Alhamdulillah, wa Sallallahu wa Sallama ‘Ala Sayyidina Rasulillah, wa Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Man Walah! Amma Ba’du:
I thought I would share with you the short compilation of Habib ‘Umar Bin Hafiz of Ahadith (sayings, deeds and taccit aprovals) of the Messenger of Allah Salawatullah wa Salamuhu ‘Alayh. It is the first text taught on the Riwayah al-Hadith (transmission of Hadith) curriculum of Dar al-Mustafa. May Allah benefit us by the Ahadith of his beloved Messenger Muhammad SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam and the Tartib (order of compilation) of Sayyidina Habib ‘Umar, Allahumma Ameen.
It was indeed Allah himself who commaded us with the following in the Qur’an: “Whatever the messenger, take it, and whatever he forbids you from, leave it” and the Messenger SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam has said:
“Bright does Allah make the face of his servant that records and conveys what he hears from me.” And he said “Narrate from me and let those that are present teach those that are absent.” And he pointed to his noble mouth and said “Nothing but truth issues from this.” Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala (Trancendant and Exalted be He) has declared: “And he does not speak of his desire”.
Sahl ibn Sa`d (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Ali ibn Abi Talib, “By Allah! For Allah to guide a single person through you is better for you than red camels.” [Bukhari & Muslim; this wording is Muslim’s]
Mu`adh ibn Anas (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever teaches knowledge to others shall have the reward of those who act upon it, without this dimishing the reward of those people in any way.” [Ibn Maja]
In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful, The Most Compassionate
Note: Whatever is in the brackets is from me. Whatever is between [], I was not sure about the translation.
And from the distinguishing characteristics of the month of Dhul Qa’dah is that all the Umrah’s of the Prophet SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam were in the month, save for his ‘Umrah which he joined with his Hajj, though he SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam [put on Ihram] (أحرم بها)? also in Dhul Qa’dah.
And it as been narrated from a group of the Salaf, amongst them were Ibn ‘Umar (Radhiyallahu ‘Anhuma), ‘Aisha (Radhiyallahu ‘Anha) and ‘Ata (Rahimahullah), that ‘Umrah in Dhul Qa’dah and Shawwal is better than in Ramadan since the Prophet SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam performed ‘Umrah in Dhul Qa’dah.
And Dhul Qa’dah has another virtue, and it is that it has been said: Indeed the 30 days of Dhul Qa’dah and the 10 of Dhul Hijjah (The month after Dhul Qa’dah) are what is referred to in the verse where Allah says: (وَوَٲعَدۡنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَـٰثِينَ لَيۡلَةً۬ وَأَتۡمَمۡنَـٰهَا بِعَشۡرٍ۬) – (We appointed for Moses thirty nights, and completed (the period) with ten (more): thus was completed the term (of communion) with his Lord, forty nights. Surah al-A’raf – Verse 142).
Oh you who does not desist in committing the Haram, not in a Shahrun Haram (Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajjab) nor in a Shahrun Halal (other than the mentioned months)! [Oh one who in obdiences is lagging, and in disobedience is ahead]! Oh one who in every day of his life is worse than the days before!
When will you awaken from this slumber?
When will you make Tawbah from these crimes?
Oh one who has been warned of death by gray hair, yet is steadfast on sinning!
Does this reminder, the Qur’an and Islam not suffice you?
Death is better for you than this state, Wassalam
(Then the Shaykh mentions some poetry, which I am not capable of translating:)
يا غادياً في غفلة و رائحا***إلى متى تستحسنُ القبائحا
و كم إلى كم لا تخاف موقفا***يستنطق الله به الجوارحا
I did not manage to catch the full Mawlid today (29th), though I did catch Habib ‘Umar’s conclusion, the Dua after the Mawlid and the Salah. In the future, we hope to catch the full Mawlid and we reckon that:
1. Mawlid begins at 2:40 GMT
2. Habib ‘Umar’s Dars begins at 3:45 GMT
If anyone has any relevant information, post it as a comment here, may Allah bless you. The links as always are located on the “Mawlids” page. As for this weeks conclusion:
Sidi SoulResources recently mentioned that he would upload the Dua Birr al-Walidayn. One can find it in the Mukh al-’Ibadah of Habib Mustafa al-’Aydarus on page 316 (on this PDF version):
HABIB UMAR BIN HAFITH’S RAMADAN (1430 AH / 2009 CE) MESSAGE
Praise be to Alllah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless His chosen trustworthy servant, our liege-lord Muhammad; the one who brought to us guidance and the religion of clear truth. May Allah bless him, his pure family, his noble and blessed companions and those who follow in their footstep till the Day of recompense.
