The aqtaab and abdaal in Sufi thought
Question

                I have heard and read about what are known as abdaal and aqtaab etc. Do they really exist amongst us? Is the hadeeth, “Do not revile the people of Syria, for there are abdaal among them” saheeh or not?.
Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
According to 
    Ahl al-Sunnah, the wali (in the sense of being a close friend of Allaah) is 
    as defined by Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, in His holy Book, 
    where He says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“No 
    doubt! Verily, the Awliya’ of Allaah, no fear shall come upon them nor shall 
    they grieve. 
63. Those 
    who believed, and used to fear Allaah much (by abstaining from evil deeds 
    and sins and by doing righteous deeds). 
64. For 
    them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world, and in the 
    Hereafter. No change can there be in the Words of Allaah. This is indeed the 
    supreme success”
[Yoonus 
    10:62-64]
This verse 
    states that the wali (close friend) of Allaah is the pious believer who 
    fears Allaah, who loves Allaah and supports His Religion, and seeks to 
    please Him, who adheres to the limits He has set and supports His law and 
    His religion. He is one of the slaves of Allaah, and is not beyond His 
    control and authority, rather he does not even have the power to benefit or 
    harm himself, and he does not know what Allaah has decreed for him. This is 
    the wali of Allaah according to Ahl al-Sunnah. 
The way in 
    which a person may attain the status of being a wali is to perform 
    obligatory duties, then start to perform naafil acts of worship until Allaah 
    loves him, then when He loves him, he will be a true wali of His. In the 
    saheeh hadeeth it says: 
“When Allaah 
    loves a person, He calls Jibreel (A) and says: ‘I love So and so, so love 
    him.’ So Jibreel loves him, then he calls out to the people of heaven, 
    ‘Allaah loves So and so, so love him.’ So the people of heaven love him and 
    he finds acceptance on earth”
Narrated by 
    Muslim (2637) 
Secondly: 
With regard 
    to the definition of the wali among the Sufis, it has another, innovated 
    meaning that is different from that understood by Ahl al-Sunnah. Among them 
    the wali of Allaah is one who has been chosen by Allaah, even if he does not 
    have the characteristics of righteousness and piety that qualify him to be 
    loved by Allaah. The status of wali, in their view, is a kind of divine gift 
    that is given for no reason and with no wisdom. Hence they believe that some 
    wrongdoers, evildoers, insane and immoral people etc are awliya’ simply 
    because they perform extraordinary feats, such as hitting their bodies with 
    knives, playing with snakes and fire, and so on. They even include among 
    their awliya’ people who drink alcohol and commit zina, and they say: The 
    true wali can never be affected by sin. 
And they do 
    not stop there in their definition of a wali; rather they say that the wali 
    controls the universe; he says to a thing “Be!” and it is. In their view, 
    every wali has been appointed by Allaah to control some aspect of creation. 
    Four awliya’ are holding the earth by its four corners, and they are called 
    al-awtaad (lit. tent pegs). Seven other awliya’ each control one of the 
    seven continents of the world, and they are called al-abdaal (because when 
    one of them dies, another takes his place – badalahu). There are a 
    number of awliya’ in each region: thirty or forty in Egypt, and a similar 
    number in Syria and Iraq, each of whom is appointed in charge of something. 
    Above all of them is one wali who is called the al-qutb al-akbar (lit. great 
    pole or axis) or al-ghawth (source of help), and he is the one who is 
    running the affairs of the entire realm. Thus they believe in an unseen 
    realm which controls the affairs of mankind like a political state. This 
    state is led by the qutb or ghawth, followed by two imams or ministers, then 
    the four awtaad, then the seven abdaal. 
This is the 
    concept of awliya’ according to the Sufis, and it has nothing to do with the 
    Islamic concept of awliya’ that is mentioned in the Qur’aan. The wali in 
    Islam is a person whom Allaah has guided and helped, and he has earned his 
    Lord’s pleasure by following the rules of His sharee’ah; he fears that he 
    may fall into hypocrisy and meet a bad end, and he does not know whether 
    Allaah will accept his deeds or not. Whereas they have given the Sufi wali 
    divine characteristics by means of which he controls some aspect of the 
    universe, and he ignores whatever he wants of the laws of Allaah, and the 
    angels are subject to his will. 
