The Principles of Our Way
1. Draw near to Allah only by those things that are established in the Sharī’a and the Prophetic example (sunna).
2. One’s devotional actions should be for Allah alone. One’s speech and actions should be pure, without ostentation, sufficing with the knowledge that Allah is ever watchful of everything we do.
3. Protect your limbs from prohibited acts. Do not speak and act for no reason, and do not engage in matters that do not concern them.
4. Always purify your heart from impure thoughts and not be concerned with matters of sustenance and fear of others. Indeed Allah is the One of gives and is able over all things.
5. Do not inflict harm on others and do not lean towards this world. One should rather rely completely on Allah and refer all worldly matters to Him. One should be content in good times and hard times.
6. One should be forgiving and kind towards the misdeeds of his/her brothers/sisters. One should offer sincere council (naṣīḥa) always and not shun their brother/sister for more than three consecutive days. Always greet your brother/sister with salam.
7. Be honest in your speech and conduct, and be patient in all matters.
8. Always be aware of Allah’s watchfulness both in public and private.
9. Think good of Allah and people.
10. Be charitable, as charity is the greatest way to reach Allah.
11. Always renew your repentance (tawba) when you commit a sin, incline towards sin, or are heedless of Allah.
12. Constantly seek forgiveness (istighfār), and constantly send prayers on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
13. Always take yourself to account over all matters, seeking guidance through the great state of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace).
14. Submit completely to your shaykh, be committed to his service, follow his orders and guidance, and do not engage in a serious matter without consulting him first. One should know that the permission of the shaykh is the source of all success in the path to Allah.
15. Occupy your free time by keeping good company and reading the works of pious and saintly people.
Advice to Aid in Pious Works
1. Do not eat and drink in excess from foodstuffs that are ḥalāl.
2. Stay away completely from foodstuffs that have doubt regarding their ḥalālness.
3. Stay away completely from speech and actions that have doubt regarding their ḥalālness.
4. Stay away completely from idle talk.
5. Stay away from worldly people as much as possible.
6. Do not stay up late at night except to engage in acts of devotion and worship.
7. Do not sleep except at the point of being exhausted.
8. Use the tooth stick (siwāk) as much as possible.
9. Always maintain wudū’, and when one needs to perform wudū’, follow the act of wudū’ with two units of prayer.
10. Always pray the five obligatory prayers at the beginning of their time and in congregation.
11. Be frequent in your visits to your nearest Sufi center/zāwiya in order to reap the spiritual benefits of these gatherings.
12. Fast the three middle days (13th, 14th, and 15th) of every Islamic month.
13. Recite a portion from the Qur’an on a daily basis.
14. Establish a routine for nightly prayer (tahhajud)
The Etiquette of Invocation (dhikr)
One should not recite an invocation or litany without permission or induction from their shaykh. During dhikr, one should sit as they would during the final stages of the prayer, in a state of wudū’, facing the qibla as much as possible, and closing one’s eyes. During dhikr one should not concern themselves with anything than the One being remembered. To aid in this matter one can envision their shaykh, and likewise in all acts of worship and devotion, and therefore draw from the spiritual state of the shaykh. This spiritual benefit, one must be aware, essentially draws from the spiritual state of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), since the shaykh is but a representative of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Throughout one’s dhikr session, one should not drink any water. When one has completed their dhikr, they should remain still and silent for a moment to receive whatever spiritual benefits Allah has willed in that session. To constantly benefit from the way, one needs to be committed to their daily invocations, or else they risk being cut off from the benefits of the invocations and the way itself. When in the presence of the shaykh, one should wait for instructions from the shaykh regarding the dhikr and not begin before this permission.
© Copyright by Tarek A. Elgawhary, 2014. All rights reserved.