and another is that whenever one of them dies, Allah Most High replaces him with another man; another is that their bad traits, deeds and beliefs have been replaced with good ones. None of these qualities is exclusive to forty people, or to any smaller or larger number, nor are they confined to the inhabitants of any particular region. This clarification also makes plain the meaning of the designation “nujabā’” (noble ones).

The point is that these designations are sometimes interpreted in ways invalidated by the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus of the early generations. For example, some explain “ghawth” (succour) as the person through whom Allah provides the inhabitants of the earth with sustenance and victory. This resembles what Christians say about the pope. Yet this supposed ghawth has neither existence nor effect, much like the awaited one who entered the cellar some four hundred and forty years ago.

Likewise, interpreting “the forty abdāl” to mean that people receive victory and sustenance only through them is false. Rather, victory and sustenance come through various means, among the most potent of which are the believers’ supplications, beneficence and sincerity. This is not restricted to forty people, or to any smaller or larger number. As stated in the well-known hadith, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās said:

“O Messenger of Allah, if a man is his people’s defender, is he allotted the same share as the weakest among them?”

He replied:

“O Saʿd, are you granted victory and sustenance except through the weak among you—through their supplications, prayers and sincerity?”

There may also be other means of obtaining sustenance and victory, for the wicked and the unbelievers