The basic 
    principles of Sufi concept of awliya’ are taken from ancient Greek 
    philosophy which is based on the idea of polytheism. The first one to 
    propose the idea of the Sufi concept of awliya’ at the end of the third 
    century AH was Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Tirmidhi, whom they call 
    al-Hakeem (the wise). He is not the same as the imam who wrote the well 
    known collection of hadeeth which is called Sunan al-Tirmidhi. Then 
    after that their views became well known and the books of their leaders are 
    filled with these ideas. If we start reporting all that they have said about 
    this issue and all their false notions, it would take too long. But so that 
    no one will think that we are attributing to them things that are not true, 
    there follow the names of some of their sources, and you will find that what 
    we have mentioned is the least abhorrent of their ideas. See: 
    al-Futoohaat al-Makkiyyah by Ibn ‘Arabi (2/455, 537); al-Yawaaqeet 
    wa’l-Jawaahir by ‘Abd al-Wahhaab al-Sha’raani (2/79); al-Mu’jam 
    al-Sufi by Su’aad al-Hakeem (189-191, 909-913). For references of Ahl 
    al-Sunnah see: al-Fikr al-Sufi by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ‘Abd 
    al-Khaaliq (343-383). 
Thirdly:
 The hadeeth 
    mentioned by the questioner is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth, which is not saheeh 
    at all. There is nothing narrated via any saheeh isnaad which mentions any 
    of the degrees of awliya’ as known to the Sufis. 
Ibn 
    al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Manaar al-Muneef 
    (136): 
The 
    ahaadeeth about the adbaal, aqtaab, aghwaath, nuqaba’, nujaba’ and awtaad 
    are all falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him). The closest of them is the hadeeth which 
    says “Do not revile the people of Syria, for among them there are abdaal; 
    every time one of them dies, Allaah replaces him with another man.” This was 
    narrated by Ahmad, but it is not saheeh either, because it is munqati’. End 
    quote.  
For more 
    information on the ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning that and an 
    explanation of why they are da’eef please see al-Maqaalaat al-Qisaar 
    by Abu Muhammad al-Alfi (69-81). 
Shaykh 
    al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the 
    hadeeth that was narrated about the abdaal – was it saheeh or munqati’, and 
    were the abdaal only in Syria or were there abdaal wherever Islam was 
    established according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah, in Syria and elsewhere? Was 
    it true that a wali could be present among a group although his body was 
    absent? What did the ‘ulama’ say about the names used by some of those who 
    claim to be religious and virtuous, and who say this is Ghawth al-Aghwaath, 
    this is Qutub al-Aqtaab, this is Qutub al-‘Aalam, this is al-Qutub 
    al-Kabeer, this is Khaatim al-Awliya’? 
He (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him) replied: 
As for the 
    names that are in circulation among many of the pious people and common 
    folk, such as the ghawth who is in Makkah, the four awtaad, the seven 
    aqtaab, the forty abdaal and the three hundred nujuba’, these are names that 
    are not found in the Book of Allaah, nor are they narrated from the Prophet 
     (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) via any saheeh or da’eef 
    isnaad, except the word abdaal, concerning whom there is a Syrian hadeeth 
    whose isnaad is munqati’; it is narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may 
    Allaah be pleased with him) and attributed to the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he said: “…for among them [the people 
    of Syria] there are abdaal; every time one of them dies, Allaah replaces him 
    with another man.” These names are not found in the words of the salaf in 
    the manner mentioned there, nor are they narrated in this manner and with 
    these meanings from the Shaykhs who are accepted by the ummah in general. 
    They are narrated in this form from some of the middle shaykhs, who 
    mentioned them either quoting from others or without confirming (that they 
    are true). As for the phrase al-Ghawth and al-Ghiyaath, no one deserves this 
    title except Allaah, who is the helper of those who seek help (ghiyaath 
    al-mustagheetheen), so it is not permissible for anyone to seek help from 
    anyone else, not from any angel who is close to Him or from any Prophet who 
    was sent. Whoever claims that the people of earth can refer their concerns, 
    such as asking to be spared harm or asking for mercy from the three hundred, 
    and the three hundred refer that to the seventy, and the seventy refer that 
    to the forty, and the forty refer that to the seven, and the seven refer 
    that to the four, and the four refer that to al-ghawth, then he is a liar 
    who has gone astray and is a mushrik.  And Allaah tells us about the 
    mushrikeen (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And when 
    harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you 
    except Him (Allaah Alone)”
[al-Isra’ 
    17:67]
“Is not 
    He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls 
    on Him”
[al-Naml 
    27:62]
How can the 
    believers refer their concerns via many intermediaries when Allaah says 
    (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And when 
    My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am 
    indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the 
    supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let 
    them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright”
    [al-Baqarah 2:186]
All the 
    Muslims know that neither the common folk of the Muslims nor their well 
    known shaykhs conveyed their concerns to Allaah, whether outwardly or 
    inwardly, via these intermediaries. Exalted be Allaah above any resemblance 
    to His creations such as kings, and far above what the wrongdoers say.  This 
    is akin to the Raafidi claim that in every age there must be an infallible 
    imam who is the proof of Allaah (Hujjat-Allaah) against those who are 
    accountable, and that perfect faith cannot be attained otherwise. Rather 
    this sequence and number of intermediaries is in some ways like the Ismaili 
    and Nusayri etc belief in intermediaries (such as al-saabiq, al-taali, 
    al-naatiq, al-asaas, al-jasad, etc) for which Allaah has not sent down any 
    authority. 
