Are Abdal given powers?

Some people online mentioned the Hadith in Musnad Ahmad: “The People of al-Sham (Palestine and Syria) were mentioned in the presence of Ali ibn Abi Talib while he was in Iraq, and they said: “Curse them O Commander of the faithful!” He replied: “No, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: The Abdal will be in al-Sham and they are forty men. Every time one of them dies, Allah replaces him with another, It is through them that rain is given, through them victory is granted over enemies, and through them punishment is averted from the people of al-Sham”

After these people online mentioned that Imam Ahmad considered some narrators to be among Abdal. And concludes that these Ahadith indicate powers that Allah has granted.

Reply: As for the claim that Abdaal are given powers by Allah (Ta’ala), this is false.

First all Ahadith of Abdaal, Awtad, Nujaba and others are weak.

Shaykh Ozair Shams quotes Hafiz ibnul Qayim in his lengthy introduction to “The Fatwa Gawth, Qutb, Abdaal Awtad” of Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah which Shaykh Ozair Shams published with his verification in“Jami Al-Masail” under Dar Alim Fawaid of Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd, and which is translated in English by “Umm-Ul-Qura Publications” p26:

“Ibnul Qayim said in “Al-Manar Al-Muneef” p 136: “The Ahadith of the Abdal, Aqtab, Aghwath (plural of Ghawth), Nuqaba, Nujaba, Awtad are all falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (saw). And the less weak among them is: “Do not insult the people of Shaam, because indeed the Abdal are there, and whenever one of their men dies, Allah replaces him (abdala) with another man”, this has been mentioned by Ahmad and it is like others not authentic, as it is indeed Munqati’””

So the Hadith quoted by such people online is weak as the chain is disconnected. For some other famous weak narrations of Abdal, refer to Appendix one of the ““The Fatwa Gawth, Qutb, Abdaal Awtad” of Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah, or this article: https://umm-ul-qura.org/2015/11/11/the-reality-of-the-ahadith-of-abdaal/

Secondly there is no mention of powers given to saints in the texts of these weak Ahadith. Even is such Ahadith were authentic, it would mean victory being given through the invocations of the Abdaal, and not any granted powers, as it comes in Sunnan Nasai that the Prophet (saw) said: ““Are you not granted assistance and sustenance except by your weak ones, by their invocations, prayers and sincerity”

Also in Al-Bukhari (2896) from Mus’ab Ibn Sa’d, he said: Sa’d considered that he had more merits than others, and the Prophet (saw) said: “Are you not granted assistance and sustenance except by your weak ones…“

This narration is also narrated by Imam Ahmad from the way of Makhul from Sa’d with similar words. See p 68 of “The Fatwa Gawth, Qutb, Abdaal Awtad” of Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah.

So nobody says that weak people are given powers, rather Allah Ta’ala accepts their invocations more, likewise in these weak Ahadith of Abdaal, victory being granted through them would mean f such Ahadith were authentic, that it is through their invocations.

If saints had such powers that they could use as they wish, why would Muslim armies face defeats? Yes Allah listens more to the invocation of saints and in general the Ummah is helped through their Du’a, but this has nothing to do with powers.

Third, as for Imam Ahmad using the word “Budala” (plural of Abdal), then many of the Salaf used it like late scholars such as Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah in “Al-Wasityah” but not with the meaning of powers being granted, that Abdal can use as they wish.

Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah writes, p 75 and after of “The Fatwa Gawth, Qutb, Abdaal Awtad”:

“As for the word “Adbal”, its mention came in the speech of many of the Salaf, they would say: So and so are counted among the Abdal. As for the word “Awtad”, it appeared in the speech of some of them. The term “Abdal” has been used with three meanings:

It has been said: They are named “Abdal” because they are the substitutes (Abdal) of the Prophets, and this meaning is correct as indeed the Prophets have successors, like the rightly guided caliphs were the successors of the Prophet (saw), and he and other Prophets had appointed in their lifetimes some substitutes and deputies in some matters, and he (saw), would designate some of his companions as substitutes in Madinah when he would go for a military expedition or for minor and major Pilgrimage (Hajj and ‘Umrah), like he would appoint Umm Abi Maktum or others as substitutes, or like the designation of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib as substitute at the expedition of Tabuk while all the Sahabah went out for this expedition except those who had excuses (they were disabled or too old) with the three who remained behind (and were later forgiven), and ‘Ali went to see the Prophet (saw) and said: “O Messenger of Allah (saw), do you leave me with the women and the children?”, he replied: “Are you not pleased to have the same position for me as Harun had for Musa?”, and Allah (Ta’ala) said:

“And Mûsa (Moses) said to his brother Hârûn (Aaron): “Replace me among my people, act in the Right Way (by ordering the people to obey Allâh and to worship Him Alone) and follow not the way of the Mufsidûn (mischief-makers).” (Al-A’raf : 142)

Musa appointed Harun as his substitute for the time he went to the appointed place (to receive the tablets from Allah) until his return.

