Dr. Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari
There are five senses which Allāh has given us; sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. We should be grateful to Allāh for these, for they are very important for our functioning as humans.
Allāh has set boundaries to our senses. In other words, there are limits on how far we can see, from what distance we can smell and so on. We may be able to hear a sound that emits from a few metres away, but this becomes all but impossible when the sound emits from a mile away.
But does this mean Allāh cannot improve on this? Is this because Allāh’s power is limited and He cannot make us hear more? Of course not, God-forbid. Though our eyesight is limited, Allāh has the ability to make His creations see more. The very proof for this fact is the animal kingdom.
Take the example of sight. A human has around 200,000 sensory cells in the retina per square centimetre, whereas eagles have one million. From a distance of one-thousand feet in the sky, an eagle can scan three square miles of ground and from there, it can see even the tiniest of prey in the woods. Chameleons have 360 degree vision.
Our sense of smell is limited, but nature proves Allāh’s power is unlimited. A shark can smell a single drop of blood from one-quarter of a mile away. A bloodhound dog can track a scent that is more than thirteen days old. An elephant’s trunk contains the nostrils at the end. It can detect water that is up to twelve miles away.
For hearing, sound frequency waves are measure in hertz. Humans have a limited amount of hertz, which would be in the area of 20-20,000 hertz. Bats can hear up to 120,000 hertz. A dog has the hearing of up to 40,000 hertz. Even horses can hear sounds from two miles away.
These simple examples prove that just because we have a limit on our senses, it does not mean it cannot be extended by our Creator. If Allāh can create better senses for eagles, bats and dogs, why can’t He do it for humans?
Undoubtedly Allāh can and does for His select servants, not least the prophets and messengers. Allāh gave super senses to Sulaymān (peace be upon him), who
could hear the ants communicate from a distance of three miles away.1 He did it for Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him):
(i) who could see equally well in the night as he could in the day.2
(ii) who could see behind him in ṣalāh, he when conducted the congregational prayer.3
(iii) who said that ‘Indeed Allāh has raised the world for me. So I can see it and what will happen in it till the Day of Judgement as clearly as if I am looking at my palms here.’4
(iv) who could hear the footsteps of Bilāl (may Allāh be pleased with him) in paradise whilst he (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) was on earth.5.
Then Allāh showed this great favour to the awliyāʾ of this Ummah, as proven in the famous al-ḥadīth al-qudsī:
قال الله تعالى من عادى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بحرب مني، وما تقرب لي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضته عليه، ومازال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به
وبصره الذي يبصر به ويده التي يبطش بها وقدمه التي يمشي بها وإذا سألني لأعطينه وإذا استغفرني لأغفرن له وإذا استعاذني أعذته
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“Verily Allāh Almighty has said: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a walī (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafl (supererogatory) deeds until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.’6
The ḥadīth indicates that Allāh assists the senses of His servants when they draw closer to Him though nafl acts of worship, which has always been the hallmark of the awliyāʾ. Because of their devotion, unparalleled piety and adherence to Islam, Allāh provides them senses that are beyond the ability and understanding of ordinary humans.
• This explains why ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allāh be pleased with him) had super senses when he could see hundreds of miles away. Reports state that he was once delivering a sermon in al-Madīnah when he suddenly proclaimed ‘O Sāriyah! The mountain!’ Very few in his presence understood what he meant. It later transpired that he was helping Sāriyah hundreds of miles away, who was leading the battle against some non-Muslims. The story is also a testimony to the super senses of Sāriyah, who heard ʿUmar from such a huge distance.7
• This explains why the Qaṣīdah Ghawthia of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī states:
نَظرتُ الي بلاد الله جمعا كخردلة علي حكم اتصال
I cast a glance at the entire empire of Allah
[It is] like a mustard seed alongside my sovereignty
Thanks to his extraordinary piety, Allāh granted him super vision. It explains why Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qadir Jīlānī asserted that he can hear and respond to the plea of his devotees, even if they are on the other side of the world.8
• This explains why even today, countless disciples have authentic stories of their pious shaykhs, who have defied the five senses in their karamāts (saintly miracles). In Islam, if there is a concept of ‘super humans’, then the awliyāʾ of Allāh are certainly part of that genre.
As for us ordinary Muslims, will we ever be able to see beyond normal capabilities? The answer is yes, and one such time is just before death. In the final moments before departing, Allāh grants humans the ability to see the next realm. Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) explained that a martyr (shahīd) sees his place in Paradise before leaving this world.9 Those who are on their death bed sometimes make comments in their final moments that suggest they can see things people in the same room cannot.
Why can a human see more at the time of death? It is because the effects of the dunya are finally over. It is this world that has distorted our senses, blurred it and made us short-sighted. Were we to ignore the temptations of the devil, our sight would be capable of wonderful things. Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) highlighted this when he said:
لولا أن الشياطين يَحومون علي قلوب بني آدم لنَظروا الي ملكوت السماء
Were it not for the devils hovering over the hearts of the children of Ādam, they would certainly see the kingdoms of the skies.10
Were we to become true believers, then we would see with the nūr of Allāh. Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
اتقوا فِراسة المؤمن فإنه ينظر بنور الله
Fear the believer’s intuition, for indeed he sees with the light (nūr) of Allāh.11 May Allāh guide our senses towards His worship, āmīn.
