Hakim ul Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him)  said:

“My (that is, the Shaykh’s) primary responsibility is to cultivate the desired moral characteristics in a murid (i.e. thankfulness, patience, love of Allah SWT and His messenger, humility, khushoo, fear, etc.) and not the rectification of his (outwards) actions (a’mal).

This is so because, once these moral characteristics are successfully developed the outward actions are rectified automatically.”

Aspirant/Salik needs to understand and assimilate this principle very clearly upfront.

Maasir e Hakeemul Ummat ra 163

Bridgeport, WV