Spiritual Teaching in Islam.

[Abu Habiba]

As-Salaam alaikum,

  Receiving spiritual teaching from a distance came to be called the Uwaisi Transmission of Knowledge, [so named] after the contemporary of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, Uwais al-Qarni (r.a) whom Allah would teach the Prophet's Sunnah from a distance; He would show him the event unfolding in the Prophet's life [in Madinah] even though he lived in Yemen.

Teaching someone spiritually can be done by an Angel, a Prophet or a Wali, all of which reside in the same unseen world, Barzakh.  The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, confirmed the reality of receiving knowledge spiritually, not simply for himself but for others when he said: "While I was sleeping, I was given a bowl full of milk (in a dream), and I drank of it to my fill until I noticed its wetness coming out of my nails, and then I gave the rest of it to Umar. They (his companions) asked, 'What have you interpreted (about the dream)? O Allah's Apostle?' He said, Knowledge."  (Bukhari)

Umar Ibn al-Khattab (r.a) was another to receive knowledge spiritually like Uwais al-Qarni, Umar was given true inspiration. The Prophet, alaihi salaat was-salaam, said:--

    "In the Nations long before you were people who were spoken to [by angels] although they were not

    Prophets. if there is anyone of them in my Community, truely it is Umar Ibn al-Khattab."

He, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, also said:- "Allah has engraved truth on the tongue of Umar and his heart."

Imam Tirmidhi said that according to Ibn Uyayna, "Spoken to" means "made to understand", while in his narration, Imam Muslim added: "Ibn Wahb explained 'Spoken to' as "Inspired''   This is the majority's opinion according to Imam Ibn Hajjar who said: 'Spoken to' means 'By the angels'.   And still on 'spoken to',  Bukhari said: "Truth comes from their tongues".  This Hadith contains a confirmation of the miracles of the Awliya.