How do I find a spiritual teacher in Islam?
The classical tradition is a chain of teachers. Al-Ghazali wrote about what to look for, what to avoid, and the specific warning signs of the teacher who will lead you nowhere.
6 passages from 3 books in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 3 books by Ibn Battuta and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
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"Sheikh Hood then returned home accompanied by Sheikh Nooruddin Shirazi, sent by the Sultan to install him on his grandfather's mat at the lodge and organize a feast using the Sultan's funds there."
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"Mudrik, the jurist, told me that a man from Tlemcen known as Ibn Shaikh al-Laban had once favored Sultan Mansa Musa in his youth with seven and a third mithkals when Mansa Musa was just a boy of no significance at the time."
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"When the judge Jalal Afghani and his clan opposed the Sultan in those regions, the Sultan heard that Sheikh al-Haidari had prayed for the judge and given him his turban,"
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"Sheikh Ali al-Haidari was brought before them, and it was confirmed that he had given his turban to the rebel and prayed for him, so they judged him to be executed."
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
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"In Bukhara, I visited the grave of the noble scholar Abu Abdullah al-Bukhari, the author of the Sahih collection, The Sheikh of Muslims. May God be pleased with him."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Its narrators are those of the authentic Sahih collections and it is mentioned by Abu Ash-Shaykh with the phrase patched clothes."
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