All praise is due to Allah (MH), Lord of all worlds. Praise originates from Him and returns to Him, eternally. This is by His grace and by the grace of the prayers bestowed upon the Chosen Prophet (PBUH), who is the foremost among those who offer praise, both in this world and in the Hereafter, until the Day of Recompense. O Allah (MH), guide us according to his path, make us follow in his footsteps, and adhere to his Sunna in our words, actions, and affirmations. We intend to offer a brief discourse concerning the meaning of spiritual permission (idhn). This idhn, in its essence, is founded upon what the udhun (the ear, or faculty of hearing) receives of a divine command—a command originating from Allah (MH) and His Messenger (PBUH) and conveyed through the hand and tongue of the recognized shaykh and imām in this spiritual domain. We beseech Allah (MH) to make us worthy of understanding and conveying this clarification, by the grace of the radiant light (nūrāniyya) of al-Muṣṭafā (PBUH).

Some individuals claim—based on their own accounts, of course—that they receive spiritual permission (idhn) for certain matters through dreams. In response, we refer them to the words of the Creator (al-Bārī), Glorified and Exalted is He: “In houses which Allah has permitted (adhina) to be exalted and His name to be remembered therein; [therein are] men whom neither commerce nor sale diverts from the remembrance of Allah.” This verse clearly indicates that true idhn originates from Allah (MH), not from the personal desires or aspirations of individuals seeking such authorization from their own selves (nufūs). The one genuinely permitted (al-maʾdhūn) does not harbor a personal craving for this idhn. Rather, it is Allah (MH), Glorified and Most High, who chooses (yaṣṭafī) them and prepares them for this specific role or function. When Allah (MH) so chooses and prepares an individual, He grants them this idhn through the agency of His Messenger (PBUH) and subsequently through their imām, who is responsible for their spiritual training (tarbiya) and guidance (riʿāya).

Since true spiritual permission (idhn) is conferred in this divinely ordained manner, it is not something we can doubt or analyze through the lens of personal ego (nafs) or capricious desire (hawā). It is, rather, a direct command from the Master (al-Mawlā), Glorified and Exalted is He. When Allah (MH) loves a servant, a celestial caller (muʾadhdhin) proclaims it in the spiritual kingdom of the All Merciful (malakūt al-Raḥmān). That is, Allah (MH) commissions an angel to announce in the heavens and the earth that this individual is beloved, so that they become beloved to all the celestial angels (al-amlāk al-ʿulwiyya). Subsequently, Allah (MH) bestows upon this person acceptance (qabūl) on earth, making them accepted and well-regarded by all of Allah’s servants.

Thus, spiritual permission (idhn) is fundamentally based on what is ‘heard’ (udhun), and this ‘hearing’ is a call (adhān) from Allah (MH) and His Messenger. Consider, for instance, the permission for prayer (ṣalāh). There isn’t one single, all-encompassing idhn for prayer. Instead, we receive a specific call (adhān) for each prescribed prayer at its designated time. For each of the five daily prayers there is an adhān that is audibly heard. We cannot claim to perform a specific prayer without this idhn from Allah (MH). How do we become aware of this adhān? We hear it audibly, and we recognize its validity based on the confirmed entry of the prescribed time for performing this religious rite (shaʿīra dīniyya), which is a pillar of our faith (ʿimād al-dīn). This principle applies to all spiritual matters.

Consequently, as long as your designated imām has not granted you explicit permission (idhn) for a particular spiritual matter or role, you should not rely solely on dream visions (ruʾya manāmiyya) or fleeting ideas that arise in your heart or mind and then proceed as if you have received direct authorization from Allah (MH) and His Messenger. Consider the adhān for prayer: does it pertain to the spiritual kingdom (malakūt) or the physical realm (mulk)? It encompasses both simultaneously. Similarly, the idhn for true spiritual elevation (rifʿah) must have both malakūtī (spiritual) and mulkī (manifest/physical) dimensions. If one relies only on a dream vision, it is akin to perceiving the idhn solely from the malakūt without its necessary manifestation in the mulk. This spiritual idhn from the malakūt only descends into the physical realm (mulk) and becomes operative through the agency of the imām . For instance, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) stated, “I am the first of the Prophets and the Seal of the Prophets,” signifying his pre-eternal prophethood. Yet, when did he formally manifest his prophethood and deliver his message to the entire Islamic nation? It was only after receiving explicit idhn from Allah (MH), conveyed through His messenger, our master Gabriel (peace be upon him). This authorization occurred in a tangible, physical context around the cave of Ḥirāʾ, engaging his senses, his physical being, through touch, embrace, and direct command. Only then did he become fully permitted to undertake his prophetic mission.

