The third is Hārūn, the fourth is Idrīs, the fifth is Yūsuf, the sixth is ʿĪsā, and the seventh is Ādam. Each of them, through divine knowledge, knows certain secrets concerning the stars and their movements in the orbits decreed for them.
Each of these has attribute-names according to the works they perform: ʿAbd al-Ḥayy, ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm, ʿAbd al-Wadūd, and ʿAbd al-Qādir. These four names are the four names of the awtād (pillars). Among the abdal (substitutes) are also ʿAbd al-Shakūr, ʿAbd al-Samīʿ, and ʿAbd al-Baṣīr. For every divine attribute, there is one among these abdal. Allah regards them with that attribute. That attribute prevails over that person. There is no individual who does not have a nisba (spiritual connection) to these divine names. They possess the power and knowledge granted by this divine attribute. The knowledge of such a person is in proportion to this.
They are called abdal for the following reason: When they are about to leave a place, they leave behind another person who is, without doubt, identical to themselves. In reality, he is a spiritual person. According to what is known about himself, he appoints a person to succeed him. Everyone who possesses this spiritual power is a substitute. If Allah appoints another in place of one of the abdal, and that person is unaware of this, then he is not among the aforementioned abdal. (Futūḥāt, I, 10)
I asked Dhū’l-Nūn al-Miṣrī about the attributes of the abdal. He said: O ʿAbd al-Bārī, you have asked me the most difficult question I could answer: Look, they are a group who, because they know His majesty, remember Allah with their hearts by showing reverence to their Lord. They are Allah’s proof over His creation. Allah has enrobed them in the dazzling light of His love. He has raised for them the signs of His hudā (guidance) so that they may reach Him. By His will, He has made them champions of servanthood, has showered patience upon them so that they do not deviate from servitude, has purified their bodies through His vigilance, has beautified them with treatment worthy of His majesty, has clothed them in garments woven from His love, has placed the crown of His love upon their heads, has set in their hearts treasures from the unseen that will lead them to Him, so that their thoughts are locked upon Him, their eyes gaze upon Him in the unseen, and their feet are upon the threshold of His door. He has seated them in the maqām (spiritual station) of the people of maʿrifa (gnosis). (Rūḥ, 17)
The awtād (pillars) are those by whom Allah preserves the world; they are four in number. They are more specific than the abdal. The two imams to the right and left of the pole (qutb) are even more specific than these, and the qutb is the most specific of all. The term abdal is a general name for those who replace bad qualities with good ones, and refers to a specific number of people such as forty, thirty, or seven. (Mashāriq, 119)
After the Companions (ṣaḥāba), the greatest of the walī (friend[s] of God) is the qutb. Then comes the afrād—though there is disagreement on this—then the imāmān, then the awtād, and then the abdal. (Mashāriq, 120)
The abdal are seven, and the Qutb al-Ghawth is one. When the Qutb al-Ghawth passes away, the seven abdal gather and select one of themselves as the Ghawth. Often, the abdal avoid taking on this duty, and instead choose a qualified walī as the Ghawth. If unity cannot be achieved in the selection of the Ghawth, they turn to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). They come to him and wait in his presence; the Messenger of God selects one of them, and this person becomes the Qutb al-Ghawth and becomes the locus of manifestation for the Supreme Name (ism al-aʿẓam). The centers of divine manifestation in creation submit to him, and by the ruling of the name that manifests in him, he governs the realms of dominion and malakūt (the spiritual realm). He becomes the ghawth from whom help is sought through the spirituality of Muhammad. (Nafahāt, 124)
The abdal are seven people, each of whom has been freed from delusion and imagination, and are people of virtue, kamāl (perfection), istikāma (uprightness), and moderation. They have four outward and four inward acts. Their outward acts are silence, sleeplessness, hunger, and seclusion.
Moreover, each of these four acts has an outward and an inward aspect. Silence: its outward aspect is not speaking except in the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah; its inward aspect is the qalb (heart) being free from all details and reports. Sleeplessness: its outward aspect is not sleeping; its inward aspect is remaining awake so as not to fall into heedlessness.
Hunger: its outward aspect is the hunger of the abrār (the righteous) for the perfection of the spiritual path (sulūk); its inward aspect is the hunger of the muqarrabūn (those brought near) for intimacy. Seclusion: its outward aspect is abstaining from socializing with people; its inward aspect is abstaining from intimacy with people. The inward acts are: detachment, singularity, gathering, and tawhid (the oneness of God).
One of the characteristics of the abdal is this: When the abdal leaves the community where he is, he necessarily leaves behind someone like himself. The substitute is upon the four hearts of Abraham. Each of these substitutes has an imam (leader) whom he follows and from whom he receives spiritual effusion. It is said that the abdal are forty or seven in number. They are among the akhyār (the good ones). Each has an imam from among themselves. That imam is the qutb of that group. (Jāmiʿ, 4)
The abdal are seven in number; they neither increase nor decrease. Allah Most High preserves the seven climes through them. Each is found in one clime. Each derives his power from a prophet who is in one of the seven heavens. The first of these is the Friend (Ibrāhīm). The first clime belongs to him. And in the order up to the master of the seventh clime, he is the greatest among them. The second is Kalīm (Mūsā), the third is Hārūn, the fourth is Idrīs, the fifth is Yūsuf, the sixth is ʿĪsā, and the seventh is Ādam.
Each of them, through divine knowledge, knows certain secrets concerning the stars and their movements in the orbits decreed for them. Each of these has attribute-names according to the works they perform: ʿAbd al-Ḥayy, ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm, ʿAbd al-Wadūd, and ʿAbd al-Qādir. These four names are the four names of the awtād. ʿAbd al-Shakūr, ʿAbd al-Samīʿ, and ʿAbd al-Baṣīr are also among their names. For every divine attribute, there is one among these abdal. Allah regards them with that attribute. That attribute prevails over that person. There is no individual who does not have a nisba to these divine names. They possess the power and knowledge granted by this divine attribute. The knowledge of such a person is in proportion to this.
They are called abdal for the following reason: When they are about to leave a place, they leave behind another person who is, without doubt, identical to themselves. In reality, he is a spiritual person. According to what is known about himself, he appoints a person to succeed him. Everyone who possesses this spiritual power is a substitute. If Allah appoints another in place of one of the abdal, and that person is unaware of this, then he is not among the aforementioned abdal. This observation of ours matches very well with what we encounter in daily life. For example, when we met with the Hanbalis behind the Ḥatim in Mecca, we saw these seven abdal and conversed with them there. Truly, I was very pleased with them. (Nabhānī, I, 40)
ʿAbd al-ʿAdl (ʿAbd al-ʿAdl): ʿAbd al-ʿAdl judges among people with justice, for he is the locus of manifestation of Allah’s Name al-ʿAdl (the Just). Justice is not equality, as the ignorant suppose. Rather, it is to give every right-holder his due fully and, as much as he deserves, even more. (Kāshānī, 114; Jāmiʿ, 8)