In the same way, the Prophet (saw) in his life time would appoint rulers over cities like ‘Atab ibn Asid, Khalid ibn Sa’id and others, he would charge people with the collection of the Sadaqat (Zakat), also he would send instructors to teach people like Mu’az and Abu Musa (who were sent to Yemen), and all of these are his deputies and substitutes in some matters without others.

A Hadith describes those who love the Sunnah and teach it to the people as being Khulafa (caliphs and successors) of the Prophet, and the Prophets also have inheritors as stipulated in the famous Hadith in the “Sunnan”: “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets” and this inherited Khilafah (caliphate or succession) can be in some matters without others. Those who attained some proportions of the knowledge with which Prophets were sent are the inheritors according to these proportions, and those who take their places in some matters are their substitutes and deputies in these matters, so whoever takes their places in some of this would be their substitute in this matter.

Indeed ‘Umar asked Al-‘Abbas to lead the prayer of Istisqa (seeking the rain) and invoke for rain, and said: “O Allah, we used to take our Prophet as intermediary (to invoke for rain) to You when the lands became arid, and now we take the uncle of our Prophet as intermediary (for this purpose) to You.”

And it is known that among the general conditions and signs of the Prophets are their invocation for the creation and the production of sustenance and assistance that result from their invocations and worship, so whoever takes their places in some of this would be their substitute in these particular matter.

And it has been said that they are named “Abdal” because whenever one of them dies, Allah replaces (Abdala) him with another man, and this explanation is not correct and does not indicate any praise for these Abdal, because the person who dies can be replaced by someone who is a believer but also by a disbeliever as indeed Allah established some descendants of Adam as successors of others with a divergence of actions, He (Ta’ala) said:

“And it is He Who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth” (An’am: 165)

And He said: “And indeed, We destroyed generations before you, when they did wrong while their Messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they were not such as to believe! Thus do We requite the people who are Mujrimûn (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals, etc.). Then We made you follow after them, generations after generations in the land, that We might see how you would work!” (Yunus : 13-14)

He indeed established the community of Muhammad as successors of other communities that perished in previous centuries and were disbelievers and criminals.

Also Nuh said to Him: “If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers” (Nuh : 27)

So this disbelieving and corrupt child is the substitute (Badal) and replacement of his father. So the substitution of a person by another does not entail any praise except if the second is a praised person, so if we do not give importance to the matter of substitution when one can replace a Prophet or take his place, then being substitute of others than them does not contain any attributes of praise.

Also if everyone who dies was to be replaced by another (of the same level as the Sufis claim), this would necessitate that Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali were substituted with their similar, and this was not such as they are the best of the successors of the Messengers, and their best deputies and inheritors.

Furthermore, the number of the substitutes of the Prophets would multiply with the increase of faith and piety, and it would be reduced with the decrease of these, so one can deduce from this fluctuation that whenever a pious believer dies, he is not necessarily replaced by another person (of the same level of faith and piety).

It has also been said that the meaning of Abdal is that they replace their bad deeds with good ones, and the meaning here will be that they are repenting people, and every believer who repents will be included in this meaning.

Some of these (Sufis) claim that when the Badl is absent from his location, he is substituted with someone of the same appearance, and this is totally erroneous, the Salaf did not attribute this meaning to the word “Badl”, neither would they establish this among the particularities of those named with this term.” End of Shaykhul Islam’s words.

Conclusion: Neither the texts of these weak Ahadith, nor the use of the word “Abdal” by Salaf proves any power granted to saints, that they can use as they wish. And we can ask such online people why the Abdal do not exercise their power against colonialist? It is the religious duty of any Muslim to help his brothers if he has the capacity to do such and wield his powers. And destroying the belief system of Muslims so they invoke saints instead of Allah is not but helping enemies of Islam.