or sometimes walking on water; or filling a jug from the air; or at times spending from unseen sources; or sometimes disappearing from people’s sight; or someone calling upon him for help while he is absent or dead, then seeing him come and fulfil his need; or telling people what has been stolen from them, or about the condition of someone absent or ill, and other such things. None of these things indicates that the person is a friend of Allah. Indeed, the friends of Allah agree that even if a man flies through the air or walks on water, one should not be taken in by him before examining whether he follows the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and complies with his commands and prohibitions.
The miraculous gifts bestowed upon the friends of Allah Most High are greater than these things. Although someone who performs such extraordinary feats may be a friend of Allah, he may also be an enemy of Allah. These feats occur among many disbelievers, polytheists, People of the Book, and hypocrites, as well as among followers of religious innovations, and they may come from devils. It is therefore impermissible to suppose that everyone who displays any such feat is a friend of Allah. Rather, Allah’s friends are to be assessed by their qualities, deeds, and states as described in the Quran and Sunnah. They are recognized by the light of faith and the Quran, by the inward realities of faith, and by the outward observances prescribed by Islam.
For example, these and similar things may occur in people, yet one of them may neither perform ablution nor observe the obligatory prayers; rather, he may be