You must know that Karamat كرامات (miracles) may be vouchsafed to a saint so long as he does not violate the obligations of the Shariat (religious law). The orthodox Muslims agree on this point, as intellectually it is also not impossible, because such things are predestined by Allah, and their manifestation does not contradict any principle of the Shariat , nor is it disgusting to the mind to conceive them.

A Karamat كرامت (miracle) is a sign of saint’s veracity, and it cannot be manifested to an imposter except as a sign that his pretensions are false. It is an extraordinary act performed while wali وِلي (saint) is still subject to religious obligations, and whoever is able, through knowledge given to him by Allah, to distinguish by the method of deduction what is true from what is false, he is also a wali (saint).

A group of Sunnis maintain that Karamat كرامات (Miracles) are established, but not to the degree of an evidentiary Mujiza معجزه (miracle), for example, that prayers may be answered or fulfillment of some desire contrary to custom, and so forth.

We ask, after all what’s wrong in it if a true saint while he remains under religious obligations perform an extraordinary act? If they say that Karamat كرامت (Miracle) is not a type of that which is predestined by Allah, this is erroneous; and if they say that it is a type of that which is predestined, but its performance by a true wali (saint) involves the annulment of prophesy and the denial of special privileges to the prophets, this assertion is also inadmissible, since the wali (saint) is distinguished by Karamat (miracles) and the prophet by evidentiary Mujiza t معجزات (miracles). Mujiza معجزه (miracle) itself does not render one powerless, rather its acquisition make one powerless. It is conditional with the claim of Prophethood, therefore, Mujiza t (miracles) are particularized with Prophets and Karamat كرامات (miracles) with auliya اوِلياء (saints).

Thus, the saint is a saint and the prophet is a prophet, there is no similarity between them to which one should guard against. It should be clear that the prominence of the prophets depends on their exalted rank and on their being preserved from the corruption of sin, not on miracles or evidentiary miracles of acts which violate custom. And they are equal so far as they all have the power of working such miracles, but some are superior to others in degree and excellence.

As it has been established that inspite of the equality in performance of miracles the Prophets have excellence over one another, similarly why Karamat (miracles) which violate customs vouchsafed also to the saints, but of lesser degree as compared to Prophets is not lawful. As, in the case of prophet, Mujiza t (miracles) do not cause one of them to be more exalted or more privileged than another, so, in the case of the saints, a similar act does not causes a saint to be more privileged than a prophet, i.e. the saints cannot be like prophets. This should be a sufficient argument for a sensible person to keep him away from any doubt.

Now, if somebody supposes that when the Karamat (miracles) of a saint are extraordinary acts which violate custom, should he not claim to be a prophet? I reply that this is impossible, because saintship involves veracity, and he who tells a falsehood is not a saint. Moreover, a saint who pretends to prophesy casts an imputation on (the genuineness of) evidentiary miracles, which is infidelity. Karamat (miracle) is vouchsafed only to a pious believer, and falsehood is not obedience, rather sinfulness. Therefore, Karamat (miracle) of the saint is a proof and evidence of the Prophethood of a Prophet. There is no difficulty in reconciling between Mujiza (miracle) and Karamat (miracle). The Prophet establishes his prophesy by establishing the reality of evidentiary miracles, while the wali (saint), by the Karamat (miracles) which he performs, establishes both the prophecy of the Prophet and his own saintship. Therefore, the veracious saints say the same thing as the veracious prophet and his Karamat (miracles) are with the evidentiary miracles of the Prophet. A believer, seeing the Karamat (miracles) of a saint, has more faith in the veracity of the prophet, not that it puts him in any doubt as he finds no contradiction between the claims made by them and claim of one is an evidence for other’s claim. Therefore, in law, when a number of heirs are agreed in their claim, if one of them establishes his claim the claim of the others is established but not so if their claims are contradictory. Hence, prophet adduces evidentiary miracles as evidence that his prophecy is genuine, and a saint confirms his claim, therefore, it is impossible that any difficulty should arise.

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