who lays claim to prophethood. A prophet is a just man and a confirmer of the truth. It is therefore necessary to put one's faith in him, whereas a false prophet is a liar and a mutilator, in whom it is not proper to put one's faith. A speaker of the truth should be separated from one who defaces it, and that would be by a Miracle. If, however, Miracles were to emanate from both, nothing would remain by which to distinguish the mutilator, nor would it be clear to the people whom they should trust. Thus, a resemblance would arise between the truthful man and the liar. What a dreadful prospect! Moreover, the sheikhs of this group and all the Sunnis agree that it is appropriate that any act that constitutes a forcible breach of what normally occurs, like a Miracle of the prophets or of the saints, even if it occurs at the hands of an infidel, should produce no doubt in any one's mind that might lead to deception. [The example of Pharaoh is cited: Though he laid claim to divinity through his miraculous deeds, any intelligent man could perceive that he was not God.]

Deception means that someone pretends to save, but actually destroys. The deceiver confers honor but brings subjection. He points out the way but induces error. With enemies there is this defect: No matter what they give, it is all obstinacy and deception! Thus, we have three forms of behavior: For the prophets, there are Miracles, for the saints, miracles; for enemies, deception and obstinacy. Yet another list is mentioned.) An obstinate and fraudulent sinner pride himself on what he does and places his trust in it. He considers himself deserving of praise and displays arrogance toward others. A genuinely good man, however, flees from miracles and is afraid of them. He cries out to God for help, and even holds his own body in contempt. The venerable Sufis have noted that in most cases, preoccupation with miracles indicates the extent to which a person is satisfied with what is not God. Eventually a withdrawal from God Himself will appear. Consider, for instance, the mother who wants her child to get away from her or to go outside. She gives him some sweet to eat. If the child is intelligent, he prefers to cling to his mother's skirt; but if he is foolish, he takes the sweet, rejoices, and goes outside, where he either falls into the water or under the feet of some passing animal. His attention is only on the sweet and not on how far away from his mother he is. Taking the sweet, the foolish child left his mother, but if he had continued holding on to her skirt, the sweet would also have been his.

A group of venerable Sufis has said that miracles are simply color and decoration, meant to help people a little. Every camel that people look after carefully, decorate and parade around the town, is honored by the people during this display, at the same time that the knife for the sacrifice is being quietly honed. If its throat were not destined to be cut, then all this preparation would be for nought. A sheikh has said: There are many idols in the world. A miracle is one of these, As long as infidels are associated with idols, they remain God's enemies. When they turn away from idols and sever all connections with them, they become saints. In the same way, a miracle can become the idol of a mystic! If he is content with miracles, he will one day be filled with shame! By not turning away from miracles, he makes idols of them. Thus, he cannot come close to the God who has been reveiled to him!

May it never happen, O dearest idol of mine, that love of You should depart my heart, or thought of You, my mind!

Even if You seek my death there will remain That taste for You in my rotting bones.

[Further elaboration, a story of Bayazid, and a couplet follow.

God forbid that my heart should ever become separated from You,

Or that it should grow intimate with anyone other than You.

Diverted from love of You, whom would it love?

If it were to quit your lane, where would it go?

To conclude, O brother, have you not heard that there is life at the beginning of love, but death at the end? And also that there is deceit at the beginning, but death at the end! and again, that in the beginning there are miracles, but grief at the end! It is with reference to such a situation that someone has said, Misfortunes are required for love, just as salt is needed in the cauldron.

Comforting it is to experience pain on account of the friend who is also a physician daily visiting the home of his sick.

Do you know who such a person is? It is everyone endowed with beauty who is not a lover of himself, and does not usurp, on account of his own beauty, the praise due to God, for he should be such that, if tomorrow there were to come an announcement, Look at Me! he would say, It is impossible! How could such Beauty be seen by eyes such as mine? Someone has said:

No matter how much you try, you will never describe that union

It is beyond the reach of the tongue or the power of utterance.

O brother, on that day that the carpet of love will be spread, all will throw their preconceived desires into the fire, for it has been decreed that they all belong to the Beloved! Total absence of desire is the lot of the lover. Hence it is that they say: He is merciful and compassionate toward ordinary slaves, but with lovers He is a King who accomplishes whatever He wants! [The sufferings of Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph are briefly reiterated.]

He does all these things yet, out of godly fear, The true man does not utter even a single sigh! For His face is like a mirror: One sigh would cloud it over!

Peace!