[ArrichMer]

Assalamu Alaykum

A genuine question that came to mind is as follows:

If the objectives of tasawwuf, i.e. purification of the heart and God consciousness are obtained by adherence to the Qur'an and Sunnah, then all one needs to do is to acquire the knowledge by studying at an establishment and thereafter make an effort to implement the Qur'an and Sunnah in to one's life.

(1) So how then does the requirement for a Shaykh fit in to all of this?
(2) What are the evidences that suggest that a Shaykh is required?
(3) Ultimately it is down to the individual, is it not?
(4) Related to question 3, what difference will a Shaykh make?

The aim of the aforementioned questions is not in any way to be confrontational. They are genuine questions which have been thought of after contemplation and I would be grateful for any substantiated authentic answers, which categorically address the aforementioned questions.

Jazakallahoo Khayrun

Wa'alaykumus salaam ww...good question and commonly asked i believe.

As Mufti Ibrahim Desai says:

"No Muslim can traverse the path of spirituality without the basic Faraaidh. One can easily attain Wilaayat and closeness to Allah by adhering to the Faraaidh and abstaining from sin"...

so yes you are right, implementing the Qur'an and Sunnah is a must and yes, definitely effort has to be made by the individual however why not a shaykh? We seek experts in everything else right? Islah and attaining closeness to Allah subhaanahu wata'ala is the purpose of connecting with a shaykh and he is the "expert" who will lead us on this path. The following is from www.shaykh.org

“Take the example of a person who wants to lose weight. In the initial weeks, with self motivation at its peak, he will exercise regularly, follow a special diet and do all the necessary things required to achieve his objective. However, after a few weeks once the initial motivation wanes, he will return to his old ways and will end up as he started, with no long term benefit whatsoever.

In contrast, if this person had taken professional advice from the outset, he would have been able to set a timetable and develop a manageable action plan under expert guidance. This in conjunction with the continued supervision of the dietician would have resulted in long term benefit and success in his objective.

This is precisely the example of the relationship between a shaykh and a murīd. A murīd will find great difficulty in purifying his soul and acquiring the recognition of Allāh ta’ala by himself. Thus he needs someone to slowly – but surely – guide him and take him along the path that leads to soul rectification and the recognition of Allāh ta’ala. That someone is the Shaykh.”

Shaykh once mentioned that there other methods for Islah apart from the shaykh-mureed method:

Having mentioned the best and recommended method Shaykh mentions 3 other methods which may be adopted:

1. Make a deal with friends whereby they point out all your faults. However friends nowadays could shower praise in front of you and badmouth you in front of others and also we could take offence when they do point out our faults.
2. Islah can be made through enemies; their criticism will be beneficial if on hearing it you ask yourself if it does indeed apply to you. Hadrat Shaykh related the story of Hadrat Shaykh Gangohi, who toward the end of his life, on his sick bed had his mail read out to him. He used to insist on even the hate mail read out to him because he said it gave him a chance to hear what his enemies said about him and to rectify himself if need be.
3. Don’t look for faults in others but when you do see a fault in someone, don’t think bad of them, but assess whether you too have that or other faults

...and this from my understanding so insha Allah we'll wait for the experts of SF to correct me and sorry i havent answered your questions specifically but i pray this is of help