Shams-ud-dîn Habîbullah Mazhar-i-Jân-i-Jânân ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’ (1111 [1698] - 1195 [1781], Delhi, India) was a great Walî and an important link in the chain of Awliyâ termed Silsila-i-aliyya. He was the educater and master of Sayyid Abdullah Dahlawî.

It is stated in the three hundred and eighty-fifth page of Berîqa: “Most of the great people of Tasawwuf were profoundly learned scholars, mujtahids. And so were all the Qutb-i-irshâds. A hadîth-isherîf quoted in the blessed book of Hadîth entitled Sahîh-i-Bukhârî reads: ‘’Ilm (knowledge) is learned for an ustâd (master, profoundly learned scholar and teacher).’ As for ma’rifa; it is aquired by way of kashf and ilhâm (inspiration). ’Ilm (knowledge) is not acquired by way of kashf and ilhâm. The source of ’ilm is the Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs.” It is stated in its three hundred and seventyseventh page: “Most of the great people of Tasawwuf were mujtahids. Imâm Ghazâlî and Sufyân Sawrî and Ibrâhîm bin Adham (or Ed-hem) were so. And so were the Qutb-i-irshâds.” It is stated in the three hundred and seventy-eighth page of Hadîqa: “(Spiritual) pieces of information called ma’ârif-i-ilâhiyya and haqâiq-irabbâniyya are acquired by way of kashf and ilhâm. They are not learned from a religious teacher. Teachings of how the acts of worship are to be performed, as well all the other Islamic teachings are learned from an ustâd. If the Islamic teachings were acquirable by way of kashf and ilhâm, there would have been no reason for Allâhu ta’âlâ to send Prophets and Heavenly Books.” From today onwards, great care should be taken lest we should fall for the sequinned statements that one of those ignorant strays plagiarized and memorized from books written by great Islamic celebrities; otherwise we may be lured into the traps set by unlearned men of Tarîqa and deviate from the path of Ahl as-sunnat!