ADAAB OF THE SHAYKH
|
Within the spiritual tradition, there is a map of the terrain held within the writings and the teacher's memory. Books, stories, discussions and direct experience are all part of this map. As one traverses the path, understanding of various methods become clear.
The purpose of the shaykh is to show you the path. To take the student to the curtain of unity. Beyond the curtain is the student's destiny. The student must humble himself/herself to the observations of the teacher, examining those aspects of oneself that needs to be purified. Remember you cannot pass through the curtain by 'yourself'. Just by joining the Sufi Order you are not going to go to Allah. You should do what the shaykh suggests to you. He is not ordering you to do these things, he is just showing the way. Therefore the mureed should have outmost respect for the teacher as he takes the student to the gate of knowledge and beyond that.
The shaykh or teacher should represent your model and goal as a human being. In some ways it doesn't matter if the teacher gets angry or presents unpleasant characteristics. The intention is to make that person your highest ideal and to look for those aspects you desire and admire.
The teacher is there to deliver the teachings. Don't get stuck in thinking that the teacher is the teachings. The teacher is a human being who has studied and practiced the teaching longer than you.
And yet, what you project on the teacher is part of the process. If you practice the highest form of human being in your teacher, you create that within yourself. You are initiating the real teaching and growth. Imagining the teacher embodies the teaching will lift you beyond your own limitations, and form a bridge to your higher self. You cannot do it on your own because of the hard shell of opinions and adaptations that surround you. By making that shell permeable and flexible, we observe who we truly are and that which we have accumulated.
Remember you have to have your own shaykhs adab with you by showing respect to him, whether he has passed away or not. You have to be connected to him all the time and assume that you dont exist, that your teacher is the one who is running your affairs. You have to be humble and modest.
Listened to the advice of one of the servants of Allah: Always have the best intention towards your shaykh (Teacher). Do not abuse, slander or have your own opinion of what he says and does, or expose him to any evil. If he is true, then you will benefit by him. If he is a liar, Allah will give you benefit because of your intention.
In Sufism, a shaykh should: |
|
|
| Follow the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam. |
|
|
| Follow the Sharia and act from the Sunna. |
|
| He speaks what's in your heart. He answers questions that you have not spoken aloud. |
|
| When you are in his presence, you forget your troubles. He takes your load. You feel your troubles lifted. |
|
| He praises Allah and not himself. He points to Allah and not himself. |
|
| He has a silsila (lineage) and a licence to teach the path. |
|
| Practices what he preaches. |
|
The teacher has to be on a very high adab level:
|
|
|
| His adab to his shaykh and his silsila, ultimately to the Prophet Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam. |
|
|
| His adab to the general public. |
|
| His adab to his murids. |
|
| His adab with other shaykh's. |
|
| His adab with other shaykh's murids. |
|
His adab to his shaykh:
In order to be a shaykh and to continue as a shaykh, the teacher has to follow his own shaykh. The teacher has to show respect towards his shaykh, whether living or not. The teacher has to be humble and modest. He always has to take the Prophet Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam as an example. His actions have to be correct with the Sharia, Tariqa, haqiqa and marifa.
His adab to the general public: A shaykhs adab with the general public is based on his remembering that he is representing the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam and he must act with each person according to his/her level of understanding. The teacher has to be modest, more tolerant and should not despise anybody.
His adab to his mureeds:
With his own murids the shaykh has to act with kindness, love and compassion. The goal should be only their own good. The teacher's purpose is to help the murids reach his spiritual goal, to help him discover himself, to help him reach Allah. The shaykh guides the murids to the Unconditional Love of Allah.
The shaykh may at times appear to be ruthless and harsh. He may say things which seem to cut deeply and hurt as he attacks the lower self of the mureed, who is then thrown into confusion. From within this chaos the mureed is enabled to see certain base character traits of himself and having recognised them as negative he can then rectify them.
The mureed has to realize that in reality the shaykh does not scold him out of vindictiveness or actually say anything hurtful but rather that the teacher was simply bringing out of the mureed his base character traits which were so deeply hidden. It is only the guilt and fear within the mureed that were receiving them as words of criticism and pain. This the shaykh does from what is good for the mureed.
The shaykh should never try to take advantage of his murids. If they have money or properties, he should not try to get these away from them for his own use. If they donate or give willingly for the Tariqa (silsila) or for Allah's sake or for himself, then it is acceptable. But he should not devise a plan to take their money or properties.