Before receiving this explicit, manifest authorization, the Prophet (PBUH) never made any such claims, despite experiencing clear visions like the breaking of dawn and receiving salutations from stones and trees. He did not claim prophethood or any specific station based on these preliminary signs. How then can a disciple (murīd), merely upon seeing a dream, presume to interpret it as a grant of high spiritual permission? When a disciple experiences a significant dream, the correct procedure is to present it to their shaykh. The shaykh is the one qualified to provide its interpretation (tafsīr) and clarification (tawḍīḥ), especially if it pertains to matters of spiritual conduct (sulūk), ranks (rutab), and stations (maqāmāt). A true disciple embarking on the Path should harbor no desire for spiritual stations or ranks. Their sole aspiration should be to gaze upon the Countenance of the Creator (al-Bārī), Glorified and Exalted is He, without even seeking reward (ajr). They strive to be among those described in the Qur’an: “Faces, that Day, will be radiant, looking towards their Lord.” Their ultimate aim is to behold the All Merciful, to achieve direct witnessing (mushāhada), and to contemplate the beauty (jamāl) of the Master until their souls find complete reassurance (iṭmiʾnān) that they are firmly established upon the guidance of the Prophet (PBUH).

However, when a disciple begins to make claims, saying, “Allah (MH) has chosen me for this specific role, or that particular station,” this is not the way of those who have truly attained spiritual elevation (ahl al-rifʿa) or connection with the Divine (ahl al-waṣl). On the contrary, the truly elevated individuals would often flee from such responsibilities, recognizing that the love of leadership (ḥubb al-riyāsa) is a spiritual defect (qadḥ) that taints the soul (rūḥ). A clear sign that someone desires leadership is their aspiration for a station before its divinely appointed time. This is why the righteous forebears advise us all: “Establish yourself firmly where Allah (MH) has placed you.” Remain content in your current station and do not seek to move beyond it without explicit idhn from Allah (MH), His Messenger, and your shaykh.

If you begin to choose a station for yourself prematurely, aspiring to a position and elevation not yet granted to you, while knowing with certainty that you are deceiving yourself, then do not extend this deception to Allah (MH), His Messenger (PBUH), or your shaykh. Your relationship with your shaykh constitutes the remaining open door between you and Allah (MH). If you fall into such falsehood and spiritual distance (buʿd), where will you turn when you genuinely seek repentance (tawba), forgiveness (maghfira), or wish to reorient yourself towards the true direction (qibla)? Therefore, keep this door of connection with your shaykh pure. Let it remain a sanctuary for repentance, a source of forgiveness, a means of connection (waṣl), and a refuge when you seek to disentangle yourself from spiritual mire. At the very least, ensure you can return to Allah (MH) and His Messenger (PBUH) through this door with a tranquil heart, sincerely turning back to them.

Therefore, do not make false claims in front of Allah (MH), His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or your shaykh who endeavors to assist you and strives to the best of his ability to guide you from the darkness of your own self to the light of your Lord. Such fabrications (iftirāʾ) will only lead to tribulation (fitna) for yourself and for your spiritual brethren. The situation becomes even more lamentable when such claims are not confined to men but are also made by women.

In our school of thought (madhhab), and indeed in all established schools, we acknowledge the esteemed status and value (qadr) of women in Islam, within the Islamic nation, and in society at large. However, based on clear and certain knowledge, the specific role of women reaching a station where one becomes an imām leading men in prayer, or a female caller to prayer (muʾadhdhina) proclaiming the adhān, has not been established for them. The Prophet (PBUH) himself stated: “Four women achieved perfection (kummila): our mother Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ, our mother Khadīja (peace be upon them both), our mother Āsiya, and our mother Maryam (upon them all be the most excellent prayers and peace).” He specified that many men achieved perfection, but for women, he only highlighted these four. So, what are we to make of women appearing in our times claiming such perfection (kamāl), elevated spiritual rank (rifʿa), and the highest stations (maqām al-aʿlā)—even positions of spiritual vicegerency (khilāfa), leadership (imāma), or authoritative spiritual guidance (irshād)? Such claims effectively disparage (taqdaḥ) the hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) and mock the pronouncements of the best of creation. At the very least, individuals making such claims should engage in serious self-reflection and return to an authentic frame of reference within themselves.

