Month: November 2014

Habib Umar bin Sumayt

His Lineage

He is al-Imam al-Habib Umar bin Ahmad bin Abu Bakr bin Abdullah bin Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Zayn bin Alawi bin Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Sumayt bin Ali bin Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad bin Alawi bin Ahmad bin Abd al-Rahman bin Alawi Amm al-Faqih (uncle of al-Faqih al-Muqaddam), bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin Ali Khali’ Qasam, bin Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Sawma’ah, bin Alawi, bin ‘Ubaydullah, bin al-Imam al-Muhajir il-Allah Ahmad, bin ‘Isa, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, bin Ali al-Uraydi, bin Ja’far al-Sadiq, bin Muhammad al-Baqir, bin Ali Zayn al-Abidin, bin Husayn al-Sibt, bin Ali bin Abi Talib and Fatimah al-Zahra’, the daughter of our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ. Continue reading Habib Umar bin Sumayt

Balancing Seeking Knowledge and Remembrance of Allah

A Tunisian scholar asked Sayyidi Habib `Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him):

How does one balance between seeking knowledge and spending time in the remembrance of Allah (reading awrad or litanies)?

Habib Umar replied:

“The key to seeking knowledge is the soundness of one’s intention. If one’s intention is sound and pure, then seeking knowledge is one of the best acts of worship and one of the best forms of remembrance. Continue reading Balancing Seeking Knowledge and Remembrance of Allah

On Free Will

Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

Does man have free will or not?

Man’s Creator requests things from him and decrees things to occur by him. Man has a choice in that which is requested from him but he has no choice in that which is decreed to occur by him. Our role in life is thus to perform that which has been requested from us as well as we can using the strength and ability which we have been given. Continue reading On Free Will

Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya Hamid (the Praiseworthy One)

This prayer is taken from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s collection of prayers using Allah’s beautiful names in which he calls upon Allah by His beautiful names and then asks Him to bestow prayers upon His Beloved by those names. Finally, he asks Allah for a portion of those attributes which belong to Allah and which He has bestowed upon His Messenger ﷺ. Continue reading Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya Hamid (the Praiseworthy One)

On Going to Palestine

Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

Would you recommend that we go to Palestine to show political solidarity with the Palestinian people?

What is recommended is to go to Masjid al-Aqsa, as the Prophet ﷺ encouraged us to do, to pray to Allah there and to help the Muslims in need there. The more Muslims that come together in the masjid to pray, the more likely it is that Allah will relieve people’s suffering. There is no need for us to get involved in politics.

Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya Wali (the Protector)

This prayer is taken from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s collection of prayers using Allah’s beautiful names in which he calls upon Allah by His beautiful names and then asks Him to bestow prayers upon His Beloved by those names. Finally, he asks Allah for a portion of those attributes which belong to Allah and which He has bestowed upon His Messenger ﷺ. Continue reading Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya Wali (the Protector)

Preparing to Meet Allah by Guarding our Sight, Hearing and Speech

Advice from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him): We must guard our sight, our hearing and our speech. If we do so our hearts will be protected and we will attain uprightness. When we look at, listen to or talk about that which does not concern us we are at odds with our fitrah, the state in which Allah created us. Continue reading Preparing to Meet Allah by Guarding our Sight, Hearing and Speech

On Advising Parents or Elders

Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

How do we give advice to parents or relatives who are older than us if they disobey Allah?

We should ask elders or people they respect to give them advice. We can also give them books or show them videos which we think may affect them. The consequences in the next life of acts of disobedience may be mentioned to them but indirectly and with the appropriate respect and courtesy.

In general we should not be overly affected by the negative things we see in them. We should focus on their positive attributes and do what we can to rectify the situation.