And the forgetting of all that is other than God (māsivā) in the witnessing (mushāhada) of the Worshipped One (i.e., to forget all else in the witnessing of Allah Most High). Alongside all this, I strongly advise you, as much as you are able, to adhere seriously to the practice of hidden dhikr (remembrance of God) and to persist in the awrād (prescribed litanies) for which we have given permission. For this, just as the geniuses of unveiling (kashf) and spiritual conscience (wijdān) unite at the same point, is the best remedy for the diseases of the qalb (the heart). (Bughyat, 244)
murīd-murād 729
The proper manners (ādāb) of the murīd (aspirant, disciple) with his shaykh and his brethren in the tariqa (Sufi path/order) are five. The first is to obey the command, even if the opposite is proven true. The second is to avoid prohibitions, even against one’s own inclinations, and to maintain respect for the shaykh whether he is present or absent, alive or dead. The third is to fulfill the rights of the shaykh perfectly in the nisba (spiritual connection), to set aside one’s own intellect, knowledge, and leadership. However, if the shaykh gives permission in this matter, then it suffices to act with fairness and with nasīḥa (sincere advice). This concerns one’s dealings with fellow brethren in the tariqa. If there is no guiding shaykh, or if one of these five conditions is lacking, then one relies on the one who is complete in these conditions and treats the others with brotherhood. (Jāmiʿ, 15)
The murīd has duties to perform. These are as follows: First, to abandon the haram (forbidden things) and to act with taqwa (God-consciousness), and to fulfill the wājibāt (obligatory duties) by clinging to what is needed without excess or negligence.
Second, to act with taqwa by using means that will bring the nafs (the lower self) to perfection (kamāl), and to avoid doubtful matters unless necessity dictates.
Third, to be vigilant with the qalb and the limbs in anticipation of incoming spiritual influxes (wāridāt), so that each limb acts in accordance with the movement and intention of the qalb. As Shādhilī said: The servant cannot be saved from hypocrisy until his limbs act in accordance with his qalb. Fourth, to keep company with people of maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God) and knowledge, who show you the faults of your nafs and guide you on the path to your Lord. This is achieved by adhering to the fundamentals, showing shukr (gratitude) in the face of prohibitions, being content and pleased with the wāridāt, having sabr (patient endurance) in difficulties, submitting to destiny, and always preferring them in all things. As Shādhilī said: Do not befriend one who prefers himself over you, for he is base.
Fifth, to keep away from those who possess pride and arrogance. As Sahl said: Beware of keeping company with three types of people: sycophantic poor, ignorant Sufis, and heedless rulers.
Sixth, to be well-mannered. Shādhilī said: There are four manners (ādāb); if a dervish does not possess them, let him go! These are: mercy to the young, respect for elders, fairness to oneself, and abandoning the demand for the rights of the nafs. There are four further manners; if one who enters the path of Allah lacks them, do not trust him! These are: avoiding the people of injustice, preferring the people of the hereafter, caring for the needy, and performing the five daily prayers in congregation. Abū Hafs (Haddād) said: All of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is adab (proper conduct). Every moment has its adab, every ḥāl (spiritual state) has its adab. Whoever observes the adab of the moment is raised to the level of a true man. Whoever abandons adab is driven away from the place he seeks to approach; he will not reach what he thinks he will attain.
Seventh, to give each time its due. As was revealed in the scriptures sent to Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham): The intelligent person divides his time into four parts. In one part, he supplicates to his Lord; in my view, this is from the pre-dawn (sahar) until sunrise. In another part, he takes account of himself; this is from afternoon (ʿaṣr) until sunset. In another part, he spends time with his brethren who remind him of his faults and show him the way to his Lord, for which he designates a suitable time by day or night. In another part, he fulfills his lawful needs, again at a suitable time. All times are suitable for these. It is He who brings the night and day in succession for those who wish to remember (i.e., to show shukr).
Eighth, not to see in the world anything but oneself and one’s Lord, to regard what is with Him as a treasure for oneself, and to observe Him properly. To spend both secretly and openly for His sake. Not to take pleasure in anything other than Him, to beware of being seen by Him in a place He has forbidden, or not being found where He wishes, or being seen turning to other than Him. Some ʿārifūn (gnostics) have said: Whoever shows the Truth but remains attached to people, Allah will make him need the people and will remove His mercy from their qalb. Keep away from all relatives and kin, for the truly rich is the one who has no need of people.
