Chapter: The Miraculous Favors Granted to the Awliyāʾ and Their Distinction

Allah the Exalted says, “Behold! The awliyāʾ (close friends) of Allah—no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve; those who have believed and remained mindful of Him. For them there is glad tidings in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. No change can there be to the words of Allah; that indeed is the supreme triumph.”

He also says, “Shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward yourself; it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you, so eat and drink.”

[Explanation]

Imām al-Nawawī—may Allah have mercy on him—opens the chapter in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn entitled “The Miraculous Favors Granted to the Awliyāʾ and Their Distinction.”

Here, “karāmāt” refers to every extraordinary occurrence that Allah causes to appear at the hands of those who follow the Messenger ﷺ. A karāmah is thus an unusual event brought about by Allah through a follower of the Prophet—either to honor that person or to support the truth. These karāmāt are firmly established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and by actual events.

But who are the awliyāʾ? Allah Himself has identified them in His statement: “Behold! The awliyāʾ of Allah—no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve; those who have believed and were God-fearing.” These, then, are the awliyāʾ: people who combine faith with piety. The awliyāʾ of Allah are not those who merely claim that status while actually being among His enemies—as occurs in certain lands where a man comes forward, declaring himself a wali even though he is flagrantly disobedient. He invites people to worship him and obey him in everything, and he alleges that Allah has made everything lawful for him—even what is forbidden—because, so he claims, he has reached the ultimate spiritual station. Such individuals are not awliyāʾ of Allah; they are enemies of Allah. A true wali of Allah is the believing, God-fearing person, exactly as stated in the verse above.