Essentials for a salik

 Hadhrat Mawlana Abdul Ghani Phulpuri  a very senior khalifa of Hakim al-Umma (may Allah have mercy on them) mentions the following first and foremost in the list of essentials for a salik,

“Following the Sunna, both in exoteric (dhahiri) and esoteric (batini) matters. ”

Usool e tasawwuf, page 15