Hakim al Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The events that happen out of the normal means (khirq e adet) are of various types.

One of them is unveiling (kashaf). It is of two types, kashaf e kuni and kashaf e illahi.

Kashaf e kuni is that the confines of distance and time do not remain a barrier and the individual becomes aware of (hidden) affairs.

Kashaf e illahi is that the knowledge, secrets and gnosis about the path (sulook) or Allah and His attributes dawn on an individual’s heart (qalb) or they are seen in domain of sleep or trance (alem e mithal) being manifested in various forms.

Another type (of paranormal) is ilham. That is, knowledge of some thing is put into the heart of the Sufi with serenity (and conviction). Sometimes he hears the voice of the hidden caller (hatif e ghaibi).

The third type is the intervening (tasarruf) and influencing (taasur). This is of two kinds. Firstly, influencing the inner self (batin) of the disciple so that he is attracted towards Allah. Secondly, influencing the other things of the universe, either by concerted concentration (himmat) or by making supplication (dua). Numerous incidents of these sort are reported from the friends (awliya) of Allah.

Taleemud Deen, page 121