Murid

{{Short description|Aspirant practitioner of Sufism}}

{{redirect|Murids|the family of rodents|Muridae}}

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{{Sufism}}

In Sufism, a {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} (Arabic {{lang|ar|مُرِيد}} {{gloss|one who seeks}}) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by {{transliteration|ar|sulūk}} (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title {{transliteration|ar|murshid}}, {{transliteration|fa|pir}} or {{transliteration|ar|shaykh}}. A {{transliteration|ar|sālik}} or Sufi follower only becomes a {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} when he makes a pledge ({{transliteration|ar|bayʿah}}) to a {{transliteration|ar|murshid}}. The equivalent Persian term is {{transliteration|fa|shāgird}}.{{cite encyclopedia |entry=Murīd |encyclopedia=The Encyclopaedia of Islam |volume=7 |publisher=Brill |year=1993 |pages=608–609}}

The initiation process of a {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} is known as {{transliteration|ar|ʿahd}} ({{langx|ar|عَهْد}}) or {{transliteration|ar|bai'ath}}. Before initiation, a {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} is instructed by his guide, who must first accept the initiate as his disciple. Throughout the instruction period, the {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} typically experiences waridates like visions and dreams during personal spiritual awrads and exercises. These visions are interpreted by the {{transliteration|ar|murshid}}. A common practice among the early Sufi orders was to grant a {{transliteration|ar|khirqa}} or a robe to the {{transliteration|ar|murīd}} upon the initiation or after he had progressed through a series of increasingly difficult and significant tasks on the path of mystical development until attaining {{transliteration|ar|wāṣil}} stage.

This practice is not very common now. Murīds often receive books of instruction from {{transliteration|ar|murshids}} and often accompany itinerant {{transliteration|ar|murshids}} on their wanderings.{{cite book |first=John |last=Esposito |author-link=John Esposito |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003}} A fundamental practice involves teaching the mûrîd (Arabic: موريد "the disciple") an array of seven "names".

1. The first one consists in repeating lâ ilâha ilal 'llâhu (Arabic: لا إله إلا الله "there is no god except God") between 12,000 and 70,000 times in a day and night. If the mûršîd (Arabic: مُرشِد "the spiritual guide") is satisfied with the mûrîd's progress, then the mûrîd is allowed to continue with the six remaining names:
2. Allâh (Arabic: الله "God") three times;
3. huwa (Arabic: هو "He is"),
4. ḥaqq (Arabic: الحق "The Absolute Truth") three times;
5. ḥayy (Arabic: الحى "The Ever- Living) three times;
6. qayyûm (Arabic: القيوم "The Sustainer, The Self Subsisting") three times;
7. qahhâr (Arabic: القهار "The Ever-Dominating").{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Margoliouth|title=Raḥmāniyya|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |edition=Second}}