Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
What are the signs that indicate that a spiritual traveller is progressing? Continue reading On Spiritual Progress, Regress and Stagnancy
Category: Praiseworthy Attributes
On Giving and Receiving Sincere Advice
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)
When I give someone sincere advice (nasihah) and they reject it I become upset. How can I tell that I am upset for Allah’s sake and not merely because that person has gone against my will? Continue reading On Giving and Receiving Sincere Advice
On the Greatness of Visiting the Pious
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him).
Before I visit the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) I have many things in my heart that I wish to express but when I get there my mind goes blank. What should I do?
Your standing in those places suffices even if you do not say anything. Habib `Alawi bin Shihab said that he knew the intention of anyone that was coming to visit him when they passed Masjid Surur, before even reaching his house. If that was his state, how much greater is the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah and Sayyidah Khadijah of those visiting them? Someone complained to Imam al-Haddad that he would visit Sayyiduna al-Faqih al-Muqaddam and his heart would be full of needs but when he reached the grave he forgot everything. Imam al-Haddad informed him that merely reaching al-Faqih al-Muqaddam was enough.
On Truthfulness
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) expounds on some of the meanings of truthfulness.
Truthfulness (sidq) is a station beyond sincerity (ikhlas). Sincerity relates to your intention and your purpose. Truthfulness is comprehensive and incorporates every expression of your approach to Allah, your aims and your mastering and perfecting your actions. One way of differentiating between the two is that the truthful person has no pride in his actions (‘ujb), whereas the sincere person shows no ostentation (riya’). Continue reading On Truthfulness
True Intellect
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him) reflects upon the true meaning of intellect.
To truly possess intellect means to understand the truth that Allah revealed to the Messenger of Truth ﷺ. Whoever does not understand this cannot be described as possessing intellect. Such a person may know how to eat and drink, trade, give and take in this worldly life, but Allah guides even animals to some of these things. He is the One who apportions and guides. He guides animals to fulfil their worldly needs:
Differentiating Between Being Proud of One’s Religion and Between Being Arrogant
Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him).
How do we differentiate between being proud of one’s religion and being arrogant?
Being proud of one’s religion is coupled with humility, fear of the return to Him and good action according to the Sacred Law and in veneration of it. At the core of our religion is humility, fear of Allah, being good to people and wisdom. The two greatest signs that point to someone being arrogant are that they look down upon others and do not accept the truth when confronted by it. Arrogant people are certain that they are better than others and do not live in fear of a bad ending.
On Prayer and Vigilance
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
Possessing a Little is Possessing Everything
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
The Believer is like a Bee
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.
قال رسول الله ﷺ : و الذي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ مَثَلَ المؤمِنِ كَمَثَلِ النَّحْلَةِ أَكَلَتْ طَيِّبَاً و وَضَعَتْ طَيِّبَاً و وَقَعَتْ فَلَمْ تَكْسِرْ و لَمْ تُفْسِدْ
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
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.
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