Man la Shafihu sheikhus shytaan” – “Who has no Shaikh, his shaikh is satan”, Hazrat Sultan Bahu (R.A) 
Seek a Murshid who can make you adept in Ilm-E- Irfaan.

“Man Arfa Nafsahu, faqad arfa Rabbuhu” reads another hadis, it means ” Who Knows oneself, knows his Rab”

“O God! if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine everlasting beauty!” (RABIA BASRI.)

Need of a Murshid e Kamil (Spiritual Guide) and Bay’at
(Spiritual Allegiance)

“Man Arf” (Knowing yourself) is the starting point of spiritual journey and to know oneself a Kamil Murshid is needed as a mirror is needed to see ourselves. Prophet Mohammed Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam said a momin is a mirror, a talib (seeker) needs a Kamil Murshid to reflect his real image and to reveal the secret of Man Arf. 

Bay’at literally means selling, it is an act, where a seeker sells himself/herself to kamil murshid in the path of Haq. Bay’at is mandatory for the seeker of Haq, who wants to annihilate his/her ‘being’ in the ishq of Murshid, Rasul Allah (SAWW)and ultimately Allah.

A poet says “Iman-o-Dil dediya itni si baat par, Murshid ka haath Allah ka haat jaan kar”.

Reference to Bay’at in Quran :

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَمَنْ نَكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمً

Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] – they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah . The hand of Allah is over their hands. So he who breaks his word only breaks it to the detriment of himself. And he who fulfills that which he has promised Allah – He will give him a great reward. Surat Al-Fatĥ (48:10)

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإنْجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُمْ بِهِ وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

Verily, Allah has purchased from the faithful their selves and their properties, and in return for them is the Garden (9:111)