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)
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.
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.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
At what point should I increase my awrad?
You do this when you are consistent in reciting the awrad that you are already reciting and you have the desire to increase and sufficient time to do so.
Advice from Habib Husayn al-Saqqaf (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
When you remember Allah, you should focus on two things:
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Can someone who is driving alone to work be considered to be in a form of khalwah (spiritual seclusion)?
Yes, this could be a lesser khalwah when one isolates oneself to be with Allah. It is like when someone wraps a shawl around their head so they can only see what is in front of them and not what is around them.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
If we come across a new dhikr or dua should we take permission before reciting it?
If it is from the Sunnah there is no need to take permission. Likewise there is no need to take permission before reciting the duas and adhkar of the great Imams of the Ummah as long as the meaning is clear and they are easy to read. Continue reading On Taking Permission Before Reciting a New Dhikr
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
