26/03/2018
Rabitah is the connection that connects the pipe from you to the shaykh. When he takes your hand for initiation, he is connecting you. In the same way you connect a pipe with fittings, he connects all the fittings so there is no leak. And not only does he connect the fittings, but he glues them also so it will never break. So always the rabitah is the connection with fittings and it is glued so that it is never going to break. And muraqabah is to keep observing both from the wali's/shaykh's side and from the mureed's side. From both sides they are always in observation. Muraqabah means to observe like a video camera what is going on, to be vigilant to maintain that pipe with no leakage.
As a mureed, from your side you are looking to make sure that if there is a defect you fix it, and from the side of the shaykh, he is looking for any defects to fix. If you want to count the defects between you and your shaykh, you can realize there are a lot of holes and leaks in that pipe and nothing can fix them except heavenly glue; you can't use dunya glue or anything else as it will not work. Heavenly glue is dhikrullah, and that heavenly backbone or pillar on which you can lean is dhikrullah.
Hierarchy of Saints Series, Vol 8
Dhikrullah Is the Main Pillar of Tariqah
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
21 August 2010 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan