Hazrat Arifbillah Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi ra said;
First and foremost I request you to make a realistic and stable time table for your daily activities. Working on such a scheduled routine has lot of barakah (blessings). By it a lot of work can be done in short duration. And also by its barakah difficult task become easy.
(Ma’moolat-e-yoomiyah pg 7)
Rehmatullila’lameen
Sayyidna wa maulana Muhammad(Sallallahu Alayhi wa alihi wasallam)
Sayyidina Amirulmomineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (KaramAllahu wajhahu)
Sayyidina Hasan Basri (Rehmatullah)
Khwajah Abdul Wahid Bin Zayd (Rehmatullah)
Shah Fuzail Ibn Iyaaz (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Ibraahim Adham (Rehmatullah)
Sheikh Huzaifah Mara’shi (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abu Habeera Basri (Rehmatullah)
Khwaja Mumshad Alawi (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Abu Ishaaq Shaami (Rehmatullah)
Shah Ahmad Abdaal Chishti (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abu Muhammad (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abu Yusuf (Rehmatullah)
Khwajah Maudood Chishti (Rehmatullah)
Shah Shareef Zindeni (Rehmatullah)
Khwajah Uthmaan Harooni (Rehmatullah)
Shah Moinuddin Chisti Ajmeri (Rehmatullah)
Khwajah Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Fareeduddin Shakar Ganj (Rehmatullah)
Shah Ala’audin Sabir(Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Shamsuddin Turk (Rehmatullah)
Shah Jalaaluddin (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Ahmad Abdul Haq (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Ahmad Aarif (Rehmatullah)
Shaikh Muhammad (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abdul Quddus Gangohi(Rehmatullah)
Hadhrat Shah Jalaaluddin (Rehmatullah)
Shah Nizamuddin Balkhi (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abu Sa-eed (Rehmatullah)
Shah Muhibbullah (Rehmatullah)
Shah Muhammad (Rehmatullah)
Sheikh Muhammadi (rehmatullah)
Shah Azuddin (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abdul Haddi (Rehmatullah)
Shah Abdul Baari (Rehmatullah)
Hajee Abdul Raheem Shaheed (Rehmatullah)
Hadhrat Noor Muhammad (Rehmatullah)
Hajee Imdaadullah Makki (Rehmatullah)
Hakeemul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Rehmatullah)
Hadhrat Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi & Moulana Maseehullah Khan ra
Sheikh Moulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Saheb (Damet Barakathum)
This is the main silsila/sanad. In teachings, muraqaba and zikr, etc. instructions are according to the mashaykh of this order.
However, as Ashrafiya silsila is comprehensive of the four major sufi orders. There is sanad/silsila for Qadiri, Naqshbandi and Suharwardy orders (& sub-orders) also available.
Ba’yit or Ahed is a solemn pledge. It hallmarks an agreement between the Sheikh and a spiritual aspirant. That is, in order to gain Allah swt’s pleasure the aspirant agrees to receive and obey the guidance and instruction from the Sheikh. And the Sheikh kindly accepts to direct him accordingly.
This is the reality of ba’yit.
Outwardly it takes the form of holding the hand of the Sheikh, who recites some Quranic verses, hadith and ask the mureed to repent for all previous sins and make a solemn affirmation of not committing them ever again. Also he announces that the aspirant is now a member of xyzSufi order. Then he instructs him accordingly.
Indeed, this outwardly form of ba’yit is filled with barakah. Being a Sunnah (ghair muakkidah) and the practice of saintly elders it has its own benefits. It is not an ordinary thing.
However, without the above mentioned reality it is a form devoid of soul.
History of religions is evident of the fact that with passage of time and spiritual decline means become goals by themselves and realities are ignored. Rituals and ceremonies eclipse the real meaning intended.
Same has happened with Tasawwuf. Ba’yit has become a ceremony. It is considered to be a goal by itself. This is not the correct teaching of Tasawwuf. Essential thing is continuously receiving instructions and acting on them as guided.
For this reason, in our tariq, ba’yit is deferred initially. The instruction and guidance starts immediately. However, the ba’yit is as a principle is delayed till the Sheikh is satisfied that the individual is sincere to follow the path and is doing so to the best of his ability. And, moreover, the potential mureed understands and agrees with the methodology of the Sheikh and himself acknowledges increasing benefit from these instructions.
This time period may be days or years.
The best deal is: Try before you buy.
Once the potential mureed sees himself grow spiritually, the real importance of ba’yit will become evident to him. However, if such is not the case, he will be free to try his luck somewhere else.
Contd.