Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Muṣawwir (the Fashioner)

This prayer is taken from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s collection of prayers using Allah’s beautiful names in which he calls upon Allah by His beautiful names and then asks Him to bestow prayers upon His Beloved by those names. Finally, he asks Allah for a portion of those attributes which belong to Allah and which He has bestowed upon His Messenger ﷺ. Continue reading Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Muṣawwir (the Fashioner)

On Learning How to Forgive Others

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

How can someone forgive and pardon people who have wronged him?

We can attain praiseworthy traits and rid ourselves of blameworthy traits with a combination of knowledge and action. We should thus remember the greatness of pardoning and forgiving people and the reward for doing so. We should reflect upon examples of the forbearance of the Prophet ﷺ and the pious, love them for the sake of Allah, and then force ourselves to forgive those who have wronged us and to treat them well.

On the Works of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah

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

What is our position on the works of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah?

The way of our predecessors was not to hold a bad opinion of anyone and not to speak badly about anyone in the knowledge that Allah will take everyone to account for their words or actions. At times they would warn people of certain books which contained errors or incorrect positions. They would accept the truth and reject falsehood whoever it came from. We never heard our great teachers in Hadramawt attacking Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah. They would sometimes mention his positions, especially when speaking to those who venerate him. They would use his teachings to heal them and bring them back to the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama`ah. When we went outside Hadramawt, we heard people condemning him and calling him an innovator or disbeliever for the first time. We had never heard this from our teachers in Hadramawt.

Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Bāri’ (the Originator)

This prayer is taken from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s collection of prayers using Allah’s beautiful names in which he calls upon Allah by His beautiful names and then asks Him to bestow prayers upon His Beloved by those names. Finally, he asks Allah for a portion of those attributes which belong to Allah and which He has bestowed upon His Messenger ﷺ. Continue reading Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Bāri’ (the Originator)

Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Khāliq (the Creator)

This prayer is taken from Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz’s collection of prayers using Allah’s beautiful names in which he calls upon Allah by His beautiful names and then asks Him to bestow prayers upon His Beloved by those names. Finally, he asks Allah for a portion of those attributes which belong to Allah and which He has bestowed upon His Messenger ﷺ. Continue reading Salawat with Allah’s Beautiful Names: Yā Khāliq (the Creator)

Selected Salawat: The Most Beloved of All

This prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ was composed by Habib Ali al-Habashi (may Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us by him). In it, he describes the Prophet as being the most beloved of all those who are beloved to Allah and to His creation. He then tells us that the very mention of the Prophet illuminates our hearts and minds and brings sweetness and beauty to our gatherings. Continue reading Selected Salawat: The Most Beloved of All

On Being Distracted While Making Dhikr

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

I find myself thinking about calling to Allah when I am making dhikr. Is this blameworthy?

You should focus on the meaning of the dhikr that you are reading. Everything has an appointed time and you should focus on the thing you are doing while you are doing it. An exception to this is an urgent issue relating to calling to Allah which needs to be addressed immediately.