Thursday, November 28, 2019

Habib Umar bin Hafidz in East Kalimantan - 17 Sept 2019 | Tabligh Akbar "A million prayers for Kaltim"

Bismillah.


"In case we don't get to meet again...let's convene at the well of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam."
"Promise...we shall meet at the well of Prophet Muhammad."
"May our faces recognize one another at the well of Prophet Muhammad."


"Praise be to Allah...for we are here to face the Lord. Direct our hearts to Allah. Make tawassul (connection) to the one who is closest and most noble in the sight of Allah."


"Be grateful that we have been created as the ummah of Prophet Muhammad even though we did not ask for it. One who knows the significance of this matter, Allah will not disappoint him/her.  Allah is Most Generous. He knows what is in the heart, He knows our minds, He knows our secrets and that which is even more secret. Allah is ever watchful of anything that appears in the heart. He knows what is coming next. O Allah, restore our hearts, a heart that will never be spoiled again. Make us istiqamah, and never to digress again."



"In every forty people among you, there is one wali. How many "group of forty" do we have here this evening? Imagine the number of awliya."

"We may be physically here, but in reality, we are at a grandeur place. The people of heaven are proud of you. Have certainty that none can grant mercy save Allah. None can protect us from calamities, save Allah. Is there a modern invention that is capable of preventing earthquakes? It is a sign of Allah's power. Calamities befall a nation on account of their misdeeds."



"Sayidina Umar pleaded to Sayidina Abbas Ibn Mutalib, asking him to make a petition to Allah for they had been suffering from a severe drought, and he did so because Sayidina Abbas was a close relative of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.  Sayidina Abas began his du'a by admitting the fact that a musibah (calamity) befalls a nation due to their wrongdoings and that Allah would only remove the musibah if the people would repent. By the blessings of Prophet Muhammad, grant them their wishes. And instantaneously it rained in Madinah and Makkah."

"How much have we sinned? Our zahir and batin. Our hearts and limbs? None can forgive us except Allah. Let us improve our tawbah. Whoever is serious and sincere about making tawbah and determined not to repeat his/her mistakes, Allah will surely accept such tawbah. Let us all, everyone who is gathered here repent. Make a strong intention to pray, pay the alms, fast, and be dutiful to our parents, maintain good relationships. Those who have a tendency to lie, make an intention to guard your words. Allah loves that a person makes tawbah. He rejoices in His servants making tawbah more than someone who is happy at finding the treasures he'd lost. He is happy even though He has no need for His creations. Allah loves a servant who makes tawbah who makes an effort to purify him/herself."
  
"O Allah, make us among those who love to repent and correct ourselves. Purify us before we leave. Forgive us. Replace our wrongdoings with good deeds. We leave it to You O Allah for the wrongs we did unto Your servants. Let us convene with Prophet Muhammad. Make all who are present here to gather again at the well of Prophet Muhammad, people who make sincere tawbah. And when we are there, let us remember what is said here."

  

"O Allah, beautify our limbs with all kinds of servitude. Beautify our secrets with the lights of witnessing You. Grant us our wishes, both that concerns our religion and our worldly matters. Let's promise to reunite at the well of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. And that we would know one another at the gathering."

***

Pic and video recording credit: Nabawi TV
Kaltim = Kalimantan Timur/East Kalimantan


Sunday, November 24, 2019

Qasidah Qul Ya'Adzim | Habib Kadzim's counsel in conjunction with Rabiul Awwal 1441 Hijri

Bismillah.

This has to be here, a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite qasidah - Qul Ya Adzim. The video is three days old. Take it as a sweet Rabiul Awwal gift.

As a matter of fact, Nabawi TV has been gifting its followers and supporters with amazing live streaming of Habib Kadzim's tausiyah in Indonesia since 9 Nov 2019. The channel was launched by the venerable Habib Umar bin Hafiz in 2015 if I am not mistaken.

