■ Why Is Patience Necessary in the Journey of Tasawwuf?
Dear Readers, I want to tell you all especially those of you who are travelling the path of love, the path of Tasawwuf. This is for the lovers, the dreamers, the broken ones who secretly cry in sajdah, and those whose hearts long for purification, for closeness, and for truth.
There is something you must always carry in your pocket, no matter where you are in the journey… and that is sabr — patience.
Because without patience, you cannot become a dervish.
Without patience, your nafs (lower self) won’t melt.
Without patience, Tasawwuf remains just a word, not a reality.
Patience isn’t just about putting up with pain. In Tasawwuf, sabr means holding your ego back when it wants to speak, scream, show off, or lash out. It means staying humble when your heart is boiling. It means choosing Allah ﷻ when the nafs wants attention.
And read closely…
Just like in Islamic law (fiqh), if someone steals or eats from unlawful earnings even occasionally — it damages their claim to piety — in the same way, in Tasawwuf, even occasional pride, a little showing off in worship, or small bursts of unjust anger —
these all go against the perfection of purification (tazkiyah).
You see, the path isn’t about being perfect. But the goal is to keep polishing the heart until bad qualities (like arrogance, anger, jealousy, greed) begin to fade… and good qualities (like humility, gentleness, sincerity, and tawakkul) become second nature.
This is what the sufi masters said:
❝In Tasawwuf, the goal is to acquire noble character traits so deeply that they become your habit, and to remove bad traits so completely that they disappear like old shadows.❞
When Can One Say “I Have Reached Tazkiyah”?
Only when…
Good character becomes instinct, not effort.
Bad traits disappear as if they were never there.
Worship becomes pleasure, not pressure.
You give people ease, not pain.
You see your ego as the enemy, not your pride as an achievement.
That’s when the journey of tazkiyah — purification — starts showing its fruits.
This is the same tazkiyah that Allah ﷻ mentioned in the Qur’an as the key to success:
❝Indeed, successful is the one who purifies his nafs, and doomed is the one who corrupts it.❞
▪︎ (Surah Ash-Shams: 9–10)
And this is not just a side topic. This tazkiyah is one of the core reasons why the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent to this ummah.
❝Indeed, Allah ﷻ has shown great favour to the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves — reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and Wisdom — even though before this they were in clear misguidance.❞
▪︎ (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 164)
Now here comes something deep. Read closely.
Even though Allah ﷻ revealed the Qur’an — the most powerful book in existence — He still sent the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to teach and purify.
Why?
Because books alone cannot purify the heart.
You can read all the texts. You can memorize hadith. You can quote the Qur’an fluently. But unless you sit in the company of a purified heart, your own heart won’t melt.
That’s why the Prophet ﷺ wasn’t just a teacher. He was also a Murshid — a spiritual guide, a purifier, a heart doctor.
And after him, the Sahabah became spiritual teachers for the next generation.
Then came the Tabi’een, then the Aulia Allah, and the Silsilahs (Orders) of Tasawwuf — passing this flame from heart to heart, hand to hand, breath to breath.
Why Do You Need a Spiritual Guide (Murshid)?
The Deoband School of thought, Hazrat Mawlana Thanvi (ر), the wise elder known as Hakim al-Ummah, gave a beautiful analogy:
❝Can anyone become a skilled craftsman just by reading books? Never!
Can anyone become a tailor without sitting with a tailor?
Can anyone use a carpenter’s tool just by holding it?
Can someone become a calligrapher without observing a master write?❞
In short:
No one can become spiritually complete without the company of the spiritually complete.
You need someone to break your nafs gently.
To mirror your ego back to you.
To remind you of your nothingness.
To guide you with love and truth — not from books, but from presence.
As the poet once said:
❝O heart! If you truly want to walk this path of love,
Know that no one reaches the goal of love alone.
So hold the hem of a guide, and return — Before life ends and you leave this world, still unaware of love.❞
Tasawwuf is not a theory. It’s not reading fancy words like fana (annihilation), zuhd (detachment), or ihsan (excellence). It is becoming something. It is transforming your inner world until your soul becomes a mirror reflecting only Allah ﷻ.
So yes, dear seeker —
Be patient.
Be consistent.
Keep cleaning. Keep crying. Keep trusting.
And above all, never walk alone.
Because this journey — this sacred, golden, trembling journey of the soul — needs a companion who has already walked the fire… and returned as light.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلَىٰ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
● FJ 13.4.25
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 