Request:
Asalam ulakum,
I have recently come across sisters following the same tariqah in the town I live in [private]. I have been invited by a sister to come to the weekly zikr.
I am concerned and very upset as I find the girls following the tariqah to be highly rude, impolite and unfriendly. They do not smile when I smile and do not make me feel welcome. They act like they are superior to the newcomers.
I do not wish to go anymore and wish to just practice in my own home. Why is recommended to meet every week?
Islam teaches us to respect each and everyone no matter their religion, cast or race. I feel like a student who does not want to go to class as the teacher is horrible. How would a child learn if the teacher is always making the child feel upset and uncomfortable?
Response:
wa `alaykum salam,
Ask Allah to bless you in your connection to this blessed holy Sufi path, despite the obstacles of ego and bad character, for we are all patients of the Doctor. Ask Allah grant that you find a sister with whom you can connect and relate. Also, be careful of generalization, as you may write off someone who, in reality, doesn’t possess the negative traits you feel among the majority. After, as the Prophet (s) said, “Al-mumin mirraat akheehi – the believer is mirror of the believer.” So what you see may be a reflection of something in your own character you find distasteful.
and Allah knows best.
Taher Siddiqui
