On the death of  Mawlana Shah Abrarul Haq (Allah have mercy on him) (died May 17th, 2005), the last surviving khalifa of Hakim al Umma, an individual inquired sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib ( Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him a lot. Ameen!) regarding the attitude to be adopted by a murid on the death of his/her Shaikh.

Shaikh replied,

“Regarding this murideen fall into two categories.
First are those who are mojaz (have permission to initiate and guide others). For them it is not essential to take another Shaikh. However, it is very beneficial and advisable to take one and not leave one’s self independent.

Second category is the rest of murideen (disciples). It is absolutely essential for them to take another Shaikh as soon as possible.

In both the cases it is wise to select the next Shaikh from the same silsila (spiritual lineage) with the similar disposition and style (hum mazaq) in approach to Tasawwuf/islah as the recently deceased Shaikh, for uninterrupted spiritual progress.”

Jeddah, 18th May, 2005