To proceed:
To our brothers (and sisters), and our beloved for the sake of Allah Most High, the people of Laa ilaaha iIlla Allah Muhammadur Rasulullah, the Muslims of Australia: Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
O Brothers and loved ones for the sake of Allah, transcendent in His Highness, those who believe in Him and His messenger, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions;
we congratulate you on the coming of the forgiveness and mercy and release from the fire; the arrival of the month of Ramadan. The noble month in which Allah began to send down the Quran; He the Exalted and Esteemed said, “The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with clear signs containing clear signs and discrimination.”
The coming of this month is highly significant for you, O believers. Indeed your chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, would endeavour and strive in Ramadan like no other month and he would strive in the last ten days of it like he would not in the rest of the days of Ramadan.
He, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan. When Jibreel Alayhissalam met him in Ramadan, he was more generous than a cool breeze.
It is duty upon you to welcome the month with happiness and thankfulness to Allah most high. Indeed His caller announces in the nights of Ramadan, “O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil fail and fall short.” On the first night of this month the doors to heaven are opened so that not a door of them is closed for the duration of this month, and the doors to the fire are closed so that not a door is opened for the duration of this month; and the rebellious shayateen are chained.
O believers in the first night of the month Allah looks upon His creation and whoever Allah looks upon, He will never punish.
O believers, indeed it is a month of generosity and blessings from Allah most high. He made it obligatory upon us to fast the month, and the Messenger of Allah established the Sunnah of reviving its nights in prayer, thus whosoever fasts the month and revives its nights out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah, comes out of his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him. Whosoever fasts the month, his past sins are forgiven; whosoever stands its nights in worship his past sins are forgiven.
O believers, in welcoming this month expand your intentions, Rise to your Lord, Transcendent Most High, by following his chosen servant Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions. Show those who surround you a reality from the beauty of this Deen, it is the month of generosity, be generous to your neighbors both Muslim and non Muslims. Give them what you can, offer what you can. Present to them a meaning of excellence, whereby a reality of your great Deen and the noble way of Alllah will be made clear to them, thereby following in the footsteps of your Prophet who was most generous in Ramadan.
Be people of generosity by displaying noble character traits.
Be people of generosity by giving and spending according to your ability, and by being of benefit to those around you both Muslim and non Muslim. Show them the greatness of this religion and its generous nature (samaha). Show them the noble character traits it contains, and the uprightness of its path.
Meet the month with reverence and humility because in this month are divine manifestations and superabundant blessings and goodness; He increases in it the reward of a nafl recommendedto the reward of a fardh and the reward of a fardh is multiplied by 70 times. Moreover some narrations have stated that the reward is multiplied to 1000 times. This is the favour of Allah that he grants to whom he wishes; seize the opportunity of the honourable month.
Take advantage of the fasting in it. Indeed Allah is training us with this fasting so that we may ascend in the meanings of adherence to the commandments, and to ascend in the meanings of our aspirations and resolutions.
The abstaining from the necessities of life during the day, namely eating, drinking and marital relations and everything else that nullifies the fast is a declaration that we are a people of determination, we are not imprisoned nor are we enslaved by our lower selves or desires.
For the sake of Allah we leave our desires and for His sake we leave all that He has made forbidden for us, therefore we observe Adab (etiquette) in our fast for Him by being careful with speech so that we do not utter any lie, backbiting nor any harm to anyone of His servants.
O believers!
It is a blessing, to arrive at this noble month when in it is a night better than a thousand months; no one is denied its blessing save the deprived one.
O believers!
It is most becoming for us to revise our relationship with the Quran in this month. That which we have already memorized we repeat and contemplate its meanings; if we don’t understand the meaning in Arabic then a translation of these meanings in a language that we know and understand.
O believers!
