Question:
In this materialistic age, how can one journey into the world of Tasawwuf (Sufism)?

Answer:
Look, you have raised a very valid and beautiful point—this question was much needed. No matter how accomplished a doctor becomes, they continue to attend courses. Whether they’re in London, America, or even Pakistan, they find time for these courses. They study, they make time for it. If there’s an exam, they sit for it. It’s required of them. Yet, despite all their engagements, they manage to take out time to study a course. Now, if you can take out that much time for studying a course, then take out the same amount of time for Tasawwuf.

The point is, no matter how great a doctor you are, no matter how exceptional your leisure, if something needs to be done, you will do it. For example, you say, “I’ll skip the operation today, it’s my friend’s wedding,” or “It’s my son’s wedding, I won’t operate today.” You do leave it, don’t you? So just as you gave importance to your daughter’s wedding, give the same importance to meeting Allah—time will come out on its own.

Now, striving means that you look for a person who possesses this knowledge. Let’s say, for example, I meet a doctor—I ask him many questions. “What happens inside the heart? How many valves are there? What is the upper chamber? What is the lower chamber?” He tells me, and some things stick with me. I think I’ve become about ten percent a doctor just by asking. Whenever I meet a doctor, I say, “Tell me, what goes on inside the heart?” I don’t intend to become a doctor, but I do gain some information.

Now, if you find someone who knows Tasawwuf, you will have to give a little time. You give time for courses, for weddings—you read the newspaper every day, you give time to that. You watch TV, you listen to the radio—that’s time too. And what’s even on TV? “He died here, he died there, he died there again.” Just political talk—it has nothing to do with you.

So where is Tasawwuf?
Look, Tasawwuf will come when you give it importance. Take time out for it. If someone takes out even thirty minutes a day, then surely, in one or two years, they can learn many things about Tasawwuf. They may even begin to see the unseen world—have a good dream, receive glad tidings, have a vision, see angels. It happens. We have students—many people experience these things.

Once, someone said to me, “Doctor Sahib is calling all of you, will you go give a speech? Will they understand anything?”
I said, “No, Tasawwuf won’t come in one day’s speech. But my job is to deliver the message—that Tasawwuf is something real.”

If you take time out for it like you do for a course—see, studying a course isn’t even mandatory. If you don’t do the course, your degree won’t be affected. But because there’s new information, new inventions, new research happening—you take time out to benefit from that research.

Well, Tasawwuf is also a kind of new research. The point is: thirty minutes a day. Just thirty minutes. But even in those thirty minutes—there should be no dishonesty.

From the book titled Sermons by Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi.