We want to follow your classes and other programmes live but the time difference makes it difficult. What should we do?
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
The desire to follow these programmes is an expression of your heart being connected and this is not governed by time. It is not necessary that you follow these programmes live. You can listen to a recording whenever you have time.
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Interacting with jinn is similar to interacting with humans. There are pious jinn and disobedient jinn just like there are pious humans and disobedient humans. Our interactions with everyone are governed by the Sacred Law and our interactions with the pious among them are on the principle of working together to attain piety and righteousness. As seekers, we should not be concerned with connections to the jinn. If any good is to come of such connections, Allah will facilitate them without us seeking them.
Short observations and insights from Habib Ali al-Jifri (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) on a range of topics. Continue reading Habib Ali al-Jifri’s Observations
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
All my time is spent raising my children and I feel I am missing out on worship and seeking knowledge. What advice can you give me?
For you to raise your children in the best way is an act of worship and is part of acting according to your knowledge. Try to follow a class when you have a bit of spare time. A pious woman from the Amudi tribe (in Hadramawt) wrote out the whole of Imam al-Subki’s three volume fatwa collection. At the end she wrote: ‘Please excuse any mistakes I may have made because I wrote this while I was breastfeeding’. The truthful person continues doing good works however small regardless of the situation.
Photo credit: mahabbah.foundation
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
How can you tell the origin of a dream?
Scholars like Imam al-Ghazali teach us principles for identifying the origin of the passing thoughts (khawatir) that come to the heart. Those thoughts may be divine (directly from Allah), angelic, satanic (from the whisperings of the Devil) or from the lower self (nafs). Continue reading The Origins of Dreams
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
How does a seeker of knowledge attain openings?
Seekers must abide by the etiquettes of seeking knowledge. They must spend time reviewing what they have studied with fellow students and write down important points which they learn. Continue reading How Does a Seeker of Knowledge Attain Openings?
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Islam is supposed to be easy but I am finding it hard to practise. How can we reconcile between this ease and hardship?
All good things are not beyond a person’s capacity to attain but they are only attained through effort. Even in worldly affairs, effort is required to attain one’s goals. If we look at the religion from the perspective that it does not give us obligations which we are unable to fulfil, we find ease in it. Continue reading Is Practising Islam Easy or Difficult?
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
We are establishing an institute for Qur’an memorisation and teaching Arabic. What intentions should we make in doing so? Continue reading Intentions for Establishing an Institute
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.
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.
