Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Sayyid Hussain Ahmed Madani (Allah have mercy on him) said,

“Our mashaikh of Chishtiya have three (distinguishable) eras.

The first one is overwhelmed by zuhd (asceticism, abstinence from all that is worldly), the second is overwhelmed by ishiq (ecstatic love) and the last (and current) generation is overwhelmed by itiba-e-Sunna (meticulous following of the blessed Prophet, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him).”

Maktubat e Shakyh al-Islam, volume 3, page 67

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