Below is a brief summary of recommended practice and advice (mauidhatul hasanah) from Habib Kadzim, given on several occasions in Indonesia in this blessed month of Rabiul Awwal:

  • "From the bottom of my heart, please use siwak and quit smoking. Siwak is a sunnah from the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. Smoking is not an act of any sahabah or anbiya." "Siwak is from Rasul. Cigarettes are from Shaytan." From East Kalimantan to Surabaya to Jakarta, Habib Kadzim kept encouraging people to use siwak. "Replace cigarettes with siwak." When a person uses siwak prior to performing solah, Allah will have redha upon him/her and would grant 70 times reward for each solah made. So that in the akhirah we will be amazed at the number of rewards that we are given just because of a small act of using siwak. Someone who makes it a habit to use siwak, his/her last words upon death would be la ilaha illallah. For that reason, shaytan truly hates siwak.
  • That you should make a strong intention to perform hajj so that Allah would facilitate and make it happen. And should you die before going for hajj, Allah would regard you as one who has fulfilled the hajj.
  • At the minimum, you should recite 10 salawat in the morning (after Subuh) and 10 in the evening (after Maghrib). If you are too busy and forgot about it, then you should recite 20 salawat before you sleep. One who does this will be guaranteed of shafaat from Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam. If you could recite 100 times that would be better as Allah would grant your wishes for both dunya and akhirah, and protect you from anything that you dislike. It would be even better to recite 100 salawat after each of the five solah, so that you will have made 500 salawat in a day. There are pious people who make 25,000 salawat in a day and the guru to my guru, to his guru, customarily recites 25,000 salawat, 25,000 Ya Allah and 25,000 la ilaha illallah. On Fridays, make 80 salawat after Asar. According to a hadith Allah would pardon 80 years of your sins. Do so with an intention to enliven the sunnah of Rasulullah. The time nearing Maghrib, before sunset is the time of Saidatina Fatimah who is also known as Al Batul, one who performed plenty of ibadah continuously.
  • Recite Jazallahu anna Sayyidina Muhammadan mahuwa ahluh. Imam Sha'rani recites this 100 times every night. If you can't, then at least recite it 3 times. One who makes this salawat would keep 70 angels occupied with recording the rewards for 1000 days.
  • Recite Astaghfirullah lil mukmina wal mukminat 27 times after each of the five solah. And for Subuh, do also recite 27 times before. If you can't then just recite 27 times after.     
  • Take a bath on Friday morning and make niyyat so that Allah would purify your heart and soul. It is important to purify our heart because Allah looks at our hearts, whereas people look at our outer appearance. If you make such an intention, Allah would look at your heart with a special attention. 
  • Recite Surah Al Kahf on Fridays. If you can't read the entire surah, then you should recite the first 10 verses so that you would be protected from Al Masih ad-Dajjal.
  • Be early for Friday prayers, turn up before the khatib goes on the mimbar, so that you will be rewarded as if you had given one camel for charity.
  • After solah Jummah and after any majalis that you attend, recite Zikir AzimSubhanakallah humma la ila ha illa anta wa astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaik so that Allah would seal what you have learned until Qiyamah.
  • After taking wudhu, recite Ashhadu an lailaha illallah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasuluh. Many people already memorize this. Be sure to internalize it and not just say it because that would unlock the doors to all eight Heavens.
  • Wear a white outfit on Fridays because it is sunnah and leave your colorful outfits for other days.
  • Cut your nails on Fridays. Based on a sound hadith, you would be cured of 70 illnesses and given 70 medications (cure).
  • Fulfill all five obligatory prayers (solah), ideally in a congregation, so that your rizq will be blessed with lots of barakah.
  • Read the Al Quran at least one page every day. If you can't, then at least recite Surah Al Ikhlas.    
  • Recite Subhanallah 100 times, so that you would be rewarded as if you had performed hajj a hundred times. If you recite subhanallah wa bihamdih, you will have a date tree made of nur, planted for you in Heaven.
  • Show your gratitude that Allah has given you good health and eased your affairs, by attending majlis taalim and mawlid.
  • Serve your parents. Be good to them.
  • Cover your head with a skullcap (kopiah)
  • Wear a ring.
  • Make one rakaat of witir.
  • Get up slightly early before Subuh to perform Qiyamulail.

In conclusion, try to do as many of the sunnah as you can. Ty adding bit by bit until more and more light would seep into your heart so that your yearning for Rasulullah would increase and your longing to meet Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam would also increase. So that we belong with the people, or rather the relatives of the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam, whom he longs to meet, as related in a hadith.

