Adab (Etiquette) of Sheikh and its
virtues
Chapter 5
Misbah Al-Hidaya (Lantern of Guidance)
Izzed-Din Kashani
Discussion Join
Most virtuous Daraja (Gradation) after the Prophet-hood is being a
Sheikh as the representative of the Prophet, calling unto the people
towards Allah,
in concordance to the ways of the Prophet peace be upon
him. Sheikh is such deputy. And therefore such a rank is indeed the
most virtuous
as was said by the Prophet:
And by Al-Ladhi (That
Which) i.e. Allah,
at ITs
Hand is the person of
Muhammad, and if you might, I would take an oath for you, Inna the
most
loved servants of Allah by Allah are those who make Allah love ITs
servants and make the servants to love Allah and they roam upon this
earth giving (good) advice.
كنز العمال - للمتقي
الهندي
المجلد الثالث >> الإكمال من الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر
5565- ألا أخبركم بأقوام ليسوا بأنبياء ولا شهداء؟ يغبطهم يوم القيامة
الأنبياء والشهداء بمنازلهم من الله على منابر من نور يرفعون الذين يحببون
عباد الله إلى الله، ويحببون الله إلى عباده، ويمشون في الأرض نصحاء، قيل:
كيف يحببون عباد الله إلى الله؟ قال: يأمرونهم بما يحب الله وينهونهم عما
يكرهه الله، فإذا أطاعوهم أحبهم الله.
(هب) وأبو سعيد النقاش في معجمه وابن النجار عن أنس
Remark: “those who make Allah love ITs
servants”
the word ‘make’ does
not have any measure of control or subjugation, it is the best and
simplest word in English to convey the concept of being an instrument
to make a servant loved by Allah.
The latter is the meaning of the concept of Sheikh in Sufism.
The intent of the Sheikh is to polish the rustic lusts/desires off the
mirror of the Murid’s (Seeker’s) heart, therefore (Murid’s heart) to
reflect the rays of the Divine Beauty of the Ahadiyat (Divine
Oneness)
and the rays of the Momentous/Glorious Samadiyat (Absolute Mastery), to
brimfill the goblet of the eyes by such (beautiful) observations and
thus place the
Mahab-bat (Divine
Love) within the heart of the Murid (Seeker of the
Divine). (Dara: We love beautiful things, therefore something to become
beloved for us we must first see its bedazzling beauty)
Therefore the ‘profession’ of Sheikh is to make Allah the
beloved of
the Murids (Seekers of the Divine) and vice-a-versa:
3:31. Qul (Say):
If you (plural) are to love Allah, Fa
(Consequently,
in this order) follow me Allah shall love you (plural).
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ
تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ
لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Adab (Etiquette) and duties of the
Sheikh towards the Murid (Seeker of
the Divine)
As the Murid (Seeker) has an Adab (Etiquette)
for
the Sheikh i.e. Irada
(Willful love to follow), Sheikh also has Adab (Etiquette) for the
Murid i.e. right to make Tarbiya (Nurturing). There are fifteen Adabs
(Etiquettes) for the Sheikh:
1. Purity of
Intention and absence of all causality:
First thing the Sheikh is to do is to interrogate his self to make sure
that he does not desire to lead, to be called Sheikh or yearn to be
loved—intense feelings as desired much by the Nafs (Self) of
every human
being. And do so even if he sees his Nafs (Self) already cleansed i.e.
to accuse his Self again and again. Since it is quite possible that
being loved by people and being the center of attention have been
occluded and he could not see these faults. And thus when finds some
Murids (Seekers), even if being all sincere, turning to him to seek
guidance, he rushes not to their aid! He is paused until upon much
turning to Allah
and much invocations the veils of ambiguities are
removed and vis-à-vis the Divine Cognizance he knows with
certainty what Allah’s wish is for these Murids and him. First case: If
this affair is all trials and tribulations to test, to safeguard and
keep away and invite the Murdis from a distance and as such concealed.
