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**Hinigyday** · 06-09-2012, 08:59 PM

Salams,

Its just like having a teacher of the path. Like you said all we need to do is acquire knowledge at an establishment, in that establishment obviously there are teachers teaching you fiqh, hadith and whatever else. Where a Shaykh can come in is its implementation. You said 'make an effort to implement', sometimes for some people that 'making an effort' does not come easy. A Shaykh can assist and encourage, guide the student to implement what he has learned.

1) So the shaykh can teach you knowledge, he's a teacher in tasaawuf, just as you would have a teacher in fiqh. Guiding you through personal growth towards Allah, monitoring your progress. One could rely on his own self to monitor progress, but in any science, wordly or otherworldy, having a good teacher is an easy way to reach your goal, as oppose to meandering along by yourself trying to figure it out. That said, some individuals are strong in their (fortitude) himmah, and can regulate and take account of themselves, thus may not have a need for nor a desire for a shaykh.

2) evidences of having a shaykh, or having a teacher. to me the shaykh is a teacher, a guide, a personal coach if you will. that evidence is obvious, Jibrail (alayhisalam) taught the Prophet (saw) in a student teacher format, and in turn the Prophet (saw) taught the sahaba, again in a teacher student format and also a guide. So having a teacher is any science is established due to its necessity in any sciences. As Ml. Ashraf Ali Thanawi says in his book, Path to Perfection,: One cannot become a carpenter without sitting in the company of a carpenter. Although I think you're asking more like, why do I require to give Bayat to a specific shaykh. You are not required to do this. There is no requirement, it just depends if it suits you, the concept and the shaykh himself. One can sit with teachers and learn and be spiritually motivated, but after a pledge (bayat) the relationship changes a little. Because now you've agreed that you will do everything in your power to follow what the Shaykh guides you to (Allah), and the Shaykh now has an established, vested interest in your spiritual progress. Without it, you are free to monitor your own progress, and the Shaykh is free not to necessarily monitor your progress. This can all occur if you have congeniality with a scholar, without it becoming a shaykh-murid relationship. So if you had a scholar in your local masjid and you spent much time with him, heed his advice, take ilm from him, take adab and akhlaq from him, then the same process of tazkiya (purification) is happening just in an informal format. For evidences in Bayat (pledge) specifically, there are occurrences of that in the Prophetic practice.

3) Totally. It is totally down to the individual. A Shaykh can only do so much. Its like a teacher in school. They teach, but if the students neglects to do his homework, then who is to blame? The Shaykh will not be with you in the grave, nor on the Day of Judgement when you stand before Allah. It is if you need that extra assistance in this world, a shaykh will be beneficial to you, but you must also need to have congeniality with the shaykh, a bond. Some people never really find that, and even if they do find it, they still need to work on what the Shaykh gives them. Its like a personal trainer, you still need to do the heavy lifting, but they will tell you which exercises are better for you at what stage and how much to lift.

4) The shaykh can make a profound difference. Because at the end of the day the nafs is a hard thing to control. having another experienced, enlightened individual, guide you, assist you, teach you and you benefit from him by watching how he acts, eats, prays and sleeps. In him you find a role model, a point source for guidance on matters and coach to assist you in matters that you already know about but aren't implementing.

I hope that helps. My list for suggested resources for further research are below:

http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Path-to...on_p_3139.html
Sections in this book include: The Pledge, The Nature of the Pledge, The Mode of the Pledge, The Need for a Shaykh, The Signs of a Qualified Shaykh, The Benefits of a Qualified Shaykh etc.

http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Insepar...rt_p_3590.html
Sections in this book include: Bai'a (Pledge), The Need for a Mentor and the Necessary Conditions to become a Mentor, etc.

06-09-2012, 08:59 PM	#2
Hinigyday Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 386 Senior Member	Salams, Its just like having a teacher of the path. Like you said all we need to do is acquire knowledge at an establishment, in that establishment obviously there are teachers teaching you fiqh, hadith and whatever else. Where a Shaykh can come in is its implementation. You said 'make an effort to implement', sometimes for some people that 'making an effort' does not come easy. A Shaykh can assist and encourage, guide the student to implement what he has learned. 1) So the shaykh can teach you knowledge, he's a teacher in tasaawuf, just as you would have a teacher in fiqh. Guiding you through personal growth towards Allah, monitoring your progress. One could rely on his own self to monitor progress, but in any science, wordly or otherworldy, having a good teacher is an easy way to reach your goal, as oppose to meandering along by yourself trying to figure it out. That said, some individuals are strong in their (fortitude) himmah, and can regulate and take account of themselves, thus may not have a need for nor a desire for a shaykh. 2) evidences of having a shaykh, or having a teacher. to me the shaykh is a teacher, a guide, a personal coach if you will. that evidence is obvious, Jibrail (alayhisalam) taught the Prophet (saw) in a student teacher format, and in turn the Prophet (saw) taught the sahaba, again in a teacher student format and also a guide. So having a teacher is any science is established due to its necessity in any sciences. As Ml. Ashraf Ali Thanawi says in his book, Path to Perfection,: One cannot become a carpenter without sitting in the company of a carpenter. Although I think you're asking more like, why do I require to give Bayat to a specific shaykh. You are not required to do this. There is no requirement, it just depends if it suits you, the concept and the shaykh himself. One can sit with teachers and learn and be spiritually motivated, but after a pledge (bayat) the relationship changes a little. Because now you've agreed that you will do everything in your power to follow what the Shaykh guides you to (Allah), and the Shaykh now has an established, vested interest in your spiritual progress. Without it, you are free to monitor your own progress, and the Shaykh is free not to necessarily monitor your progress. This can all occur if you have congeniality with a scholar, without it becoming a shaykh-murid relationship. So if you had a scholar in your local masjid and you spent much time with him, heed his advice, take ilm from him, take adab and akhlaq from him, then the same process of tazkiya (purification) is happening just in an informal format. For evidences in Bayat (pledge) specifically, there are occurrences of that in the Prophetic practice. 3) Totally. It is totally down to the individual. A Shaykh can only do so much. Its like a teacher in school. They teach, but if the students neglects to do his homework, then who is to blame? The Shaykh will not be with you in the grave, nor on the Day of Judgement when you stand before Allah. It is if you need that extra assistance in this world, a shaykh will be beneficial to you, but you must also need to have congeniality with the shaykh, a bond. Some people never really find that, and even if they do find it, they still need to work on what the Shaykh gives them. Its like a personal trainer, you still need to do the heavy lifting, but they will tell you which exercises are better for you at what stage and how much to lift. 4) The shaykh can make a profound difference. Because at the end of the day the nafs is a hard thing to control. having another experienced, enlightened individual, guide you, assist you, teach you and you benefit from him by watching how he acts, eats, prays and sleeps. In him you find a role model, a point source for guidance on matters and coach to assist you in matters that you already know about but aren't implementing. I hope that helps. My list for suggested resources for further research are below: http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Path-to...on_p_3139.html Sections in this book include: The Pledge, The Nature of the Pledge, The Mode of the Pledge, The Need for a Shaykh, The Signs of a Qualified Shaykh, The Benefits of a Qualified Shaykh etc. http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Insepar...rt_p_3590.html Sections in this book include: Bai'a (Pledge), The Need for a Mentor and the Necessary Conditions to become a Mentor, etc.
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