These days one usually encounters various opinions regarding pledging oneself to a shaykh of tariqa. There those who consider Islam to be a simple and self-explanatory religion and therefore do not see any need for a shaykh. Then there are others who regard it as a necessary condition of success in this world and the next. For them everything is mediated through the medium of the shaykh. There are still others who whilst not holding it to be a necessity for everyone are adamant that sufism cannot be practiced without it. Needless to say all of these views are partially but not wholly true.
Islam is indeed a practice oriented religion less interested in theological speculation and thus relatively easy to follow at a basic level. However it is often forgotten by proponents of the first view that being simple is one thing and simplistic quite another. Islam was never intended to be simplistic. Proponents of the second view noted above make the mistake of taking a reasonable and true teaching too far. They forget that God is always and everywhere accessible to all of his creation and that the shaykh is one of the means through which God pours down His grace upon us but not the only means.
The third view is generally considered the soundest. Hence anyone interested in spirituality is often advised to “find a shaykh” before even taking the first step. The reasons for this are clear: we usually have no knowledge about our own selves let alone “matters of the spirit” and the passage from ignorance to knowledge can be both difficult and deceptive. Thus we need the help and guidance of an expert; someone who knows the way because he has made the journey. It is for this purpose that bay’at with a shaykh is taken.
What needs to be understood especially in our times is that whilst spiritual guidance is necessary taking bay’at (binding oneself to a shaykh) is not. Bay’at is a pledge which has certain conditions amongst which is the surrender of the will of the disciple to the shaykh. In the classical period of sufism this was regarded as necessary but under the changed circumstances of the present era many masters do not regard this as essential. This was the view of Hz Qudratullah Shahab, Wasif Ali Wasif and others. Interestingly enough this has also been the view of the Ba-Alawi Syeds from the time of Imam al-Haddad in the late 17th century. The Imam made clear his reasons why such a pact is no longer reasonable: neither the disciples nor the shaykhs (generally) meet the exacting spiritual standards which were a pre-condition for such a relationship. On consideration this turns out to be a very realistic and compassionate view. It allows seekers to benefit from shaykhs without the burden of stringent conditions of complete obedience. It also protects them from exploitation especially in times when true shaykhs seem to be getting fewer by the day.
Hz Q.U.S was asked more than once to accept the pledge of discipleship. He always declined saying: ” in this age bay’at is very difficult. Education is widespread…western modes of thinking have made us more self-reliant. Thus the ones who takes bay’at gets stuck in a noose for the first conditon of bay’at is that the disciple not even entertain disobedience to his master in his mind; because it is through the Khayal (imagination, mental imagery, imaginal realm) that the murshid benefits the seeker spiritually. Thus even if he entertains a thought of that kind in his heart there is a chance of his suffering loss….”. However Q.U.S did stress that the guidance of an “expert” is necessary particularly when the seeker begins to have spiritual experiences in order to distinguish true experiences from the whisperings of the ego or the illusions of one’s own imagination.
faqeera said:
Subhan Allah, may I ask Green Sufi where did u quote Hazrat Shahab Rehmatullah from? Is this in Shahab nama?
Does anyone know where is his mazaar shareef?
chaiwala said:
No this is not from the Shahabnama. It can be found in Banu Qudsiyya’s book Mard-e-Abraisham which is a tribute to Shahab sahib. If you’re interested in Q.U.S I recommend that you read that book.
Shahab sahib is buried in the official graveyard near Zeropoint in Islamabad. Entering from the main gate it is on the left.
GreenSufi said:
Interesting point, chaiwala bhai. My take on this is that apart from the teaching we need the Tawajjuh, the spiritual himma or outpouring which comes from the Auliya. So it would be essential to visit mazars regularly and learn the proper method of attending the mazars.
chaiwala said:
That is certainly one point of view and there indeed many benefits of attendance at mizaars. Another view is that one attends only when one is “called” or “sent”. There are many cases of “stunted growth” where people have had experiences due to attendance at mizaars but have really not progressed beyond them or simply not known what to make of these experiences.
dust said:
It seems that there are as many spiritual-means as there are seekers!