Second case: He sees that Allah is pleased for these Murids to be
guided by him and therefore he completely takes over the responsibility
and preoccupied by it.
2. Cognizance of
Preparedness (Isti’dad): Prior to
engaging the Murid (Seeker) the Sheikh must see if the Murid is
prepared for Suluk (Voyage) upon the Path of those near to Allah, and
if so to invite him according to the wisdom and ways suitable for those
close to Allah.
And if the Murid is not prepared, to admonish him with
the glad tidings of the Gardens and warnings of the Fire. For those
prepared and close to Allah to aid them to keep their Sirr (Divine
Observatory) clear and discernment of Khatir (Ideas,
Notions) i.e. what
thoughts are Divine and which are from the devil. Those who are not
close to Allah to discipline with worships and physical rituals. In
summary to advise and command the Murid (Seeker) to do that which in
accordance to their preparedness. And the person who is not competent
to do the latter is not suitable for the profession of a Sheikh as the
Sheikh Al-Islam said (Suhrawardi?): Amazing! The desert dweller knows
each patch of earth and the trees i.e. knows which tree belongs to
which earth as every artisan knows its art i.e. the benefits and
shortcomings and even the female working the spindle knows the threads
and the yarns, and yet so does the Sheikh knows the circumstances of
the Murid (Seeker) and what is good and applicable to him.
3. Complete
disinterest in the Murid’s (Seeker’s)
wealth: Under no circumstance offer any services for any Murid
(Seeker)
with even slightest inclination towards any monetary rewards. Tarbiyat
(Spiritual Nurturing) and
Irshad (Spiritual Directives) are far better than any wealth as has
been attributed to the Prophet (Khabar): There is no charity spent more
valued than that of spreading some Ilm (Divine
Knowledge) amongst the
people. If the Murid (Seeker) wishes to do away from all the worldly
possessions and liquidate assets for charity, the Sheikh must come up
with an alternative proposal such that there are no worries about the
duress of financial loss for the Murid (Seeker) i.e. he is not able to
endure poverty and might succumb to it. The Prophet peace be upon him
allowed Abu Bakr to give away all his wealth to charity, and when there
was worry that he would be in stress of the financial loss to retain
some. When one of the Murids (Seekers) asked permission of Junaid to
spend all his money on charity Junaid did not allow him and said to
him: Keep some for your needs for I am not secure about the desires and
inclinations of your Nafs (Self)
after the remittance of the funds.
4. Ithār (Altruism,
Selflessness): Sheikh must
sacrifice, selflessly, all that material gains he enjoys and to cut off
personal interests (in daily consumption) so that the altruistic traces
are observed by the Murid (Seeker) within the Sheikh and as such the
same selfless behavior and sacrifice would become easy for the Murid as
well. And if there happens to be some additional provisions coming the
Murid’s way he (Murid) would give it away in ease and peace sharing
with the
needy and poor.
5. Compliance
of action with the words: Sheikh
should not instruct or order the Murid (Seeker) to do anything (or
abstain from anything) unless and until he himself complies with such
order, way in advance of its issuance, so that it would readily
be complied with by the Murid (Seeker). As some said: If looking at a
person does not benefit you, neither does his word! (i.e. seeing him in
action an indication for the veracity of his words). Even for the
Sheikh being well to do is the same as living with scantiness, yet it
is
best for the Murid (Seeker) that the Sheikh sacrifices his personal
interests and daily living so that the Murid find it easier to steer
away from the consumption and material coveting. As was said by Umar to
this regard: The poverty and affluence are two burdens (loads), I do
not
care which one to carry! (i.e. both are the same or he is the same
person given both)
6. Befriending
the
weak: Any time the
Sheikh could observe a weakness or deviance he ought to be
ultra-patient with the Murid (Seeker of the Divine) that might help him
to overcome his shortcoming. And this can become second nature to a
Sheikh by spending much time amongst the poor and the destitute. When
one of the affluent Murids of Ahmad Qalanisi cut off from the worldly
life, after some time, there appeared with him some weaknesses.
