Al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ al-Raḥmān wa-Awliyāʾ al-Shayṭān - Ibn Taimiya - (187)

Al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ al-Raḥmān wa-Awliyāʾ al-ShayṭānIbn Taimiya

among them—just as it does among those who drink wine—so that the devils attending one participant overpower the devils with another and kill him.
[The Pinnacle of Divine Favor Is Steadfastness]
Ignorant people imagine that this is one of the miracles granted to the pious friends of Allah, whereas in reality it only drives its possessor further from Allah and belongs to the states of the devils. The life of a Muslim is lawful to take only in the cases Allah has permitted; how, then, could the killing of someone whose blood is protected be an honor with which Allah favors His allies?
The highest form of divine favor is, in fact, steadfast adherence to the Straight Path. Allah has never honored a servant with anything greater than aiding him in what He loves and is pleased with, and increasing him in whatever draws him nearer to Him and raises his rank. Extraordinary happenings (khawāriq) come in several kinds: some are of the realm of knowledge, such as disclosures of hidden matters; others are of the realm of power and dominion, such as actions that break customary norms; and still others are of the realm of wealth—outward gifts that people recognize, like learning, authority, money, and affluence.
[How the One Possessed of Satanic Wonders Is Deluded by His State]
Whatever of these gifts Allah grants His servant—if the servant uses it to pursue what Allah loves and approves of, to draw nearer to Him, to elevate his rank, and to carry out what Allah and His Messenger command—then it only increases him in honor, closeness to Allah and His Messenger, and elevation of status.
But if he employs it for what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden—such as polytheism, injustice, or indecency—he becomes deserving of blame and punishment. Unless Allah rescues him with repentance or good deeds that wipe out the sin, he will be like any other offender. For this reason, those who experience extraordinary phenomena are often punished: sometimes by being stripped of them, just as a king is deposed from his throne or a scholar is divested of his knowledge; and sometimes by being deprived of voluntary acts of devotion, so that he is transferred

بينهم، كما تحصل بين شراب الخمر، فتكون شياطين أحدهم أقوى من شياطين الآخر فيقتلونه. [غاية الكرامة لزوم الاستقامة] ويظن الجهال أن هذا من كرامات أولياء الله المتقين، وإنما هذا مبعد لصاحبه عن الله، وهو من أحوال الشياطين، فإن قتل المسلم لا يحل إلا بما أحله الله، فكيف يكون قتل المعصوم مما يكرم الله به أولياءه؟! وانما غاية الكرامة لزوم الاستقامة، فلم يكرم الله عبدا بمثل أن يعينه على ما يحبه ويرضاه، ويزيده مما يقربه اليه ويرفع به درجته، وذلك أن الخوارق منها ما هو من جنس العلم، كالمكاشفات، ومنها ما هو من جنس القدرة والملك، كالتصرفات الخارقة للعادات، ومنها ما هو من جنس الغنى، من جنس ما يعطاه الناس في الظاهر، من العلم، والسلطان، والمال، والغنى. [انخداع صاحب الخوارق الشيطانية بحاله] وجميع ما يؤتيه الله لعبده من هذه الأمور، إن استعان به على ما يحبه ويرضاه، ويقربه إليه، ويرفع درجته، ويأمره الله به ورسوله، ازداد بذلك رفعة وقربا إلى الله ورسوله، وعلت درجته. وإن استعان به على ما نهى الله عنه ورسوله، كالشرك، والظلم، والفواحش، استحق بذلك الذم والعقاب، فإن لم يتداركه الله تعالى بتوبة أو حسنات ماحية، وإلا كان كأمثاله من المذنبين، ولهذا كثيرا ما يعاقب أصحاب الخوارق، تارة بسلبها، كما يعزل الملك عن ملكه، ويسلب العالم علمه، وتارة بسلب التطوعات، فينقل