Habib Kazim al-Saqqaff "Dealing with Difference" // July 2009 // Radical Middle Way

Abu Bakar As-Siddiq RadhyiaAllahu 'anh

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

These are our notes from dars by Syeikh Abdul Aziz Ahmed for FOSIS held in Edinburgh alhamdulillah wa syukrililLah.

- Sayidina Abu Bakar was the complete among Sahabah.
- he is the father of bikr (purity, newness). Bikr: a newly married girl.
- His nickname is 'atiq. (itqihi minan naar)
- itaqa: exceedingly beautiful; in a conversation his face gives the impression of welcoming and warmth.
- it also means one who has good lineage and no fault.
- his parents had two children before him who passed away and when they had Sayidina Abu Bakar, his mother make the du'a 'o Allah! Make this one freedom from death'
- He was the son of Ibnu Abu Quhafa ( a muslim) and his grandson was the first person to be born in Islam (Abdullah ibnu Zubayr, son of Asma binti Abu Bakar) RadhiyaAllahu 'anhum
- He has sidqul eeman (belief totally in RasululLahi salalLahu 'alayhi wassalam), he was a sidqul friend and he's sadiq in giving his monew away (he was a rich man but when he became khalifah he was very poor).
- He lived exactly 63 years (he was born 2 years after RasuluLlahi SallaLlahi 'alayhi wassalam was born and passed away 2 years after rasululLahi SallaLlahi 'alayhi wassalam passed away) and Sayidina Umar passed away when he was 63 years old as well.
- He was very good at interpretation of dreams. Sayidina Khalid bin Said dreams he was being dragged to fire and he was very scared. his father, Said ibnul 'As pushed him and Rasul SalaLlahi 'alayhi wassalam said 'I will save you'.
In the same time Sayidina Uthman RadhiyaAllahu 'anh had a dream of someone saying 'bu'ithta ahmed'. both of them came to Sayidina Abu Bakar to understand the meaning of their dreams.
- Sayidina Abu Bakar RadhiyaAllah 'anh never drink nor recite poetry before and after Islam. When being asked why he never drank, he said he wanted to protect his honour.
- In the early period of Islam, when the believers still hid their Islam from everyone, Sayidina Abu Bakar went to Masjidil haram and announced he is a muslim from every corner of the masjid. He was the first person to be beaten because of islam.
- Sayidina Abu Bakar taught only when it is necessary for example when people arguing about where to bury RasullulLahi salalLahi 'alayhi wassalam, he relayed the hadith that prophets were buried in the place where they passed away.
- sayidina Ali KaramaLlahu wajha was very good at judging character and he said amongst the sahaba the bravest was sayidina Abu bakar RadhiyaAllahu 'anhum.

Tafseer Al-Baqara

يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُواْ بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ (2:40)
• 2:40 (Asad) O CHILDREN of Israel! Remember those blessings of Mine with which I graced you, and fulfil your promise unto Me, [whereupon] I shall fulfil My promise unto you; and of Me, of Me stand in awe! -
وَآمِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ وَلاَ تَشْتَرُواْ بِآيَاتِي ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ (2:41)
• 2:41 (Asad) Believe in that which I have [now] bestowed from on high, confirming the truth already in your possession, and be not foremost among those who deny its truth; and do not barter away My messages for a trifling gain; and of Me, of Me be conscious -

وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (2:42)
• 2:42 (Asad) And do not overlay the truth with falsehood, and do not knowingly suppress the truth;

وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُواْ مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ (2:43)
• 2:43 (Asad) and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and bow down in prayer with all who thus bow down. -

أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ (2:44)
• 2:44 (Asad) Do you bid other people to be pious, the while you forget your own selves -and yet you recite the divine writ? Will you not, then, use your reason? ; -

وَاسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلاَّ عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ (2:45)
• 2:45 (Asad) And seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: and this, indeed, is a hard thing for all but the humble in spirit, -



- Israel is the name of Prophet Ishaq the son of Ya’qoub ('alayhima assalam).
- Bani means the children of
Because this is from the qur’an, the verse addresses all humankind and in specific the people of Madina. The Prophet, sallalahu ‘alaihi wassalam, said:
‘Whoever performs ablution at home, then comes to the Quba mosque to perform prayer therein, will get the reward of Umrah.’ (Al Tirmidhi)
The Banu Nadir tribe in Madinah knew the truth about Rasul Salallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam.
- Ka’ab bin Asyraf, a leader of Banu Nadir tribe in Madinah said to the jewish tribe ‘typical of you, not making any decision.’
- Banu Nadir has a pact with Banu Ghatafan who lived in Najd before Islam. ‘Uyaynah bin Husayn, the leader of Banu Ghatafan used to come to Banu Nadir and listened to them saying about the prophet.
- Hasan bin Thabit RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu lived with Banu Nadir. One night he saw them crying and said that this is the night, tonight is the night in which the star of Ahmad rose.

‘chosen’ = to worship Allah. If we don’t take care of worshipping Allah, it can be taken away from us.
Said Nursi said that you will see that Islam will be taken away from Ottoman and it will be given to the European. The Arab world will be pregnant with the west and the west was pregnant with the Arab world.

‘Remember the blessings’ ~ amongst the blessings to the jewish people: (Kitab) Books, prophets, Zara’a (vegetation), olives and parting of the ocean.

