Cultivating Humility and Accepting Spiritual Guidance
Hazrat Qari Ismail Desai Saheb
Duration
35:59
Summary
No one is independent of advice; Muslims are always in need of guidance.
Thinking one doesn't need advice leads to regression and is a sign of pride, which is a destructive trait.
It is disheartening that many students today take offense when advised by their teachers or seniors.
Fortunate are those students and children who adopt an attitude of humility towards their seniors, elders, and parents.
Defiance and arrogance are destructive temperaments that hinder progress, as seen when students even resort to striking against institutions.
Islamic knowledge and learning (ilm) are meant to cultivate humility, not pride or arrogance.
The more one progresses in religious knowledge, the more humility should manifest in their character.
If a student cannot accept correction from their teacher, how will they accept it from others outside the institution?
We seek spiritual training (tarbiyah) from our spiritual guides (mashaikh) to transform our character, not just acquire knowledge (ta'leem).
True spiritual progress (tarraqi) is achieved by humbling oneself before one's spiritual guide and willingly accepting their advice, even if it's harsh or a "beating" (severe reprimand).
Just as one trusts a surgeon for physical healing, one should trust their spiritual guide for internal purification, without questioning their methods once trust is established.
Spiritual guides (mashaikh) have different temperaments; seekers should find a guide whose "blood group" (temperament) aligns with theirs to truly benefit.
Disagreements in temperament can lead to finding fault or criticizing the guide, which hinders one's own spiritual correction.
An example of true humility: The speaker's Ustadh, Qari Anees Sahab, a respected scholar, once thanked an ordinary person who pointed out his incorrect sitting posture in a Masjid.
Another example: Hazrat Meer Sahab, a senior Khalifa of Hakim Akhtar Sahab, was publicly reprimanded by his Shaykh, even being told to "stand up" when dozing off.
Instead of feeling offended, Hazrat Meer Sahab, being sincere in his pursuit of spiritual purification, composed poetry expressing that his Shaykh's "wrathful gaze" (reprimand) was a "killer of pride, vanity, and arrogance," and he desired no other happiness than that correction.
This demonstrates that true seekers embrace criticism and harshness as a means to crush their ego (nafs) and pride.
We should be thankful when someone points out our faults, viewing it as an opportunity for self-improvement, just as we would be thankful if someone pointed out a blemish on our face.
We must strive to remove defiance and cultivate humility within ourselves, especially our younger generation, so that our reactions to correction do not show displeasure or anger.