Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives - Islamic Books ...

D e bati ng Ort h o d ox y, Contesting Tr a d i t i o n 1 2 5The dargah of Shaykh Wahid Bakhsh Rabbani during the urs of 2001, Allahabad, Pakistan.(Robert Rozehnal)well-known adage, the m u r i d’s surrender to the s h a y k h must be total and uncompromising,“like a corpse in the hands of a washerman.” In practice, howev e r, the dynamic and intensely personal relationship with a spiritual mentordemands a careful and constant balancing act. The Sufi adept must combinesubmission to hierarchical authority with an enduring imperative for individualaction and moral responsibility. It is the s h a y k h who guides the novice disciplethrough the twists and turns of the Sufi path, but progress is impossible inthe absence of individual acquiescence, determination, and discipline.Though an individual’s spiritual progress ultimately depends on personal effort,disciples provide their peers with a vital support system. To g e t h e r, theyshare experiences; clarify doubts, ambiguities, and anxieties; and participate incollective ritual activities. In addition to their own individual spiritual practices,Chishti Sabiri disciples gather four times a year to commemorate the death anniversaries( u r s ) of important Sufi masters in their spiritual lineage. On the occasionsof these u r s celebrations, m u r i ds travel from all over Pakistan and beyond,gathering together for several days of communal worship at key Sufitomb complexes. On these annual occasions, disciples benefit from the knowledgeand experiences of their peers through a complex nexus of story telling.Between prayers, meditation, and recitation of the Qur’an, disciples can be