‘Sell your religion with thamanan qaleela (trifling gain)’ ~ For adultery, the original punishment is stoning. They decided to be lenient with richer people who paid the scholars and as a result they just painted an adulterer's face black.
No clergy should sell Islam for money.
Mullah Ali Qari RahmatulLahu ‘alayh is a very big teacher. He used to sell one qur’an that he wrote with calligraphy in a year and he used the money to support himself.
Habib Umar bin Semait HafidzulLah used to buy and sell some oranges and with the profits he travel.

May Allah make us amongst the steadfast and gain His pleasure

Habib Umar reviving the love for Allah and His meesenger

On the last Monday in Rabi Al-Awwal, a special mawlid was held in Dar Al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. We were blessed to have Sidi Amjad Tarsin share with us the link to the live broadcast as well as his live translation of Habib Umar’s speech. All praises to Allah for allowing us to gather the pearls of wisdom, advice and knowledge from Habib Umar. We would like to share with you the notes we took. All mistakes are entirely from us, we are incapable of fully translating the tremendous wisdom of Habib Umar. Please be aware that these notes are for reference only. If you are plan on posting this elsewhere, kindly include the link to this post.

The first noble scholar to speak was Habib Mashhur, Habib Umar bin Hafidh’s oldest brother. Habib Mashhur is also the mufti of Tarim. The next to speak was Habib Abdullah bin Shihab. Soon after, Habib Salim Al-Shatiry, the Sultan of Scholars, began his speech. Habib Salim said that all these majalis (gatherings) were from the barakah of the martyrdom of Habib Umar’s beloved father.

After this, Habib Umar began by speaking about the blessings of these gatherings.

Praise is due to Allah with thanks, for the blessings that come down in succession. We praise Him in secret and openly, and in the mornings and evenings (part of an Imam Al-Haddad poem).

He sent upon the clouds of His mercy and made us of the Community of the best of His creation. And He allowed us to enjoy life - those who remember, remember and they turn to the Most Merciful, Mighty and Majestic is He. And He prepared for us those who remind us, and those who make us pay attention, and those who warns us, and those who guide us.

In this month of Rabi Al-Awwal, Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wasalam was born, and he came into existence. Alhamdulilah for this blessing.

And how many people have attended this gathering? From all over the world, from within Hadramawt and from outside Hadramawt. All trying to implement the methodology our Prophet taught us, peace be upon him.

We came from different tribes, different places. Coming together to remember Allah. [On the day of judgment) there will be people on pedestals of light. The prophets and martyrs will have ghibt (halal jealousy) for these people on the pedestals of light. And the prophets and martyrs will ask: Who are these people? [They will be told:] they are the ones who love one another for the sake of Allah. May Allah make us from them!

We have heard the description of the Prophet peace and mercy be upon him. And remember the responsibilities upon us, [knowing and working for]:

* the realities of islam
* the realities of iman
* the realities of ihsan

And these realities will not manifest within someone except that they are connected to this Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him. [Therefore,] follow this Prophet!

You have heard about the martyrdom of our father, Habib Muhammad Bin Salim Bin Hafidh Bin Shaykh Abu Bakr Bin Salim. And all the good that came from him [and his sacrifice]. His [courage and selflessness] could not have come except through the connection to the Prophet and [through] the Prophet’s teachings, peace and mercy be upon him.

We saw how the pious predecessors were concerned with Da’awah and their extreme level of mercy towards creation. As we just heard about the life of Habib Umar bin Abdullah Al Shatiry and how he was merciful to the young and old. Likewise with Habib Muhammad bin Shihab; how people used to weep in his gatherings.

All of these blessed occurrences was due to their connection to the Prophet and the mercy of the Prophet; [for he is] the door to God’s mercy. Our righteous predecessors saw before them the faces of those who manifested these realities, those who had the secrets of this message. Such as Habib Ali Al-Habshi and many others. These are the realities of the jewels of this valley (Hadramawt). The jewels of the Muslims in the East and West.

All of this was attainable through the connection to Al-Amin, peace be upon him. How many blessings have occurred through these moments of purity [with Allah]? In which the pious predecessors turned to their Lord and the light [He gave them] was spread to others through their sincerity.

And how many groups of people became Muslim, without a sword, without wars, but through the sincerity of these men. The people of Allah worship Allah through dhikr (remembrance), through ritual prayer, and through salawat upon the Prophet. And there is no way to draw closer to Allah through one of his creation than through remembering the Prophet Muhammad, sala Allahu alayhi wasalam. There is no invoking blessings upon anyone like invoking blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, sal Allahu alayhi wasalam! May Allah build up our hearts through remembering this Prophet. As our beloved Prophet told us: “None of you truly believes until I become more beloved than his parents and his children and all people.”

If we remember his birth, his migration, the wars he fought in, and the tears he wept… O you whose eyes rarely weep out of love and out of fear of Allah! How many a tear did your Prophet shed? We ask Allah that He shows mercy to us.

Whose Ummah is this? He is this Ummah’s example, he is this Ummah’s light. He is the one who will show them mercy [when interceding for them before Allah] and he is the one who has the most right to their love. Before anyone [in rank], before any human or jinn, there is Muhammad, sal Allahu alayhi wasalam. The Sahaba always used to think of him in their seclusion and they used to cry remembering him.

Habib Jafar bin Muhammad Al-Aydarus wrote: “My young heart has become torn asunder out of love for the best of creation.”

We have to revive these meanings [and realities]! We have to have Allah and His Messenger be more beloved to us than anything. May Allah revive all the good qualities that were in the gatherings of the pious predecessors. You would see their gatherings full of tranquility. And of fear of Allah. If anyone came in [to their gatherings] with a heart full of worldly worries, they would leave them with their heart freed of those worries. If they came in in darkness, they would leave illuminated. He is the One who your heart is in His hands. He is the One whose hand lies your husn al khatima (a good ending). He is the Hayy Al-Qayyum (the Living, the Self-Sustaining)! May Allah bring back upon us what our righteous predecessors had of His grace. And may Allah increase us from His grace, rectify this valley, rectify all the Muslims, rectify them from the barriers that veil them from Your Greatness. And allow us to taste the sweetness of faith. wa Alhamdulilah rabb al alameen.

