How do you find a true shaykh?

Begin with what the Qur'an commands: "O, you who believed! fear Allah and be with those who are truthful" [Qur'an, at-Tawbah 9:119]. The word used for the truthful is Sadiqeen, the most truthful. Sadiq was the quality of Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him, and he was unquestionably the truest follower of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ.

That command settles a misunderstanding heard often, that it is not possible to find a true shaykh in this time and era, that the pious existed only in the past and piety is a word lost in history. Allah commands the believers to be with the Sadiqeen; therefore true guides will exist till the believers exist, as the command of the Qur'an is for all times and generations. The perception that true Sufis do not exist anymore is baseless.

It is a matter of finding those who are truthful and follow Allah's Messenger ﷺ in the true spirit, as those are the ones who can lead us to the true path of Tasawwuf. The company of a person who possesses these qualities is an elixir.

If the seeker cannot identify these qualities in a person, he must look for the person whom most of the pious people of his time consider to be righteous. When one attends the company of such men, the heart shifts away from evil and inclines towards good.

There have been many fake Sufis who have tarnished the concept of Tasawwuf; therefore one has to be very diligent when looking for a shaykh. As for the one in whom evil qualities are observed, he is not to be followed, for Allah says, "Do not obey from among them a sinner or disbeliever" [Qur'an, ad-Dahr 76:24].

The qualities of the person who should be chosen as a guide are elaborated in the hadith, as the Beloved Prophet ﷺ said, "Luqman peace be upon him said to his son: 'O my son! Impose on yourself to sit in the company of the scholars and to listen to the talks of those who possess wisdom because Allah revives a dead heart with the light of wisdom just as He revives a dead land with continuous rain.'" [Thanvi, Living as a True Muslim]

The Beloved Prophet ﷺ taught the believers the importance of the company of those who remember Allah, saying, "Should I not teach you something on which a (major) portion of faith rests and through which you can acquire the good of this world and the Hereafter? Hold on firmly to the assemblies of the people of Allah's remembrance. When you are in solitude, keep your tongue occupied in Allah's remembrance as much as you can. Love solely for Allah's sake and detest solely for Allah's sake." [Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman 8608]

The Beloved Prophet ﷺ also said, "If you see a person endowed with abstinence in this world and the trait of speaking less, stay close to him for he is bestowed with wisdom from Allah." [Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman 4985] The sort of knowledge alluded to in the hadith is the bestowed knowledge which may be gifted to the closest servants of Allah.