i want to know about sufism and shaikh?
Respected mufti….. Pleas inform there has any justification about the shaikh and mureed relation in islam? compared to prophet
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The basis and justification of this relationship is the following Quranic injunction:
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and be in the company of the truthful”
[Surah al-Tawbah, 119]
The Quran has not said “the learned” [‘ulama] or the “the righteous” [sulaha] in this verse. Rather, by electing to use the words “the truthful” [sadiqin] it has told us about the real identity of the ‘learned’ and the ‘righteous’.
Such a truthful person has to be one whose exterior and interior are the same and who is also true in intention, true in word and true in deed as well. [Ma’arif al-Quran]
Secondly, companionship [suhba] of the pious enables one to benefit from them whether one realizes it or not. [Majalis Hakim al-Ummah]
The Sahabah are called “sahabah” because they were the companions of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam). They could have been described with other titles but this shows the importance of companionship [suhba].
The company of the pious helps us learn how to subdue the vile inner qualities that are present within us such as: envy, jealousy, greed, arrogance, impatience, etc. and develop in their place beautiful inner qualities such as: gratitude, sincerity, humility, patience, and the like.
Since our vile inner qualities are essentially “diseases of the heart” they are hidden and difficult to perceive. As a result they are not easily diagnosed and treated by every person himself.
If one has such a capability to reform his own self, then he must do so. However, it is far more effective and desirable [mustahab] to seek the assistance of a competent Shaykh who can prescribe the treatment to cure these “diseases of the heart”.
The signs of a competent Shaykh is that he:
a.) Strictly adheres to the Sunnah.
b.) Stays far away from bi’dah (innovations).
c.) Has been given permission by his own Shaykh to accept murids (students in the path of tasawwuf).
For further information please see: www.tasawwuf.daralmahmood.org
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Sohail ibn Arif,
Assistant Mufti, Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.