Ruhul Adab
Commentary of Imam Hassan
- Righteous Leader or Shaykh
The murid or disciple in reality seeks the countenance of Allah. This countenance of Allah has a gate, which is the Prophet SAW, the countenance of the Prophet SAW also has a gate, which is the Shaykh. Allah says in the Qur’an 3:31 “If you really love (to have the countenance of) Allah, follow me and Allah shall love you” and in the Qur’an 31:15 “And follow the path of one that has turned towards Me.” Thus if you love Allah and wish for His countenance you must start your journey by seeking a complete Shaykh. A complete Shaykh is a person that knows and observes the law (Shari’at) and also knows and observes the reality (Haqîqah). The Shari’at and the Haqîqah represent two sides of the same coin. In the words of Imam Malik: ‘He who practices Sufism without understanding and observing the Fiqh (sacred) corrupts his faith, while he who understands and observes the Fiqh without practicing Sufism, corrupts his soul. But he who combines the two has indeed proven to be true (complete).’ Some of the greatest people in history who have made landmarks in knowledge and jihad were Sufis. Most of the books we read today were all written by people of Tarîqas. Examples of great authors are: Imam Ghazzali, Yusuf Al Nabhani, Imam Nawawi, Jalal al-Deen Suyuti, Imam Abu Hanifa and others.
To be continued in sha Allah…