al-Karkhī, al-Sarī al-Saqatī, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, and others among the early shaykhs, as well as Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir, Shaykh Hammād, Shaykh Abū al-Bayān, and others among the later shaykhs—they do not permit the seeker, even if he flies through the air or walks on water, to depart from the commands and prohibitions of the revealed Law. Rather, he must do what is commanded and refrain from what is forbidden until he dies. This is the truth established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations.

Statements to this effect abound in their writings. For example, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir says in his book Futūh al-ghayb (Revelations of the Unseen):

“Leave your self behind, stand apart from it, and relinquish your dominion. Surrender everything to Allah—Blessed and Exalted is He—and be His gatekeeper at the door of your heart. Obey His command—Blessed and Exalted is He—by admitting whomever He commands you to admit, and heed His prohibition by barring whomever He commands you to bar. Do not let whims enter your heart after they have departed from it. Whims are expelled from the heart by opposing them and refusing to follow them in any circumstances; they are admitted into the heart by following them and yielding to them. Will nothing other than what He—Blessed and Exalted is He—wills. Any other course on your part is a departure from this: it is the valley of fools, wherein lie your death and destruction, your loss of His regard—Blessed and Exalted is He—and your being veiled from Him. Always observe His commands, always heed His prohibitions, and always surrender to Him whatever He decrees. Do not associate anything of His creation with Him, for your will, your whims, and your desires are His creation. So do not will, follow whims, or desire, lest this become an association of partners with Him.

Allah Most High says:

‘So whoever