The Difference Between a Saint and a Spiritual Guide
Assalamualaikum everybody.
Haji Muhammad Zaheer asks on Facebook Live:
The question is: do you need both a Peer and a Spiritual Guide, or is a Peer enough?
In the Koran, the word used is 'Wali-Murshid'
It is said together.
Koran 18:17 says
The laws of Spiritual knowledge and Sufi knowledge tell us that every Saint is not a Spiritual Guide.
However, every Spiritual Guide must be a Saint of God.
Every Saint of God is not a Spiritual Guide
but for every perfect Spiritual Guide it is a must that they are a Saint of God.
You must have heard that after Sharia (Religious Law) is Tariqat (Spirituality).
After Tariqat it is the knowledge of Haqiqat
and after the knowledge of Haqiqat it is Muarifat.
Not all Saints of God are Spiritual Guides.
The Saints of God that God appointed to grant guidance are granted the knowledge of Muarifat.
and they are appointed by God.
No Saint or Spiritual Dignitaries will become a Spiritual Guide on their own will.
No saint will automatically become a Spiritual Guide.
God grants the knowledge of guidance to the chosen saints
They are known as Spiritual Guides.
This is why the Koran mentions the word ‘Wali’ (saint) first and ‘Murshid’ (Spiritual Guide) second.
to imply that the Spiritual Guide is actually an upgraded version of a saint.
He is both connected with God and has been appointed by God to dispense guidance.
People should receive benevolence from his divinely appointed rank.
'Peer' is not a Spiritual term.
It comes from Persian and refers to an elderly person.
Persian was spoken widely in India for some time
Pakistan was only created 70 years ago or so.
Most Muslims lived in India
due to the influence of Persian, they began to use the word ‘Peer’ for Spiritual Guide.
However, in the Islamic world beyond India and Pakistan.
for example Arabic countries and Turkey
they do not use the word ‘Peer’.
The word ‘Peer’ has no significance in Spirituality.
The Spiritual Dignitaries will be known as ‘Faqir’, ‘Kamil Dhat’, ‘Kamil Mumaat’ etc.
These are Spiritual terms.
But the word ‘Peer’ is not to be found in Spiritual technology.
Whereas, Mevlana Rumi used the word ‘Peer’ to refer to Spiritual dignitaries
but this was because he wrote it in Persian.
it was only for the people that understood Persian.
For example, in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, we refer to Salat as Namaz
but this word would not be recognised in the Arabic world.
The original word is Salat. Even though saying ‘Namaz’ means the same thing.
Similarly, when someone says ‘Peer-e-Kamil’ it refers to a Perfect Spiritual Guide.
But ‘Peer’ itself is not found in Spiritual terminology.
For someone to become a saint of God, they must have either spoken to or seen God.
And then it is up to God whom he wants to grant to be a Spiritual Guide.
if God is pleased and decides to make this person a Spiritual Guide, then he becomes a Spiritual Guide.
no one becomes a Spiritual Guide on their own will