Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Should I recite the Ratib of Imam al-Haddad or the Ratib of Imam al-Attas?
If you cannot recite both, there is no problem to alternate between the two Ratibs – one takes the place of the other.
This is the ‘Dhikr of the seven souls’. Each dhikr corresponds to one of the seven souls as follows:
La ilaha ill’Allah 70,000 times which allows you to overcome al-nafs al-ammārah (the imperious soul) Continue reading Dhikr of the Seven Souls
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Should I recite awrad if I have prayers to make up?
There is a difference of opinion regarding this but the best course of action is to gradually make up your prayers and to take the position that it is permissible to recite the awrad and pray supererogatory prayers at the same time.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What are the best means of connecting to your shaykh on a daily basis?
Reading the shaykh’s books, reciting the adhkar he has given you, attaching and focusing the heart upon the shaykh and calling people to Allah are all means of connection. All of these means are virtuous and whatever thing focuses the heart on Allah more is best for each individual.
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.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
I feel pain and constriction in my heart when reciting adkhar. What should I do?
This is due to two things. The first is the effects of darkness in the soul due to sins and heedlessness. The way to combat this is to persevere with the adhkar until the darkness is removed and the light is manifested. The second is the presence of devils (due to black magic, the evil eye or other things) that attempt to dominate a person’s heart. Again the person should persevere in reciting the adhkar because this is a means of treatment.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
If I fall asleep before completing the adhkar that it is recommended to recite before sleeping should I make them up when I wake up?
You will be rewarded for intending to recite them all even if you fall asleep before completing them. Strictly speaking, they are adhkar for a specific time and thus cannot be made up. However, if you do make them up you are guaranteeing yourself the reward for reciting them and teaching your lower self a lesson that it cannot fall asleep before completing them.
The following formulas have been mentioned by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) and contain great benefit:
Astaghfirullah lima ya`lamuhu Allah, Astaghfirullah kama yuhibbuhu-llah
I seek the forgiveness of Allah for everything that He knows; I seek Allah’s forgiveness in the way that He loves. Continue reading Blessed Forms of Istighfar
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
The pious say that the seeker should perform good deeds whenever the opportunity arises. How can we balance between this and the hadith that the most beloved of actions are those that are consistent even if they are a little?
You need to set yourself a minimum amount of good deeds which you never leave. It should be small enough for you to be consistent in performing it while not preventing you from performing other good deeds when the opportunity arises. As Imam al-Haddad said: “Appoint for yourself a fixed amount which you are able to perform consistently. When you feel energetic you can do more but when you feel lazy you do not permit yourself to do less.”
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
I have a routine of praying tahajjud, reciting the Qur’an and adhkar before Fajr. If I wake up late and am unable to do all of these things what should I do?
You should do a little bit of everything: pray a few units of tahajjud, recite some Qur’an and recite some of the adhkar. Then you should make up whatever you missed between sunrise and midday. The Prophet ﷺ said that if someone oversleeps and fails to perform the prayers that he regularly performs at night but then makes them up between sunrise and midday it will be recorded for him as if he prayed it at night.
