Yusuf al-Nabahani was a famous Sufi (Shadhili order) who dedicated his efforts to campaign against the ‘Wahhabi’ movement and also wrote against Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him). He served as a qadi (judge) in the Ottoman Empire and sent his daughter’s son, Taqiuddin al-Nabhani, to his colleagues and teachers at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Later, Taqiuddin played a significant role in establishing the Hizb ut-Tahrir group.
One of the most important works of Yusuf Al-Nabahani is ‘Jami Karamat al-Awliya’, which can be translated to ‘Collection of the Miracles of the Saints’. As the name of the book suggests, it is a collection of supposed ‘miracles’ of Sufi saints and is highly revered by Sufis. The two-volume work is filled with Kufri, bizarre, absurd, and sometimes even obscene ‘miracles’ of the Sufi ‘saints’.
Here is one of these Sufi ‘miracles’ (hogwash) suitable for ages 18+. If you didn’t know any better, you might think it’s from some obscene comic. So, consider yourself warned.
شيخنا الشيخ علي العمري(مات في طرابلس سنة (1322هـ))، الشاذلي الطرابلسي، أشهر أولياء هذا العصر وأكثرهم كرامات وخوارق عادات… ومن كراماته رضي الله عنه ما أخبرني به الحاج إبراهيم المذكور (إبراهيم الحداد من اللاذقية)، قال: دخلت في هذا النهار إلى الحمام مع شيخنا الشيخ علي العمري، ومعنا خادمه محمد الدبوسي الطرابلسي، وهو أخو إحدى زوجات الشيخ، ولم يكن في الحمام غيرنا، قال: فرأيت من الشيخ كرامة من أعجب خوارق العادات وأغربها، وهي أنه أظهر الغضب على خادمه محمد هذا وأراد أن يؤدبه، فأخذ الشيخ إحليل نفسه – أي: ذَكَرَه – بيديه الاثنتين من تحت إزاره، فطال طولاً عجيباً بحيث إنه رفعه على كتفه وهو زائد عنه، وصار يجلد به خادمه المذكور، والخادم يصرخ من شدة الألم، فَعل ذلك مرات ثم تركه، وعاد إحليله إلى ما كان عليه أولاً، ففهمت أن الخادم قد عمل عملاً يستحق التأديب، فأدَّبه بهذه الصورة العجيبة. ولما حكى لي ذلك الحاج إبراهيم، حكاه بحضور الشيخ، وكان الشيخ واقفاً، فقال لي الشيخ: لا تصدقه وانظر، ثم أخذ بيدي بالجبر عني، ووضعها على موضع إحليله، فلم أحس بشيء مطلقاً، حتى كأنه ليس برجل بالكلية، فرحمه الله ورضي عنه ما أكثر عجائبه وكراماته
قال النبهاني: « ولما حكى لي ذلك الحاج إبراهيم حكاه بحضور الشيخ الذي كان واقفًا فقال لي الشيخ لا تصدقه، وأخذ يدي بالجبر عني ووضعها على موضع إحليله فلم أحس بشيء مطلقًا حتى كأنه ليس برجل أبدًا، فرحمه الله ورضي عنه ما أكثر عجائبه وكراماته » (جامع كرامات الأولياء ليوسف بن إسماعيل النبهاني ٢/ ٣٩٦)
“Our Shaykh, Shaykh Ali al-Amri al-Shadhli al-Tarabulsi (d. 1322 AH), was one of the most famous (Sufi) saints of this era, with the most miracles and extraordinary deeds. One of his miracles, may Allah be pleased with him, was recounted to me by the mentioned Haj Ibrahim (Ibrahim Al-Haddad from Latakia). He said, ‘I entered the bathhouse on this day with our Shaykh, Shaykh Ali al-Amri, along with his servant Muhammad al-Dabousi al-Tarabulsi, who is the brother of one of the Shaykh’s wives, and there was no one in the bathhouse but us.’ He continued, ‘I witnessed from the Shaykh a miracle (karamah) amongst the most astonishing Khawariq al-Adat (supernatural occurrences) and the most peculiar. It is that he displayed anger towards his servant Muhammad and intended to discipline him. So the Shaykh took his genital organ (i.e., Penis) with both hands from below his waist-cloth and elongated it to an incredible length, to the extent that he lifted it over his shoulder and it became longer than him. He began to whip his aforementioned servant with it, and the servant screamed from the intensity of the pain. He did this several times and then left him, and the tip of his genital organ returned to its original state. So I understood that the servant had done something deserving of discipline, and thus he disciplined him in this astonishing manner. When Hajj Ibrahim narrated that to me, he did so in the presence of the Shaykh, who was standing. The Shaykh said to me, ‘Do not believe him; look.’ Then he forcibly took my hand and placed it on his genital organ, yet I felt absolutely nothing as if he were not a man at all. May Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him, for his wonders and blessings are abundant.'” (Karamat al-Awliya by Yusuf al-Nabahani vol. 2 p. 396)
Comment
- Loooooooooool.
- Only the spiritually deprived Wahhabis would reject such deeply spiritual mystical realities (khurafat and batinism) of the great Sufi saints. Wahhabis simply fail to comprehend these deeply spiritual and esoteric Sufi miracles (shenanigans) and insist on adhering to the Quran and Sunnah.