Ninth, to avoid affectation (takalluf) in one’s behavior... The root of affectation is the desire to please others. The loss of iman (faith), wickedness, ostentation, seeking praise, and flattery all arise from this. Be moderate in all matters. If they believe, Allah and His Messenger are more worthy of being pleased.
Tenth, to cultivate the qalb with things that give it life and to avoid those that destroy it.
Four things kill the qalb, and four things revive it. The first is to remember that you are a stranger in the world (dunyā). In this case, you must be just to your nafs, not wrong it, and have sabr in the face of calamities. The opposite is to occupy the qalb with pleasures and desires.
Second, to reflect on the hardships of the moment of death. This makes one forget all worldly things and keeps one from relying on people, for they cannot help at all in that difficult moment. The opposite is to forget death and become attached to desires and hopes, which opens the door to anxiety about sustenance. This is the root of all tribulations in the world and all difficulties in the hereafter.
Third, to remember the loneliness of the qalb. Intimacy with anything other than Allah hardens the qalb. But intimacy for Allah’s sake with the friends of Allah (awliyāʾ) and sitting only with those who seek the reward of the hereafter is not so. The opposite is to fall into heedlessness, deceiving oneself by saying, "I am still young." This leads to abandoning deeds, negligence in worship, desire for leadership, and the emergence of innovations (bidʿa).
Fourth, to remember that you will stand before Allah for reckoning. This ensures that every action is for Allah and in accordance with the sharia (the sacred law), that one takes account of the nafs in every state, and that in all affairs one feels shame before the Lord. The opposite is to be bold against Allah, deceiving oneself by saying, "Allah will forgive." But the one who truly has good opinion (ḥusn al-ẓann) of Allah strives to make his deeds beautiful. The opinion you have of your Lord is what destroys you and makes you among the losers.
Beware of newly invented matters (i.e., religious innovations), for every innovation (bidʿa) is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire with its perpetrator. Protect yourselves from the lies of the idolaters who seek to make you despair of Allah and divert you from your path. What you must do is to fulfill the principal obligations, avoid the principal prohibitions, follow the reported sunnas, and love the awliyāʾ (friends of God). (Jāmiʿ, 15)
The murīd is one who destroys the pleasures of the nafs and extinguishes human desires. The murīd is one who truly realizes the station of tawba (repentance) and observes the rules of adab. The murīd considers himself as dead in the presence of his shaykh and fulfills the shaykh’s wishes. The murīd is in the station of tajrīd (abstraction from all but God) and is upon istiqāma (uprightness). The murīd is a martyr among the dead, never leaving tajrīd. The ṭālib (seeker) is one who, while following customary practices, seeks benefit. (Qawānīn, 99)
The murīd, a dervish who has entered the path of Allah, continually advances in his stations (maqāmāt) and states (aḥwāl) until he reaches Allah. The aim is that divine assistance draws him into the presence of Allah, so that he reaches Allah without toil or effort. However, through the stations, he descends to the levels of existence. (Rihla, 84)
The poor Sufi who affiliates himself with the path of Allah is either in the station of tajrīd or asbāb (means). The first means turning away from everything other than Allah and turning to Him; the second means continuing in one’s state, striving for sustenance and working for worldly matters while walking the path. Therefore, under the training of the perfect shaykh who is the inheritor of guidance, the poor Sufis on this path are divided into two by the combination of journeying (sulūk) and progression (sayr). All the witnessing and states of the murīd under the training of this perfect shaykh occur only through the shaykh as mirror and intermediary. This is the meaning of the saying that there are three types of fanāʾ (annihilation in God): the first is fanāʾ in the shaykh, the second in the ḥaqīqa (inner reality) of Muhammad, the third in Allah. Whenever any reality of the Muḥammadan ḥaqīqa is unveiled to the sālik (traveler), the connection with his shaykh is never severed. The successful and felicitous murīd is never heedless of his shaykh in any ḥāl or maqām. (Rihla, 226)
Ability is from the murīd, help is from the shaykh. (Nafahāt, 130)
(See also: sālik/sālikūn)