Sheikh-e-Kaamil

Indeed very blessed is the person who desires to find a Sheikh-e-Kaamil. This is a clear proof that he is in search of Allah Jalla Jala Laho.  Hadrat Maulana Rumi R.A explains that when a dove or pigeon is born then it keeps it gaze up from the very start as the bird will eventually fly. On the contrary when a goat or sheep is born its gaze is focussed on the ground as it will always remain on the ground.  Similarly, a person that is in search of a Sheikh indicates that he will be soon flying towards Allah Jalla Jala Laho.

One should ensure that he chooses a proper Sheikh. What can be said if the Sheikh is a Sheikh-e-Kaamil? How fortunate is that person that gets a Sheikh that is from amongst the Ulema-e-Haqq. There are various stages in choosing a Sheikh. One stage is that a person wants to be protected from the temptation of the world, etc. so he chooses a Sheikh. It is possible that he does not choose the correct Sheikh. The Sheikh that he chooses could possibly be from the Ahle- Bidat who could be a means of leading him astray, or he is from the Ahle-Haq but he is not a Sheikh-e-Kaamil.

Practising on Quraan and Ahadith

A lady had written to Hadrat Hakim Saheb R.A that the lights are switched off in the middle of the night in Ramdaan and people engage in Zikrullah. Generally people enjoy such Zikrullah and feel that they had spent Ramdaan correctly.  Hadrat replied that such Zikr is not proven in the Hadith even though it is enjoyed by the Nafs. There are many places where Qiyaamul Layl takes place in Jamaat which is not proven in the Ahadith. Some people complete the entire Quraan in Taraweeh Salaah in a few nights and then relax for the rest of Ramdaan.

In some Khanqahs plenty of Ibaadat take place but they are void of Islaahi talks. A Sheikh-e-Kaamil is one that corrects his Mureeds. If one finds such a Sheikh he can never be grateful to Allah Jalla Jala Laho for such a Sheikh. Those that are connected to the chain of Hadrat Thanvi R.A are very fortunate. Hadrat has separated the water from the milk and shown what the real objective of the Khanqah is. It is actually Islaah-e-Nafs. The ideal opportunity for such Islaah is the month of Ramdaan.

Generally, it is difficult for one to give up television, sports, news for the rest of one’s life. However, if one is asked to give up these things for a period of thirty days then it is not as difficult. If it is done properly then the effect of that Ramdaan lasts forever. The example of this is that a piece of paper is folded in the improper manner, it actually had to be folded in the opposite direction. If one folds it in the opposite direction for a short while then it will remain folded correctly permanently. Similarly, we should fold ourselves for thirty days and through the blessings of this one will be corrected forever.

Focus on Ibaadaat

The focus of Khanqah is not only on Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. It is mentioned in the Hadith that an Alim is superior to an aabid (worshipper). Explaining this Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam  said, The superiority of an Alim over an Aabid is like my superiority over the lowest of you (i.e.Sahaaba).” The rank of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is superior to the other Ambiyaa Alaihis Salaam as well thus we can imagine the virtue of an Alim. The Alim that is referred to in this Hadith is that Alim who acts upon the basic fundamentals of Deen such as Faraaidh, Waajibat and Sunnat-e-Muakkada and the rest of his time is devoted to the acquisition and imparting of knowledge. He is superior to the person that possesses the basics of knowledge but spends the remainder of his time in the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. Outwardly, it may seem that the Aabid is superior but in reality the Aalim is superior like the superiority of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam over the Sahaaba.

From this we understand that a Sheikh-e-Kaamil is not one that exerts himself in the worship of Allah Jalla Jala Laho but one that causes the complete Deen to come alive in his mureedeen. Therefore it is important that a Mureed should remain continuously with the Sheikh so that he benefits and acquires the knowledge of Deen. We should ensure that our Aqaaid, Muamalaat, Akhalaq, etc. is all correct. We generally pay attention to Akhlaaq (character). We regard not having pride, having sincerity as Islaah. We should bear in mind that our business dealing, social conduct, etc. is all included in Islaah.

Affection to animals

There was a Kitaab being read in the Majlis of Doctor Iqbal of the West. It was mentioned that a cat had given birth to kittens in Masjid-un-Nabawi. Naturally, this will result in a mess in the Masjid so the Sahaaba Radiallahu Anhuma wanted to get the cat out of the Masjid. Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam arrived and said, “Do not chase out the cat as it has now become a mother.” This caused Allama Iqbal to cry for 45 minutes. If this was the respect afforded to a cat, can we then imagine what is the position of a human being that has become a mother!

Hadrat Maulana Maseehullah R.A had once slept on the floor at the residence of his host whereas a five star room was prepared for Hadrat. When asked the reason for sleeping on the floor, Hadrat said, “When I came to my room I had found the cat sleeping on the bed so I did not disturb the cat’s sleep and slept on the floor which was comfortable.

On one occasion Hadrat Sulayman Alaihis Salaam was about to wear his clothing and there was an ant crawling on his clothes. He shook the Kurta and the ant fell off. The ant addressed him saying, “You will have to answer for this on the day of Qiyaamah.” Immediately thereafter Allah Jalla Jala Laho had sent Jibraeel Alaihis Salaam who conveyed Salaam to Sulayman Alaihis Salaam from Allah Jalla Jala Laho and said, “The ant was correct in its claim that you will have to answer for this action of yours.” Hadrat Sulayman Alaihis Salaam was able to speak to animals and asked forgiveness from the ant. There are certain acts that are regarded as sins to those that are extremely close to Allah Jalla Jala Laho whereas these acts may be regarded as good deeds to even the pious people. It is necessary that the Islaah of all these aspects are also taken into consideration by the Sheikh then he is regarded as a Sheikh-e-Kaamil.

A Sheikh-e-Kaamil is not one that only gets you involved in Ibaadat but does not stop you from the disobedience of Allah Jalla Jala Laho such as watching TV etc. A sheikh-e-Kaamil doesn’t even get you involved in plenty of Ibaadat at times. In the Khanqah of Hadrat Thanvi R.A and in the Khanqah of our Sheikh R.A there isn’t the requirement of plenty of Ibaadat but the emphasis is on the Islaah of a person which is extremely important.

Our understanding of Islaah

Unfortunately, our nature has become such that we enjoy Zikrullah in the dark in melodious tunes, long Duas with crying yet we return to our ways after the Dua. We do not even change our lives. On the other hand if there isn’t the custom of long Duas but there is a change in our lives then that is an achievement.

Many brothers have written that they have taken out the television from their lives. That is what is required. We should adopt the Sunnat dressing and discard western dressing. These are some of the concerns of a Sheikh-e-Kaamil.