Category: Travelling the Path

Keeping the Company of the Poor

Advice from Habib Ali al-Habashi (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him).

You must show good character to all people. Through good character you may attain the stations of the people of immense truthfulness (al-siddiqun) and ascend to the highest levels of certainty. Be the most gentle and forbearing of people. Pardon those who wrong you and give to those who refuse to give you anything. If someone treats you badly, treat them well and forgive their wrongdoings however great they are. Continue reading Keeping the Company of the Poor

Benefiting from the Pious

Advice from Imam al-Haddad (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him).

You must keep the company of pious people, display the same etiquettes that they display and seek to benefit from their deeds and words. You do this by visiting both the living and dead amongst them in a state of great reverence for them, truthfully having the best opinion of them. This is how visitors benefit from those that they are visiting and receive spiritual assistance from them. Continue reading Benefiting from the Pious

Etiquette is Ihsan | Wisdoms of Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad

Words of wisdom from Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad (may Allah have mercy on him and benefit us by him). 

Etiquettes (adab) are what beautify one’s actions. One’s actions are not complete without etiquette. Etiquette is ihsan and ihsan is one of the three foundations of the religion mentioned in the hadith of Jibril. Ihsan is to perform one’s actions with etiquette and this is a means for those actions to be accepted. Continue reading Etiquette is Ihsan | Wisdoms of Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad

Know Your Enemy

After telling us the story of Adam, Hawa and Iblis, Allah calls upon us to learn a lesson from the story. He says:

O Children of Adam, do not allow the Devil to seduce you.[1]

We should thus be wary of the Devil and take measures to protect ourselves from him. When thoughts enter our minds, we should ask whether they are of satanic origin or angelic origin. When you remember Allah, promptings of angelic origin are strengthened, whereas promptings of satanic origin are weakened. Continue reading Know Your Enemy

Finding Strength in our Weakness

Advice from Habib Kazim al-Saqqaf (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

To be raised by Allah, one needs to lower oneself and realise one’s weakness and one’s slavehood to Allah.

We should repeat this prayer which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught the Companion, Buraydah. He said to him: “Shall I not teach you words that Allah teaches to the one for whom He wants good, and then never allows him to forget them? Continue reading Finding Strength in our Weakness

On Priorities in Choosing Whose Company to Keep

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

Should we give priority to keeping the company of people who are on the same path or those who remind us of Allah?

You should strive to keep the company of those who remind you of Allah but at the same time give those who are on the same path their rights. Their rights are that you check up on them, help them as far as you able to and pray for them. It is not our way to avoid keeping the company of anyone as long as there is benefit in that and no harm.

Dealing with Unpleasant Things

Habib Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir (may Allah have mercy on him and benefit us by him) wrote the following piece of advice to help people deal with the oppression and turmoil that was taking place in Hadramawt at the time. His advice remains relevant to the times in which we are living.

It is rare in this time to find peace of mind and comfort. Worries, concerns and distractions are numerous. A person must be content and tranquil in the face of these things. He must surrender (to Allah’s decree) and not be dissatisfied. Continue reading Dealing with Unpleasant Things