It is one of the paths of later Sufis, based on having a good opinion (ḥusn al-ẓann) regarding one’s predecessor. (Anwār, I, 30)
There are conditions for investing the murīd (aspirant, disciple) with the khirqa (Sufi cloak). The murīd must don this garment in the true sense, in accordance with the maqām (spiritual stations) of perfection (kamāl), so as to be ennobled thereby. The condition is as follows: Allah the Exalted has decreed that, by removing the khirqa from the murīd, he should eliminate the blameworthy traits present within himself. It does not matter whether the khirqa is a cap, a covering, a shawl, or a shirt. After removing this khirqa, there should remain in the murīd no opposition connected to blameworthy akhlāq (character traits), nor anything of the nafs (the lower self) and its egotism. On the contrary, his inner being (bāṭin) should become like that of a child, from whom all base qualities have been completely erased.
After this, the shaykh invests him with another khirqa similar to the one he had previously removed. In this way, the shaykh bestows upon the murīd the portion of Muhammadan akhlāq (character) that he deems appropriate for him, in its entirety. This akhlāq is attained through treatment, spiritual struggle (mujāhada), and ascetic discipline (riyāḍa). Thus, the murīd is colored with the dye of this akhlāq. Thereafter, the egotism of the nafs and blameworthy akhlāq scarcely ever manifest in him. (Anwār, II, 100)
(See also: murakkaʿa/murakkaʿāt)