So here's the thing I search the web for background knowledge on sufism till I stumbled across this new notion of pledging allegiance online. Personally I have given initiation to the Shadhilli tariqa so this is something quite important and close to me. For years I have read upon how sacred this bond is and the necessity of doing this in person as it involves a direct spiritual experience so honestly speaking the concept of an eshaykh completely threw me. Is it truly possible to gain a deep and strong relationship with your shaykh if you have never seen or been in their presence? Surely the path of suluk involves travelling together on the spiritual journey. It's amazing how with the increase of technology everything has become web based, from virtual churches, mosques to virtual shaykhs. How would one gain the ultimate eshaykh experience?
A Google search on this immediately leads one to the Naqshbandi tariqa who offer this service online for remote believers. This website is an illustration of how informal the initiation process has become, simply by reading a few selected verses from the quran one has ultimately become a follower of Shaykh Nazim (the successor of this particular tariqa). I wish to find out to what extent this method of giving initiation is scared and valid. Can the same spiritual rewards be attained? Undoubtedly anyone can stumble across the website and read out aloud the verses required to give baya without the intention of actually giving initiation so would that mean they have now pledged allegiance to this particular shaykh? And if not, is it right to publicly display this as not everyone will understand what giving baya involves? It is true that a lot of traditions are under the view that once someone pledges allegiance they under oath to that particular tariqa and obliged to follow- in other words there is no turning back! Would that mean our simple browsers and passer byers are now stuck???
Thus throughout this blog I intend to delve into the online world of mureeds and eshaykhs. The first few posts will be concentrated on the love, importance and need for a shaykh as this will help to create an understanding of why people take online initiation.
