Category: The Path

On Becoming Aware of Diseases of the Heart and Dealing With Them

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

Whenever I think I have dealt with one of the diseases in my heart I find I have other diseases. What should I do?

This is a sign that the remedies you are using are working. Continue to seek to purify yourself of these diseases. The more you search and put the spotlight on these diseases, the more you will be aware of them and the better you will be able to deal with them. The fact that you have been made aware of these diseases is a sign that Allah wants good for you and wants to rid you of them. You should continue seeking remedies for these diseases and never despair and abandon good actions.

The Door of Repentance is Open

Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) discusses tawbah (repentance) and reminds us that Allah’s door is always open. 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that Allah has opened the door of repentance, a door so wide that it would take seventy years to cross from one side to the other and that it will remain open until the sun rises from the west. Out of His immense generosity, Allah has opened to us this door and invited us to enter. Continue reading The Door of Repentance is Open

Adkhar for Someone Who Has Not Been Able to Conceive

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

What can someone who has not been able to conceive recite?

Our Shaykh, Habib ‘Attas al-Habashi, used to recommend reciting Surat al-Fatihah 41 times between the Sunnah and Fard of Fajr with the intention of being blessed with a child. Continue reading Adkhar for Someone Who Has Not Been Able to Conceive

On Increasing Awrad

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.

How We Direct Our Love and Our Hatred

Habib Ali al-Jifri (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) explains how our love and hatred should be directed 

The Messenger of Allah said ﷺ : “Whoever possesses these three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else; that he only loves another person for Allah’s sake and that he would hate to return to disbelief after Allah had saved him from it just as he would hate to be cast into the Fire.” Continue reading How We Direct Our Love and Our Hatred

On the Most Important Sunnah Prayers

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

Once someone is consistent in praying the compulsory prayers what Sunnah prayers should they pray?

The most important Sunnah prayers are Witr and the Sunnah before Fajr. Witr is compulsory according to the Hanafi School and some of the Companions and Hanafi scholars were of the opinion that the Sunnah of Fajr is also compulsory. After that, the other Sunnah prayers before and after the compulsory prayers should be performed as well as the Duha (midmorning) prayer.

How Does a Seeker Study his Shaykh?

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

How does a seeker study his Shaykh?

The seeker studies his shaykh by reflecting upon his states and what they signify and upon the directions that he gives (isharat), his wayfaring and his Prophetic inheritance. He then seeks to benefit from this and become illuminated by it.

On the Cause of Harm Befalling You

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

When harm befalls you, how do you know whether it is from the effects of the Evil Eye or due to one’s sins?

Generally speaking, anything that befalls you is due to your sins, although it can be to raise your station. If it is due to the Evil Eye it usually occurs suddenly and it leads to a state which is not your normal state.