Murshid (Part 2)

What does a Murshid do?

Murshid comes from Allah’s Name Rashid, which is Mature Teacher.
Irshad means Enlightener/Enlightened.
Rashid is Enlightened.
Murshid is Enlightener.

So do murshids speak about themselves? No, they do not speak about themselves, unless they have to. And what do they do? They represent Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on earth and they give their teachings approved by their superiors, which are their Pirs. And there is only one such person in the world who has to be the descendant of the Prophet (pbuh). And this Prophetic gene is inherited in this person. They are the complete inheritor of the Prophet (pbuh). And so if there are rules, new applications in the system, this person is authorized to do that by approval and order of their superiors. Murshids generally do not do anything on their own, except their own business and their own personal life. They try to do on their own as little as possible. They actually do not want to do anything on their own.

So, for this person, who is the complete inheritor of the Prophet (pbuh), whatever happened to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also happens to them but they are not the Prophet. Muhammad is the Prophet. They are just representing the Prophet on earth because Prophet Muhammad or Prophets, they passed away 1600 years ago. So what is going to happen to the new generation? Does Allah have to send a Prophet every century, every decade or whatever? No, because the message has already been given. So all it is, is the application of this message. And so even in the Bible, it says, “In later times, Allah will rule His world with the saints (Ref. Daniel 7:18).” So this person is in charge of doing so.

And surely, We have previously written in the Zabur [Psalms] that came after the Zikr [Torah]: “My righteous devotees will inherit the earth.” (Al Anbiya:105)

How does the Murshid communicate?

Communication happens in different ways:
1. Murshids can see and have a live communication, whether you believe it or not.
2. Murshids are inspired in their hearts because of the rabita [connection].

So the second thing is inspiration. As Allah says in Qur’ani Karim, this is for everybody, He can talk to all the human beings in three ways:
1. Inspiration in their heart
2. By a messenger
3. Behind a veil

And it is not given to any mortal that Allah should speak to them unless it be by inspiration, or from behind a partition, veil, or that He sends a messenger to reveal what He wills by His permission. Know that He is Ali [High and Exalted] and Hakim [Wise]. (Al Shura:51)

So all these three ways are also true for the Murshid. Plus, they have a direct communication. Direct!

He sends down the angels with Ruh [Holy Spirit] to whomever He wishes of His devotees with His decree, saying, “Warn that there is no other ilah [higher power; god] except Me, so have taqwa [self-vigilance], as I have prescribed.” (Al Nahl:2)

So Jibril, alayhi salaam, can come and talk to this person in person, or via vibration, via magnetic field, long distance. It is very hard to bear his magnetic existence, so he can do like email/radio/from a long distance, a little further away, so he beams his things into your head or into your mouth, whatever.

Muhyiddin: Reviver of the Din

And We never sent a messenger except with the language of his community, so that he could explain (the message) clearly to them. Allah sends astray whom He wills (i.e., those who want to go astray), and guides those whom He wills (i.e., those who want to be guided). He is Al Aziz [The Revered and Most Precious One], Al Hakim [The Wise One]. (Ibrahim:4)

The Murshid does things in the modern world, in their language and simplify what has been added and added and added until the religion is made very rigid.

Say, “O People of the Scripture, do not go to extremes in your din, going against the truth, and do not follow the futile desires of the previous generations who went astray themselves, and who led many astray from the clear road that goes to Allah.” (Al Ma’ida:77)

It is the job of the Murshid to simplify the din. Muhyiddin! Both Shaykh Muhyiddin Ansari and Shaykh Muhyiddin Abdul Qadir Geylani, as their names indicate, are also Reviver of the Din. When the din gets stuck, then Allah brings it back to its origin. And Sufis are the ones who are keeping this essence of the din where things have to come back to.

And you may have noticed the sun, when it rose, move away from the cave on the right, and when it set, go past them on the left, and they were in its opening. This was (one) of the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides, they are surely rightly guided, and whoever Allah misleads, they will not find a waliyyan murshid [teacher who guides and protects]. (Al Kahf:17)

Glossary

Alayhi salaam: “Peace be upon him”

din: way of doing righteous deeds; way of life; right path of connectedness with Allah; way of relationship with God

Jibril: Archangel Gabriel

Ruh: Holy Spirit; Archangel Jibril

waliyyan murshid: teacher who guides and protects

Warith-ul Anbiya: Inheritor of the Prophets

This is an excerpt of the Online Saturday Sohbet given on December 10, 2011 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and edited for this article on June 15, 2020. The translation of the Qur’an verses and glossary terms are from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

You can read: The Spiritual System (Part 1) here…