Shaikh Khawaja Mohammad Ma’soom (Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

‘The purpose of traversing the path (sulook) is not to become a Shaikh and take murids.

The goal is to fulfill the duties of being a slave of Allah without the involvement and resistance of the lower self (nafs).

Moreover, the purpose of this path is to achieve anonymity and ward off rebelliousness of the nafs and being self opinionated. This because the  acquisition of Gnosis (marifa) is dependent on these things.’

Maktoob, quoted via Tofah-tush-Shuyuk, page 49