16/11/2025
Engaging in meaningless and futile discussions can lead one to commit great sins._
The elders have emphasized avoiding such discussions. Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (R.A.) narrates:
Two people came to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.) to pledge allegiance. While performing ablution at the mosque's pond, they began discussing among themselves. One of them said, "Our pond is much larger than this one." Coincidentally, Hazrat Sheikh overheard their conversation. When they approached him to pledge allegiance, he asked, "How much larger is your pond compared to this one?" The man replied, "I don't know exactly." The Sheikh said, "Go and measure it and come back."
The man had to travel a long distance to his hometown, measure the pond, and return. Upon measuring, he found that it was only a handspan larger. He returned and informed the Sheikh, who said, "You said it was much larger, but a handspan is not a significant difference. Your action shows that you are not cautious about truthfulness, so how can you progress in this spiritual path?"
The narrator, Hazrat M***i Shafi' (R.A.), comments that this incident highlights the practice of the elders, who would first correct the apparent actions of their disciples and teach them to avoid vices before initiating them into spiritual exercises and prayers. Unfortunately, many spiritual guides today do not follow this practice, resulting in their disciples becoming proficient in rituals but remaining unchanged in their character, lacking distinction between right and wrong, and truth and falsehood, which brings disrepute to the spiritual path.
