Question:
Assalamu alaikkum va rahmatullahi barakkathahu
I [privatel] ,am the grant uncle of [private], of Singapore, who might have informed you about me. I am living in India, was a mureed of local Shaykh [private] of Qadiriya Chistiya tariqa, who passed away a few years ago. Until he was died I was frequently in touch with him, mentally happy of being spiritually alive , a kind of feeling all the mureeds used to have in his presence as well as he was physically away from us. He used to give us a lot taalim.
After his demise I visit his cemetery not very frequently, because I do not have the requisite compatibility with any of his khaliphas,who all seemed to be pretenders, by the very yardstick prescribed by my late respectful Shaykh. I avoid going to his cemetery because I have to be in touch with the khaliphas with whom I am not comfortable with.
I attended the Shaykh kabbani’ s lecture delivered at Singapore, where he said if you don’t get a shaykh , your heart itself will work as shaykh.
Now the purpose of this mail.
1. I feel I am without a Guide, but I do not want to associate with my earlier silsilah’s khaliphas , who are very upset with me for not coming to them.
2. I have a feeling of indescribable feeling of remorse and sorrow all the time without any reason.
3. I have a guilty feeling of not in touch with my silsilah’s people, esp. Khaliphas ,but I am definitely not comfortable with them.
4.Being the sons of my late shaykh are dominant khaliphas , I am bit afraid that it might incur the displeasure of my late shaykh. But I feel they want mureeds only to subjugate for their worldly ends and personal gains.
5. I am worried about my relationship with Allah and Rasool sallalahu alaihi wasallam and my end.
Please advise me to extricate myself out of my present predicament and unfounded fear.
Truly
Answer:
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakutuh,
Having met your nephew, I have utmost respect and admiration for your family, which cannot be described except as `ashiqeen ar-rasul. May Allah raise you all higher and higher.
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham has said repeatedly and this is a firm principle in Sufism: “A seeker must have a living shaykh.”
(for more details see The Need for a Living Guide)
You should seek a shaykh that makes you feel connected to the Divine Presence and to the Presence of Rasulullah, sall-Allahu `layhi wa sallam, else you will always be in qabd (constricted) state because your ruh is not getting its proper nourishment of heavenly faiz.
I strongly recommend to take online baya` with Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani and meet with his representatives in India or Singapore and attend the Khatm and assocation. When possible travel to meet Mawlana Shaykh Nazim to confirm your spiritual baya` with the physical one.
Taher Siddiqui
