Is there a difference between making tawbah from major sins and minor sins?
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Tawbah is obligatory from all sins, both the minor and major, but especially the major because the end result is worse. Continue reading
How does someone attain direct knowledge of Allah (ma‘rifah khassah)?
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
This is attained by purifying your heart, being in a constant state of presence with Allah and by deep reflection on the following things: Continue reading
In these supplications, Habib Ali al-Habashi (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him) teaches us to seek high degrees of love and closeness to Allah and His Beloved ﷺ :
Every believer generally and those taking the spiritual path specifically should perform their obligations with excellence and strive for presence therein while seeking to strengthen their certainty. Whatever spiritual gifts – such as tranquillity, serenity and a feeling of connection – they receive in the course of that are from Allah and go back to Him. They are not theirs. Continue reading
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
When scholars talk about fighting against the nafs (lower self) this is not meant literally. Harming the nafs is not what is intended. What is meant is purifying it and elevating it. Fulfilling its desires and followings its whims is what really harms it. Doing the opposite, although it may be difficult, is what really benefits it. Any dhikr performed with presence of heart also helps to purify the nafs.
Habib Muhammad al-Haddar reminds us of the greatness of seeking forgiveness and how this confounds the Devil.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who keeps seeking forgiveness is not regarded as a persistent sinner even if he were to return to the same sin seventy times a day.”[1]
All praise belongs to Allah for the blessing of seeking forgiveness (istighfar). Even if you were to keep committing a sin seventy times but you sought forgiveness, your Lord is All-Forgiving. The main thing is you seek forgiveness with your tongue and your heart. If the Devil tries to outdo you by sending you astray, outdo him by seeking forgiveness more. Continue reading
The Prophet ﷺ used to love optimism and positivity and dislike pessimism and negativity. He would tend to see things around him as good signs and not as bad signs. What is meant by this is that you hear or see something and interpret it to be a good sign of things that are happening or will happen in the future.
One of the practices of the pious is to open the poetry collections of the Imams of the past with the intention of seeking guidance regarding a matter facing them at that time (for example, whether to travel or not). They would use the first verse of poetry their eyes would fall upon as indication or a sign as to how to proceed.
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
Allah is with all of His creation in a general sense but He is with certain categories of His servants – such as the people of taqwa and sabr – in a special sense and this is manifested in Him giving them His direct aid and support. This being with Allah in a special sense is one part or one aspect of His love for His servants, which is more expansive and comprehensive than His being with them.
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) emphasises the necessity of adhering to the Sacred Law and clarifies elements of the methodology of the Ba Alawi path. He issues a warning to those who claim to be connected to the path but do not follow its principles.
It has been brought to our attention that someone engaged in calling to Allah who is connected to this path has said and done certain things which go against the Sacred Law and the principles of the path generally and our path specifically. Continue reading
In this short poem, Imam al-Haddad counsels us to be people of sabr (steadfastness or patience). He extols the virtues of steadfastness, gives glad tidings to those who possess this trait and points to its connection to other lofty spiritual stations. He reminds us of the nature of tribulations and their connection to the divine decree. Finally, he calls upon us to emulate the steadfastness of the pious who have gone before and their master, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Habib Umar bin Hafiz is explaining the poem line by line at the beginning of his daily Rawha sessions as part of this year’s Dowra
Download the poem with translation here
Photo credit: thanks to Zach Reiner for sharing their work on Unsplash.