With regard 
    to the awtaad, some say that So and so is one of the awtaad, meaning thereby 
    that by means of him Allaah establishes faith and religious commitment in 
    the hearts of those whom Allaah has guided through him, just as the earth is 
    made firm by its “pegs” (mountains). This meaning applies to every scholar 
    who met this description. Every person by means of whom knowledge and faith 
    became established among the masses is like the awtaad and great mountains. 
    Whoever has less knowledge is a lesserk inf of watad. But that is not 
    limited to four or more or less than that, rather limiting the number to 
    four is akin to the astrologers’ idea that the earth should have four 
    awtaad. 
With regard 
    to the qutub, this is also found in their words: So and so is one of the 
    aqtaab, or So and so is a qutub. Everyone who is the focal point of some 
    religious or worldly matter, whether secretly or openly or outward, is the 
    qutub and focal point of that matter. This is not limited to seven or more 
    or less than that. But the one who is praiseworthy in this regard is one who 
    is a focal point for maintaining soundness in religious and worldly matters, 
    not simply maintaining soundness worldly matters. This is the qutub 
    according to them.  
The same 
    applies to the word badal, which is mentioned by many of them. 
With regard 
    to the marfoo’ hadeeth, it is most likely that these are not the words of 
    the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for faith 
    existed in the Hijaaz and Yemen before the conquest of Syria. Syria and Iraq 
    were kaafir lands, then during the caliphate of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased 
    with him), it was proven that he (peace be upon him) said: “A group will 
    split away from the main body of the Muslims and they will be fought by the 
    one of the two groups that is closer to the truth.” ‘Ali and his companions 
    were closer to the truth than the people of Syria who fought them. It is 
    well known that those of the Sahaabah who were with ‘Ali, such as ‘Ammaar 
    ibn Yaasir, Sahl ibn Hunayf and the like, were better than those who were 
    with Mu’aawiyah. So how can it be believed that all the abdaal, who are the 
    best of creation, were all in Syria? This is definitely false, even though 
    there are well known reports which speak of the virtue of Syria and its 
    people, because everything has its own characteristics and limits. One 
    should only speak on the basis of knowledge and justice. 
Those who 
    speak of the badal explain it in several ways, such as saying that they are 
    substitutes for the Prophets, or that every time one of them dies, Allaah 
    replaces him with another man, or that they change their bad attitudes, 
    deeds and beliefs into good ones. None of these characteristics can be 
    limited to four people or more or less than that, or to the people of one 
    region of the earth. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah 
    (11/433-444) 
Fourthly: 
It is 
    mentioned in the words of some of the salaf and some of the later scholars: 
    So and so is one of the abdaal. For example, in al-Tareekh al-Kabeer 
    by al-Bukhaari (7/127), in the biography of Farwah ibn Mujaalid, it says: 
    They did not doubt that he was one of the abdaal. End quote. As narrated by 
    al-Daaraqutni in al-‘Ilal (6/29), Imam Ahmad said: If anyone in Iraq 
    was one of the abdaal, it was Abu Ishaaq Ibraaheem ibn Haani’. End quote. 
But they did 
    not mean thereby what the Sufis mean in their innovated baatini terminology, 
    rather they meant it in the linguistic sense. Whoever among the scholars is 
    spoken of in such terms is one of the heirs of the Prophets by virtue of the 
    shar’i knowledge that he has, and it is as if he is their substitute in 
    conveying the message of the Revelation and teaching it to the people. 
Ibn Taymiyah 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (4/97): 
As for the 
    scholars, they used to say that they were the abdaal, because they were the 
    substitutes of the Prophets, and they took their place in a real sense. They 
    were not people who had no knowledge or who were unknown. Each of them took 
    the place of the Prophets in the field in which he excelled, whether 
    knowledge or worship. They said that they were the group that would continue 
    to prevail until the Hour begins, because they are following guidance and 
    the true religion with which Allaah sent His Messengers, the religion which 
    Allaah promised would prevail over all other religions,  and sufficient is 
    Allaah as a witness. End quote. 
See also 
    question no. 10527. 
And Allaah 
    knows best.