explaination on focusing on shaykh's image.

[ikhlas]

Can you please explain in more details the term fana fi shaykh, the purpose of it and also the reason why one has to focus on one shaykh's image while doing dzikir. This is to clear all the doubts and evil suggetions that have been bothering me. Wassalam.

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu


All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam

Since all the salasil of the Sufi orders were linked to a shaykh, and then his shaykh, and then his shaykh, awrad and waza'if, which are forms of dhikr were normally given by ones shaykh.

Because the follower of a particular tariqah, was affiliated to these shaykhs, the only way of obtaining total completeness, in ones dhikr was to think that a persons shaykh was watching him at all times. That he was being guided by him, protected by him, and blessed by him.

If you read the utterances of great masha'ikh such as Shaykh Abd-al-Qadir Jilani Radi Allahu anhu, and other great saints, they all went into the service of their own shaykh, before they had a degree of acceptance by them, it was at this stage that they were granted with the blessings by them.

So to think of your shaykh at all times, including at the times of dhikr, is a form of gaining blessings, and reaching a level in order for you to obtain a higher degree or level of completeness and perfection. If this is done sincerely, and continuously one can reach this stage which known as the stage of 'fana fish shaykh'.

The person is now perished (fana), as he and his shaykh become united, in the spiritual sense. The doors of wisdom, and knowledge (ma'rifah) which were opened for his shaykh, will now be opened for him, as he would have past all the obstacles, which were once in his way.

It must be remembered that to gain such a state in any particular tariqah, one must also be equally compliant, and observant of the shar'iyyah. As the shar'iyyah according to most of the shaykhs is more important than the tariqah. There is no tariqah without the shar'iyyah, yet you may still surpass the stages of shar'iyyah, without any tariqah. The tariqah will then eventually come to the person.

I hope that this little advice is of some help to you, and that you will post again in the event of any doubt in the future.


Jazak'allah for your question.





Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi