badal (abdal) (substitute, double) In Islamic folklore, spirit of a man. The badal are known only to Allah. The number of badals varied. Some Islamic accounts give 40, some 30, others just 7. It is believed that when a holy man or saint dies, his badals, or “substitute,” immediately fills his place. Some Islamic writers explain badal as “one who, when he departs from a place, has the power to leave his double behind him.” Others say the badal is “one who has experienced a spiritual transformation.”
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
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