 
Habib Musa Kadzim at Cidodol, Jakarta on 23 Nov 2019
Credit: Majelis Rasulullah SAW and Nabawi TV Indonesia






Alhamdulillah wa shukru lillah.
: )

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Dalailul Khayrat Recitation by Muhammad Qalby on Nabawi TV

Bismillah,

I am very pleased to have discovered this beautiful recital of Asmaun Nabi (the Prophet's names) from Dalailul Khayrat on Nabawi TV YouTube channel.
Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah!

It's a pretty new recording. It's dated 29 Oct 2019, so that's about two weeks old whereas my Dalailul Khayrat kitab is 10 years old. It's dated 1st March 2009. About a month before this blog began. MaShaAllah! 

But...it's never too late to begin, or begin again...and begin again.

201 names of the Beloved of Allah - let's listen to them, recite them and feel them. It takes only 19 minutes.

At a mawlid celebration, I attended yesterday, the ustaz said, salawat is, in fact, sunnatullah and not just the sunnah of Prophet, because Allah Himself offers greetings and salutations to Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

So consider the importance of making salawat.

May Allah guide us all. May Allah make it light on our tongues to praise Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam. May Allah make our hearts yearn for him salallah alaihi wasalam. May by his blessings, we would attain a big and meaningful success in this dunya and akhirah, especially.

Aameen.




Dalailul Khayrat

My 10 years old Kitab. May Allah forgive me for the time I had wasted.
Let's make an intention so that each day of the next 10 years
shall not pass without the recital of Asmaun Nabi.
Aameen.

PDF File: 201-Names-of-Our-Master-and-Prophet

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Merciful | Hadith Ar-Rahmah ijazah from Habib Kadzim As-Seggaf, delivered at Masjid Nurur Rahmah, Surabaya Indonesia on 11 Nov 2019

Bismillah.




Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

Allah The Most Merciful has shown His generous mercy upon us again and again. Glory be to Him, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, Ya Kareem, Ya Wali, Ya Wadud.

Alhamdulillah that Allah has blessed this region with the presence of the venerable Habib Kadzim As-Seggaf in conjunction with Mawlid Ar-Rasul 1441 Hijri. 

By the grace of Allah I was able to listen to his tausiyah on 12 Rabiul Awwal at Monas in Jakarta, and then in Malang, then Gresik and last night was a special one, held in Surabaya. A heap of thanks goes to the Indonesian-based Nabawi TV YouTube channel, for organizing all the wonderful live streamings.

The tausiyah held at Masjid Nur Rahmah in Surabaya was special because Habib Kadzim had granted ijazah for Hadith Ar Rahmah bil Awaliah [Hadith of Mercy]. He did so upon request from Habib Idrus Al-Aydrus who wanted it to be a blessing so that the jamaah would have a stronger connection to the mashaikh.

According to Habib Kadzim, he had received the ijazah for Hadith Ar-Rahmah from his guru Habib Zain bin Ibrahim bin Samait on the compound of Masjid Nabawi in Madinah. Habib Zain had received the same ijazah from his guru Habib Abdul Kadir bin Ahmad As-Saggaf who had received it from the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam.

Habib Kadzim made the audience recite after him the said hadith as follows:
Ar Rahimu yarhamu humur Rahman
tabaraka wa taala
ir hamu man fil ardhi
yar hamukum man fis samaa'

In short, it means, Allah Ar-Rahman, the Merciful will show mercy to those who are merciful. Therefore, show mercy towards those on earth, so that the angels in Heaven would also be merciful towards us.

This Hadith Ar-Rahmah is usually given by a shaykh to his mureed as the first hadith which the shaykh had heard from his teacher and it traced all the way back through a chain of transmission right to the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam.

I was reminded of the first time I heard it from Shaykh Muhammad Al-Ya'qoubi of Damascus when he visited KL in December 2009. In fact, when I reviewed some of the old postings of 2009, I came across the first posting I ever made about Habib Kadzim, it was dated 13 April 2009, just a few days after this blog came into being, MaShaAllah!

So I regard this visit by Habib Kadzim in 2019 as a merciful reminder from Allah for this faqir to look back 10 years ago, and refresh, and strengthen her resolve. Indeed 2009 seemed like a great year.

Let's have the links here: 

It gave me great joy in reading the wonderful comments left by the visitors at that time. Revisiting these two postings had truly rejuvenated my tired spirit. We have come a long way. Ten years have passed just like that.

