Karamat al-Awliya lil-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Khallal
- Author died
- 439 AH
- Editions
- Karamat al-Awliya lil-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Khallal
Karamat al-Awliya (The Miracles of the Saints) is a specialized biographical and hadith compilation by the Baghdadi traditionist and hafiz Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Khallal (352–439 AH / 963–1047 CE), dedicated to narrating the spiritual virtues, exceptional gifts, and miraculous wonders (karamat) of early Muslim ascetics and righteous figures .
Content and Method
The work compiles prophetic traditions (hadith) and biographical reports (athar) transmitted with chains of narration (isnad) concerning the righteous allies of God (awliya) . Among its core subjects are reports detailing the status of the abdal (the substitute saints) and the hidden righteous individuals through whose presence God averts harm from communities . Al-Khallal records accounts of various early figures, such as narrations regarding Uways al-Qarani as well as deathbed wonders and spiritual visions witnessed by early ascetics like Ali ibn Salih .
Transmission and Reception
The text was transmitted from al-Khallal through his student Abu Muhammad Ja'far ibn Ahmad al-Sarraj . It subsequently passed down through notable scholars and transmission chains in Baghdad and Damascus, including the female scholar Shuhdah bint Abi Nasr al-Katibah, al-A'azz ibn Fada'il ibn al-'Ulayq, and Sulayman ibn Abd Allah ibn Ali (Ibn Ratlayn) .
Later scholars made frequent use of the book as a primary source for traditions concerning the virtues of early saints. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti cited al-Khallal's collection across several of his writings, including al-Hawi lil-Fatawi, al-Durr al-Manthur, Sharh al-Sudur, and al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah . Hadith critics examined the transmission chains recorded in the work when assessing the authenticity of specific narrations regarding the abdal .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of Karamat al-Awliya have been preserved in collections including the Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus and al-Azhar in Cairo . The text has been published in modern scholarly editions, including one edited by Abd al-Jalil al-'Ata (Dar al-Nu'man lil-'Ulum, Damascus) and another edited by Usamah al-Sharif (Dar al-Mashari', Beirut, 1428 AH / 2007 CE) .
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