Ḥıkd (rancor) is the persistence of heaviness, anger, and hatred in the qalb (the heart), and the continual presence of this state. (Iḥyāʾ, MI, 223)
khirqa / lubs al-khirqa Lubs al-khirqa (donning the khirqa) is the establishment of a connection between the shaykh and the murshid (spiritual guide), the murīd (aspirant, disciple) accepting the arbitration of his shaykh between his own nafs (the lower self) and his shaykh, and the establishment of the shaykh’s authority over the aspirant’s nafs through a garment belonging to the shaykh.
Just as it is possible to accept the arbitration of another in worldly matters, in such a ḥāl (spiritual state), how can one criticize a person who, having accepted the arbitration of another in worldly affairs, sincerely turns to his shaykh with good intention and sound iman (faith), desiring to be sincerely trained, and, in matters pertaining to the Hereafter, accepts his shaykh as arbiter between himself and his nafs, and dons the khirqa as an ishāra (sign) of this?
By donning the khirqa, the murīd symbolically consents to the arbitration of his shaykh, especially in religious matters, so that he may be shown the right path, guided to the straight way, taught the ways of ecstasy (wajd), informed of the snares the nafs sets for its owner and how these snares corrupt deeds, and made aware of the ways the enemy enters the qalb. Thus, he submits himself to the will of his shaykh and surrenders to his view. In all his actions, he strives to do what his shaykh deems correct. For this reason, the act of the shaykh clothing the murīd in the khirqa as a sign of his authority over the murīd’s nafs, the ceremony of intisāb (initiation) as a sign of entrusting and submitting one’s affairs to the murshid, is considered a revival of the sunnah of bayʿa (pledge of allegiance) to the Prophet, and an acceptance of Allah’s decree.
In the khirqa worn by the murīd, there is the meaning of a mutual bayʿa with his shaykh. The khirqa is the first step in entering the path of suhba (spiritual companionship). Suhba itself is the main objective. Through suhba with his shaykh, the murīd may attain much good.
The khirqa worn by murīds is of two types: the khirqa of will (irāda khirqa) and the khirqa of blessing (tabarruk khirqa). The true khirqa that shaykhs wish to bestow upon their murīds is the irāda khirqa. The tabarruk khirqa is a khirqa resembling the irāda khirqa. The irāda khirqa is worn by true murīds, while the tabarruk khirqa is worn by those striving to become murīds and wishing to resemble them. Whoever resembles a group is of them.
The secret of the khirqa is this: when a murīd who is sincere in intention surrenders himself and his will to his shaykh and enters his circle of suhba, being in the company of his shaykh like a child raised by his father, the shaykh, with the knowledge received from Allah, his sincere poverty before the Truth, and his superior himma (spiritual aspiration) in fulfilling commands and prohibitions, spiritually nurtures him, raising him from one degree to another. The shaykh is endowed, by the effect of his spiritual insight (baṣīra), with the ability to guide the inner states.
Sometimes, the murīd may wear a coarse garment worn by ascetics. However, even in such a garment, there may be hidden caprice in the murīd’s nafs, depending on his seeing himself as an ascetic. Even more dangerous is when a murīd, desiring to live a comfortable life in abundance, harbors the wish to wear a special garment whose coarseness, softness, length, or shortness is determined according to his own desire. To break the caprice and ulterior motives in such a murīd’s nafs, the shaykh clothes him in a garment suited to his (spiritual) state.
Although not established by our predecessors, they performed among themselves the sanad (chain) of talqīn (spiritual instruction).