Shaykh Maseehullah rahimahullah encouraged his students to pursue the friendship of Allah Ta’ala in the following approximate words:
“It is very easy to become a wali. It is possible to emulate great people like Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi, and Hadhrat Shibli. The doors of prophethood are closed, hence, no one can become a messenger, but the doors of wilayat (becoming the friend of Allah Ta’ala) remain open. If anyone wants to attain the friendship of Allah, he can attain this without much difficulty. All one has to do is repent sincerely – commit genuinely to abandon all deliberate sin and vice and simultaneously obey Allah Ta’ala as required.
This is wilayat. Complete obedience to Allah Ta’ala and complete abstention from sin.
Shaykh Sa’di rahimahullah mentions in his poetry,
Allah Ta’ala has kept the road towards His friendship in just two steps. To take one step and place it on your nafs (i.e. not to succumb to one’s ego which is the root of all sin) and the next step is to Allah Ta’ala.”
Muslims First 