Is Bay‘ah at the Hand of a Righteous Shaykh Necessary?

Question

Is it obligatory under the Sacred Law to repent at the hand of a righteous shaykh? If a righteous shaykh cannot be found, what should then be done? Is it also a condition that he be a Ja‘fari, Rizvi, Siddiqi, or the like, or not? Many people die without having repented — what will their end be? It is known from books on tasawwuf that dying without repentance is a death of jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance)?

Answer

As for the acceptance of repentance, it is not at all necessary that the repentance be made specifically at the hand of some shaykh. Everyone’s matter is directly with his Lord. However, through the blessing and spiritual attention (tawajjuh) of a righteous shaykh, a person is most often granted steadfastness (istiqama)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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