Translated by Amjad Tarsin.
Compiled by Mikael Pittam and Amjad Tarsin.

To hear the full lecture, please visit Habib Umar’s website: http://www.alhabibomar.com/Lecture.aspx?SectionID=8&RefID=738
Click on the “Play” button on the right column of the page.

(reproduced from IslamCrunch)

Khasais Kubra

Al-Khasâis al-Kubra by al-Imâm Jalâludîn al-Suyûti RahmatulLahu ‘alayh.

- When did Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wassalam use his ring? When he wrote letters to Persians and Romans as a seal ~ he modified the method he relay the message Sallahu ‘alayhi wa alhi wassalam.

- Mutawatir is when it originates from different sources but have the same narration eg. the attack of elephants in the Year of Elephant. It came from two different sources and Allah relayed in the Al-Qur’an in Surah Al-Feel.

- Definition of hadith sahih: rigorously authenticated; one which has a continuous isnad, made up of reporters of trustworthy memory from similar authorities, and which is found to be free from any irregularities (i.e. in the text) or defects (i.e. in the isnad)
Definition of hadith hasan: a hadith which is not Shadhdh (no irregularities), nor contains a disparage reporter in its isnad, and which is reported through more than one route of narration.

- Muntajasima are anthropomorphist and they attributed human character to Allah (Exalted is He).

- Abu Na’im Al-Isfahani was from Persia (Isfahan). His name is Ahmad bin Abdullah and he was a syafi’e and asy’ari. He lived for 94 years (336 AH – 430 AH). His first teacher was his own grandfather and his father was a muhadith who travelled widely to collect ahadith (He was obsessed with collecting ahadith and was called hufadz (100 hadith, biography, chain, rawayatain memorized)). Abu Na’im became a scholar and al-hafidz when he was just 10 years old. He received ijazah on hadith even as far as Uzbekistan and had the shortest chain of hadith unknown to people at that time. Abu Bakar Al-Khatib (rahmatulLahu ‘alayh) said only two person can have the title of hufadz and he is one of them. Ibnu Taymiyah said that he is the greatest of hufadzul hadith.

- Al-Hakim narrated on the authority of Salman Al-Farisi, it was relayed from Abdul Mutalib on one of his journey to Syria (rihlatal syita’, rihalatal sayf was to Yemen in wintertime) that they stayed with some jewish scholars. One of the people of Zabur (psalms of David) said to him who is this man?
He is from Quraisy.
From which quraisy?
From Hisyam.
Would you allow me to see his body?
Of course, as long as it’s not my awrah.
He looked into my nostril and he can see kingship. He looked into the other and he can see something of Bani Zuhrah.
Do you have a wife from Banu Zuhrah?
At that moment, he was not married to the lady from Bani Zuhrah yet.

- The story of Abrahah: http://www.bogvaerker.dk/Elephant.html

- Hassan bin Thabit RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu became muslim when he was 60 years old. He passed away when he was 120 years old. He was only a child when Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wassallam was born. A particular tribe of jews gathered and cried as they can see that the star of Ahmad had risen. It was on the 12th of Rabi’ul Awwal in the Year of Elephant.

- Related by Imam Bayhaqi, Tabrani and Muslim that light was emanating from Sayidatina Aminah (this was before he was born). She could see the palace of Bosra.

- When he was born, he bowed down his head, and Syifa’ (mother of Abdul Rahman ibnu ‘auf RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhum) held him Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wassallam and she saw the light. She said she is the first believer.

- The Ka’bah shook and idols fell on their faces (narrated by Abu Nu’aym).

- On the night, the sorcerer and magicians had veil and they could not talk to jinns.

- Sayidatina Amina did not have pain during childbirth.

- Further reading: Dalail Al-Nubuwa Imam Bayhaqi.

Al-Habib Ahmad bin Zayn Al-Habshi

AL-HABIB AHMAD BIN ZAYN AL-HABSHI
By : ash-Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mash-hur bin Taha al-Haddad
Translated by: Shaykh Muhammad Mlamali Adam

In the name of Allah, the Infinitely Merciful, the Compassionate. The Laud is Allah's the Laud of the grateful, the Laud that is equal to His bounty and sufficing to His increment thereto. And blessings and peace be upon the Lord of Prophets and the Beloved of the Creator and Sustainer and Nourisher of the worlds, and may Allah be pleased with his kinsmen and companions and successors… Says the said as-Sayyid Ahmad:

As for the author of an-Nafahat as-Sirriyyah (that is the Commentary on al-Ayniyya), he is the all round Imam, a deep ocean, who dispenses graced wisdom both comprehensively and in detail, assembles diverse gnoses and who is an heir to Masters of sactified secrets al-Habib Ahmad bin Zayn al-Habshy of the town of Ghurfa in the Valley of Hadhramawt.

He was born in the year 1069 Hijriyya and grew up in the best 'Alawiyya surroundings, and traces his line to al-Mustafa -- the Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace of Allah.

