Intention of the Saalik in the Suhbat of the Shaikh

I heard my Shaikh, Hazrat Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahib (DB) say in one of his lectures the following:

“Do not attend the gatherings of the Mashaa’ikh for the purpose of increasing your knowledge, but go to them with the intention of acquiring the kaifiyat of Ihsaan and the love of Allah that rests in their hearts. With regards to knowledge, it is quite possible that one may posses more knowledge than their Shaikh. In this case, a person might think that the train of one’s knowledge has more power than the plane of the Shaikh’s kaifiyat of Ihsaan. When in reality, the capacity and power of the Shaikh’s plane of Ihsaan far supersedes that of the train. The distance covered by a plane in minutes will take a train ages to cover. Therefore, it is necessary for the mureed to think that I am a train, and my Shaikh is like a plane. Our great akaabir, Hazrat Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (RA) the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband, Hazrat Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi (RA) who used to teach all the books of hadith himself, and our own grandfather Shaikh, Hazrat Hakeem-ul-Ummat Mujaddid-ul-Millat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA) did not go to Hazrat Haji Imdaadullah (RA) to gain more knowledge, but they went to him to acquire the kaifiyat of Ihsaan and to develop within themselves the love of Allah..”

It has been the experience of many people that those who connect themselves with a Shaikh with the intention of acquiring the kaifiyat of Ihsaan, and developing the love of Allah, then an increase in knowledge just becomes part of the package, but to gain more knowledge should not be the aim and purpose. We pray that Allah guide us and give us the taufeeq to correct our intentions, and grant us maximum benefit from our shuyookh. Aameen!

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