Seeking for a Shaykh

It is imperative that a murid seeks a Shaykh (teacher) whom he will concentrate his attention on, to attain the benefits of zikr. If so, what kind of teacher? Shaykh Ibrahim now advises on the kind of teacher to be sought and the behavior that should transpire between this student and his acquired teacher.
C.10 Righteous Leader or Shaykh

The murid or disciple in reality seeks the countenance of Allah. This countenance of Allah has a gate which is the Prophet (SAWS), the countenance of the Prophet (SAWS) also has a gate which is the Shaykh. Allah says in the Qur`an 3:31


"If you really love (to have the countenance of) Allah, follow me and Allah shall love your

and in the Qur`an 31:15

"And follow the path of one that has turned towards Me."

Thus if you love Allah and wish for His countenance you must start your journey by seeking a complete Shaykh. A complete Shaykh is one whom on one hand knows and observes the law (Shari`at) and on the other hand knows and observes the reality (Haqiqat). The Shari`at and the Haqiqat represent the two sides of the coin. In the words of Imam Malik:
"He who practices Sufism without understanding and observing the Fiqh (sacred) corrupts his faith, while he who understands and observes the Fiqh without practicing Sufism corrupts himself. But he who combines the two has indeed proven to be true.""spirit of good moral"