Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
A lot of people say that taking a baya with a sheikh is bida. Can you please tell me, other than taking baya with RasulAllah (sallal lahu alaihi wassallam) as noted in the seerah, what is the Hanafi position on taking baya with sheikhs?
Walaikum assalam,
It is permitted to give bay`a to a Shaykh. Rather, the fuqaha mention that it is recommended for those seeking a spiritual path towards closeness to Allah, as it is a proven means to attain unto the inward traits that Allah made legally obligatory and to leave those traits Allah has forbidden.
A tree is judged by its fruits. The greatest scholars of this Umma inevitably had taken bay`a with a Sufi Shaykh.
Among Hanafis: Ibn Abidin was a Naqshabandi. Imam al-Shurunbulali was Shadhili The great Indian fuqaha were Naqshabandi, or Qadiri, or Chishti
For a detailed treatment of the legal basis for the way of sufism, please read the writings of Sh. Nuh Keller and Sh. Abdal Hakim Murad on Sidi Mas’ud Khan’s excellent site: http://www.masud.co.uk
As mentioned before, the articles on that site are a must for sunnis in difficult times.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani.