Similarly, if you have to get cure to your spiritual
sicknesses, like lust, anger, greed, and arrogance,
you have to go to the spiritual doctor,that is a
Shaykh. The Prophet was sent as a spiritual
doctor. Allah says in the Quran:
ْ َ ْ ََ َ َّ ّ ُ َ َ ْ ُ ِ ن
لق ْد َمن الل عل الؤم ِن ي� ِإذ َب َعث ِف ِي�م
َ
ََ ْ ي
َْرسوال ِّمن أنفسم َي ْت ُلو ع َل ي ِْ�م آ� ِت ِه َوُ زَي� ِّك ِي�م
ُِِْ ْ ً ُ
“Indeed Allah has done a favor on the believers,
when he sent to them a messenger from amongst
themselves, who recites to them the verses and
purifies them (of the spiritual sicknesses) …”
(3:64)
Just like you have to give your history and the
symptoms of your diseases to the doctor, you
have to tell your personal history and the
symptoms of your spiritual sicknesses to the
spiritual doctor as well. This process is called
Ittila’. Our mashaikh (spiritual guides) have said
that even if Allah I opens a person’s spiritual
sicknesses to them, they will not treat it until it’s
told by the patient. And just like a patient of
physical diseases may not know as to what is the
cause of his sickness, and his chest pain might be
because of acid reflux, the patient of spiritual
sickness might also not know his real spiritual
disease even though the symptoms tell something
else. Also, just like it is normally not allowed to
open one’s hidden areas to anybody, but they
must be shown to the doctor to get the treatment,
one’s spiritual issues must not be opened to
anyone but must be opened to the spiritual doctor
in order to get the spiritual treatment.
When the case is presented to the doctor, the
wise would be the one who would take the advice
of the doctor and take the prescribed medicine
and stay away from all those things that he has
been asked to stay away from. Similarly, to hold
onto the prescribed dhikr and to stay away from
sins and some other possible things is the key
to the spiritual treatment. This is called Ittiba’.
Another important concept in our religion is
mashwara (seeking counsel). It is another sunnah
that Allah I wants us to follow in order to get
blessings in our decisions. When it is done with
one’s Shaykh, who has the religious knowledge
and spiritual insight, it brings the blessings of
Allah I in that matter. This is part of Ittiba’.
These are the fundamentals of the path of
spirituality. Of course, it does not stop here. It is
just the start. But every journey starts with a
single step and this is step number one in the
journey to achieve closeness to Allah I, complete
submission to Him and the success of both the
lives. At the end of the day, it’s Allah I who
cures our spiritual sicknesses.
ُ ََ
َ ْ ْ ُ َ َ ِ َّ ُ ْ َ َ َ
َول ْول فضل الل عل ْيك َو َرح ُت ُه َما زك ِمنك
َ َ َ ّ َّ ْ َ َ َ َ ً َ َ َّ َّ َ ُ ز
ِمن أح ٍد أبدا ولكن الل ي� ِك من يشاء
ِ
ي
“If it was the grace and mercy of Allah on you,
none of you would have been able to get the
purification (from the spiritual sicknesses), but it is
Allah who purifies whoever He wishes …” (24:21)
But, we have to take the means, and those means
are to hook ourselves up with the teachers of
spirituality (Shaykh), as per the order of Allah I
and then follow the principles.
ْ ُ َ ّ ْ َّ ْ َ ََ َّ ن
ََ ي� َأ يُّ�ا ال ِذ� آم ُنوا ات ُقوا الل َو ُكونوا َمع
ي
ََّ ِ ن
�الصاد ِق ي
“O you who believe, have taqwa (abstaining from
all sins to achieve the state of taqwa)of Allah, and
be among the ones who have acquired the state of
truthfulness (i.e. inner a