Tariqat Can Never Be Separated From The Shariat

When Imam-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, the great reviver of Islam, Sayyidi Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Alaihir Rahmah, was asked about the reality of Shariat and Tariqat, he explained this profound relationship with the clarity and authority of a mujaddid. He affirmed that every Muslim, without exception, is in constant need of the Shariat at every breath, every moment, every instant, until the final breath of life. And those who enter the delicate path of Tariqat are in even greater need, for the narrower and more subtle the way, the greater is the necessity of a guide to traverse it.

He further declared with certainty:

Indeed, the Shariat is the very foundation of all matters. It is the source, while Tariqat is a stream that flows from it. The Shariat is the tree, and Ma'rifat (The deep knowledge of Allah Almighty) is its fruit. 

(Faizaan-e-Ala Hazrat, Page 593)