It is the month of benevolence, the month of patience and the reward for patience is paradise. It is the month of maintaining family relations, it is the month of looking out for ones neighbours’.
O believers!
The month of seeking forgiveness and asking Allah for Jannah, seeking refuge in Him from the fire, and renewing the pledge with the two testimonies of faith. Our Prophet said, “Perform 4 actions abundantly in Ramadan, 2 actions are pleasing unto your Lord and 2 you cannot do without. As for those that are pleasing unto your Lord; to testify that there is no God other than Allah and seek His forgiveness (istighfaar). As for the 2 actions that you cannot do without, ask Him for Jannah and seek refuge from the fire. Therefore it is most becoming of a believer to repeat in this month “Ash-hadu an laailaha illah Allah nastaghfirullah nas alukal jannah wa nauthu bika mina annar.”
O believer!
Break your fast on Halal and delay the suhoor so long as you don’t fall in doubt. Do not delay the Iftar as soon as you are sure of sunset. Uphold the taraweeh prayer every night, it is best 20 raka’as, surely the one who upholds it will have revived the nights of Ramadan in prayer and you have heard the authentic hadith, “Whosoever stands the nights of Ramadan in worship out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah all his past sins are forgiven.”
Allah forgives in this month and its last night everyone who does not associate partners with Allah, all the Muslims; except one who breaks family ties, the disobedient to his parents, the one who consumes intoxicants and the one who holds grudges in his heart against Muslims. So cleanse yourself and your house from that which denies you this mercy.
Be truthful to your Lord and be joyous at the flowing generosity from the presence of the All Merciful, Loving, Kind, Most High.
May Allah take by my hand and yours, O believer, may He assist you and guide you to integrity in conduct and assist you with His enabling grace to properly take advantage of the nights and days of the month so that you may attain His vast blessing and generosity, Most high.
O Allah! Bless for us Ramadan. O Allah! Make us from the emancipated, released and protected by You from the fire, in Ramadan.
O Allah! Make us from amongst those who are granted the maximum portion of its goodness. Indeed it has come to us that Your prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions, that You emancipate in every night of the month 600,000 people from the fire, and the last night You emancipate as many You emancipated in the whole month.
O Allah! Emancipate our necks from the fire and safeguard us from the humiliation of this dunya and the punishment of the Hereafter. Bless for us the nights of Ramadan and its days and make us from those who maximise their benefit from the month and grant us felicity through the recitation of the Qur’an; upholding the fast on the basis of Taqwa on the basis of Adab, scrupulousness, and an increase in faith and fear of You, love for You and Your Messenger Muhammad sallaAllahhu alaihi wa sallam and love for his family and his companions and all of the righteous of his nation and for all the people of La ilaha illaAllah. Grant us Your love and the love of everyone who is a means to achieve Your love and love of a deed that will draw us near to Your love.
O Allah! Deliver us to Ramadan and safeguard Ramadan for us and take it back from us having been accepted.
May Allah send his blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions and all who follow in his path, and praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.
I will be providing the list of Fiqhi Mutun taught at Dar al-Mustafa, along with their respective translations (if available), Publishing Houses and Online Editions, Insha Allah. Wa Sallallahu ‘Ala Sayyiduna Muhammad Wa Alihi Wa Sahbihi Wa Sallim wa Ba’du:
1. Adh-Dhakhirah al-Musharrafah – The Glorious Treasure – of Sayyidi al-’Allamah al-’Amil al-Habib ‘Umar Bin Muhammad Bin Salim Bin Hafiz
2. Ar-Risalah al-Jami’ah wat-Tadhkirah an-Nafi’ah – The Essentials of Islam – Sayyidi al-Habib Ahmed Bin Zayn al-Habashi al-’Alawi al-Husayni (Student of Imam al-Haddad)
4. Al-Mukhtasar al-Latif Lil Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah – The Subtle Summary of the Hadhrami Introduction [to Fiqh] Shaykh al-Faqih al-’Allamah Abdullah Bin AbdurRahman Ba Fadl al-Hadhrami
10. Al-Minhaj (Minhaj at-Talibin wa ‘Umdah al-Muftin) – The Method of the Seekers and the Reliance of the Muftis – Imam Abu Zakariyyah Yahya Bin Sharaf al-Hizami AN-NAWAWI ash-Shaf’i al-Ash’ari
Presented to you is the Arabic transcript of the section on the month of Sha’ban from the well-acclaimed book Kanz an-Najah was-Surur as well as an English translation by Sayyidi Amjad Tarsin.