I am motivated now, to increase my himmah in following the advice and awrad given by Habib Kadzim this time around. The key messages/practices are the same as what he had recommended ten years ago. We cannot afford to wait another 10 years for another so-called "second chance"!

Yesterday at a majlis in Gresik, Habib Kadzim, yet again urged the audience to recite:

Astaghfirullah lil 
mukmina 
wal mukminat

To recite 27 times after each solah, but for Subuh, one should also recite it 27 times before the prayer, if possible, otherwise, just recite 27 times after.



Habib Kadzim As-Seggaf at Masjid Nurur Rahmah, Surabaya
11 Nov 2019

May by the blessings of Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam in this blessed month of Rabiul Awwal, may Allah grant us tawfiq to do as told.
Aamiiin.

***
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of the visitors who had left such kind words in both the old (2009) postings shared above. You have revived my spirits, that once upon a time as early as 2009 this blog had such lovely vibes. May Allah bless you abundantly.
Aaamiiin.

2009 --- 2019

***

Reference:
Recording of Habib Kadzim's tausiyah and ijazah ceremony held at Masjid Nurur Rahmah, Surabaya on 11 Nov 2019 was provided by Nabawi TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8plppsia2jM


Sunday, November 10, 2019

12 Rabi'ul Awal 1441 Hijri | Habib Kadzim As-Segaf at MONAS, Jakarta, 9 Nov 2019



Bismillah.

It was a delight following the live streaming by Nabawi TV on the Mawlid celebration held in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday, 9th of Nov 2019. It was a delight seeing the beautiful crowd gathering at MONAS. It was indeed a beautiful and special assembly on the occasion of Mawlid An-Nabi. 

Below is my humble attempt at translating into English the translation of Habib Kadzim's speech made by Habib Ja'far Al-Attas. It is almost verbatim though some parts have been abridged, slightly. And some parts might have been omitted inadvertently. Do highlight to me any mistakes that you may find and pardon me for that. For those of you who understand the Indonesian language or Malay, it would be better that you listen to Habib Kadzim's speech on Nabawi TV YouTube channel at this link.
With due respect to the other speakers at the event, Habib Kadzim spoke from 1:42:36 to 2:45:59.

One other notable speaker at the event was Habib Muhammad bin Umar bin Hafiz, the son of the eminent Habib Umar bin Hafiz. You will notice the praiseworthy adab showed by Habib Muhammad who kept his speech very brief and rushed back to his seat. He appeared to have quickly ended his talk after admitting that he had only spoken because it was an instruction from his guide Habib Kadzim. MaShaAllah Tabarakallah.

Habib Kadzim bin Ja'far As-Segaf is a senior murid of Habib Umar bin Hafiz of Yemen. He was also the guide for the late Habib Munzir Al-Musawa, a prominent and much-loved da'ie of Indonesia who passed away in 2013.

***

Translation of Habib Kadzim's speech:

Praise be to Allah who is generous, who honored us with His grace, that we are gathered here at this place. That Allah honors us with the light of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. The light, as narrated in the Quran: "Verily, there has come to you a convincing proof (Prophet Muhammad) from your Lord, and We sent down to you a manifest light (the Quran)."

The Prophetic lights that we received would open up our chests, illuminate our hearts and minds with such brilliant lights. When Allah expands our chests, we are able to comprehend our life here in this world and in the hereafter. We become aware of these worldly bounties leading to the eternal bounties in the hereafter. When the heart is pleased with Allah, the person would turn to Him truthfully. Just as the sahabah and the tabi'in (companions) who faced Allah and the Prophet with much longing. They performed ibadah towards Allah with great affection and yearning, for He has blessed them with iman and Islam.

When the intellect is illuminated with the Prophetic light, we would understand how best to perform ibadah for Allah. When the intellect is illuminated with the Prophetic light, we would have knowledge of the most appropriate form of ibadah that could bring us closer to Allah and Rasulallah.

We would understand the lessons and examples from the Prophet, lessons that were all beautiful and graceful that originated from Allah, and not from himself. As Allah has said [in the Quran]: the Prophet did not speak from his nafs, but it is all a revelation from Allah.