The quote above, “it is through the khayal that the murshid benefits the seeker spiritually”, deserves some more attention.
Is the ability to practise tawwajjoh directly on the seeker so rare nowadays, that they have to rely on other avenues (eg visting mizaars or recieving through subtle realms like khayal/mithal )?
Raza Rumi said:
What excellent updates as I returned after a long time.
Though I am a little uncomfortable with the veneration of QAS – he was a pious Muslim but his political role and lust for power until his last are also well recorded facts of history.
Further, the secret of divine knowledge is not to be exposed as it was done in Shahab Nama, somne would argue..
I’d love to hear your views??
chaiwala said:
Thanks for your comments Raza Rumi sahib. To respond in detail to the issue of “Shahab and Politics” would perhaps require a full blown essay rather than a comment but I don’t think there was a “lust for power” in Shahab sahib. One can disagree with this or that action but I don’t think there is room to doubt his intentions. Shahab sahib was a complex personality performing more than one role so he will never be a clean-cut sufi like the babaji who has withdrawn from the world.
As for your second point about divulging divine knowledge, I don’t think there’s anything particularly “divine” about the last chapter of Shahabnama. These facts are well-known amongst the people of tasawwuf. The only real concern would have been Shahab sahib’s disclosure about himself but by the time the book was published Shahab was no longer here to bask in the glory or suffer the ridicule.
You do have a point though: Muftiji opposed the publication of the final chapter on the grounds that it would make the preceding chapters look false. However for those that carry out orders “from on high” such things are of no consequence. I for one cannot doubt the wisdom behind this disclosure since I continue to meet people that have personally benefited from it. Sometimes disclosures have to be made to confound the skeptics and reassure the believers that these are not “fables of the ancients”.
faqeera said:
Prophet Muhammad pbuh has been quoted to say there are as many paths to god as there are breaths 🙂 After being in company of a sufi I’m beginning to understand that I cannot yet understand a sufi or a enlightened being. Perhaps it is the fruit of living day to day in my own illusion, slave to my own mental world. Its impossible to put a Sufi in a box or to categorise him/her. We cannot speculate or judge their actions because a real Sufi’s hands become hands of Allah, their eyes become eyes of Allah. Perhaps Shahab sahib knew he is passing away from this world and this book would be published after him …… who knows? I wish so much to visit his grave and offer his Salaams to this servant of Allah.
I also wish to go around Pakistan visiting Tombs & mazaars, does anyone know a website that gives directions to mazaars?
Saifuddin said:
BismillaharRahmanirRahim
as-salaamu ‘alaikum. This is dangerous, see my explaination on Green Sufi’s site (here).
-Saifuddin
chaiwala said:
Brother Saifuddin,
Wa alaykum salam and thank you for your comment. I fail to see what is dangerous in the above post though, in fact, I’m not sure if you read through it at all. To make things clear: the above post certainly does not encourage a do-it-yourself approach to spirituality, it recognizes the need for guidance from “experts” but does not regard the bay’at (in the proper sense) as essential today.This however is not my view but the view of people reputed to be from amongst the awliya. As with all things, there is more than one side to the truth here.
God knows best.
awan said:
asalam o laikum
honistly speaking shahab sahib is a very deep source of inspiration 4 me since i read his book shahb naama n books about him like Alikh Nugri, Labaik by Mumtaz Mufti & Mard a Abrasham by bano qudsia,it just transformed my views about life, sucess n failure.i wish i could hav cn him n listened to him while talking.i dono what to say but i just wana pay my gratitude 4 hz shahab sahib.i think his faaz is still in exercise 4 those who wana now about tsafuf n tarikut
allah hafiz
Nasir Minhas said:
I’m related to testile industry and never been indulge in literature but one of my friend once very strontly recommended to read Shahab Mama and i gone through,believe me i never read such a master piece in my 32 yrs of life.
Does Pakistan has such a great personality, this reading totally changed my perceptions and concepts now i am more loyal and sincere Pakistani and Muslim.