His adab with other shaykhs:
He should always treat other shaykhs as his equal or better. A teacher should not try to show that he is greater than the other shaykh, this is true adab.
His adab with other shaykhs murids:
A teacher should not take other shaykhs murids as his servants or try to get their money. A Teacher should not try and steal other shaykhs murids. This is a shame. It is not important how many followers a shaykh has. The important thing is how many of them the shaykh took to Allah.
A true shaykh serves Allah only, and he lets Allah do everything. He gives the truth. He represents the truth and nothing but the truth. So we all have to follow the Beloved Prophet's Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam footsteps in Sharia, in Tariqa, in haqiqa and in marifa. May Allah help all the shaykhs to be true, may Allah help us all to clean ourselves inwardly and outwardly. Ameen. |
Importance of a good shaykh by Shaykh Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu anhu
Al Ghawth al-Adham Shaykh Sayyad Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi 'Allahu anhu said: You must work hard to ensure that your hearts are not locked out of the door of His nearness. Be sensible! You are getting nowhere. You must seek the company of a Shaykh who is learned in the law [hukm] and knowledge ['ilm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and who will show you the way toward Him. Without seeing the successful [muflih], one cannot succeed. If a person does not seek the company of scholars who put their knowledge into practice ['ulama 'ummal], he is a chicken from an egg abandoned by the rooster and the mother hen.
Seek the fellowship of those who enjoy fellowship with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). What each of you should do, when the night has grown dark and people have gone to bed and their voices are silent, is get up, take an ablution [yatawadda'], perform two cycles of ritual prayer [yusalli rak'atain] and say: "O my Lord, guide me to one of Your righteous servants near to You, so that he may guide me toward You and make me familiar with Your path." The instrument [sabab] is necessary. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) was quite capable of guiding [His servants] to Him without the Prophets [anbiya']. Be sensible! You are getting nowhere. You must awaken from your heedless folly. As the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam has said: If someone relies entirely on his own subjective judgement, he will go astray. Try to find someone who will be a mirror for the face of your religion [din], just as you look in the mirror to check the appearance of your outer face, your turban and your hair. Be sensible! What is this crazy foolishness? You say, "I don't need anyone to teach me," and yet the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam has said: The believer is the believer's mirror [al-mu'minu mir'atu 'l-mu'min].
When the believer's faith is sound, he comes to be a mirror for all creatures. They behold their religious faces [wujuh adyanihim] reflected in the mirror of his speech, every time they see him and get close to him. What is this craziness? Not a moment goes by without your begging Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) to provide you with more than you already have to eat, to drink, and to wear, with more sexual opportunities and more income. These are not things that could increase or decrease, even if you were to be joined in your plea by every supplicant whose prayers are answered [da 'in mujab].
Supplication [da 'wa] will neither increase one's sustenance by so much as an atom, nor reduce it by an atom. This is a foregone conclusion [mafrugh minhu]. You must devote your attention to doing what you have been commanded to do, and to avoiding what you have been forbidden to do. You should not worry about that which is bound to come your way, because He guarantees that it will come to you. Allotted shares [aqsam] arrive at their appointed times, whether they be sweet or bitter, whether you like them or dislike them.
The people [of the Way] attain to a condition in which they no longer have any prayer of supplication [du'a] or request [su'al] to make. They do not beg [in their prayers] to gain advantages, nor to get rid of disadvantages. Their supplication comes to be a matter concerning their hearts, sometimes for their own sake and sometimes for the sake of all creatures, so they utter the prayer of supplication without conscious premeditation [fi ghaiba].
'O '' Allah, endow us with good behaviour in Your company under all circumstances!
[When the believer's faith is sound], fasting [sawm], prayer [salat], remembrance [dhikr] and all acts of obedience [ta 'at] become second nature to him, mingled with his flesh and blood. Then he receives protection from Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) under all circumstances. The restraint of the law [hukm] does not desert him, not for an instant, while he is on this course. The law comes to be like the vessel in which he sits, as he travels over the ocean of the power [qudra] of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). He goes on traveling over it until he arrives at the shore of the hereafter, at the shore of the ocean of grace and the hand of nearness. Thus he is sometimes in the company of creatures and at certain times in the company of the Creator. His work and toil are with creatures, while his relaxation is with the Creator.
From Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, "The Sublime Revelation (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani)," translated by Muhtar Holland (Al-Baz Publishing, Houston, 1992), p. 426-8.
Question:
How important is it to have a Shaykh (Peer in Urdu & Persian) & how should you go about finding one?
Answer:
Allah, In the Name of [I Begin]: The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
Blessings & Salutations upon our Master Sayyiduna Muhammad, Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa ashabihi wa baraka wa sallam, the Pure Household, their Progeny, the Prophetic Companions, their Successors & their Successors, the Siddiqin, the Shuhada, the Salihin & those who follow their way.
Making the bay'ah upon the hands of a Shaykh (Pir -Spiritual Master-Guide) who is complete in all aspects of Shari'ah and Tariqah and devout in all aspects of his life is one of the actions that have been passed down from the Salaf to the Khalaf (from the time of the Beloved Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, till today).
To make bay'ah is to place one's hands upon (for men) the hands of a Spiritual Master and to make a pledge to the Shaykh in endeavouring to abiding by all the sacred laws of Shari'ah (praying 5 times daily, keeping the obligatory fasts, giving Zakat of the wealth and so on). Before the Shaykh takes the pledge from the mureed (the one who "wills" i.e., wills to attain the goal of the Path precisely by submitting his will to that of the Shaykh, as a vicegerent of Allah) he (the Shaykh) should emphasise and instruct the mureed to repent from all types of sin, major or minor (if the sin was committed openly, then the repentance be made openly, if in secret then in secret as stated in a Hadith). The Shaykh then takes the pledge from the mureed to:
Translation:
Hold firm to whatever the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, gives you and abstain from whatever he, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, prohibits you from.
The origin of this "bay'ah" is traced all the way to the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, when he took the bay'ah from his Noble Companions under the tree (Bay'at al-Ridwan), thus, Allah, Ta'ala became pleased with them and He stated:
Translation: "Indeed, ALLAH ('azza wa Jalla) was well-pleased with the Believers when they gave the bay'ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) under the Tree.."
[Surah 48: al-Fath, Verse:18]
He, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, further states:
Translation: "Verily, those who give bay'ah (pledge) to you, (O Muhammad, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) they are giving bay'ah (pledge) to ALLAH ('azza wa Jalla). The Hand of ALLAH is over their hands. [Surah 48: al-Fath, Verse: 10]
It has been narrated that Sayyiduna 'Uthman, the Third Khalifa, was not present at the time of this bay'ah, so the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, placed his own hand on his other hand and stated: "This is Allah's Hand of Power and this is the hand of 'Uthman". Thus, the Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, placed one hand on top of the other and took the bay'ah (from 'Uthman).
When the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, finished taking the bay'ah from the Noble Companions, he went in his house and the female Companions (Allah, be well pleased with them all), were present awaiting and ready to take the bay'ah. The Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, paused for a while (thinking of whether he should take the bay'ah from them or not) so the verse was revealed:
Translation: "O Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)! When believing women come to you to give you bay'ah (pledge), that they will not associate anything with ALLAH, and nor will they steal, and nor will they commit adultery, and nor will they kill their children, and nor will they utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood and that they will not disobey you in any m'aruf (Good), then (O Messenger!) accept their bay'ah (pledge) and ask ALLAH to forgive them. Verily, ALLAH is Oft- Forgiving, Ever Merciful."
[Surah 60 – al-Mumtahinah – Verse: 12]
The Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, also took bay'ah from the believing women. HOWEVER, THE PROPHET'S, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, HAND NEVER TOUCHED THAT OF A WOMEN'S, THIS IS WHY SAYYIDAH 'A'ISHA AL-SIDDIQA, Radi Allahu 'anha, stated:
"The Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) took the bay'ah from the (believing) women verbally, his blessed hand never touched a woman's hand"
Sayyidah 'A'isha, Allah be well pleased with her, stated that the "Noble Prophet's, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam's, hand never touched the hand of a woman", whether she was young or old.
Imam Dawud Ta'iy, one of the great students of Imam al-A'azam Abu Hanifa, Allah be well pleased with him, when he gave bay'ah to his shaykh (Hadrat Habib 'Ajmi, radi Allahu 'anhum) Imam al-A'azam Abu Hanifa, Allah be well pleased with him, gave his own share of money to him.
