devotion, and humility towards his Shaykh. He would deliver scholarly and spiritual sermons at his Shaykh’s blessed shrine also.

Once, the successor of his Shaykh expressed the need for two dogs to guard the khānqah. When the Imam heard this, he returned home, took his two sons with him, and presented himself before the successor, saying, “Aḥmad Razā presents these two sons in your service. They will assist you with your tasks during the day, and will guard the khānqah at night.”^[1]

Imam Abū Ḥanīfah’s service to his Shaykh

Despite being an ocean of sacred knowledge, Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه acquired the sciences of spirituality through being with Imam JaꜤfar al-Ṣādiq رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. The great imam declared, “Had it not been for those two years that I spent with Imam JaꜤfar al-Ṣādiq رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, I would have been ruined.”^[2]

Dear Islamic brothers! You have heard how our noble predecessors served their murshids. From their example, we learn that we too should serve our spiritual guides, keep them pleased, and never cause them distress through any of our actions.

It is important to note that some people, despite spending their entire lives in the company of their shaykh, remain deprived of spiritual benefit. Why is that so?

Upon reflection, it becomes evident that such people weigh the actions and statements of the shaykh on the scale of their own intellect. When something does not align with their understanding, they raise all sorts of objections against them. Keep in mind that objecting to a shaykh often stems from spiritual impurity or corruption of the heart. Some murīds spend years in the service of shaykh, and when they do not attain a particular spiritual rank, they complain: “We have fulfilled our duty. He is now compelled to give us what he has.”

These foolish people fail to understand that fulfilling the right of the shaykh is not within their ability. Entertaining these Satanic whispers is a cause of being deprived of the shaykh’s spiritual blessings.