He worked hard in searching for 'ilm from his very youth; learnt the Qur'an by heart and acquired various kinds of 'ilm from the 'ulamaa of his home area, except that he did not find everything he wanted in his town of al-Ghurfa. He travelled to Seyun and Tarim. Dates were his only provision. He used to frequent the 'ulamaa and attend their darsas and pick up their priceless pearls. He attached himself to al-'Arif Billahi 'Abdalla bin Ahmad Balfaqih and studied under him many titles of Sacred Law and Gnosis. He also studied under as-Sayyid al-Imam Ahmad bin 'Umar al-Hinduwan who gave him magnificent predictions about the future at the mountain path of the tomb of Prophet Hud, upon whom be peace. He had contacts with many of the 'Ulamaa of Hadhramawt and Yaman and al-Haramayn (the Sacred Sanctuaries of Makka and al-Madina). He exhausted all the 'ulum they had. And the last to whom he attached himself exclusively at the end was Qutb al-Irshad al-Habib 'Abdalla bin 'Alawi al-Haddad. He befriended him for about 40 years and received his infinite 'ulum and gnoses, and he never ceased studying under him. In fact he died when al-Habib Ahmad was reading to him al-Muwatta of Imam Malik and Sharh as-Sunnah --- the Commentary on the Sunnah -- of al-Imam al-Baghwy. And he used to revere and venerate him and urge people to study under him.

As for veneration for his Shaykh, that was beyond words. Indeed he took him as proof for everything. He used to say : "What we believe and dedicate ourselves to Allah upon, is that our Shaykh al-Haddad has inherited the states of all saints, predecessors and the successors alike. We have seen that both with our physical eyes and through revealed knowledge." And for this reason he surrendered himself totally to him. Indeed, he quotes his Shaykh, namely al-Haddad as saying : We do not say anything other than what Abul-Hasan ash-Shadhili said: "Whosoever finds a source of water sweeter that this one should accordingly quench his thirst there." For this reason he stopped at his Shaykh's water source and drank and drank, and consequently became The Shaykh of the People, and caravans headed for him.

His Knowledge
He devoted his whole time acquiring both inner and outer 'ulum. Therefore he said: After I was 70 years of age I had no other desire except 'ilm. Indeed, he looked at about 100 books around him and said: "Were all these books to be destroyed , I would reproduce them from my heart." He studied most of the highly regarded books of ash-Shafi'i and others on the subject of exegesis and the Hadith and instrumental subjects and recitations and medicine and mathematics and engineering, the 'ulum of the Folk and Subleties as you may well observe in his all-comprehensive Safinah which runs to 25 volumes.

Exposition
He was given the gift of brevity and the facility of easy exposition understood by the brilliant of mind and slow of wit, the near and the far. He had a grip on the hearts of listeners and the ability to move them to the manifest truth. And when he expounded on the hidden gnoses and ma'arif, he had the ocean at the tip of his tongue. And when he ventured into fine subtleties, it was as if he was picking roses. There he was among the guiding inviters to Allah, reaching the ears and removing rust from hearts.

His Writings
He had well-rounded titles on intelligible and received subjects, and they all point to his vast and deep scholarship, the first and the most deserving of mention being Sharh al-'Ayniyya which is called: An-Nafahatu as-Sirriyah wa-n-Nafahat al-Amiriyyah, and al-Mawaridi al-Haniyyah: Sharh al-Qasida al-Baiyya whose openings lines are : Here is my counsel O man of distinction and becoming deportment -- composed by al-Imam al-Haddad, and Sabil ar-Rushd wal-Hidaya -- the Sharh of Qasida an-Nuniyyah whose opening is: Be counselled to adhere to Taqwa both in private and in public, and al-Jadhabat ash-Shawqiyyah and ar-Rawdh an-Nadhir -- and they are all commentaries on the Qasaid of al-Imam al-Haddad. Also among his works are: al-Maqasid as-Swaliha, and Turyaq al-Asrar, and al-Qawl ar-Raiq and al-Maslak as-Sawiyy and Fat-hu al-Hayyi al-Qayyum and al-Isharat as-Suffiyah and ar-Risalat al-Jami'ah on the theme of 'Ibadah and an opuscule in explanation of the Tariqa of the Sadat Abi 'Alawi. He also has beautiful poetry which is highly regarded, and this huge as-Safinah al-Jami'ah which runs to over 20 volumes in which he amassed the sciences of exegesis of the Qur'an and Hadith and other Sufi 'ulum and astronomy as stated when discussing his scholarship. The sum of things is that he was a veritable unfathomed ocean. And what a Safinah his book is : full of divine adab and prophetic wisdoms.

His acts of worship and strivings
He was, may Allah show him mercy, all oriented to his Lord. His pre-occupations did not stop him from writing on 'ilm diffusing it among seekers; he had many 'Ibadat, hardly an hour passed which did not find him engaged in act of obedience to his Lord. He was ardently anxious in adhering to the model of his grandfather, upon whom be blessings and peace of Allah, the Qur'an being constantly in front of him and acting as his leader. He was frequent of invocation of the Word of at-Tawhid, invoking it 70,000 times on each occasion and dedicated on congregational prayers and enduring difficulties in the pursuit of the Rida of his Lord. Acts which please Allah and the love of Allah overpowered him as indeed he said in one of his qasidas :

What aspiration have I
What desire
Except seeking nearness to the Lord
That He may look at me with mercy
That day when I meet Him
Well pleasing to Him
Also He with me
Well-pleased

His zuhud in the world and the wordly
He was a zahid -- renouncer of the world -- avoiding it as a matter of choice, lifting up his aspirations away from it and its people. And he used to say : "The people of Allah did not descend upon it." His student, namely, al-Habib Muhammad Zayn bin Sumayt said: "We sat with him for many years but I never heard him mentioning the world nor incline to its people. He used to look at its people with lack of appreciation, and to the renouncers of the world and people of contentment which high regard and veneration. In addition, he used to undertake enormous religious activities like renewing sacred sites, zawiyas, constructing mosques in different parts of the country, mosques which are still there now; and they are in active use with congregational prayers and darsas and invocations of the Name of Allah -- dhikr. He used to spend large amounts of money on them, seeking thereby to be near Allah and upholding the Word of the Exalted: "By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give freely of that which ye love" ('Aal-i 'Imran: 92).

