Many people have asked me over the years: Who should we follow? There are so many different shaykhs, imams, preachers, who should we follow or learn from?

I advise people to look for teachers rather than preachers. A teacher is someone who you visit and spend time with to learn from because they have knowledge and wisdom you want to benefit from.

In the company of a good teacher you will feel comfortable, they won’t guilt trip you or put you down; they will comfort, guide, and support you. In the process, bringing out the best of you and helping you to grow and learn new things.

Whereas a preacher preaches to you… They can make you feel very guilty and uncomfortable, put you down, guilt trip you etc. You will often shutdown and not engage, not really learning or benefiting at all.

So my advice is to look for spiritual teachers. They will be quieter than preachers and not always immediately obvious. But if you are looking for spiritual guidance, look for spiritual teachers, they are the ones who have what you seek.

~ Paul Salahuddin Armstrong