Al-Insaf fi Haqiqat al-Awliya wa ma lahum min al-Karamat wa al-Altaf
- Author died
- 1182 AH
- Editions
- Deanship of Scientific Research at the Islamic University
Al-Insaf fi Haqiqat al-Awliya wa ma lahum min al-Karamat wa al-Altaf (Equity Regarding the Reality of the Saints and Their Miracles and Graces) is a theological treatise by the Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-San'ani (1099–1182 AH / 1688–1768 CE) addressing the definition of sainthood (wilayah) and the boundaries of saintly miracles (karamat) in Islamic doctrine .
Background and Purpose
Al-San'ani composed the treatise as a direct refutation of an epistle written by a contemporary author who answered inquiries regarding the attributes and miracles of living and deceased saints . That contemporary asserted extreme claims, including:
- Saints obtain whatever they desire and possess the power to say to anything, "Be, and it is" (kun fayakun) .
- Saints emerge from their graves to fulfill people's needs and attend battlefields to fight against disbelievers .
- Scholar-saints continue teaching religious sciences from within their tombs, such as the claim that al-Khadir studied Islamic jurisprudence at the tomb of Abu Hanifah for fifteen years .
- Deceased saints eat, drink, marry, and indulge in physical desires inside their graves .
Viewing these notions as ungrounded innovations that elevate saints to the status of idols by assigning divine attributes to created beings, al-San'ani wrote the work to awaken common people and clarify the orthodox scriptural stance .
Content and Arguments
Al-San'ani opens the treatise with warnings against religious innovation (bid'ah), citing prophetic traditions on adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah . He presents the doctrinal stance on karamat as a middle path between two extremes: the Sufi extremists who ascribe divine prerogatives and cosmic authority to saints, and the Mu'tazilites who rejected saintly miracles altogether on the pretext that they might be confused with prophetic miracles (mu'jizat) . Al-San'ani articulates the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-al-Jama'ah, which affirms genuine miracles for pious servants of God within scriptural bounds while rejecting claims of independent cosmic power .
In analyzing the definition of a wali, al-San'ani critiques the respondent's reliance on Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli's commentary on Taj al-Din al-Subki's Jam' al-Jawami', noting omitted conditions such as avoiding sins (mujtanaibu al-ma'asi) . He further refutes speculative hierarchies of sainthood, such as the notions of aqtab, awtad, and anjab .
Publication
The work has been edited and published in academic editions:
- An edition edited by Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr, published by Dar Ibn 'Affan in 1418 AH .
- A critical edition prepared by Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr, published by the Deanship of Academic Research at the Islamic University of Madinah in 1421 AH (2000 CE) .
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