All praises are due to Allah the Exalted who has blessed us to be on the doorstep of Ramaḍān. Many of the pious predecessors used to spend months preparing for the efforts they were going to exert in the holy month of Ramaḍān. These are excerpts from the book, “Kanz An-Najāḥ wa As-Surūr” (The Treasures of Success and Happiness) regarding the greatness of Sha‘bān and some of the recommended things to do during this month.
(Please refer to your local mosque for when the month of Sha‘bān begins (either Thursday, July 23rd or Friday, July 24th) or check this website for updates: http://www.crescentwatch.org/cgi-bin/Cw/cw.cgi)
1. Repentance & Fasting:
It is highly recommended to repent frequently (tawbah) and increase in acts of worship, especially fasting. Whosoever prepares themselves with acts of worship and repentance in Sha‘bān will reap the benefits of those acts in Ramaḍān.
Usama ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “I have never seen you offer fast in a month as you do in Sha‘bān.” The Prophet said, “It is a month people disregard that is between Rajab and Ramaḍān. In that month deeds are presented to the Lord of the Worlds, so I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.” [Nasa'i].
2. Salutations Upon the Prophet (peace be upon him):
Sha‘bān is the month of the Prophet peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, for he said, “Sha‘bān is my month.”
It was in this month that the famous verse regarding sending blessing and peace on the Prophet was revealed: {إِنَّٱللَّهَوَمَلاَئِكَـتَهُيُصَلُّونَعَلَىٱلنَّبِيِّيٰأَيُّهَاٱلَّذِينَآمَنُواْصَلُّواْعَلَيْهِوَسَلِّمُواْتَسْلِيماً} {Allah and His Angels send their blessings upon the Prophet, O you who believe send blessings upon him and salutations of peace} (33:56)
Therefore, it is highly encouraged to increase in sending one’s salutations upon the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him. Scholars have said, “Rajab is the month of repentance, Sha‘bān is the month of sending salutations upon the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, and Ramaḍān is the month of the Qur’an.”
3. The 15th Night of Sha‘bān:
On the relation of ‘Atā’ ibn Yasār, may Allah be well pleased with him, who said, “On the 15th night of Sha‘bān the Angel of Death, peace be upon him, copies down the names of all those who will die from that Sha‘bān to the next Sha‘bān…and there is no night after Laylat Al-Qadr better than the 15th night of Sha‘bān.”
Other hadiths also describe the 15th night as being the night in which Allah decrees everyone’s provisions, even after-worldly provisions (Paradise, Hell), therefore it is important to bring that night to life through Prayer, reading Qur’an, and repentance.
Related by Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be well pleased with him and his father, that the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, said, “There are five nights on which du‘ā’ is not turned back: Friday eve, on the eve of Rajab, the 15th night of Sha‘bān, Laylat Al-Qadr, and on the eve of the two ‘Eids.”
Allahumma innaka ‘Afūwun Karīmun tuḥib ul ‘afwa fa‘afu ‘annī, Allahumma innī as’aluka al-‘afū, wa al-‘āfīyah wa al-mu‘āfāt ad-da’imah fī ad-dīni wa ad-dunyā wa al-ākhirah.
O Allah, You are Pardoning and Generous and You love to pardon, so pardon me. O Allah, I ask You for pardoning, good health [in body], and to be [spiritually] health always in my religion, and in this life, and in the hereafter.
It is also highly recommended to read Surah Yā-Sīn 3 times that night, each time with a specific intention:
1. The first time with the intention of Allah increasing the length of your life in worship and good deeds.
2. The second time with the intention of Allah protecting you from tribulations.
3. Lastly, with the intention of Allah not making you reliant on other people.
Clarification: “Giving life to the night” is said to be staying up most of the night in worship, although other scholars have said just one hour. Others have said just be determined to pray ‘Ishā in congregation and Fajr in congregation and that will fulfill “giving life to the night.”
May Allah bless us all and the whole Ummah throughout this month and bless us even more in Ramaḍān.
