What is hal in Sufism, and can it be learnt from books?

A true shaykh helps a seeker attain the hal, the state, of perpetual remembrance, and that hal comes with tálluq, the connection with a living shaykh. Often people who learnt merely through books have the information but lack the state. It needs a connection with a living teacher over a prolonged period of time and cannot be achieved in a sitting, and the teacher's own state affects the seeker either way.

What is raabta with a shaykh?

Raabta, communication with the shaykh, covers a seeker's attending his shaykh's meetings and informing him of the changes in himself, good or bad. Travelling with the shaykh or keeping a retreat in the mosque with him gives the disciple an opportunity to observe his routines, and attending the meetings or travelling with him gives the shaykh an opportunity to observe the disciple and help him overcome his shortcomings. A seeker must not discuss his spiritual matters with anyone except his own shaykh, and must be concise in reporting them.

What is tawajjuh, spiritual attention?

Tawajjuh is attention. The scholars consider the three embraces of Jibril during the first revelation a form of transmission of knowledge from Allah, and when the Prophet struck the breast of a Companion whose heart was filled with doubt, the Companion's state of fear and awe was such that he felt he was witnessing Allah. Yet spiritual transmission is not the real source of the effect: the attainment of the final goal is only possible with Allah's grace and guidance, and by following the Sunnah and the company of the pious.

What is nisbah (nisbat) in Sufism?

When a seeker's virtues permeate him until they become an essential part of his being, that can be termed spiritual affinity, and in Tasawwuf this affinity between Allah and the seeker is nisbah. The Companions and the ones who came after them obtained it through consistency and regularity in the obligatory and voluntary prayers, dhikr, recitation of the Qur'an, remembrance of death and the fear of the Day of Judgment, and this led to taqwa. There are four stages of affinity, from a reflective affinity that is strong in the shaykh's company and diminishes on leaving it, to the associative affinity Abu Bakr had with the Prophet, where the disciple becomes an image of his shaykh in all aspects.

Can you benefit from a shaykh at a distance?

A disciple should not be disheartened by distance, as someone who lives far from his shaykh may be the closest to his heart. The shaykh's company has its own profound benefits, but his intent can be gathered from his words, whether heard or read, and a seeker who cannot attend the gatherings because of distance must listen to recordings of the lectures. The best way prescribed is still the traditional one: listening to the words of the shaykh and keeping him informed of one's states.

What if the shaykh’s advice goes against what you want?

A seeker must acknowledge every word of his shaykh as true, and where he is unable to comprehend the meanings he must consider it his own flaw. If the shaykh's advice is against his wish he should still follow it and trust the shaykh's wisdom, and he must not question the shaykh about its positive or negative aspects or present his own opinion. Even seekers who lack capacity would reach the station of Divine Love if they stay connected with the shaykh and listen to his advice.

Is bay’ah enough without attending the shaykh’s gatherings?

Spiritual training, tarbiya, happens best when a disciple attends his shaykh's meetings or listens to his words while keeping him updated with his state. Where someone takes the pledge but never attends, never listens and never informs the shaykh of his states, that training cannot take place. Seekers living in the same city are to attend the gatherings regularly, and those living elsewhere still make the effort to visit when possible and listen to recordings of the shaykh's lectures.

How does a woman take bay’ah?

The pledge of the believing women is recorded in the Qur'an, and the Prophet took it from them verbally: never once in his life did he touch the hand of a woman who was not related to him. Holding the hands of women while taking the pledge is unacceptable in the Shariah, since it is prohibited to touch an unrelated woman, and one must follow in his footsteps.

Do you have to shake hands to take bay’ah?

Offering the hands when taking bay'ah is a Sunnah for men, though spoken words are enough, since bay'ah is a pledge. Holding the hands of women while taking the pledge is unacceptable in the Shariah, as it is prohibited to touch an unrelated woman, and the Prophet took the pledge from women verbally.

Is bay’ah an innovation (bid’ah)?

Critics call the pledge taken by Sufis a blameworthy innovation, not supported by the Qur'an or Hadith, and recognise only the pledge for conversion to Islam or for jihad. Mowlana Ashraf Ali answers from a hadith in which Companions who had already pledged to Islam gave a pledge that was neither for Islam nor for jihad, but to obey certain injunctions and to perform certain practices. So the bay'ah in Tasawwuf does have its precedent in the Sunnah.