Qutb's..?

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

I was reading about Qutbs, and it was stated that there is a hierarchy of


the Prophet > the Khatm > the Ghawth > the Qutb > the Abdal

through whom Allah showers His mercy.
Or something like that...

Can someone please explain more about this concept, and the basis for it?

Jazakallahu khair,
wassalam.

[Tazkiyah]

:salam:

I was reading about Qutbs, and it was stated that there is a hierarchy of


the Prophet > the Khatm > the Ghawth > the Qutb > the Abdal

through whom Allah showers His mercy.
Or something like that...

Can someone please explain more about this concept, and the basis for it?

Jazakallahu khair,
wassalam.


Some info..

Among the Awliya there are four thousand who are hidden. They don't know one another and are themselves unaware of their excellent state, being hidden from themselves and from mankind. These elite beings are in the realm of 'general saint-ship' (Wilayat aama). The functionaries of Allah's court, involved in the Spiritual Administration are in the realm of 'special saint-ship' (Wilayat khaassa): They are classified in the hierarchy as:

1. Three hundred Akhyaar (good) - very good 'righteous' and upright servants of Allah’

2. Forty Abdaal (substitute)- the pegs of the universe, who live physically on the earth and who are 'substituted' (badal) every time one leaves the physical realm. . In a Hadith Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “There will be 40 Abdaal on the soil of Mulk-e-Sham (Syria) till the Day of Judgement. If one dies another will take his place”

3. Seven Abraar (pious) from among the Abdaal - spiritual guardians

4. Four Awtaad (pillars) from among the Abdaal

5. Three Nuqaba (leaders) and

6. One called Qutb or Ghawth.

The Abdaal, amongst whom the higher category is called Abraar and Awtaad are the deputies of the Qutb or Ghawth who is the main receiver of Allah's spiritual energy. All others receive spiritual energy through the Qutb. The Abraar and Awtaad are assigned as regional Qutb's in separate areas of the earth. All are answerable to the Supreme Qutb and to spiritual superiors within the network. The identity of the Qutb is veiled to the world due to the sensitive nature of the job. There is also no need for disclosure of his identity since his work is to filter Allah's energy into the world. The teachers of Tasawwuf or Shaykhs are made apparent and visible in the world, since people need contact with them. One of the Shaykhs may hold one of the positions of Qutb or Abdaal but, again, it is not necessary to disclose this.

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

Indeed, that is what I heard too.
But where is all this from? Ya'ni, is it just a solely-sufi concept, or does it have any basis in the Book and Sunah? (I know the Abdal do).

Thanks, ws

[Zubair]

salam

can some cite the proof for the abdal from the hadith or the quran?


salam

[lumumba_s]

As'salamu `alaykum,

The hiearchy of saints was elucidated mainly by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi and Muhyiddin ibn al-`Arabi, whom are referred to as the "Two Philosophers of the Sufis."

The hadith of the `Abdal are known and were accepted as being authentic by the Salaf. I suspect that they were only weakened because of certain people's adversion to "philosophical" tasawwuf.

As far as the qutb goes, there are authentic ahadith in which the Messenger of Allah :saw: said that Allah only gives water to the earth and fodder to the animals because of the existence of a particular person in that land. And from the Qur'an, we understand that the Prophet's very existence among them was a means for the Quraysh to be respited, their good deeds accepted and forgiven for their mistakes (and their mistake was shirk).

Such is the qutb, as similar things are said in the ahadith without assigning that particular name to them. The general concept of the qutb is believed by the people of the spiritual path, but it is not fundamental. And to complicate matters, many of the people of innovation borrowed the terminology and concepts of the authentic Sufis in an attempt to cast legitimacy on their innovated beliefs. A fact which many opponents of tasawwuf get backwards.

But regardless, the point is that one become one of the aqtab/abqal/etc. oneself, not merely comment upon what type of Birkenstocks that he is wearing. With the understanding that "A person has merit, so long as they do not see that they have merit. If they see tha they have merit, then they have none."

