26.) Does
a shaykh promise to solve all of the problems of an initiate or mureed in exchange for
unswerving loyalty?
Any shaykh
who would do this is not a legitimate shaykh, and this is so for a number of reasons.
To begin
with, a shaykh is not a position to promise what only God can give.
Secondly,
for a shaykh to offer to solve all of the problems of an initiate is not necessarily in
the best interests of the latter individual. The character of life and the mystical path
are exercises in struggle.
Spiritual
growth is nourished through such struggle. By solving all of the problems of life for the
seeker, the initiate is denied the opportunity to struggle in the way and cause of Allah
that may, God willing, lead to spiritual transformation.
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