The Guide
Khawaja Ehsanullah Shah
Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah is a Sufi guide belonging to the Chistiul Qadiri Naqshabandi Suhrawardi wa Sanusi lineage. He has been practising and organising Islamic learning circles for the Tariqah for the past 20 years. At the age of 19, he was first initiated by his late Grandfather, the respected scholar Khwaja Kalimullah Shah Chistiul Qadiri Naqshabandi Suhrawardi wa Sanusi ق) Ustaz Mohamed Ibrahim Kassim). In 2019, he was conferred the Khalifate under the loving guidance of his Murshid Khwaja Anwaarullah Sha Chistiul Qadiri Naqshabandi Suhrawardi wa Sanusi Hafizullah Alaihi. As a Khalifa of 45 blessed lineages in total, he has attained the qualification of a Sufi Master (Murshid) and receives permission to guide seekers in the Sufi pathway of wayfaring to Allah.
Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah’s upbringing was centered around gatherings of Zikrullah (remembrance of Allah) and learning Islamic Education under the tutelage of his late Grandfather. He went on to complete a postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University of Malaya, IIUM (UIA), Malaysia. He then received his Masters in Arts and Social Change and Religious Leadership from Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, USA. Over the years, Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah has studied traditional Islamic Sciences (Fiqh, Aqidah, Tasawwuf) and benefitted from the company of scholars in Singapore. Together with his family, he had the privilege of living in Istanbul for nine months where he visited and spent time in different Sufi circles. He and his family also stayed in Jogjakarta, Indonesia for a year, learning more about the many communities and cultures in Indonesia. He has travelled to Indonesia, Malaysia, United States, Egypt and Syria with the intention of meeting and receiving blessings from different Sufi Masters of the time.
It is Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah’s lifelong commitment to spread Islamic knowledge; he has been invited on numerous occasions to deliver courses at different Youth Organizations, tertiary and Islamic Organizations in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Through the guidance of Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah and the blessed lineage, many have gained clarity through life’s challenges, achieved spiritual maturation through Iman (faith), refinement in character and management of the self while living in today’s cosmopolitan society. Having an astute understanding of the challenges of today’s modern Muslim community, Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah has founded various initiatives to meet the needs of the community. In 2014, he co-founded Being Centre: Centre for Family and Personal Growth which provides knowledge on Islamic Spirituality and family counselling support. In 2020, he established Muhammad Healer of Hearts, a youth-led project dedicated to inspiring youths to appreciate, emulate and love our beloved Prophet SAW. Muhammad Healer of Hearts pioneered the first ever 40-day online Selawat Challenge in Singapore. In 2021, Khwaja Ehsanullah Shah set up Khanqah Ehsaniyyah, which is focused on building a community of Ehsan (excellence) and spreading the light of Zikrullah to seekers.
Seeking a Spiritual Guide
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.”
- Al-Maidah, 5 : 35
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.”
- Surah An-Nur, 24:35
Just as we require teachers and mentors in life so that we may be equipped with the necessary tools and understanding so that we may carry out our jobs and responsibilities, so too do we need spiritual guides who may traverse with us on our journey to Allah s.w.t., whose journey takes us not outside of us, but rather within ourselves.
A seeker whose aim is to arrive at purity of the heart and attain closeness with Allah s.w.t. should seek and always keep the company of a spiritual guide. Various terms are commonly used to refer to a spiritual guide, some of which include Murshid, Syeikh, Pir, Maulana. It is through the association and constant presence of a spiritual guide that a person may refine and purify his soul. In addition, it is through the blessings and guidance of the guide that a person may be able to rectify his shortcomings in character, actions and more importantly have his evil thoughts managed.
Men, comprising both of his physical and spiritual dimension, can never be separate the need to overcoming his Nafs, the lowest of which is Nafs Amara (base/evil desires) as he embarks on his journey towards Allah s.w.t. Although our souls originate from a divine presence, men cannot help but to also be drawn to things of this material world as a result of his base desires.
As he constantly battles with his lower desires, it is with the help and guidance of a spiritual guide that men may be able to slowly overcome himself in order that he may transcend into a higher state of being which is drawn towards excellence, a higher reality of existence and ultimately a firm belief in the Oneness of God, Allah s.w.t.
Allah s.w.t. teaches and reminds us in the Quran of the importance of being in the presence of a spiritual guide through the example of Prophet Musa a.s. and Prophet Khidir a.s., who had wisdom and knowledge that Prophet Musa a.s. was yet to be granted with.
