Sainthood is the Shadow (Zill) of Prophesy

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

وعلى اهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين

والعاقبة للمتقين

Although the institution of prophesy has formally concluded in the person of the Seal of the Prophets Muhammad Rasul Allah (sall Allahu alayhi wasallam), Allah Most High has granted this Umma the institution of Wilaya or sainthood which is upon the pattern of prophesy and, as explained by the pious elders and sages of our Religion, is a ظلّ shadow or reflection of prophesy• The great sage, Shaikh Abd ul-Qadir al-Jilani (radi Allahu anhu), is reported to have said:

قال في الأولياء رضي الله عنهم: الولاية ظل النبوة والنبوة ظل الإلهية

“Sainthood is the shadow [zill] of prophesy, and prophesy is the shadow [zill] of divinity” (Bahjat al-Asrar p214):

Similarly, Mujaddid Alf Thani, Imam Rabbani, Ahmad Sirhindi (rahimahullah) wrote:

مقام ولایت مقام نبوت کا ظل ہے اور کمالات ولایت کمالات نبوت کے ظلال ہیں

“The station of sainthood is the shadow [zill] of the station of prophesy, and the perfections of sainthood are the shadows [zilal] of the perfections of prophesy” (Maktubat Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani: Daftar II, Maktub 71, p262):

And here I shall also quote the eminent scholar Abd ul-Haq Muhaddith of Delhi:

ولایت ظل نبوت ہے

“Sainthood is the shadow [zill] of prophesy” (Sharh Futuh al-Ghaib p57):