Accepting the Leadership of a Guide

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.). 

Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) said, “We recognise that the only way to approach God is to strengthen our souls sufficiently that they may gain control over our egos.” 

The most difficult thing in the world is for a person to leave the pursuit of vain fancies and break the ingrained habits of the nafs.  It is the sign of a true way that enables its followers to take decisive action against the nafs.  It is little wonder that materialistic people feel uneasy and their lower selves positively threatened by the Sufi Way, as it demands from its followers even more than mere adherence to the Divine Law.  It demands that we leave our egos behind by accepting the leadership of a guide.  Satan worshipped Allah (s.w.t.) for thousands of years, but fell from his station in one instant when asked to submit to another creature and to follow him as his guide.  It is most difficult for the ego to obey anyone’s advice, especially when that advice contradicts its own ideas and prevents it from seeking fulfillment of its desires. 

Whoever is sincerely seeking his Lord’s Love must submit himself to one of his Lord’s beloved servants; he must stop being self-willed in order to do the Will of his Creator.  How can he know what his Creator Wants of him?  The Creator’s Will is expressed through the will of those beloved servants.  We cannot imagine that those servants are serving their egos.  Saints can only be saints when their lower selves have been defeated by their souls; then the way is open for the Prophet (s.a.w.) to impart the secret of wilayat.  When a shaykh orders his followers to do something or abstain from it, we must understand that those orders come from the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself, who is in total subservience to his Lord’s Command.