But the heart of the matter is as Sidi Ibn Ata Allah said in one of his letters (which I vaguely recall from Reliance of the Traveler), "If the repentence of the ordinary was like that of the qutb, there would be no difference between the two."

May we all be realized in this. Ma-salama.

[tilmeedh]

:salam: and :jazak:

Perhaps I should emphasize the fact that I'm specifically looking for the daleel's from the Quran or Sunnah for the awtad, ghawth, and qutb.
@Lumumba: You mentioned the hadith that seems to be referring to the Qutb. If I'm not mistaken, that is actually referring to the Abdal?

If it's not to be found there, then does it not contradict the fundamental principle that we cannot use kashf to establish points of belief/jurisprudence?

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

I just found something that has to do with precisely my question.
It's from Imam Suyuti's Fatawa, and it's titled "Al-Khabar al-Daal 'ala Wujud Al-Qutb Wal-Awtad Wal-Nujaba wal-Abdal" (tr. roughly: The Report Proving the Existence of the Qutb, Awtad, Nujaba and Abdal).

Please see the attachment (Arabic).

edit: Just finished reading it.
So far, the only sahih/hasan reports I found regarding any of the Qutb, Awtad, Nujaba and Abdal, seems to be of the Abdal, that:
1) They are 40 Abdal in Al-Sham (and possibly 30 elsewhere),
2) Allah helps us through them,
3) through them we ask for rain.

As for the others, Imam Suyuti did not differentiate between the authentic reports and the inauthentic (and some of them are indeed inauthentic). Also, there are some reports that might be a basis for the existence of the Awtad (if authentic), but none for the Qutb.
So the question remains: what is the basis of the the Qutb's, Awtad and the rest?

[lumumba_s]

:salam:

As I said, the concept is from the Qur'an and ahadith. From a "philosophical" standpoint, you cannot neglect the lingustics of the discussion, since as the `ulama state "New nomenclature cannot be condemned." The qutb is merely the supreme most wali at a particular time, and like prophethood, it is a substantive thing and only the qutb knows what he does when he gets off the bus, so to speak. There is a section on the qutb in the biography that Shaykh Mustafa Badawi did of Imam `Abdullah ibn Haddad al-`Alawi. It is not a fundamental belief, and thus not a point of `aqida. I have a few lectures that discuss it in detail somewhere, but I've never given too much thought to it and thus my explanation is lacking. Tawatir is also a proof and there have been far too many upright leaders of this community who have affirmed his existence for me to deny, though the particular details do not concern me.

Believing or not believing in the qutb isn't going help one in one's own path personally. And like I've heard one of the mashaykh say, even if you met the qutb, if Allah didn't place your rizq in him, he won't benefit you in the slightest. For that reason, despite my affinity for the personalities like Ibn al-`Arabi and Hakim al-Tirmidhi, such discussions are usually a waste of time. Tasawwuf is you and Allah, not Allah and the qutb. And for that reason, Shaykh Sha'rani used to forbid his murids from reading books of tasawwuf because he wanted his students to be completely absorbed with their own state and relationship with Allah. And he said about the qutb, "Each shaykh is a qutb of his own circle." I.e. each shaykh is the wasila through which the baraka and "secret" of the nisba reaches the murids as long as they listen and follow.

In English, the longest written discussion of the concept is that I have seen is in the book (http://store.yahoo.com/islamicbookstore-com/b8483.html) that I mentioned, but from what I recall, it isn't a polemical entry. In Arabic, you will probably find the most thorough discussion of this subject in those two men that I mentioned. But be forewarned, their books are not casual reads and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (per Sidi Salman of Contemplating Chisti (http://alchishti.wordpress.com/) ), despite his love for Ibn al-`Arabi, stated that reading his books "destroys one's dunya and akhira" except for people who are qualfied or reads them under the guidance of a shaykh who is. There are also probably quite a few Shadhilis besides Imam Suyuti who discussed it, and I imagine the Ba `Alawi tariqa has probably had a great deal amount to say about it, given both of those tariqas affinity for Shaykh Muhyiddin.