Alhamdulillah wa Sallallahu wa Sallama ‘Ala Sayyidunah Rasulillah wa Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Man Walah, wa Ba’du:
No matter what people say or do, the fact remains that people cannot be deeply satisfied without knowing the answers to what we like to call “the Big Questions”, and having a clear path which they can see will lead them to their goal. As Shams ad-Din at-Tabrizi says:
“You must bind yourself to knowing this: ‘Who am I? What substance am I? Why have I come? Where am I going? Whence is my root? At this time what am I doing? Toward what have I turned my face?’”
- From Me & Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-i Tabrizi. Trans. W. C. Chittick (Louisville: Fons Vitae, 2004), 51.
A figure whom we like to reflect upon is Hujjat al-Islam al-Ghazali, not only because the Tariqah of the Habaib is partly based on his ‘Ihya, but because he (Rahimahullah wa Radhiya ‘Anhu) was someone who took this very strongly, arrived at the path of the truth and tread it, namely what he and Imam al-Haddad call the Tariq al-Akhirah or the Path of the Afterlife. This article, bi Idhnillah, will be a summary of the means to arrive at certainty with regards to the necessity of treading this path, may Allah grant us Tawfiq – enabling grace – to do this, Allahumma Ameen.
Imam al-Ghazali, Kalam, Proofs of Islam and Miracles – Mu’jizaat
Imam al-Ghazali mentions himself (paraphrasing) that he had mastered hundreds of books on Kalam – Islamic Theology – before he wrote a single word on it. However, he says that it achieved its goal in that it successfully defended Islam against the polemics of the Shia, Khawarij, Mu’tazila, Karramiyyah, Falasifah, Mujassimah et al, but it did not help him in his own quest.
Why?
Since he observed the faculties that we derive information from:
1. The Senses
2. The Intellect
He then mentioned that as for the first, discrepencies certainly existed, for example one could see the stars on the sky as a certain size yet upon calculation the stars are much larger. As for the intellect, he mentioned that you could be in a dillusional state such as a dream yet beleive what you are experiancing is the reality when in fact you wake up and understand it to be a delusion. He thus lost certainty in the intellectual proofs, thus loosing the certainty that he had. He mentioned that if belief in Allah could be restored, he could restore his faith in the intellect since Allah has called us to use it. The Imam regained his faith by sincere Dhikr until he described that Allah restored the Nur in his Sadr. He mentions that Sufi Revelation was the answer since that is direct experiance (Dhawq) which can be tasted for yourself. Please note that this revelation pertains to Kashf and NOT the Wahy of the Prophets. He mentions that if this cannot be done, one should associate with such people in order to be certain about its possibility. However, what best example of this is there apart from the Mu’jizaat ot Miracles of Sayyiduna Muhammad SallallahuAlayhiWaAlihiWaSallam, which we know took place without a single doubt due to the Mutawatir narrations? The reasoning of this is as follows:
1. The order of things was certainly disrupted by the Mu’jizaat of Sayyidunah Muhammad Salawat Rabbi wa Salamuhu Alayh, accompanied with clear sincere character – Khuluq -, as well as the claim to prophethood. Thus, we can conclude that Sayyiduna Muhammad was assisted by a being capable of changing the order of things who was on his side (figuritively). (This is opposed to Istidraj which involves breaking the order of things proving that Allah is not on the side of the individual, for example Musaylima, the flase prophet who when a man whose one eye was blinded asked for it to be healed, Musaylima prayed and both eyes were blinded). Thus we know that this Being, who is not human must exist and be the one whom Sayyiduna Muhammad describes.
2. This is the Creator who tells us to use our intellects to understand revelation. Allah says in many places: “Afala Ta’qilun?”, “Do you not use your intellect” or something to that effect. Thus we know our intellects are reliable. Hence we can arrive at certainty as to the nature of what Allah is not via the intellect. I say this since it is impossible for contingent minds to grast the one who is absolute since all the thoughts of our intellect and created and we are dealing with the creator.
3. Thus I had compiled the following articles summarizing the conclusions of the Kalam endevour regarding the followin points:
This all explains our origin and Insha Allah we will follow this artcile up with an article on our purpose and another on Taqwa and the Tariq al-Akhirah…
