Category: Biographies

The Aqidah of Shaykh Ali bin Abu Bakr al-Sakran

The Aqidah of Shaykh Ali bin Abu Bakr al-Sakran is a short but comprehensive statement of the tenets of faith of the Ahl al-Sunnah. It should be recited on a daily basis. Shaykh Ali composed it to make firm the faith of those that recite it and protect them from deviance so that they meet Allah fully witnessing His oneness. It is particularly beneficial in our time in which the very foundations of our faith are liable to be shaken. Continue reading The Aqidah of Shaykh Ali bin Abu Bakr al-Sakran

Selected Salawat: The Most Beloved of All

This prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ was composed by Habib Ali al-Habashi (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him). In it, he describes the Prophet as being the most beloved of all those who are beloved to Allah and to His creation. He then tells us that the very mention of the Prophet illuminates our hearts and minds and brings sweetness and beauty to our gatherings. Continue reading Selected Salawat: The Most Beloved of All

Imam al-‘Adani

His Lineage

He is Imām Abū Bakr al-‘Adanī bin Imām ‘Abdullāh al-‘Aydarūs bin Shaykh Abū Bakr al-Sakrān bin Shaykh ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf bin Shaykh Muḥammad Mawlā al-Dawīlah, bin ‘Alī Mawlā al-Darak, bin ‘Alawī al-Ghayūr, bin al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam Muḥammad, bin `Alī, bin Muḥammad Ṣāḥib Mirbāṭ, bin ‘Alī Khāli’ Qasam, bin ‘Alawī, bin Muḥammad Ṣāḥib al-Ṣawma’ah, bin ‘Alawī, bin ‘Ubaydullāh, bin al-Imām al-Muhājir il-Allāh Aḥmad, bin ‘Isā, bin Muḥammad al-Naqīb, bin `Ali al-‘Uraydī, bin Ja`far al-Ṣādiq, bin Muḥammad al-Bāqir, bin ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidīn, bin Ḥusayn al-Sibṭ, bin ‘Alī bin Abī Ṭālib and Fāṭimah al-Zahrā’, the daughter of our Master Muḥammad, the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ. Continue reading Imam al-‘Adani

Preparing for the Grave

Advice from Habib Muhammad al-Haddar (may Allah have mercy on him and benefit us by him). 

Make your grave the most important thing, for the day on which you are placed in your grave is the hardest day, the day on which you are most in need. For this reason some scholars were of the opinion that it is obligatory to seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave in every prayer. Among them was Imam Ta’us al-San`ani, the student of Sayyiduna `Abdullah Ibn `Abbas. One day he asked his son if he had sought refuge from the punishment of the grave in his prayer. When his son said no, he told him to repeat his prayer. The Prophet himself sought refuge from it, so why do we not do so? He taught us to say:  Continue reading Preparing for the Grave

The Ummah’s Golden Calf

Advice from Habib Muhammad al-Haddar (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him). 

Look at how the businessmen in Makkah and Jeddah have mastered their trade. They plaster their advertisements everywhere! If only these billboards clarified the rites of the Hajj and the etiquettes of entering Makkah! These advertisements are proof of their love of material things. Continue reading The Ummah’s Golden Calf

Habib ‘Ali bin Muhammad al-‘Attas

In his youth, Habib ‘Ali studied under Habib ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar al-Shatiri in the Ribat of Tarim and became one of the greatest scholars of the region. He ended his life as he had lived it, and spent the night before he died poring over books of the Sacred Law. Habib ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf described his existence in our times as a great blessing. He was known for his knowledge, humility and uprightness. He said that he had not left the night prayer nor any of his adkhar for the last seventy years. Continue reading Habib ‘Ali bin Muhammad al-‘Attas

Habib Mundhir al-Musawa

Habib Mundhir bin Fu’ad bin `Abd al-Rahman al-Musawa was born in Cipanas, West Java, Indonesia in 1973. After completing his elementary Islamic education at the institute of Habib `Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf (may Allah have mercy on him) in Bukit Duri, Jakarta, he was selected in 1993 to join the first group of Indonesian students to study under Habib `Umar bin Hafiz in Tarim. This was before Dar al-Mustafa was housed in its current building, and Habib `Umar would teach his students in his house in Mawla `Aidid. He developed an intense attachment to Habib Umar which was a key to his later success. Continue reading Habib Mundhir al-Musawa