Question:
As salaam alaikum rahmatullah.
Bismillah ir-Rahman nir-Rahim.
I declared my belief in Allah, Ta’ala, almost 19 years ago. Since then I have performed umrah, studied under Hanbali ulema and received ijaza, was active representing the local community in the media, and have been a visible member within our local Muslim community.
I fear Allah, Ta’ala, and do not want to cause fitna – but after a significant amount of dua’a with istikharah I have decided to make bayah to our Shaykh.
I turn here, to this e-source, for clarification:
1) Is my madhab now Hanafi? Previously I followed Hanbali fiqh?
2) Do I follow the Awrad of a Mureed or a Mubtadi?
3) How do I engage my local community as a result of this significant personal change?
Ma’as salaama,
Answer:
Assalamu `alaykum brother,
Firstly, congratulations of your baya` asking Allah to bless you and our Shaykhs.
1. You can keep your Hanbali madhab as that is what you studied and most familiar with, you do not have to change madhab
2. Since you recently started with the tariqat it is best to start with the beginner (mubtadi`) awrad and gradually work your way up with more awrad as you progress. It is more important to be consistent with the practices than to do more.
3. You can of course share with the people in your community about the tariqat and our Shaykhs but we advise never to get involved in confrontation. It is not the adab of our way to argue. If people are interested to listen then you can explain. Otherwise, it is better to keep quiet. Inshaa Allah they will notice a change in you and maybe they will be attracted to you in that way.
May Allah reward you and keep us on the true path.
Hajj Khalid Aboulela
