Advice from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him): We must guard our sight, our hearing and our speech. If we do so our hearts will be protected and we will attain uprightness. When we look at, listen to or talk about that which does not concern us we are at odds with our fitrah, the state in which Allah created us. Continue reading Preparing to Meet Allah by Guarding our Sight, Hearing and Speech
Category: The Path
Holding Fast to the Rope of Allah
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz encourages us to hold fast to the Rope of Allah.
Many people in this day and age, believers and disbelievers alike fear death, illness, trials, imprisonment due to breaking the law, poverty, and so forth. Yet, when we reflect carefully upon all these fears, we would realize that each one of these fears is in the domain of Allah. No single human being dies except that his or her death has been ordained by Allah. No morsel of food and no sip of water enter anyone’s mouth except that it is by Allah’s will. Continue reading Holding Fast to the Rope of Allah
On General Protection from Evil
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What can I recite for general protection?
Taqwa is the foundation of all protection. Every act of worship performed with sincerity protects the one who performs it. Reciting Ayat al-Kursi has a specific effect in protecting one if it is recited after every prayer, before sleeping and when entering and leaving the house. The awrad of Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Sakran, Imam al-Nawawi and Shaykh Abu Bakr bin Salim are among the greatest litanies composed by the pious for protection.
On Differentiating Between Wisdom and Caprice
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
How can I differentiate between when I act out of wisdom and when I act following the caprice (hawa) of the lower self?
Caprice and wisdom are in opposition to each other. Someone driven by his caprice rushes to gratify the desires of his lower self in a state of heedlessness of Allah. Someone who acts out of wisdom, on the other hand, rushes to seek that which pleases Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and this is hard for his lower self. He experiences tranquillity, especially when he remembers Allah, and increases in humility and abasement in front of Allah.
On the Role of the Shaykh in Purification of the Heart
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What is the role of the Shaykh in purification of the heart?
The Shaykh is the most important means of removing the seeker’s blameworthy traits. The Shaykh is not someone who makes false claims or performs miracles but rather someone who is upright in his religion and has a sanad (chain of connection) in purification of the heart. If the seeker is truthful, Allah will cause him to meet a shaykh who will purify him.
On Increasing in Reliance Upon Allah
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What can we recite to increase in reliance upon Allah (tawakkul)?
Recite the following seven times in the morning and evening: Continue reading On Increasing in Reliance Upon Allah
On Balancing the Qur’an and Adhkar
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What do I do if I do not have enough time to recite the Qur’an, read my adhkar and perform other acts of worship?
The general rule is that you try to combine all these acts of worship and have a specific time for everything. However, if there is not enough time for everything, precedence should be given to reciting the Qur’an, as this is one of the greatest adkhar. But bear in mind that one of the Qur’an’s injunctions is to engage in dhikr. Engaging in dhikr is thus acting upon the Qur’an. You should not allow the Devil to trick you into completely leaving the adhkar because he may then trick you into leaving the Qur’an too.
On Forgetting the Number of Adhkar you have Recited
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What do you do if you have a certain number of adhkar to read and you forget the number that you have read?
You should estimate the number you are certain you have read. If you are unsure whether you read 3,000 or 4,000 for example, you should always go with the lesser amount.
Reflections upon the Function of Mosques
Habib Ali al-Jifri (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) reflects upon the function of mosques.
Mosques are essentially established for the worship and remembrance of Allah. Some people say: “Is that all they are for?” We should beware of saying this because one of the root causes of our problems is the absence of Allah’s remembrance in our lives. Continue reading Reflections upon the Function of Mosques
Advice for Those Not on Hajj
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What can we do at this time if we are unable to go on Hajj?
- We should focus on the objectives of Hajj and seek to realise them. For example, we should seek to attain humility before Allah and servitude to Him.