Shaykh Maulana Maseehullah Khan رحمة الله عليه once addressed His murideen with regards to those staying in the khanqah. Before we go into the address, what is a khanqah? Nowadays this concept is so alien, many don’t even know what the term means or what to do there. Back in the days it was so common in countries like India. Here in South Africa, it is just known as a good place where meals are served.
Really, a khanqah is a place where we stay for our islah. Shaykh Abdul Hamid Ishaaq حفظه الله has one that’s running in their Darul Uloom. Besides this, I don’t know of any proper khanqah here in South Africa. May Allah fill my fathers qabr with noor, Aameen. He sent us to the khanqah in India when were younger. What we saw, and what we see now is completely different. It’s chalk and cheese.
So Shaykh رحمة الله عليه had people coming to stay in the khanqah on a regular basis. Everyday, Shaykh رحمة الله عليه would hold a majlis. In this one He addressed his murideen with regards to staying in the khanqah. Shaykh رحمة الله عليه said, “After staying in the khanqah, there’s no question of feeling upset over someone telling you off. If your wife bought a knife out with the intent of using it on you, you’d complain. In an operational theatre, if the doctors and nurses come with knives and sharp objects and you protest, they’d say that you’re here for an operation and we cannot operate without these tools! If you wish to be operated upon, you must accept us using these tools as part of the process to your recovery.
So why have you come here to the khanqah? You have come with the intention of islah. So that even if someone was to take a basket full of faeces and throw it on me, I’ll accept. I will not let anger overtake me. That’s why I came here; to crush my nafs. If you didn’t know about this before you came, now be informed. This is what needs to be done here in the khanqah. If you feel uptight or angered (by someone telling you off), this indicates a deficiency within you. The Shaykh (like a doctor) will operate and remove this anger.”
So Shaykh رحمة الله عليه has explained here that if you’re feeling upset over a telling off, then there’s a deficiency in islah and the Shaykh needs to remove it. However, we must take the first step by informing the Shaykh of our deficiencies. For those who are truly seeking Allah, if months go by and we are not praying fajr with jamat, we need to tell our Shaykh. This is more important than outward affection towards the Shaykh.
A true talib is not the one who is most affectionate towards their Shaykh, it is the one who informs the Shaykh of his deficiencies in order to get help! The one who, as soon as he sees a problem he thinks no I won’t delay asking, I need to inform my Shaykh and sort myself out. If he thinks no I’m alright, it’ll be ok, then he is nafsparast (a slave to his desires). So be a talibe saadiq.
To become this sincere, true talib we must correct our internal environment. Remember the whole world has not been made your responsibility. Your spiritual reformation is your responsibility. On a hot day if we turn the fan on, we can cool ourselves and a few others, but can we cool the whole world? That we cannot do.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه الله
Above is an extract from a lecture delivered by Shaykh. To listen to the full lecture, please click here. Shaykh then explains how to correct the internal environment. To read the transcript on correcting the internal environment, please click here.
