O son, I cannot emphasize this enough - that, it is very important to have a guru. If not, Satan is your guru! Actually, to be honest with you I am bothered when close friends procrastinate in finding a guru. But who am I to push people around even if it is for a good cause. I do not mind if they refuse to listen to me. I just hope they would listen to what a learned man by the name of Isfarayini has to say:
Masters of the Sufi Path have said: "Whoever has no master has Satan for his master." But it must be understood that the seeker's need for a master has two aspects. One concerns the need for instruction in the rules of courtesy and outer social conventions. The other concerns visionary experiences which befall the seeker; these must be brought to the master's attention so that the master can interpret them - until he reaches a point where he himself can distinguish between the passions of his carnal soul (nafs) and Satan. After that, the seeker no longer has any need for the physical presence of the master, although he still remains in need of the devotion and love exercised by the master toward him so that he can benefit from him in a spiritual sense. At this point, it doesn't matter whether the master is alive or dead since, after realizing this degree, the disciple can receive benefits from the inner reality (batin) of the master. For in real terms, the master is still alive, since "the friends of God do not die."
FROM: Isfarayini in Kashif al-asrar
May Allah bless all my guides, those who have passed on and those who are still alive. May Allah reward them with great bounties which He has reserved for the Muqarabeen and the Muhaqiqeen.
May I be forgiven if I had in any way given them a bad name, in the past or in the future.
May we be obedient students of our gurus. InshaAllah.
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