Can a disciple follow more than one shaykh?

Success on the path of Tasawwuf comes through one's own shaykh, and going from one shaykh to another retards the progress of the seeker. This concept is called Tauheed e Matlab in Tasawwuf. One can visit another shaykh only if permitted by his own shaykh, and the one who does not follow the rule of Tauheed e Matlab would struggle on the path of Tasawwuf.

In any other discipline one has to first learn and then practise, but in Tasawwuf one first practises and then gets the knowledge. Imam al-Ghazali rahimahullah, after spending time in the company of his shaykh, wrote the masterpiece Ihya ul Uloom.

As an example, usually there are many doctors in a town but a sick person would only consult one. It is important to honour and respect all the Mashaikh, but for training and tazkiya, the purification of the self, one needs to follow his own shaykh.

It is a common observation that seekers may go and attend the assemblies of any shaykh without prior permission of their own shaykh, and this leads to confusion and retards their journey.

Once, a seeker in a chaotic condition came to Mowlana Maseehullah rahimahullah for help. Upon enquiry Mowlana Maseehullah rahimahullah found out that after establishing a tálluq, the connection, with one shaykh, he was following another. Mowlana Maseehullah rahimahullah told him that he had put himself in a grave situation.