Therefore this Sheikh, anytime made some money, used to send the Murid
(Seeker) good foods and pastries saying: He has forsaken the very
worldly
life that he was so used to, therefore it is most appropriate to
befriend him (in his time of need and weakness) and provide for him
some provision.
7. Purification of
the words: Sheikh must filter away
the desires and lusts out of his words. Since the effect of his words
upon the heart of the Murid (Seeker) is that of a seed planted, if the
seed is a good one a nice plant sprouts, if the seed is bad then there
is no sprouting. The ruin and impurity of the words is the immixing of
personal desires with words (addressed to the Murid). There are two
ways for the corruption of the words: first the speaker says what the
listeners want to hear (marketing savvy), second the speaker feels ‘Ujb
(Self-amazement) bedazzled and admiring his own speech! The appearance
of the latter within the Nafs (Self) is
the worst possible crime a
Sheikh can commit. Therefore when Sheikh speaks he needs to clear and
filer his personal desires out of the words and as such plant a verbal
seed within the heart of the Murid (Seeker) and leave these words under
the care of Allah
to make them truth and bring them to fruition and
safeguard them against the Shaitan (Satan). To get rid of the
criminally
spoken ‘Ujb (Self-amazement) to observe and study the benevolence of
the Divine Gifts and thus to shatter the eyes of the Nafs (Self) and
destroy the darkling veil of ‘Ujb (Self-amazement) upon the dawn of the
rays of Nur (Divine
Light), and to see and find his total existence
nothing but a droplet of water tumbling upon the tumults of the
resistless
waves the sea of Divine Blessings, dissolving to oblivion.
8. Elevation of the
heart to the Divine Presence
during the conversations: When the Sheikh attempts to speak to
the Murid (Seeker)
first he must elevate his heart to the level of the Divine Presence and
ask from Allah
words that are filled with benefit and goodness for the
Murid so that his tongue speaks the truth and much benefit provided for
the Murid (Seeker). And as such the speaker is the same as the
listener! Once a Sheikh said to his people: I am the same as you
listening to my own words! Some of those present within the audience
found it strange i.e. how can a speaker listen to his own words same a
listener in the crowd, how can the speaker and the listener be equal?
One of the listeners that night saw a pearl diver in his dream,
fetching pearls from the depth of the ocean and when swam ashore and
opened the shells both he and those who did not swam along saw the same
pearl i.e. in that moment of observing the never-seen pearl the diver
and the spectator at the shore became the same! (Experienced the same)
9. Speaking with
allusions: Anytime the Sheikh
observes a defect or undesirable attribute or behavior within the Murid
(Seeker of the Divine) he must avoid all direct conversations and
confrontations and instead speak to an audience and indirectly address
the fault and the issues. This way of advising is closest to the wisdom
and best to affect the Murid (Seeker).
10. Preserving the
Divine Secrets of the Murid
(Seeker): In occasions Sheikh might see and find with the Murid
(Seeker)
Divine Gifts and Benevolence and it is the duty of the Sheikh to
conceal these gifts and blessings and not to make them public. When in
private with the Murid (Seeker) to belittle the importance of these
gifts and grants to remind the Murdi (Seeker) that all these are from
Allah and not
originated from him or her, and all in return the Murid
(Seeker) should do is to offer gratitude to Allah, busied in the state
of thankfulness, since otherwise any other attention and diversion
might diminish or ruin the Divine Gifts:
12:5. Said (the father Jacob): "My (dear) little son! relate not your
vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against you: for Satan
is to man an avowed enemy!
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ
عَلَى إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ
لِلْإِنْسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ
19:10. (Zakariya) said: "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Your Sign," was
the answer, "Shall be that you shall not speak to no man for three
nights, although you art not dumb."
قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي
آَيَةً قَالَ آَيَتُكَ أَلَّا
تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا
19:26 "And if you do see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to
((Allah))
Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with
any human being'"
فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ
الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ
إِنْسِيًّا
11. Forgiving
the mistakes and failures of the
Murid (Seeker): Sheikh must be patient and forgiving when the
Murid
(Seeker) loses his Adab (Etiquette)
or
forsake some service he was
ordered to do, as a man asked the Prophet: How much should I pardon my
servant? The Prophet replied: Seventy times a day, each day. (Dara:
Seventy in the language of the Arab means ‘a lot’ not the number 70)
12. Disregarding
one’s own rights: Even if the Sheikh
deserves much respect and honor, and the more he does so, he is to
disregard any rights for being respected and paid attention to, for
such
expectations are unbefitting the profession of a Sheikh. And do
disregard with best of behavior and presentation. Daqqi narrates: I was
in an Egyptian mosque with a group of Faqirs (Sufi Paupers) when Abu
Bakr Warraq arrived and started offering prayers behind a column. We
decided to stand up and greet the Sheikh once he finished. As soon as
the Sheikh said the final Salaam (Peace) of the prayer he got up and
came to us and surpassed us in greeting. We replied that it was our
duty to greet him first and the Sheikh replied: Allah has never
tormented my heart with that (i.e. expecting respect and attention from
the people). (Dara: End of Sufism in our days)
13. Fulfilling the
obligations for the Murid
(Seeker): (In contrast to the #12) The Sheikh is obliged to
perform and
fulfill all the rights that are due to the Murid (Seeker) of respect,
expectations and attention and so on. Abu Muhammad Jariri narrates:
When I returned from the Hajj I decided to go visit the Sheikh Junaid
so he is not bothered to make the trip to my place. When the time for
the Noon prayer arrived (the hottest time of the day to travel) I saw
Junaid arriving and thus I told him: My Sayyid (Master) I meant to be
the first to greet you (coming to your place) so that you might not
come here, and Junaid replied: O Muhammad this (meaning to come to see
me) is your virtue and generosity and (my coming to see you) your right!
14. To allot time
for Khalwat (Solitude) and Jilwat
(Unveiled for public access): Sheikh should not be obsessed and
preoccupied by the public affairs and mingling with people filling all
his
time, he must allot time for Khalwat (Solitude)
to
regain his Hala
(Momentary
States of the heart) Kamal (Perfection)
and
feeling the
Divine Presence, as was practiced by the Prophet peace be upon him. The
Prophet sometimes was with the people to be merciful with them and
sometimes in solitude to gain and benefit more from the Divine
Mercy. Human being often suffers from lack of verve in worships
and Dhikrs (Remembrance)
and
such times are most suitable to have
Suhbat (Companionship)
with
people and attending to their affairs and
once the attention and energy appears again return to the Khalwat
(Solitude)
and
continue the worships with enthusiasm and zeal. Junaid
told his companions: Had I known that a short prayer (Two Ra’at) is
more valued than Suhbat (Companionship)
I
would have never socialized.
15. Increased
Performance of additional Dhikr and
Worships (Nawāfil): Sheikh should never be mislead believing
that he is
not in need of additional non-obligatory Dhikrs
and Worships, since the
Prophet peace be upon was quite diligent to observe the Nafla e.g.
additional prayers during the night and Dhikrs around different times
of the day. It has entered into the Hadith (Prophetic Narration) that
one night the Prophet prayed so much extra worships (Tahajjud) that his
feet had swollen. Aisha asked him: O Messenger of Allah didn’t
Allah
forgive your past and future sins? The Prophet replied: (Since so)
shouldn’t I be a grateful servant?
These were the collection of Adab (Etiquette)
for
being a Sheikh.
End.
© 2010-2002, Dara O
Shayda