October 2016 – MUWASALA

Habib Ali bin Muhammad bin Shihab

The Ummah recently lost another of its great men, the knower of Allah, Habib Ali bin Muhammad bin Shihab.

Thousands turned out for his janazah in Tarim at Asr on Monday 23^rd Muharram 1438 / 24th October 2016. Before the prayer, Habib Ali al-Mashhur bin Hafiz spoke briefly about Habib Ali’s patience and perseverance in calling people to Allah, the fruits of which he will now be reaping. Even blindness and frailness did not prevent him from guiding people. At times he would be carried on people’s shoulders to attend the annual visit of Nabi Allah Hud (peace be upon him). He was loved by all, even those who opposed his methodology.

Right until close to the time of his death, he would generously give his time to visitors who came to his humble house in Dammun on the edge of Tarim.

May Allah raise the station of Habib Ali and allow us to follow in his footsteps.

Making Spiritual Hijrah

Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) calls us to make a spiritual hijrah.

The new year always reminds us of the Hijrah. The physical hijrah is an obligation for those who are unable to freely practise their religion in the place they are in. They must find a place in which they can practise their religion. The angels say to those who fail to make this hijrah: ‘Was Allah’s earth not expansive enough for you to emigrate therein?’ (4:97) Continue reading Making Spiritual Hijrah

Talking about Imam al-Husayn on Ashura

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

What should we mention when we talk about Sayyiduna al-Husayn at the time of Ashura?

We should talk about his upbringing and his character – his mercy, compassion and generosity. We should refer to the biographies of respected scholars from Ahl al-Sunnah. As for his martyrdom, we can mention the fact that he requested one of three things from his killers: that he be allowed to return to al-Madinah or that he be allowed to go to fight jihad on the frontiers or that he be allowed to meet with Yazid ibn Muawiya. However, they rejected his request. He tried to save the lives of his relatives by telling them to leave but they insisted on staying with him.

What is the Ruling on Organ Donation?

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

What is the ruling on organ donation?

It is impermissible to take a dead person’s organs. Some scholars allow someone to donate an organ such as a kidney if they can do without it, especially if they are donating it to someone close to them such as their father or mother and doing so would save their life. It would not be permissible to donate your eye or your hand, for example, because you do not in fact own your own organs but rather they belong to Allah. It is permissible to donate blood because it replaces itself and donating it does not detract from a person’s makeup.

Is it Permissible for a Male Teacher to Teach a Woman the Qur’an?

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

Is it permissible for a male teacher to teach a woman the Qur’an?

This is permissible if the male teacher teaches from behind a veil and as long as the two are not alone together. It has been narrated that: “A man must never be alone with a woman even if he is teaching her the Qur’an and even if she is Maryam bint `Imran.” The Companions would take knowledge from the wives of the Prophet, the Mothers of the Believers from behind a veil.

What is the Difference Between a ‘Hizb’ and a ‘Ratib’?

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

What is the difference between a ‘hizb’ and a ‘ratib’?

They are essentially the same thing. Linguistically a ‘ratib’ is a fixed thing which is recited consistently and a ‘hizb’ is a section or an amount of Qur’an or adhkar which is recited.

Habib Muhammad Rashad al-Bayti

Habib Muhammad Rashad bin Ahmad al-Bayti was a descendant of Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf. He was born in 1344 (1926) in the town of Kaninah near Yemen’s Indian Ocean coast. His father died when he was eleven so it was his mother and his paternal uncle who took care of his development. He had a love for knowledge from an early age despite the environment around him in which ignorance prevailed. In fact he rarely mixed with his peers, which led one of his relatives to say to his mother that there was something wrong with him. His mother had great insight, however, and replied that her son would go on to great things, that he would rise far above his peers and that he would one day judge between them, which indeed happened. Continue reading Habib Muhammad Rashad al-Bayti

On Dealing With Opposition Due to Lack of Knowledge

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

There are brothers and sisters who have attended the Dowra or have studied abroad for a short time. They then return to their communities to teach what they learn as they have been encouraged by their teachers to do so but they encounter people (some of whom are connected to this path) who do not support them and even discourage others from taking knowledge from them on the grounds they have not studied enough. What is the best way of dealing with this?

They should persevere in their dawah and not be affected by what these people say. They should show these people respect, maintain good relations with them and not treat them in the same way as they are treating them. They should emphasise the well-known principle that anyone who has even one piece of Islamic knowledge is an ‘alim (literally someone who knows) and he must act upon it and teach it. They must teach what they know and learn that which they do not know. If the people who are opposing them are aware of Imam al-Haddad then they can tell them what Imam al-Haddad says in the introduction of al-Dawah al-Tammah.