Abdaals, Qutub and Ghowth

Q: Do we the Ahlus-Sunnah believe in Abdaals, Qutub, and Ghowth, or are these titles just fairy tales?

A: The titles Abdaal, Qutub, Ghowth, etc are genuine titles for different categories of Auliyaa (Saints) which appear in authentic hadith. When Sayyiduna Ali radhiallahu anhu was in Iraq then one day someone asked him to curse the people of Syria. Hazrat Ali radhiallahu anhu refused to do so, and remarked: “I heard Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam say: ‘The Abdaal are in Asia minor (Shaam or Syria are its environs). They are forty in number. Every time one of them dies, Allah sends another in his place. Through them people receive rain, and through them victory is granted over enemies. They are also the cause of punishment being warded off from the people of Shaam.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad, and declared Saheeh by Allama Suyooti).
Many Scholars of Hadith have mentioned different versions of this hadith but with the same meaning. Some hadith mention words such as Autaad, Nujabaa, and Nuqabaa for different levels of Saints.