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Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya Ra’uf (The Most Kind)

Allah called his Beloved ﷺ  by one of His names, al-Ra’uf – the Most Kind. Allah said to him that he is: “to the believers most kind and merciful” (9.128). In this prayer, Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz teaches us to ask for Allah’s kindness for ourselves and all believers through the means of the most kind Prophet ﷺ .                                 

اللَّهُمَّ يا اللهُ يا رَؤُوفُ صَلِّ على عَبْدِكَ و حَبِيبِكَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ الرَّؤُوف و على آلِهِ و صَحْبِهِ و سَلِّمْ تَسْلِيماً و وَفِّرْ حَظَّنا مِنْ رَأْفَتِكَ و كُنْ  بِنا و بِالمُؤْمِنينَ رَؤُوفاً رَحِيماً

O Allah, O Most Kind, bestow abundant prayers and peace upon Your slave and beloved, our Master Muhammad, the most kind Prophet and upon his Family and Companions, and bless us with a huge portion of Your kindness and be kind and merciful to us and all believers.

                                                         

Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Ya ‘Afuww (The All-Pardoning)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught us to call upon Allah by His name, al-‘Afuww – the All-Pardoning – on Laylat al-Qadr specifically but of course we are constantly in need of Allah’s pardon. In this prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ  Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz teaches us to be among those who pardon others and thus receive Allah’s pardon. Allah says: “He who pardons and seeks reconciliation, his reward is with Allah (42:40).”

اللَّهُمَّ يا اللهُ يا عَفُوُّ صَلِّ على عَبْدِكَ و حَبِيبِكَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ العَفُوِّ و على آلِهِ و صَحْبِهِ و سَلِّمْ تَسْلِيماً و اعْفُ بِهِ عَنَّا و اجْعَلْنا مِمَّنْ عَفا و أَصْلَحَ فَجَعَلْتَ أَجْرَهُ عَلَيْكَ و سَعْيَهُ عِنْدَكَ مَشْكُوراً

O Allah, the All-Pardoning, bestow abundant prayers and peace upon Your servant and beloved, our Master Muhammad, the all-pardoning Prophet and upon his Family and Companions, and by him pardon us. Make us among those who pardon others and seek reconciliation – those whose reward is due from You and those whose efforts are recognised by You.

Hababah Zahra: Beginnings and Endings

Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him and benefit us by him) talks about his mother, Hababah Zahra’s early years, her funeral and her grave. He also describes his father, Habib Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafiz, may Allah have mercy upon them both.

He said of her: “She completely absorbed the methodology of Hadramawt and was a model of someone who followed this spiritual path. She possessed the attributes of human perfection and showed people how to fulfil their role in life.” Continue reading Hababah Zahra: Beginnings and Endings

Increasing our Love and Yearning for the Prophet ﷺ through Fasting

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

How can we increase in our love and yearning for the Prophet ﷺ  through fasting?

We do this by:

  1. Being aware that we are following him in our fasting
  2. Applying the sunnahs pertaining to fasting which he taught us
  3. Being aware that this act of worship and the great reward that it entails came to us by means of him. Because of him, Allah concealed for us in this act of worship a reward which only He knows. Allah says in the hadith Qudsi that every action has a fixed reward – “except for fasting – it is for Me and I reward accordingly”
  4. Reading the supplications which he taught us and bestowing prayers and peace upon him throughout our fast.

Lessons From the Life of Hababah Zahra

Sayyidi Habib Ali al-Jifri (may Allah preserve him and benefit us by him) derives lessons from the life of Hababah Zahra bint Hafiz al-Haddar (may Allah have mercy upon her).

Every soul will taste death, and surely you will only be paid your reward in full on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is taken away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. What is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion? (3:185) Continue reading Lessons From the Life of Hababah Zahra

Insights into Purification: Not Wasting Water

Water is a blessing from Allah. If you were to be deprived of it, you would die of thirst.

Allah says: Allah does not love the wasteful (6:141)

and the wasteful are the Devil’s brothers (17:27)

The Prophet ﷺ once passed by Sayyiduna Sa’d and rebuked him for wasting water while performing wudu. He replied: “O Messenger of Allah, is there wastage in wudu?” Continue reading Insights into Purification: Not Wasting Water

On Women Wearing Western Clothing

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

Some Muslim women in the West have taken to wearing a shirt and trousers so as not to stand out too much. What do you say about this?

As a principle, we should be concerned with seeking Allah’s pleasure rather than trying to fit in with society. Our aim should be to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the pious. As for the ruling it is permissible for women to wear this as long as it is normal for women to dress in this way in that society. The clothing must not be tight-fitting and must not expose the shape of the body. In general, women must not expose any part of the body which must be covered to strange men.

The Best Dua to be Recited at the End of a Gathering

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

What is the best dua to recite at the end of a gathering?

The best dua is the dua which the Prophet ﷺ taught us:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ

Subhanakallahumma wa bi hamdika ashadu alla ilaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk Continue reading The Best Dua to be Recited at the End of a Gathering

On Kissing the Thumbnails When the Prophet ﷺ is Mentioned During the Adhan

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

What is our position on kissing our thumbnails and rubbing them on our eyes when the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned during the adhan?

This practice should be given its place, which is that it is the practice of many of the pious people of the Ummah. It cannot be considered an innovation or something prohibited. Likewise, it cannot be considered an obligation. We should not make an issue of these things, but rather we should focus on that which is more important and beneficial.