His adabs and nature
None except those who witnessed him and sat with him can adequately describe them: There he was among his friends and his students, a veritable kindly father and a beautiful garden full of fruits, liberal of nature to close intimates as well as strangers, extremely humble and compassionate, patient, forgiving, modest and awe-inspiring. He covered people with his 'ilm and his good nature and enveloped them with his generosity and loving kindness. Full of acknowledgement that he has not discharged the divine obligations, all the time in a state of indigence to his Lord. These are the distinctions which mark him out and with them he ascended to lofty position, and his benefits include both the town and desert. He soared to the station of as-Siddiqiyyah on the testimony of his Shaykh al-Haddad. And he became a place of homage, the destination of students and visitors to his protected town of al-Hawtah until he died in the year 1145 Hijriyyah. He was succeeded in his station by his son, the very learned Ja'afar bin Ahmad, then his sons who came after -- all committed to the 'Alawi Path until our own day. May Allah infuse all of us with his imdadat via their intercession, - Amin.

Rabi'ul Awal

Alhamdulillah we are blessed to have entered the month of Rabi`. May Allah increase us in closeness and connection to His Beloved, peace and blessings be upon him.

Sayyidi al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him) said: if we look at the full moon we realise that the reason for its fullness is because it is fully facing the sun. The degree of the moon’s completion is according to its facing the source of light. Likewise if a believer fully faces the source of perfection (the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) then he will achieve perfection. For this reason the first group of believers to enter Paradise are described by the Prophet as being like the full moon in their illumination.

Someone complained to Habib Umar that there are too many praiseworthy attributes that we must attain and too many blameworthy attributes from which we must purify ourselves. Even if we focused on just one of these attributes it would take a lifetime. Habib Umar replied that if one can attain two attributes it will lead to the attainment of all praiseworthy attributes and to purification from all blameworthy attributes:

1. Constant awareness of Allah with a heart that is present
2. Following the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with complete awareness (of that following).

Shaykh Umar Husayn al-Khatib (may Allah preserve him) explained the second attribute as being following the Prophet while witnessing that he is in front of you. For example if you drink sitting down you do not do it merely intending following the Sunna, rather you witness that this is how the Prophet would have done it. Likewise with anything you say or do you ask yourself is this how he would have done it? For that reason when Sayyiduna Ikrimah was mortally wounded he asked, “Is this a death that is pleasing to the Messenger of Allah?”

Attached are a couple of formulas of Habib Umar’s prayers upon the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and a beautiful du’a

Habib Umar (may Allah preserve him) recommends reading the following:



* اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ على سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ أَنْبِيَائِكَ وسَيِّدِ رُسُلِكَ وأَكْرَمِ خَلْقِكَ وَإِمَامِ أَهْلِ حقِيْقَةِ تَوْحِيْدِكَ وَ صَفْوَتِكَ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ وَعلى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيماً وانْصُرْنَا بِهِ وأَصْلِحْ بِهِ شُئُونَنَا وَ شُئُونَ أُمَّتِهِ أَجْمعِيْنَ .

O Allah send your blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad, the Seal of Your Prophets, the Master of Your Messengers, the Most Noble of Your Creation, the Imam of the people who have realised the reality of Your oneness, the best of Your slaves, and upon his family and companions and give us victory through him and rectify through him our affairs and the affairs of his whole Umma.

* اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ على سَيْدنَا مُحَمَّدْ نُورِكَ السَّارِي وَمَدَدِكَ الجَارِي واجْمَعْنِي بِهِ فِي كُلِّ أَطْوَارِي وعلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ يَانُورْ

O Allah send your blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad, Your light which spreads and Your assistance which flows (throughout creation) and join me with him in all my states, and upon his family and companions, O Light!

This is the du’a of Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al-Attas (may Allah have mercy upon him):



اللَّهُمَّ ياربَّ سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) و آلِ سيِّدنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ ) ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِحَقِّ سيِّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ على سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) و أَنْ تُحَبِّب إِلينا سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ)و أَنْ تُحَبِّبَنا إِلى سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ(صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ ) و أَنْ تُخَلِّقَنا بِأَخْلاقِ سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) و أَنْ تَرْزُقَنا المُتابعةَ لِسيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) و أَنْ تَرْفَعَ الحِجَابَ بَيْنَنا وَبَيْنَ سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) و أَنْ تَجْمَعْ بَيْنَنَا وَبْينَ سيَّدِنا محمَّدٍ (صلّى الله علَيهِ وسَلَّمْ) فِي الأوَّلِ وَالآخِرِ وَالظَّاهِرِ وَالباطِنِ والسِّرِّ والعَلانِيَةِ واليَقَظَةِ والمَنَام والحَيَاةِ والمَمَاتِ فِي الدنيا والآخِرَةِ فِي لُطْفٍ وَعافيةٍ



O Allah, Lord of our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and of the family of our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) I ask you by the right of our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to send blessings upon our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to make beloved to us our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to make us beloved to our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to bless us with the noble character traits of our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to help us to follow our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to remove the veil between us and our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to bring us together with our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) at the beginning and at the end, inwardly and outwardly, in secret and in public, when we are awake and when we are asleep, in life and at death, in this life and the next with ease and wellbeing.

Khasais Kubra

Al-Khasâis al-Kubra by al-Imâm Jalâludîn al-Suyûti RahmatulLahu ‘alayh.

- Ummiyyeen came from the word ummi which means ‘unlettered’ or for babies – pure. If we went to a river, we can feel ummi. Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam is always teaching us.
هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ (62:2)
- • 62:2 (Picktall) He it is Who hath sent among the unlettered ones a messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelations and to make them grow, and to teach them the Scripture and Wisdom, though heretofore they were indeed in error manifest, (Surah Jum’ah)
- In the above verse Allah is answering Prophet Ibrahim Alayhi Salam prayers when he asked:
رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ العَزِيزُ الحَكِيمُ (2:129)
• 2:129 (Picktall) Our Lord! And raise up in their midst a messenger from among them who shall recite unto them Thy revelations, and shall instruct them in the Scripture and in wisdom and shall make them grow. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, Wise. (Notice how the du’a was answered slightly different)

- 2:30 Waith qala rabbuka lilmalaikati innee jaAAilun fee alardi khaleefatan The first khalifah was prophet Adam alayhi salam.

- 7:156 لَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ

- Ummi state is the state of newly-born babies.

- Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam is never addressed as ‘Ya Muhammad’ in the Al-Qur’an. Only 4 times ‘Muhammad’ was used in the whole Al-Qur’an.

- According to Asakair (historian) – hasan hadith, Abu Bakar As-Sidiq said: I went to Yemen before ‘al-bi’th’. We went to a place called Azal. I met an old man who has knowledge (from jews or Christian). (In that time in Mekka, only a few man can be described like that eg Waraqah). He used to read books, about 360 years old, and he said to me: It appears to me that you came from Mekkah? ‘yes’ and he said: It appears to me that you are Quraisy? ‘yes’ and he said: it appears to me that you are tayyib (pure)? ‘yes’. I just have one more request, will you take off your shirt for me please? ‘why?’ I knew from my reading, that a messenger will be send to the people of Mekkah. There will be two sahabi (companions), one young guy and the other one matured (qahal – middle-aged). He is thin and tall, very pale in colour and he will have a big birth mark above his thigh, one mark above his navel. Anta huwa bi Rabbul Ka’bah (you are him by The Lord of Ka’bah).

- Abdullah ibnu Amar RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu used to study Zabur and in it he found 150 chapters. In the fourth surah, it was stated ‘Ya Dawood, the earth belongs to Me and I will give it to Muhammad and his people.’

- Sayidina Umar RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu went to Jerusalem and was refused the key to the city. They did not hand him the keys until Sayidina Umar RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu ran after his mule and raised his arms. They said that they saw all the description and he will enter the town as a meek, he will be walking while his servant rode and he has three patches on his clothe. (They could not see the three patches until he raised his arm chasing after the mule.)

- According to Al-Hakim (Al-Hakim’s narration is sahih on the condition of Imam Muslim) on how Salman Al-Farisi became a muslim (RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhum). ‘How do I became muslim’ ‘I was an orphan. I was living in Persia and my brother was rich but I was poor. I do respect my brother a lot. I noticed my brother used to sneak off and I followed him to a steep hill. He always said ‘you can’t follow me, you are a small child. I am worried that something might harm you.’ ‘Do not be scared for me.’ ’This is a forest where a few people were worshipping Allah.’ These are a few people who looked as if their spirits have gone away from them. They fasted all day and stayed all night and ate trees and always praised Allah. They told stories about prophets until Sayidina Isa Alayhi Salam and then the wise man will give a dars. ‘Ya Ghulam (O Boy)! Listen carefully. Inna laka Rabban (Verily, you have a Lord). You are going somewhere and in front of you there will be garden...’ One day, the group was instructed by angles to get up and leave. The wise man gave me advice ‘Ittaqullah (have fear of Allah). And follow what Isa has told you. He went with them to Jerusalem. There he met a group of people who praised Allah. They fasted for six days and came on Sunday to give dars about all the prophets up to Sayidina Isa Alayhi Salam. He said to me that he is an old man. He said that the time of the final prophet is approaching. There are three signs of this final prophet: he will be staying in a place between two black stones, he will not eat from charity (sadaqa) but he will take from gift (hadiya) and he has the Seal of the final prophet between his shoulder blade. Salman was captured and became a slave to a jewish lady. She sold him to her cousin from bani Qurayza in Madina. He gave dates to the Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam and said it was a sadaqa. Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam took it and distributed it among his companion but he did not eat it himself. When Salman RadhiyaAllahu ‘anh came with gift of dates, he ate it sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. When Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi waalihi wa sallam was digging a grave, Salman turned around and pulled his shirt Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam and saw the sign between his shoulder blade the size of pigeon’s head. He became muslim.

- Arab according to Imam Malik RahmatulLahu ‘alayh are the one who speaks Arabic. Imam Sibawayh Rahmatullahu ‘alayh is an Arabic grammarian and he is a Persian. Similarly, Imam Bukhari is a Tajik born in Bukhara (now Uzbekistan) and Imam Muslim was born in Nishapur (Iran).

Advice on Gaza

Please read this it'll only take a few minutes. Some really PRACTICAL advice regarding the situation in Gaza.

A brother's version of the advice he received from the Habayab of yemen may Allah swt raise their rank.... I don't know who this brother is I received it online from another friend. Spread it if you feel it will benefit others.


