Then, the said author adds that these miracles have no...

Then, the said author adds that these miracles have no benefit and if there were any benefit, it only pertains to that time.

In short, after the death of those possessing karamah , those miracles have no value and one should not expect them.[^1] Therefore, the Wahhabis believe in a sort of karamah for the Imams ( 'a ), the and leading figures of the religion, but they consider these miracles valuable only at the time when those possessing them are alive because once a person departs from this world, the mark of his existence, like that of other living creatures and even the non-living ones, ceases to exist.

They substantiate this statement of theirs with the verse, ﴿إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ.﴾ You will indeed die, and they {too} will die indeed , [^2] in which the death of the Prophet (s) has been treated equal with that of the awliya' . They have also inferred from this verse that seeking help from the souls of the prophets ( 'a ) and the awliya' is a futile and vain practice, and that ziyarat al-qubur {prayer recited on visiting a grave} must be shunned.

Of course, the prohibition of ziyarah for women is even more emphasized and the philosophy behind it is clear.

The miracles of the saints of God as the effect of satisfaction of the soul and God-wariness {taqwa} According to the verses, ﴿وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا.﴾ And whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make a way out for him , [^3] And ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ.﴾ Indeed Allah does not waste the reward of the virtuous , [^4] anyone who is wary of God, does righteous deeds and strives to offer sacrifices and charities for the pleasure of Allah, God will show him the way of deliverance from worldly and otherworldly adversities and give him rewards in both worlds.

And whenever the people of the world benefit from his good deeds, meritorious rewards shall be granted to him. So, anyone who is of the opinion that the ornament of karamah befits a particular number of people and that these miracles are valuable and effective as long as their possessors are alive, is thinking and believing incorrectly because the quoted verses do not point to a particular person or group. Meanwhile, the ruling on the truly faithful persons is like the ruling on water.

When they are alive, everybody can benefit from their presence and when they die and are buried, people can establish spiritual communion with them, turning to them for help and seeking their intermediation.

✦ ✦ ✦