InshaAllah, they will be successful if they act upon the words of the Qur’an, The seeker must follow a perfect Master able to guide him to the way of Allah, Almighty and Exalted, and to illuminate for him that way until he reaches the State of Annihilation.
In verse 34 of Surat al-Isra’, “and fulfill the covenant, for the covenant shall be questioned about.” [17:34]We see the Qur’an encouraging the people to give their oath and to keep their oath to the Prophet (s), who leads them to the presence of Allah, Almighty and Exalted. This orders the nafs towards discipline; it is made to recognise its own worth, reflecting upon the pure state of those close to Allah, realising that true honour is in piety only, and understanding that it has no right to be proud. Each tareeqa has branches; like a tree, where the roots are one but the branches are many. The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
One day, as he taught his students in the open courtyard of the Masjid, a poorly dressed dervish stood by and watched. This incident is reported in the Holy Qur’an, which states, There are many virtues associated with reciting one’s Shejra. They would never raise their voice above his, they would never turn their backs towards him or even look at his blessed face except by glancing, due to their respect for him. It terms of Tasawwuf, it refers to the path of spiritual guidance and blessing issued down from the Beloved Messenger, passed along from one righteous personality to another. Therefore, the mureed must ensure that they are consistent in reciting the awrad (or wird, wazaa’if, or daily zikr) prescribed to them by their spiritual guide.
In this manner, the seeker receives and reflects the fayz of their Murshid in a much more powerful form. A true Murshid is one whose own faith is sound enough for him to guide others to the Path. There is an incident reported about Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi, who came to the River Tigris and saying Tasawwur-e-Shaykh, or visualizing one’s Shaykh is an important part of being a mureed. The meaning of taking bayah is to pledge spiritual allegiance & surrender yourself to the supervision of a Murshid/Pir/Shaykh, or spiritual teacher/leader. They should honour the belief that their Murshid is the best guide for them, the most beneficial for them, and that none else can surpass this rank. This highlights the necessity of being in the company of one’s Murshid who, if he is a true teacher, will have this effect on those who meet him.
This is of utmost importance; the Murshid is a healer or physician who recommends the appropriate antidote necessary for the seeker. • Imam Abu Hanifa said, emphasizing the importance of sitting at the feet of a spiritual guide and teacher,
He observed how the Mawlana referred to many handwritten books and texts as he taught, so he enquired as to what they contained. In this incident, each Companion placed their hand in the hand of the Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and affirmed their faith in the oneness of Allah (tawheed). • Regarding this, Mawlana Rumi narrates the following story in his Masnavi: For example in the Shadhill tariqah after Shaykh Ibrahim al Yaqoubi passed away the next Shaykh was Shaykh Muhammad al Yaqoubi. Regarding the presence, then, of a Murshid, one who is a scholar of religion and devout in his duties towards Almighty Allah, one should bear in mind the following Hadith of the Noble Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him: They are all correct, as they all lead back to the ultimate source of guidance, our Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. As madhabs are the paths for adhering to the Shar’iah, sotareeqas are the paths for adhering to Tasawwuf. Taking bayah also acts as a powerful guard against arrogance and pride, as a mureed (a spiritual disciple, follower, a seeker who follows the Murshid as his guide on the path of Tasawwuf) must hold complete adab (respect) and humility where his Murshid is concerned. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, as an analogy for good/bad company, It is narrated by Imam A mad in the The Prophet (s), according to the books of Nisa’i and Tirmidhi gave initiation to Umayymah bint Ruqiyyah. So he disregarded the words of his Murshid Imam Junayd, and began to say A seeker cannot gain even a grain of wisdom or blessing unless he has complete adab (respect) for his spiritual guide. • If one is lucky enough to reach the presence of a Wali or Friend of Allah (read article about Wilayah), bear in mind the words of Khwaja Shah Baha’uddin Naqshband who said, • Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi states in his Masnavi, About him, there is a story regarding the importance of a Murshid. Once such example of this is when the Noble Companions pledged oath to him under the tree. • About fana fi-Shaykh, Imam Ahmad Raza Khansays,
The meaning of taking bayah is to pledge spiritual allegiance & surrender yourself to the supervision of a Murshid/Pir/Shaykh, or spiritual teacher/leader. The word tareeqa literally means ‘way’ or ‘path’.