The greatness of a saint lies not in vision or perception; it lies in serving God. Man is the servant of God and in the service of God lays his perfection and glory. The more one serves God, the more perfect one is. If he thinks that he can transcend the boundaries of servanthood, or that it is a mark of perfection, he is most ignorant, and farthest removed from the right path. The measure of a wali’s greatness is his faith and his obedience to God. Miracles (karamah) are no criterion. The revelation of secrets (kashf) or the control over events (tasarruf), are not necessarily better than those acts which do not produce them. If a kashf and tasarruf is not helpful for religion it is a worldly thing: a lot of infidels, pagans and men of the book perform them, whereas many Muslims don’t.
The best of the saints of God are those who follow the Prophet most closely: that is why Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him) is the greatest wali after the Prophets.