Being a mureed of a Shaykh of a Silsila whose links are bonded from the Shaykh all the way to the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, means sincerely repenting from one's sins. This is because without repentance one is at loss both in this world and the hereafter.
There were four Prophetic Companions (Allah be well pleased with them all) who initially gave bay'ah to the Beloved Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then the remaining Companions gave bay'ah as well.
The women Companions, (Allah be well pleased with them all), also gave bay'ah in their hearts, this is why the verse was revealed:
(Surah 60 – al-Mumtahinah – Verse: 12)
(Sab'a Sanabal – Hadrat Mir Sayyid 'Abd al-Wahid Balgarami, Rahimahu Allah 'alayhi. Pgs. 104 onwards)
As we stated earlier, being a mureed means repenting from one's sins (though one has to do that every time, the spiritual master becomes the 'means' or the 'waseela' for one's repentance being accepted).
The Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, who was created free and pure from any sin, however big or small, yet would repent regularly seventy times, he, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, would be awake in the night in 'ibadah: worship of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, until his, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam's, blessed feet became swollen. The Prophetic Companions, Allah be well pleased with them all, said to the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam: Hasn't Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, forgiven the sins of those who were before and those who shall come after through your means. [Indeed] The Prophet, Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, replied: "afala akunu 'abdan shakura": Shall I not be a thankful servant (to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)?
The mureed should be like what Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, Radi Allahu 'anhu, stated:
'A mureed of Hadrat Yahya Manyari, (whose funeral prayer was lead by Sayyid Makhdum Ashraf Jahangir Simnani, Radi Allahu 'anhum) was drowning in a lake. So, Hadrat Khidar 'alayhi as- salaam, (a Prophet or from the Awliya Allah, according to various opinions of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l Jama'ah Scholars) appeared and stated "give me your hand" (so that I may rescue you). The mureed replied: this hand is already entrusted in the hands of Hadrat Yahya Manyari, I shall not give it to anyone else now. Thus, because of the sincerity of this mureed, Hadrat Yahya Manyari appeared and rescued him. (By the Grace & Will of Allah)' (al-Malfuz – Chapter 2 – Pg. 177/178)
Another incident of a sincere mureed of Sayyiduna Gawth al-A'azam, Radi Allahu 'anhu wa naf'ana al-ALLAHu bi Barakatihi....:
Once, the mureed of Hadrat Gawth al-A'azam Shaykh Sayyiduna 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, radi Allahu 'anhu, saw a dream that Imam al-Tai'fah Sayyiduna al-Shaykh Junayd al-Baghdadi, Radi Allahu 'Anhu, was on the peak of a mountain sat on a chair made of emeralds. Sayyiduna Junayd was asking the people to give him their requests (on a sheet of paper) so that he may present it in the Sacred Court of The Almighty, Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Everyone did so, except this mureed who stood there silent, so Sayyiduna Junayd asked him to give him his request. This sincere mureed replied: Has Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, relieved my Shaykh from this duty ('Abdul Qadir al-Jilani) to be the 'waseela: means of approach' for the acceptance of people's desires (prayers)?
Sayyiduna Junayd al-Baghdadi, replied: By ALLAH! He has never been relieved from his duty and nor shall he ever be.
To which the mureed answered: 'thus, my Shaykh is enough for me.'
The next morning after the mureed woke up he went to inform his Shaykh ('Sayyiduna Gawth al-A'azam) about his dream but before saying anything, the Shaykh told him: 'hati qissatak' give me your request [as requested by Sayyiduna Junayd from his people] and thus the mureed was given great honour from his Shaykh for his sincerity.
(al-Malfuz – A'ala Hadrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, Mufassir-o-Muhaddith-e-Barayli)
However, one needs to find a Shaykh who fulfills the following conditions:
1. he has to be Sahih-al-Maslak (Authentic Beliefs 'aqidah, according to the Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l Jama'ah) as the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, stated, that my Ummah shall be divided into 73 sects, all are misguided except for 1, and that is the group that shall follow the commandments of Allah and His Beloved Messenger, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and shall follow the ways of the Prophetic Companions of the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
2. he must be observing all the obligations & requirements of Shari'ah (establishing the 5 daily prayers with Jama'ah as well as praying the sunnah's and the optional prayers as a person who treads the path of Tareeqah has a much more greater responsibility of worship and abstaining from even the mutashabahat the doubtful things, keeping fasts, and so on.