Our purpose in gathering is solely for attainmening knowledge (maʿrifa) of Allah. We gather to purify our hearts (ghasl al-qalb) from spiritual filth (danā) and rust (ṣadaʾ), so that our hearts may become sound (qalb salīm), enabling us to meet our Master, Glorified and Exalted is He, in a worthy state. We aspire to cultivate the station of spiritual excellence (maqām al-iḥsān), which is defined as “worshipping Allah (MH) as if you see Him.” Our worship, therefore, should be founded upon the direct witnessing of His light, leading to the reassurance of our hearts and our eventual arrival at the ultimate station: pure, complete self-annihilation (al-ʿadamiyya al-kulliyya al-maḥḍa). And if we do not attain the vision of Him, we remain acutely aware that “He sees you.” This leads to a state where our own perceived existence dissolves into absolute nothingness before Him. As long as we are preoccupied with seeking spiritual stations (maqāmāt) and levels (mustawā), and worse, claiming them as if we have already achieved them and belong to the divinely chosen elite (ahl al-ikhtiyār) possessing a known spiritual lineage (nisbah) to the highest stations, this path becomes exceedingly difficult, both for us and for anyone who presumes such a station prematurely.

Therefore, establish yourself firmly where Allah (MH) has placed you. If you experience a vision (ruʾya), submit it for interpretation, as its true meaning may be entirely contrary to your initial assumption. Leave the station of the righteous (maqām al-ṣāliḥīn) to those who have truly earned it (ahl al-ṣalāḥ). Focus instead on cultivating the righteousness (ṣalāḥ) of your own self until you achieve genuine inner rectitude. Then, by virtue of your own righteousness, you may join the company of the righteous, and through your own earned elevation, you may attain a higher station—but not before its due time. You know with certainty that these elevated spiritual levels have their designated beloved ones (aḥbāb) and their rightful inheritors. Do not engage in anything that displeases the Master, Glorified and Exalted is He. And rely firmly on the principle: “Idhn is by the ear (udhun)”—meaning, true permission comes through audible, explicit authorization from your shaykh. When we have granted permission (idhn) to some of our brethren abroad, it was to assist us in gathering disciples (murīdīn), in their spiritual training (tarbiya), and in resolving their difficulties. We never authorized them to claim personal spiritual elevation (rifʿa), profound inner meanings (maʿnā), or anything of that nature.

We ourselves do not make such claims, so how could we condone others claiming them? When we have chosen individuals for roles of responsibility, it has been those with whom a genuine connection (waṣl)—both on the physical (mulkī) and spiritual (malakūtī) levels—has been established. They have entered spiritual retreat (khalwa) under our direct guidance, studied the inner secrets (asrār), received permission from us for specific spiritual readings (qirāʾāt), participated with us in the sacred rites (shaʿāʾir), and undergone extensive testing (imtiḥān), in which they successfully proved their mettle. We perceived in them good character (ḥusn al-ẓann) and sound judgment (ḥusn al-ikhtiyār). Even then, when we initially selected them for these responsibilities, they often hesitated or declined, not desiring such positions. We then clarified that these roles were not for personal aggrandizement but for mutual cooperation (taʿāwun) and to facilitate the swift advancement of the Path. Only under these conditions did they accept the station. This is a far cry from the situation where some individuals make such claims despite never having met us, visited us, sat in our company, entered the spiritual retreat under our supervision, or received authorization for even the foundational spiritual readings.

You find that such individuals often lack even a basic understanding of the sciences and knowledge pertaining to moral etiquette (adābiyyat al-akhlāq), the proper conduct on the spiritual path (adābiyyat al-sulūk), and the readings of the Divine Name (qirāʾat al-ism). If you were to discuss with them those readings of the Name—such as the Hāʾiyya, the Lāmiyya, or the Alifiyya readings—they would have no comprehension of these matters. How, then, could such idhn have come to them? How could they have received such authorization? And how could Allah (MH) have chosen them for such a role? Therefore, adhere to the correct understanding and principles. May Allah (MH) reward you abundantly. May He gather us all—you, him, and all our brothers and sisters—in the presence of al-Muṣṭafā (PBUH), in a manner that is pleasing to our Prophet and earns the complete pleasure of Allah (MH), under his noble banner and within His mercy, until the Day of Recompense.