It is necessary for the faqir (the spiritual seeker) to seek inward help from the awliyāʾ (friends of God) by performing rābiṭa-yi qalbiyya (qalbī rābiṭa, spiritual connection of the heart), and to benefit from them through this rābiṭa (spiritual connection). Unlike outsiders who lack rābiṭa, there is no harm if those who practice rābiṭa are not outwardly shown honor (karāma, a saintly wonder) or granted miracles. (Buġya, 71)
The technical meaning of rābiṭa is as follows: In the tariqa (Sufi path/order), rābiṭa is when the murīd (aspirant, disciple) seeks help from the spirituality (rūḥāniyya) of his perfect shaykh who is annihilated in Allah. For the murīd to be trained and to receive spiritual effusion from his shaykh, he must frequently keep the image of the shaykh in mind, even in his absence. In this way, the murīd calls upon him as if he were present and seeks light from him as if in his presence. Through this, he protects himself from delusions and evil. This is a reality that cannot be denied. Allah inscribes loss upon the forehead of the one who denies it, and that person is thus marked. We seek refuge in Allah from sin and being deprived of Allah's mercy. (Buġya, 73)
It is narrated that Ibn ʿAbbās saw the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) in a dream, and that when he entered the house of one of the Mothers of the Believers (the wives of the Prophet), the Prophet handed him a mirror. When he looked into the mirror, he saw the image of the Messenger of God, but could not see his own image. This is what this group (the Sufis) mean by fanāʾ (annihilation in God) in rābiṭa.
It cannot be said that our statement does not concern the image of the Prophet. For we say that this is not among the exclusive characteristics of the prophets. According to those who know, everything of this kind is undoubtedly shared between the prophets and the awliyāʾ. Yes, speaking to anyone other than the Prophet during prayer invalidates the prayer. To bring his image to mind during prayer is to submit the prayer to its true master, the Noble Spirit of Existence.