Muzākara is the benefit a murīd (aspirant, disciple) derives from the experience of his shaykh. This occurs by asking about spiritual states (ḥāl) that arise to correct the fundamentals of belief, acts of worship, and transactions, as well as about confusing, ultimately doubt-inducing and delusive thoughts stemming from the nafs (the lower self) and satanic suggestions. Such doubts may pertain to the fundamentals of belief as well as to worldly relations. A person afflicted by these doubts becomes bewildered and uneasy.
Alternatively, it is to bring to light and inquire about diseases of the qalb (the heart) such as arrogance, envy, hypocrisy, and love of leadership, and to learn the way to be freed from inappropriate whisperings of the nafs, from speaking of one's own karāma (a saintly wonder), from seeking praise and fame, and from other such deficient traits, by consulting with the murshid (spiritual guide) and benefiting from his knowledge and experience. In this way, the murīd turns to his murshid in all stages of his spiritual journey to overcome obstacles that arise before him.
Sometimes, the murīd consults his shaykh regarding his good states and spiritual stations (maqām), the elevation of his ruh (the spirit) for divine presence, inspirations (wāridāt) from the Merciful and the angelic, understanding the Qur'an, divinely bestowed knowledge, and every kind of inspiration and spiritual influx that comes to his qalb. The aim is for the murīd to proceed with basīra (spiritual insight) in the stages of his journey and to have confidence in the soundness of the spiritual states he witnesses.
Muzākara holds great importance in the murīd's journey to Allah, the Exalted. It is one of the five pillars of the tariqa (a Sufi path/order). These pillars are dhikr (remembrance of God), muzākara, striving against the nafs, knowledge, and love.
The relationship between the murīd and the murshid is like that of a patient who, in order to restore his body and health, consults his doctor at every stage, exposing the afflicted areas and informing him of his illness.
From another perspective, true muzākara strengthens the bond between the murīd and the murshid, increases love, and enhances harmony and concord. Through muzākara, the murīd benefits from the shaykh in knowledge, spiritual state (ḥāl), and maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God). For knowledge is not merely what is written in books, but is like a ruh breathed into the body.
Thus, muzākara is a practical application of one of the adab (etiquettes) of the sharia (the sacred law). It is the foundation of Islamic ethics. This is such a consultation that Allah, the Exalted, praises the believers in al-Shūrā 42:38:
"And their affairs are [determined by] consultation among themselves." And the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one consulted is trustworthy." (The consulted person must be trustworthy, fulfill the trust, not betray or conceal what is in the interest of the one seeking counsel.)[1]
In every aspect of life, benefiting from the knowledge and skill of experts is only possible through consultation. For example, a patient benefits from the knowledge and skill of a doctor, a builder from that of an engineer, an oppressed person from that of a lawyer, and so on.
Thus, muzākara is the practical field of applying the religion of Allah, the Exalted, and is for benefiting from the knowledge and experience of the murshid. Allah, the Exalted, commands seeking benefit in al-Naḥl 16:43:
"So ask the people of dhikr (remembrance/knowledge) if you do not know." And in al-Furqān 25:59:
"[He] who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days and then established Himself above the Throne—the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed." Thus, He praises and commends this.
Difference Between Muzākara and Christian Confession:
Some people liken the murīd's muzākara with the murshid to the Christian practice of confessing sins to priests. However, a rational and fair-minded person does not hastily judge or speak without reflection. For a person to come to a learned scholar and disclose his sins and crimes, seeking a way to be forgiven, is not like what Christians do. Just as a patient shows his afflicted areas to a doctor—even if it is a place he would be ashamed to reveal—so that the doctor may prescribe a beneficial remedy, so too should a murīd come to a knowledgeable scholar, disclose his maladies and states, and seek practical ways to be freed from them, guided by his shaykh. Is it the same for Christians to come to another human and say, "Forgive me," as it is for Muslims to come to a scholar and say, "My teacher! I have ugly offenses against my Lord. How should I supplicate so that I may attain His forgiveness? Teach me"? Certainly not. Be just!
The Difference Between Disclosing Sin and Muzākara
This situation appears doubtful to some people. They think that the murīd's muzākara with the murshid about diseases of the qalb, rebellion, and states of the nafs is a kind of exposing one's sin.
However, is there any comparison between one who, after committing a sin, comes among people and speaks of it with pleasure, as if inviting others to the same evil act, and one who, feeling remorse for his sin and wondering what remedy will uproot it, comes to his murshid to benefit from his experience and knowledge? Certainly, there is a great difference.
"All of my ummah will be forgiven except those who commit sins openly. A person commits a deed at night, and though Allah has concealed it, in the morning he says, 'O so-and-so, I did such-and-such last night,' thus exposing what Allah had concealed."[2] Upon this hadith, Imam Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) explained: "It is never appropriate for a person who has fallen into sin and rebellion to disclose this to others. Rather, he should repent to Allah, immediately desist from the sin, feel remorse for having committed it, and never return to such an evil deed. These three are pillars of tawba (repentance); without them, tawba is not valid. If he informs his shaykh or someone from whom he hopes to find a way out of the sin, the purpose is for the shaykh to teach him a way out, to show him how not to fall into it again, to inform him of the cause that led him to this state, or to pray for him, or similar intentions. In this, there is no harm; rather, it is a good thing. On the contrary, neglecting these benefits is not proper, and may even be disliked."[3]
Imam Munawī (may Allah have mercy on him), while commenting on the hadith about disclosing a hidden sin, quotes Imam Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him): "If one discloses a sin out of mockery, this is highly blameworthy and evil. But if it is to seek knowledge or a legal opinion, it is good. The proof from the hadith is the man who had intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan, who came and informed the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the Prophet did not reproach him but accepted it."[4][5]
Notes
- This hadith is narrated by Tirmidhi from Abū Hurayra in Kitāb al-Adab and is graded hasan. Bukhārī also narrates it in al-Adab al-Mufrad, in the chapter al-Mustashār Muʾtaman.
- This hadith is narrated by Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Adab, and by Muslim in "Kitāb al-Zuhd wa al-Raqāʾiq".
- Quoted from Nawawī's al-Adhkār, p. 327.
- Bukhārī narrates this in his Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Ṣawm; Muslim in Kitāb al-Ṣiyām; and Tirmidhi in Kitāb al-Ṣawm, "Mā Jāʾa fī Kaffārat al-Fiṭr fī Ramaḍān".
- Fayḍ al-Qadīr, Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, vol. 5, p. 12.
- Muslim narrates in his Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Īmān, from Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I stayed on Mount Ḥirāʾ for a month. When my time was up and I descended into the valley..."
- Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf, p. 39: Abū al-ʿAbbās Shaykh Aḥmad al-Fāsī, known as Zarrūq, died in 899 AH in Ṭarābulus al-Gharb. May Allah have mercy on him!