Now, behold: Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan al-Bouti, the one who likened the army of the criminal, polytheist Nusayri, the esoteric Rafidi Bashar al-Assad, vassal of Majoosi Iran, to the Sahabah and, at the same time, expressed a desire to be a mere follower (literally a finger!) of the Rafidi Hasan Nasrullat, openly praised Yusuf al-Nabahani’s book, replete with shirk and superstitions, and recommended it, stating that he did not have the honour of being one of Yusuf al-Nabahani’s students.
And there are many, many more ridiculous stories (‘miracles’) in Yusuf al-Nabahani’s work that expose the heretical reality of the esoteric and superstitious Sufis.
Isn’t believing in miracles a part of Islam?
There is no doubt that according to the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah, miracles (karamat) are possible for every Muslim, not just for prophets or the awliya. However, there are many charlatans masquerading as ‘saints’ (awliya).
Even in the 21st century, numerous con artists are roaming the world in the name of Islam and Sufi sainthood. One of them is literally known as Chuf-Chuf Pir; all he does is blow and spit into his microphone while his bamboozled devotees await his ‘blessings’ and ‘healing’ (similar to what evangelist preachers do in the name of Jesus, peace be upon him). With such textbook cons, he has been managing to fill entire halls not only in his subcontinent homeland but also in the West!
Some thought that with the emergence of the internet and especially social media becoming popular, and everyone having a camera, all these pirs/’Ayatollahs’ and other heretical con artists would be exposed for good and never recover. Some thought that absurd cults like Qadiyanism and Twelver Shiism would lose all their followers after their kufr was exposed. Well, no. Where there are human beings, there will always be a majority of misguided simpletons who couldn’t care less when it comes to educating themselves about the falsehood of their customs and beliefs and how contrary they are to actual Islam.
But back to the original question and its reply: of course, karamat are entirely possible. There are many karamat mentioned in the books of scholars that deal with biographies and stories of the Salaf (early generations), such as Al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad, Hilyat al-Awliya’ by Abu Na’imm al-Asbahani (Isfahani), Siyar A’lam al-Nubala by Al-Dhahabi, Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, and many others. But some of these stories are not sahih and some are exaggerated, especially the stories told by the Sufis in their books about their shaykhs/pirs.
Hence, Imam al-Tahawi said: “We believe in what is narrated about their karamat and what is mentioned in saheeh reports from trustworthy narrators.”
Imam al-Shatibi said:
“Not every extraordinary feat that occurs at the hands of the human being is a karamah (miracle). Rather some of them may be karamat, whilst others are not.”
Shaykh al-Albani said in his commentary on Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah
“The author did well to limit it to the reports that are proven to be sound, because the people, especially among later generations of Muslims, narrated very many stories of karamat, to such an extent that they narrated many false stories under that heading which no one who has the slightest reason or common sense would doubt are false. In fact, in some cases they contain major shirk, associating others with the Lordship of Allah. (Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Takhrij al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, p. 84)
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said:
The karamat of the close friends of Allah (awliya) are true according to the consensus of the imams of Islam and of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. That is indicated by the Quran in more than one place and by sahih hadiths and well-founded reports from the Sahabah, Tabi’in, and others. It is only denied by innovators such as the Mu’talizah, Jahamiyyah, and those who followed them. But many of those who claim to have performed miracles or to whom people attributed miracles may have been lying or confused. (Ibn Taymiyyah, Mukhtasar al-Fatawa al-Masriyyah, 2/63)
Some extraordinary occurrences may happen at the hands of polytheists and sinners, due to the association of demons with them. They engage in deeds similar to those performed by sorcerers, with the assistance of demons.
Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar said: “Supernatural occurrences can occur for the heretic through deception and enticement, just as it can occur for the righteous through miracles and honour. The differentiation between them is achieved by adhering to the Quran and Sunnah.” (Fath al-Bari 12/385 by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Amongst the categories of polytheists are those from the Arabs, Indians, Turks, Greeks, and others, who strive in knowledge, asceticism, and worship. However, they do not follow the messengers, do not believe in what they brought, do not trust them in what they informed, and do not obey them in what they commanded. Thus, these individuals are not believers nor are they allies of Allah. Satan is associated with them, and descends upon them, revealing some matters to them. They exhibit extraordinary actions akin to magic. They are from the type of fortune-tellers and sorcerers upon whom demons descend. Allah, the Exalted, says (Quran 26:221-223):
هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَى مَنْ تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ . تَنَزَّلُ عَلَى كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ . يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ
‘Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar. They pass on what is heard, and most of them are liars.’
All these individuals who attribute themselves to unveiling hidden matters and extraordinary occurrences, if they are not followers of the messengers, must inevitably lie. Their demons deceive them, and there must be in their actions sin and immorality, such as a form of polytheism, injustice, obscenities, extremism, or innovation in worship. Consequently, demons descend upon them and become associated with them, making them allies of Satan rather than allies of the Most Merciful. Allah, the Exalted, says (Quran 43:36)
وَمَنْ يَعْشُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ
‘And whoever is blinded from remembrance of the Most Merciful – We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion.'” (Majmu al-Fatawa by Ibn Taymiyyah, 11/172)
So it is essential to approach this matter with caution and correct understanding because extraordinary events may happen to some who promote misguidance, which may lead the ignorant to believe that these are karamat when in fact they are the deceit of the devils.
Finally, there is a very important book on this topic entitled ‘The Criterion between the Friends of the Merciful and the Friends of the Shaytan’ by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him). I doubt this book is available in English, and anyway, a Muslim should strive to learn and even master the Arabic language, as most Islamic literature, including pivotal works, has not been translated into any language, and nothing comes close to the original anyway.
EBNHUSSEIN.COM 