Assalamu alaikum,

Insha Allah, my dear brothers and sisters you are all well. Not a day passes during which I don't think of you all. May Allah (swt) grant us all firmness in iman, during these times.

Subhan Allah, with all that is happening to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, some of us may be asking "what can I do to help?". Is it by way of protests, sending aid, making dua etc?

I have been fortunate to be in the company of the 'ulama and saliheen and so I will attempt, in my broken English, to summarise their advice to the Muslim ummah. I have selected some quotes of Habib Omar, said during an address while we were with him in the valley of the Prophet Hud (as), a couple of weeks back, and also a quote or two from Habib Hussein, taken from a class he g a ve recently.

Habib Omar, may Allah preserve him, no doubt acknowledged that the Jews just continue doing what they do, as they have been for centuries - nothing new and we shouldn't be surprised. The surprise is not in how the non-Muslims treat us. The surprise is how the Muslims have changed over time and how they have become distant from their Creator. He goes on to say, the Allah of today is the same Allah that has saved and destroyed many nations of old. He is the same Allah who destroyed Fir'awn, 'Ad and Thamud, and the nation of Nuh (as) etc. He is the same Allah who saved Musa (as) and his people from Fir'awn, He is the same Allah who gave victory to the Prophet Hud (as), He is the same Allah who gave victory to the P rophet Nuh (as) after he raised his hands to Allah (swt) as per Surat al-Qamar, Ayat 9 to 11:
كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُوا عَبْدَنَا وَقَالُوا مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ

"Before them the People of Nuh rejected (their messenger): they rejected Our servant, and said, "Here is one possessed!", and he was driven out."
فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ

"Then he (Nuh) called on his Lord: "I am surely defeated: send your Victory""
فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ ا! لسَّمَاء بِمَاء مُّنْهَمِرٍ

"So We opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring forth."

Habib Omar explained to us, in the most eloquent manner, with force and conviction, in the three dimensional, eternal language of Arabic, that the fault lies with the Muslim ummah. He questioned, who of us is sincere in their du'a to Allah (swt)? He questioned who of us gets up in the middle of the night and calls upon his Creator as was the regular practice of the sahabah, of the tabi'een, and many of the glorious empires of Islam where even the common man got up in the middle of the night to weep before his Lord.

Habib Hussein put it another way. If the thousands of protestors around the world, screaming and shouting at the unsympathetic governments were to redirect their efforts towards calling upon Allah (swt) this would be far more effective and beneficial. Why? Allah (swt) teaches us in Surat Al-Mu'minun, Ayah 76:

وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَر ّ َعُونَ

"We inflicted Punishment on them, but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor do they submissively entreat (Him)!"

Habib Hussein explains the tafsir behind this ayah. Any time a people have had some form of punishment inflicted on them, two things are required:
1. Tamaskan – in the ayah, the word اسْتَكَانُو is used. The root word is miskeen. Allah requires that we be in the state of a broken human being, brought to his knees in humility before Him. This is the first condition.
2. Tadara'an – in the ayah, the word يَتَضَرَّعُونَ is used. This is a form of du'a. There are two types of du'a. Firstly, there is the du'a that we normally make everyday, possibly in a low voice, or in public such as at the end of a prayer etc. The second form of du'a is that which Allah (swt) refers to in this Ayah. This du'a is literally crying out loud, screaming out to Allah (swt), begging Him for help. Many of the ummah perform the first type of du'a. Few perform the second du'a. Perhaps none of us in the West have seen the second form of du'a.

The scary part is that if we are not in these two states ie, being in a humble, sorry state before Allah and then calling upon Him in a sorrowful state, He will bring us to our knees through His creation. For far too long as an ummah in the modern times, we have been too arrogant to bring our selves to our knees before Allah (swt) in a sincerely humble state. So we are being forced to right now. How many of us have received text messages from someone who doesn't normally pray or make dua, requesting you to make du'a, read surat Yasin for our Palestinian brethren or stay up in the middle of the night praying.

If the half a million protestors were to just get up in the middle of the night, pray two rak'at and then throw themselves before Allah (swt) tadara'an this would be better for the Muslim ummah and more effective as we will be addressing our issues to the One who is the Most Merciful and sympathetic to our situation.

Do not misunderstand this advice. The Jews and other kuffar complicit in the murders of innocent men, women and children will be brought to justice by Allah (swt). The focal point here is what is our duty as Muslims now, in these unforgiving times, whe r e the fitan increase by the minute. The archetypes of the eras of old are all lessons for us on how to deal with these situations. Remember, it's the same Allah then as is now.

Habib Hussein also mentioned how some Muslims have chosen to boycott Israeli products. If it is known that certain businesses openly and actively support the war on the Muslims then this is ok. However to boyco tt Jewish products altogether is not a tool to victory. It was known that Rasul Allah (saws) openly made trade with the Jews, and even those Jews who were his enemies. Even at the time of his passing he had some of his goods with them and they with him (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, his family and companions).

Rather than boycott the products we should be boycotting the thoughts and ideologies that are invading our homes, through the television, the internet and other media. Why isn't anyone declaring war on the intellectual warfare that is being waged against our Muslim women, children, youths and men. That is the deadliest war.

As for what is happening in Gaza, Rasul Allah (saws) made du'a that the majority of his ummah be shuhadah (martyrs). Remember : our dead are in Jannah, their dead are in Jahannam. He also opened our eyes to another scenario. What if both sides were Muslims attacking each other? The outcome would be that the killer and the killed would both be sent to Jahannam.

