Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanwi (rahimahullah) once mentioned the following:
Pious people are of two types. One type are those who have become pious through merely studying and referring to kitaabs. They did not spend time in the company of any Buzurg (spiritual mentor), nor did they refer to the Buzurg for guidance. The second type are those who have become pious through remaining in the company of a Buzurg, and they also refer to the Buzurg for their spiritual self-reformation.
In my understanding, there is a difference between these two types of people. The reason is that the understanding of deen which one acquires through remaining in the company of a Buzurg and seeking his guidance in various matters of one’s life – such understanding cannot be acquired merely through studying kitaabs while remaining far from a spiritual mentor.
This can be understood by the following example: One is a person who studies a medical journal, and thereafter, without consulting any doctor, based on his own understanding, begins to take medication to gain strength. The second person consults a doctor, and under the doctor’s supervision and guidance, he takes medication to gain strength. There will definitely be a difference between both people’s physical condition.
It is for this reason that merely referring to deeni kitaabs for one’s spiritual guidance and reformation is not sufficient. Together with this, it is also necessary for one to spend time in the company of a Buzurg and spiritual mentor and to seek his guidance at different times in one’s life.
How apt are the following couplets written by the late Akbar Husain:
نہ کتابوں سے نہ وعظوں سے نہ زر سے پیدا
دین ہوتا ہے بزرگوں کی نظر سے پیدا
The understanding of deen is not acquired merely through kitaabs, lectures and wealth
Rather, the understanding of deen is acquired through the attention and guidance of the Buzurgs.
(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 9/115-116)
