A Spiritual Master

A voice from the past that may shed light unto problems this day and age regarding Spiritual Masters.

Shaykh ad-Darqawi (may God be pleased with him) writes:

One of the effects of Divine Beauty, Grace and Generosity is that one finds the Master who can grant spiritual education; without Divine Grace no one would find or recognize him, since, according to the saying of the Saint Abu'l-`Abbas al-Mursi; "It is more difficult to know a Saint than it is to know God." ....in the Hikam of Ibn `Ata-Illah, it is said: "Exalted be He Who makes His Saints known only in order to make Himself known and Who leads toward them those whom He wishes to lead toward Himself." There is no doubt that the Lord of the inhabitants of Heaven and Earth, our Master, God's Messenger (may God bless him and give him peace) was openly manifested, like a sun on a standard, and in spite of that was not seen by all, but only by some. God veiled him from others, just as He veiled the Prophets (on them be peace) from certain men, and just as He veils the Saints from the men of their time, so much so that they slander the Saints and do not believe them. God's Books testify to this:

"Thou shalt see them looking toward thee and they see not.."
[Qur'an: VII, 198]

and

"They said: what kind of a messenger is this, who eats food and walks in markets..."
[Qur'an: XXV, 7]

and so on, in all other analogous passages. Two thirds or more of the divine Book tells how the Prophets (on them be peace) were slandered by the men of their time. Among those who did not see God's Messenger (may God bless him and give him peace) was Abu Jahl; he saw in the Messenger only the orphan who had been adopted by Abu Talib. The same applies to the spiritual Master who is simultaneously ecstatic (majdhub) and methodical (salik), who is at the same time both drunk and sober; only a few find him. Now if one finds the Master (he sometimes acts in an unexpected way); sometimes he sees that the disciple's Spirit will be freed by fasting and so makes him fast; at another time, on the contrary, he will make him eat to repletion for the same purpose; now he sees that the disciple will benefit spiritually from an increase of outer activity; at another time, from less activity; at one time, from sleeping; at another time, from staying awake; sometimes he wishes the disciple to avoid people, sometimes, on the contrary he advises him to frequent people; for it may be that the inner light of the disciple has suddenly become too strong for him, so that the Master fears he may lose his reason, like many disciples in the past and in our day who have become mad; this is why the Master may bring the disciple out of his retreat and make him mix with people; in order that his spiritual tension may diminish and he be preserved from madness.  In the same way, if the inner light has become too weak, the Master sends him back into solitude in order that it may acquire force, and so forth, the issue is in God's hands. Spiritual mastery could very nearly have ceased to be manifested for the lack of those whose heart is quickened by an ardent desire to follow it, but the divine Wisdom never runs dry.

We see that the spiritual way (tariqah) is necessarily maintained by Divine Force and Power, since it comes down through our Masters from God's Messenger (may God bless him and give him peace). As the Saint al-Mursi used to say: No Master makes himself known to his disciples unless he has been led to do so by inspirations (waridat) and unless he has received the authorization of God and of His Messenger." The blessing (barakah) of this authorization and the secret it implies is what sustains our cause and safeguards the state of those who adhere to it; but God is wiser.


Neither sober nor drunk, sometimes I feel the joy of my soul's eyes looking out through mine. 

~ Mahmoud Shabistari~