Bismillah As-salamu Žalaykum, Our Master, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy (may Allah TaŽala preserve him) is without the shadow of a doubt a gem from the immense treasure of ruhaniyyah. He generally does not allow everyone to just give bayŽa without prior consideration. Rather he wants to make sure that there is munasabat (congeniality) and dedication (from the side of the murid). He will make istikhara (seek the guidance of Allah TaŽala) before taking anyone on. It is an Žilmi based tariqah, so as a student you will be asked to memorize, learn and master books of Aqidah and the Fiqh of at least one math'hab at a basic level. It is truly a tariqah for Suluk (travelling), not just for barakah. Keep that in mind. If you put the effort in, you will gain like never before. I have sat with, studied and taken from numerous shuyukh of various fields, including tasawwuf, and I can easily say that I have found none paralell to the noble Shaykh. He is authorized in just about every main tariqah that you will find, including many various branches; he is also a great Muhaddith (hadith scholar); authorized to give fatwa in the ShafiŽi, Hanafi and Maliki schools; as well as mastering the various qiraŽat (modes of recitation) of the Qur'an. He was authorized in the variout tariqahs by many of the great masters. He formally gives the Shadhiliyya, RifaŽiyya and Qadiriyya, but one should be able to tap in to the fayd of the other turuq, such as the Naqshbandiyya, Khalwatiyya, Sammaniyya, Mawlawiyya, etc. as many of us have been blessed to experience. wassalam