By Dr Tarik Abou Nour.
The beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was entrusted with a mission deeper than that of a mere “postman”. The Qur’an reminds us that he was sent to “teach them the Scripture and wisdom, and purify them” (Qur’an 2:129). This purification (tazkiya) is the very heart of authentic spirituality, through the company of the LIVING model. His spiritual heirs have continued to carry it on, to help sincere wayfarers detach their hearts from all that is not God. The notion of idhn (spiritual authorisation) is, in this science of tasting, an essential element that makes the difference between the LIVING model, heir to the prophetic Secret, and other self-proclaimed ones.
At the origin
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) educated through the idhn he received from God to guide towards Him. The Qur’an says in this regard: “We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and warning, as one who calls people to God by His leave, as a light-giving lamp…” (Qur’an 33:45-46). Nevertheless, this idhn concerned exclusively the injunctions that came to him from God. Here he is, for example, giving the idhn to one companion or another to accomplish a mission, and that companion would at once find himself nourished with an extraordinary spiritual strength.
On the other hand, when it was a matter of the affairs of this lower world, he advised following instead the instructions of the specialists in the field. For example, in the agricultural world, when his grafting of palm trees did not succeed, he told them: “you are the best judges of your affairs”[1], indicating here that it was his personal ijtihad, which in this case is not a revelation. The same holds during a battle against the oppressors: when he settled in a lookout post, a companion called out to him: “is this a position that Allah has indicated (revealed) to you, or is it strategy and the ruse of war?”. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied that it was strategy, this companion pointed out to him that it was exposed and risky, and proposed a better one to him. This is neither a lack of adab nor a sin, but a necessary lucidity in discerning what truly belongs to spiritual idhn and what belongs to the specialists, and is therefore subject to debate, consultation and deliberation with those knowledgeable in the field in question.
In day-to-day spirituality
Thus the disciple who sincerely follows his authorised spiritual master must take this lucidity to heart. He must not confuse the idhn for his spiritual path, which allows him the healing of his heart, the education of his soul and the establishment of his wird, on the one hand, with the logical laws of the profane world, which follow the context in which he lives. We cannot, in the name of idhn, call people to transgress Islamic morality, for example, or to commit what is forbidden, or to put themselves in a difficult situation…
The authentic master follows the Sharia while being in the haqîqa, for the Sharia is the gateway to the haqîqa. The authentic master, when you come to consult him about your heart, will generously give you the best remedy suited to your predisposition (isti‘dâd). And when you come to consult him about a matter of this lower world, he recommends that you go and see people who are specialists in the subject, and also recommends the istikhâra to you. Even should he propose a solution for your worldly affair, it will in that case be a personal opinion (as in the case of the Prophet mentioned above), which may turn out to be unsuitable. So you must not hold it sacred, at the risk of losing your trust in your master should his suggestion fall short. This trust is indeed precious on your path.
Let us pray to Allah that He turn our intentions towards Him, and that our companionship with the living spiritual master be for God, in mahabba.
Note
[1] Muslim reports, on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people who were pollinating palm trees, and said: “if you did not do it, it would be better”. The dates then turned out to be of poor quality (chîs). He passed by them again and said: “what is wrong with your palm trees?”. They said: “you said this and that…”. He said: “you are the most knowledgeable about the affairs of your lower world”. The hadîth is also reported by Ibn Khuzayma in his Sahîh, Ibn Hibbân in his Sahîh and others, in different versions. An-Nawawî placed it, in his commentary on the Sahîh Muslim, under the chapter: “the obligation to conform to what he said pertaining to religion, and not to what he mentioned, peace and blessings be upon him, of the affairs of the life of this lower world by way of opinion”.
By Dr Tarik Abou Nour. Source: doctrine-malikite.fr.
