Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him).
What is the difference between someone who dislikes to meet Allah and someone who is fearful of meeting Him?
There is a big difference. The one who dislikes to meet Allah has no connection to Allah and he attempts to flee from Him. The one who is fearful of meeting Allah may also love Him. He is fearful of not being accepted by Allah or being punished by Him.
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) explains that if the prayer is correctly established, it is a means for seekers to take themselves to account (make muhasabah) and be in a state of vigilance (muraqabah).
One of the wisdoms of the prayer is that it enables us to be in a state of vigilance and to constantly take ourselves to account. By being in control of your body you prepare your heart to attain this. Your prayer then puts light into your time so that the time between each prayer becomes illuminated. The Prophet ﷺ pointed to this when he said: “One prayer to the next; one Friday prayer to the next and one Ramadan to the next – all of these wipe out the sins a person commits between them, as long as grave sins are avoided.” Continue reading On Prayer and Vigilance
A reminder from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him). Extracts from a lesson in Ihya Ulum al-Din in Dar al-Mustafa, Dhu’l-Qa`dah 1432 / October 2011
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If any one of you wakes up with a healthy body; in a state of safety; possessing his day’s provision, it is as if he possesses the whole world and everything in it.”1 Continue reading Possessing a Little is Possessing Everything
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) reflects upon a beautiful hadith.
Let us reflect upon the following beautiful hadith, narrated by Imam Ahmad on the authority of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the believer is like a bee which eats that which is pure and wholesome and lays that which is pure and wholesome. When it lands on something it does not break or ruin it.” Continue reading The Believer is like a Bee
Advice from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him). Extracts from a talk during the mawlid in Dar al-Mustafa the night of 28th Sha`ban 1432/ 28th July 2011.
When people turn themselves in full obedience to Allah, saying and realising: I have turned myself to the One who created the heavens and the earth,1 Allah then makes His creation subservient to them. Even the angels of the highest gatherings compete to be with such a person and to pray behind him. This is the reward of those who respond to His call and make their only desire calling to Him and serving Him. Continue reading Turning Ourselves to Allah
Advice from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him). Extracts from a talk during the mawlid in Dar al-Mustafa the night of 28th Sha`ban 1432/ 28th July 2011.
You can see in front of you in the material world people expending all their efforts to attain that which amounts to nothing. Had these efforts been expended for the sake of Allah, attempting to purchase His merchandise, the results would be amazing! But the one who is imprisoned in the physical realm remains asleep until the veil is lifted, at which point it is of no benefit. Sayyiduna Ali, who had a direct understanding of these concepts, spoke the truth when he said: “People are asleep, and when they die they wake up.” Continue reading Freeing Ourselves from Deception
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) delves into the deeper meanings of remembrance.
All types of closeness are superficial except that which is close to the Lord, the Close. Your closeness to one another is based upon your closeness to Allah. According to your closeness to Allah, you will be close to one another, and all distance and dispute will end – for these are illusions. They are illusions that dominate the superficial world, the physical world. They dominate most people, such that it is correct to say: Most people do not know and most people do not understand. The greatest thing they reach or hope to reach can be called ‘play,’ or it can be called ‘delusion,’ or it can be called ‘conjecture,’ or it can be called ‘a mirage,’ or it can be called ‘ash scattered by the wind on a stormy day.’ This is what Allah has called it in His Book. Continue reading True Remembrance of Allah
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) counsels his students.
What advice do you have for your students and what hopes do you have for them for the future?
We counsel our students specifically and students of the Sacred Law generally to check their intention and the thoughts which enter their minds, which cause them either to act sincerely for the sake of Allah or to seek other than Allah. We counsel them to reject every thought originating from caprice (hawa), from the lower self (nafs) and from the Devil which calls them to seek other than Allah and to desire anything other than attaining His nearness and pleasure. Continue reading Counsels for Our Students
