Qutub al-aqtab Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Zakariya Kandhelawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“…there is one very important fact to which I wish to draw attention.

When the Elder Shaykh passes away many people desire to see their special qualities in those who succeed them. But it is a fact that all those who follow the Elders will be less gifted.  Except in a very few cases, as Allah may desire.

The people who do not see the qualities of the Elder in his successor and as a result turn away from their path of Tasawwuf, are only doing themselves a great harm.

I began to see this very clearly since the time of Hazrat (Rasheed Ahmad) Gangohi (may Allah have mercy on him). During the era of the most his prominent depuites of, I saw many of their contemporaries who were also attached to Hazrat through bay’ah, but they saw that some of the special qualities which Hazrat had were no longer present in these deputies so they did not approach them for spiritual guidance. This caused me a great pain and sorrow because these deputies (khulafa) were near to Allah and possessed ‘nisbet‘ (the perpetual, close and mutually favorable relationship with Allah). If indeed these people had become connected to one of these depuites (khalifa), they would have progressed greatly.

(………continued at Aap beeti)

It is usually hidden and complex arrogance (kibr) that makes an individual consider his fellow brother (appointed by the Shaykh to lead)  to be deficient and unsuitable for following.

Related: پیر بھائ