So lets not despair from the mercy of Allah. We need to look at the situation through the eyes of the 'arifin (the knowers of Allah). These are all events unfolding in the greater plan of Allah (swt). Sure, what is happening is gruesome and makes us all cry for our dead, due to the injustice that is occurring. Rasul Allah (saws) says "whoever sleeps at night, and does not care about the affairs of the Muslims, is not from us".

We grieve over the injustice. Yet, let our actions and reactions be directed by the nur al ilahi (Divine Light) and the nur khayr khalqillah (The Light o f the Best of Creation). This can only be done by taking advice from the heirs of the Prophets, the true 'ulama.

The real tools for victory are the following:
· Turning back to the One who can give victory in an instant. As Allah (swt) uses the phrase in the Qur'an : just like the blinking of an eye.
· Make a sincere tawbah to Allah (swt) and make a promise from this day on to reject all actions against the rida (acceptance) of Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saws) and promise to try to be a better Muslim each day by advancing yourself in your akhlaq and knowledge;
· Being pure and sincere in your dua, by acknowledging in your heart to Allah that you are in need of Him and that you are nothing;
· Being sincere and focused in our salat;
· Being in regular company of the true 'ulama and taking on their advice
· Increasing our 'ibadat. The time has come to move on from being minimalists. Those of us just performing Fara'id need to step up a notch and start performing Nawafil.
· Start getting up in the middle of the night and call upon the Most Merciful.
· Try to minimise our interaction with those who don't carry La ilaha ila Allah in their heart. Limit it to what is necessary for da'wah and daily business interaction. Start putting up barriers around your heart and only let in that which is loved by Allah and His Prophet (saws). Do the same in your homes. Protect your children and spouses from thoughts not originating from the Divine source. If your children go to public schools and spouses work in environments where Muslims are the minority then the following points become crucial;
· Daily, read a portion of the Qur'an and ponder its meaning
· Daily, create a circle of knowledge in the home where the seerah, shama'il, ahadith and personality of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) are studied;
· Fill your homes with the practice of the sunnah of the beloved Prophet (saws);
· Increase your dhikr by reciting regularly and daily : lailaha ila Allah, salawat on the Prophet Muhammad (saws),
· Daily make a sincere tawbah to Allah.
· Daily give a form of sadaqah to advance the Deen of Allah (swt).
· Once a month, or once a year or once in your life do something that benefits the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). This is what really makes Rasul Allah (saws) happy. He (saws) says "the deeds of my ummah and shown to me". Right now both the good and bad deeds of the ummah are shown to our beloved Nabi (saws).
· Be an ambassador to Rasul Allah (saws) by living his character.
· Seek knowledge from the traditional mashayikh and avoid fringe groups who end up withering away just like today's fad.
· Be a teacher of Qur'an, Seerah, Sunnah or other Islamic sciences and help spread the truth.!
· Be a forgiving servant of your fellow Muslim brethren and assume they are better than you.

I hope this puts things in perspective and allows us to be a little more focussed in our direction. By performing the above, insha Allah we will be working toward being an ummah, loved by Allah so that once we raise our hands and ask for the victory, He sends down angels from the Heavens to stand by our side.


Your faqir brother........

On Reliance on God

Chapter 31 The Book of Assistance, On Reliance On God(Tawakkal)

BismilLah

-Syeikh began by asking us to think what are the connections between sabr, syukur zuhud and tawakkal.
- Stations (maqaam) have three elements in it: ‘ilm, ‘amal and haal (knowledge, state and action).
- Imam Ghazali said tawakkal is manzilu min manaazilu deen (Manzil being a place to rest or relax, a station, home) wa maqaam min maqamat muqeenun (those with certainty, syukur and tawakkal have the same origin but with different maqam and Imam Bukhari and Imam Haddad put syukur before tawakkal in their books) bal huwa min ma’ali (higher) darajat muqtaribeena (those who seek to come close) wa ufi nafsi ghamidoon min haythu ‘ilm wa syaqul ‘amal– it is ghamid: difficult to comprehend in knowledge and difficult in action.
- Imam Malik was the first muhaddith to organise his book in chapters. He collected ahadith and prayed istikhara before placing the hadith in which chapter.
- In Ihya’ of Imam Ghazali, he placed tawakkal in book 5 (last quarter: munjiyaat) chapter 4 and named it Kitab tawhid and tawakkal.
- The first section in Al-Hikam is fiqh al-asbab ie the mean.

- Tawakkal came from the root word wakala. It means handing over responsibility and depending on their judgement. Wakala is translated as an agent in english.
- According to Imam Ghazali the reality of a mutawakkil connected to his heart. It is like I’timadul haj ie handing over stone to someone in haj.
- Four qualities to have tawakkal on someone:
- muntahal hidaya (upmost guidance) – the one who guide
- have the power
- fisaha (eloquence) with action
- syafaqa (compassion, affable)
- There is a hadith quoted by many muhaddith amongst them Ibnu Majah and Ibnu Hambal who put it in the chapter of Zuhud:
"If only you relied on Allah a true reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does the birds: They fly out in the morning empty and return in the afternoon with full stomachs."
Birds have tawakkal in Allah but they still went out in the morning. According to Ibnu Hajar tawakkal is not leaving the asbab and action. A man said that he did not leave the masjid because his rizq is from Allah. Ahmad Ibnu Hambal said that this man did not have knowledge.

du'a yawmul asyura

BismilLah.

For yawmul asyura (10th of Muharram):
- read the first part (HasbunaAllahu wa ni'mal wakeel, ni'mal mawla wa ni'man naseer) 70 times
- and the du'a (subhanaAllahi mil'al mizaan.. till the end) 7 times.

May Allah accept your effort.