Question and answer session with Ustadha Myra Kamal
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Q: Shaykh Mustafa Saheb used to say "Why is not a good word in suluk". Does that mean we are not allow to ask 'Why'? How about a beginner in suluk who keeps asking 'Why'? Or is there certain situations where we can ask 'Why'?.
Ustadha: ASA. What Shaykh meant is that we should not question the Shaykh's guidance, or a sunnah, or a hukm of Shariah in a way to challenge it, as if to say "I don't think there is any good reason to do this so I'm not going to do it." However, if it just to understand better or to clarify a confusion, it's okay.
However, even in that case, sometimes the saalik is not ready to understand the wisdom behind a certain hukm, of Shariah or sunnah or the Shaykh, and the teacher may not explain, so they should just stop asking and do it even if they don't understand it.
Asking "why" means we are relying on our own aql (understanding/reasoning) but the path to success for a saalik is in accepting and submitting, whether we understand or not. Because our aql can mislead us, and often does, but our Shaykh will not. The more a person submits to his or her Shaykh, the more successful he or she will be on this path. The more we rely on our aql, the more Shaytan will destroy us by putting wrong thoughts and conclusions in our minds.
There is an Urdu verse by a famous poet Allama Iqbal that we love:
Laut aye jitnay farzanay gaye, ta ba manzil sirf deewanay gaye...
(Those who use their reason have returned unsuccessful, only the mad lovers have reached the destination)
This is because it submission is actually the height of love, so those who love will submit and will be led to their destination, and those who keep questioning and using their aql will be mislead by their own nafs and Shaytan.
Q: Ustazah, meaning that, a mad lover is a salik who obey everything without questioning his shaykh?
Ustadha: Yes. Because obedience is a sign of the highest love. So only a salik who loves sincerely will obey with all his heart.
Ittiba', which is the word used for following the sunnah is actually that obedience that comes because of love. Another word for obedience is ata'at but that is obedience out of fear. So for shaykh and sunnah it's ittiba'
Q: Meaning in every way, zahiri and batini, if it is out of love, then its ittiba?
Ustadha: Yes.
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Q: Shaykh Mustafa Saheb used to say "Why is not a good word in suluk". Does that mean we are not allow to ask 'Why'? How about a beginner in suluk who keeps asking 'Why'? Or is there certain situations where we can ask 'Why'?.
Ustadha: ASA. What Shaykh meant is that we should not question the Shaykh's guidance, or a sunnah, or a hukm of Shariah in a way to challenge it, as if to say "I don't think there is any good reason to do this so I'm not going to do it." However, if it just to understand better or to clarify a confusion, it's okay.
However, even in that case, sometimes the saalik is not ready to understand the wisdom behind a certain hukm, of Shariah or sunnah or the Shaykh, and the teacher may not explain, so they should just stop asking and do it even if they don't understand it.
Asking "why" means we are relying on our own aql (understanding/reasoning) but the path to success for a saalik is in accepting and submitting, whether we understand or not. Because our aql can mislead us, and often does, but our Shaykh will not. The more a person submits to his or her Shaykh, the more successful he or she will be on this path. The more we rely on our aql, the more Shaytan will destroy us by putting wrong thoughts and conclusions in our minds.
There is an Urdu verse by a famous poet Allama Iqbal that we love:
Laut aye jitnay farzanay gaye, ta ba manzil sirf deewanay gaye...
(Those who use their reason have returned unsuccessful, only the mad lovers have reached the destination)
This is because it submission is actually the height of love, so those who love will submit and will be led to their destination, and those who keep questioning and using their aql will be mislead by their own nafs and Shaytan.
Q: Ustazah, meaning that, a mad lover is a salik who obey everything without questioning his shaykh?
Ustadha: Yes. Because obedience is a sign of the highest love. So only a salik who loves sincerely will obey with all his heart.
Ittiba', which is the word used for following the sunnah is actually that obedience that comes because of love. Another word for obedience is ata'at but that is obedience out of fear. So for shaykh and sunnah it's ittiba'
Q: Meaning in every way, zahiri and batini, if it is out of love, then its ittiba?
Ustadha: Yes.
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