Concerning The Essentials Of Discipleship

(Excerpted from Futuwat namah by Khwaja Husayn Wa’iz Kashifi Sabzawari An Naqshbandi Translated by M. Nur Abdussalam)

If asked: How many are the essentials of discipleship? Say: Six:

            1.      Obedience (farman burdari)
            2.      Truthfulness (rastgu i)
            3.      Fidelity (wafa dari)
            4.      Acceptance of admonition (pandpadhiri)
            5.      Gentleness (kam azari)
            6.      Keeping secrets (razdari)

If asked: How many are the essentials of discipleship? Say: Four:

1. To commence with virtue, for it is better not to start out on the way than to give up and turn back. The apostate from the spiritual way is worse than the apostate from the divine law because an apostate from the law may be reformed with words, but the apostate from the way cannot be reformed by any means.
2. To serve faithfully for forty days
3. To keep the heart and tongue united in truth
4. To accept advice and to learn all that the master teaches him