(Sab'a Sanabal – Hadrat Mir Sayyid 'Abd al-Wahid Balgarami, Rahimahu Allah 'alayhi. Pg. 114-115)
3. His Silsilah (chain) should be linked (muttasil: connected) with an unbroken chain that reaches our Master Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa, al-Mujtaba, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
An incident:
A faqeer stood up in front of a shop asking "give me a rupee" but the owner refused. The faqeer said, "Give me a rupee or else I shall overturn the shop on you". In a very short time, a lot of people congregated around the shop, and coincidently, a Wali Allah (Friend of Allah) walked past them. The Wali Allah said to the owner, "give him a rupee hastily or else the shop shall overturn on you". People said, "O Friend of Allah! How can this ignorant beggar do anything to the shop?" the Friend of Allah replied, "I looked at the inward state of this faqeer and found him empty (of any spiritual power), then I looked at his Shaykh and also found him empty, then looked at the Shaykh of his Shaykh and found that he is one of the Friends of Allah 'Azza wa Jalla, and saw that he is standing awaiting the utterance of the words from the faqeer's mouth to overturn the shop, and thus, he shall be able to do so." (al-Malfuz – Sayyidi Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, radi Allahu 'anhu.)
Hence, this chain was strongly linked (connected) from one Shaykh to the other.
4. has to have enough knowledge so that he can extract Islamic rulings himself from authentic sources. He should also have the knowledge of things that are forbidden, as it has been stated a person who does not know what is wrong shall soon fall in its trap. ("Bashir al-Qari" – Pg. 62)
5. The main condition for the mureed to gain blessings from his Shaykh is to have sincerity, obedience, respect.
The benefits of being a mureed are:
1. He shall imitate the shuyukh that come in the silsila (chain) of his spiritual master and as the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam: man tashabbaha bi qawmin fahuwa minhum, whoever imitates a folk is from them. So, Insha'Allah the mureed shall be resurrected in the group of those who have been given great blessings from Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and His Messenger, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Gawth al-A'azam, Radi Allahu 'anhu, said: that whoever connects with me and adds his name to the Book of my mureeds, then Allah 'azza wa Jalla, shall surely accept him and if he treads a wrong path, he shall be given guidance from Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, to repent, and he is in the group of my mureeds and undoubtedly, Allah has promised me that He shall enter into Paradise those who are my mureeds, and those who follow my way and those who love me.
(Bahjat al-Asrar – Imam al-Shatnufi Rehmatu Allahi 'alayhi, as stated in "Imam Ahmad Raza aur Ilm-e-Tasawwuf" by 'Allama Muhammad Ahmad Misbahi, Pg 112, and also by Sadr al-'Ulama, Hadrat Shaykh Sayyid Ghulam Jilani Meerthi, rehmatu Allahi 'alayhi, in his "Bashir al-Qari sharh Sahih al-Bukhari" Pgs. 61-62)
Sayyiduna Shaykh Khwaja Muin ud-Din, Chishti, Radi Allahu 'anhu, said, that "I was once engaged in worship in the Haram of Makkah al-Mukarramah when suddenly I heard a voice from the unseen saying: "O Muin-ud-Deen! We are pleased with you, thus we have forgiven you and those who are in your family". Khawaja Muin ud-Din, radi Allahu 'anhu, requested: "O Allah 'azza wa Jalla! I desire more," a voice was heard: "Ask and you shall be given" he replied: "O Allah 'azza wa Jalla! Forgive the mureeds of Mu'in-ud-Din and the mureeds of his mureeds" a voice was heard from the unseen: "O Muin-ud-Din! We have forgiven all your mureeds and all those who shall be in your silsilah until the Day of Resurrection"
("Bashir al-Qari" – Sadr al-'Ulama, Sayyid Ghulam Jilani al-Meerthi, rehmatu Allahi 'alayhi – Pg. 62)
2. The Shaykh shall Insha'Allah help the mureed in times of difficulty.
When it was near the time for the agonies of death for the great Scholar of Islam, Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (writer of the famous Tafsir (Exegesis) of the Noble Qur'an: Mafatih al-Ghayb – "Keys to the Unseen"), Satan came, intending to misguide him in the final minutes of his life and asked this great Imam: "you have spent your whole lifetime in discussions and debates, have you ever recognised God?" he said, "Yes, indeed Allah is One" Satan asked: "What evidence do you have substantiating this belief" The Imam presented a proof but Satan, once the teacher of the Angels rebutted this evidence. The Imam then presented further proofs but the cursed Satan continued to rebut him until 360 proofs in total were given by the Great Imam substantiating that Allah is One. Imam Razi became perplexed and agitated, but because he was a mureed of the great pious Wali of Allah, Sayyiduna Najm al-Din al-Kubra' radi Allahu 'anhu, the Shaykh assisted him by advising him to say, (whilst he himself was performing ablution in a far distant place), "say that I believe in Allah, to be One, without the need of any proof or evidence". Thus said, Imam al-Razi, and Satan the accursed had no option but to immediately vanish.
[al-Malfuz – Chapter 4 – Pg. 365]
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, Radi Allahu 'anhu, asserted in Fatawa'-e-Afriqiyyah, that a mureed who has performed the bay'ah on the hands of a Shaykh (who has fulfilled the conditions) shall gain many benefits and shall be lead to success both in this world and the Hereafter......." the apparent success" (Falah-e-Zahir), "the inward success" (Falah-e-Batini), "the success in being pious" (Falah-e-Taqwa'), "the success in Ihsan" (Falah-e-Ihsan).
One of the great ways to attain blessings from the Shaykh is to recite the Shajrah (Spiritual Genealogical Tree: the names of all the shuyukh in the silsilah in which one has given bay'ah) continuously and firmly remembering the Shaykh in one's mind as though he is sat in front of the Blessed Rawdah (Sacred Tomb) of the Noble Prophet, salla Allahu Ta'ala 'alayhi wa sallam, and imagine a luminous light is being transmitted from the Pure & Blessed Rawdah to the heart of the Shaykh and from his heart it is being transmitted into yours, Insha'Allah one shall find peace, tranquility and more importantly, the blessings of the Shaykh shall be transmitted to the mureed. (this is called Tasawwur-e-Shaykh and should be done in isolation facing towards al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, preferably in darkness).
And Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, Knows best
An extract from Al Murid al Salik ; which is a book from Mehboob al Subhani al-Ghawth al-A'zam Sayyadina al Shaykh Abd' al-Qadir Gailani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu.
Whoever relates himself to a Shaykh, in one way or another, thinking that his relationship will free him from something in the Shari'ah, is sorely mistaken.
Tasawwuf is not wearing the patched wool,
Weeping when singers sing,
Shouting, dancing, or enjoying (these things),
Or behaving like a madman;
Rather, tasawwuf is being pure without turbidity
And following the Haqq, the Qur'an, the din
And humbling the self to Allah, feeling unworthy
Sad, for having committed sins throughout life.
Support for this is found in the Book of Allah. The Exalted says in one ayat: "And no bearer of a burden shall bear the burden of another" (6:164); and in another: "And that his striving shall soon be seen; then shall he be rewarded for it with the fullest reward" (53:39-40).
O Murid, you must be calm and your approach to this path must be the pure Shari'ah. Your actions must be in accordance with the glorious Shari'ah both literally and interpretively. The Shari'ah is the cutting edge and the shining sword that protects itself from imperfection. In this meaning, the Chosen One (upon him be peace and blessings) said, "I leave you with a 'white' method (al-muhajat al-baydha'), its night is like its day. Deviation from it leads to destruction." He also said, "I leave with you something which, if you hold to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah."
Some special advice to the Mureed
1. O' Mureed! Remember that if you live the life as prescribed by the Shariah, then on the Day of Qiyaamah, you will be highly successful and enlightened.
2. O' Mureed! Remember that you have pledged to refrain from anything which is against the Commands of Almighty Allah and His Most Beloved Rasool Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam.
3. O' Mureed! You have pledged to remain within the folds of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah and will refrain from the company of all misled sects and groups. Remember! Do not die, but in the state of Imaan.
4. O' Mureed! You have pledged to perform all the Faraa'idh of the Shariat-e-Muhammadi Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam, the Salaah, the Fasting, the Hajj, and the giving of Zakaah. Remain steadfast in these duties.
5. O' Mureed! You have pledged to perform all the commands of Shariah, so do not break this pledge of yours.
