Serenity of heart (jamiat e qalb) is very much valued thing in this path. Try your best to safe guard it. Anything; an article or a comment, an image, a thought or speech if it disturbs your heart’s serenity it is detrimental for your sulook.
The seeker must show his hidden diseases to the Shaykh, and disclose to him their reality so that he can cure them.
If the seeker has diseases and does not show them, openly or secretly, to his Shaykh, then the latter will not cure him of these diseases, even if he is aware of them. The reason for this is that a physician only treats about which the patient complains.
Having said that, none of the defects of the seeker is lost on the Shaykh, even though he only treats that which the seeker reveals.
The Adab of the True Seeker, page 29-30
This is one of the reasons why regular communication with the Shaykh is essential. The seeker informs him of the various real life incidents and scenarios where a moral disease is suspected to have played a role. Shaykh then makes the diagnosis and prescribes a treatment. This is the reality of the written self-reformation correspondence (islahi makatabet) between the murid and the Shaykh is Ashrafiya path.
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) advised a seeker,
“Keep busy (in what has been instructed to you). A person who is walking on the correct path for sure reaches the destination.”
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 1116
A spiritual aspirant wrote that,
“I wish I do not miss my wird any day. However, sometimes due to unavoidable circumstance it is missed.”
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Than (may Allah have mercy on him) replied,
“Do not worry. There is Divine wisdom in this also. It shows one’s limitation. And is a blockade for prideful claims and cure of self praise. However, try your best not to be lazy and make up for the missed wird. If not complete, incomplete will suffice.”
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 929
یا الہی!
بخش دے تمکین مجھ کو اور تلون سے بچا
جلوہ اقدس سے میرے قلب کو دے جگمگا
رحمۃ اللہ علیہ
A seeker asked if sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) accepts request for baya’.
Following is the response,
Hadhrat (may Allah allow us to benefit from him abundantly) usually does not take baya’ from anyone up front.
It is only when he feels that the seeker has recognized the true meaning of this commitment then he does so. For some this duration is in months for others it may be longer. For example, an individual waited 4 years and his wife 14 years before the ritual of allegiance (baya’) took place.
In the mean duration one is supposed to do what is being told and provide regular feedback. This is the reality of baya’.
A sincere seeker requested to know what are the virtues that a Shaykh looks for in a murid before accepting baya’.
As per the teachings of sayyid wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) following reply was given,
In our path (tariq) the qualities a Shaykh looks for in a potential murid are his yearning and desire to gain Allah’s pleasure, readiness for annihilation of self-suggestions/opinions and enthusiasm for following the instructions given to him.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said in regards to the ihsan, while explaining the the hadith e Jibrael (Allah’s peace be on him),
“Vigilance that Allah, exalted is He, is watching me is more effective, easy and practical for a seeker than trying to contmeplate that I am watching Allah.”
الصلوۃ والسلام علیک یا سیدی رسول اللہ
سر رہے یا نہ رہے پر رہے سودا سر میں
اس حبیب دل خستہ پہ نظر ہو جاۓ
The reality of Tasawwuf has been described as,
“Sincerity in turning to Allah, exalted is He, with that which pleases Him and in the way it pleases Him.”
The Adab of the True Seeker, page 22-3
In addition to sincerity, special attention is to be paid to the phrase, “in the way it pleases Him“. All actions done as per the Prophet’s manner (Sunna) are for sure guaranteed this pleasure. While, none of the innovated ways carry this assurance.
حکیم الامت حضرت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی قدس سرہ نے فرمایا،
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘There are four modes of benefiting from the Divinely pious individuals (ahl-Allah),
Firstly, you gain beneficial knowledge from their speech.
Secondly, you (try to) follow their actions.
Thirdly, they make supplications (dua) for you.
Finally, you get spiritual blessings (barakah) by being in their company.”
Waaz: As-soq-l-ahl ashoq, Ibqa’ 1981, page 98
جو مانگا ہے، جو مانگیں گے، خدا سے ہم وہی لیں گے
حضرت حکیم الامت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی قدس اللہ سرہ