We should be grateful that Allah loves this ummah by virtue of His beloved Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. A majority of this ummah will occupy the Heavens. The ummah of Prophet Muhammad does not live very long and yet the rewards for their ibadah are multiplied by the blessings of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

As related in a hadith by Imam Tirmidhi related by Abdullah bin Mas'ud: the lifespan of the ummah of Prophet Muhammad is between the age of 60 and 70. And very rarely they exceed that age.

Even though their life is short, there is plenty of ibadah that they could do. There is Friday that is loaded with blessings. As narrated in a sound hadith by Imam Abi Dawud: every step taken to the masjid for Friday prayers will be rewarded as if he had spent a year of fasting and qiyamulail.

Imagine the number of steps that we had taken from our house to the masjid on Fridays, imagine the huge rewards that Allah would grant us. And then, there is the reward of Laylatul Qadar which is better than 83 years 1000 months. Muslims who perform Isha and Subuh in the congregation during Ramadhan, would only take them about 10 minutes, yet they would receive the merits as if they had performed ibadah for 1000 months. Rejoice in this great barakah attributed to Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.   
  
Similarly for those who perform the Hajj. Spending three days in Masjidil Haram is equivalent to 1000 years of worship, and that is the age of Prophet Nuh alaihisalam. There is a hadith by Imam Bazzak, the Prophet said: performing one rakaat of solah at Masjid Nabawi is the same as 1000 rakaat. And the rewards for praying one rakaat at Masjidil Haram is equivalent to 100,000 rakaat.   

We should be grateful that Islam is our religion, a sacred one. It is a religion that is easy. It is the final religion that encapsulates all other religions. It is a religion that gives the right to the physical and spiritual aspects of men. It gives the right to the leaders and ulama (scholars). And it gives full rights to women. There are four surah in the Quran that mentions the rights of women. These are very clear compared to others: Surah An-Nisa, Surah Maryam, Surah At-Talaq, and Surah At-Tahrim.

These surah describe in detail all matters that relate to women. Maryam is the only woman who gets mentioned by Allah, she has a surah named after her. Saidatina Khadijah Al-Kubra (the wife of Prophet Muhammad) held an honorable position but she was not mentioned in the Quran. Saidatina Asiah, the wife of Firaun was not directly mentioned in the Quran. Saidatina Fatimah Az-Zahrah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad was not mentioned either. Saidatina Maryam was mentioned in the Quran because she gave birth to Prophet Isa alaihisalam. It was incredible that Prophet Isa was given birth by Maryam without a father. This amazing story of the Quran will be cited until Qiyamah. 

This religion honors the rights of women on matters of inheritance, wealth and sainthood. There are many stories of women who are loved by Allah; wives of the prophets, sahabah, and ulama. Allah gives them rights as Muslims.

Islam even gives rights to animals. We are not allowed to kill animals cruelly. We are not allowed to overfeed them. Islam forbids us from mistreating the animals, nor starving them to death. This is how Islam treats animals, so you can imagine how Islam protects the rights of men and women.  

Alhamdulillah that we are Muslims, that we have iman and Islam. Let's be patient with this short life for we shall be rewarded with great favors eternally. Hold strong onto this pure religion. Be grateful that we are ummah of Prophet Muhammad, that we are Muslims. Be grateful for this religion that came through Prophet Muhammad. That the sahabah had strived hard for the sake of this religion. So did Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

Think about the sacrifices made by the Caliphate of Rasulallah, Sayyidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq; about Sayyidina Umar Al-Khatab who prepared the armies for Rasulallah who paved the way for a lot of victories for Islam. We heard about Sayyidina Uthman ibn Affan who gave away all of his wealth for Rasulallah salallah alaihiwasalam; think about the struggles of Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib and his brother Jaafar bin Abi Talib; Sayyidina Talhah and Zubair radhiallahuanhu; Sayyidina Saad bin Muadz and Saad bin Ubadah; Sayyidina Said bin Zaid and Khalid Al-Walid. They were all like stars surrounding Rasulullah salallah alaihiwasalam; they were our salaf, they were pious, they were in front of Prophet Muhammad, they followed his footsteps. We love them even though we are yet to see them. We heard about their noble characters that were loved by Allah. There was not much knowledge during the time of Prophet Muhammad, there was not major amal at that time. There was only love for Allah and makrifatullah (gnosis of Allah) and sacrifices for Rasulallah salallah alaihiwasalam.  

Alhamdulillah, we are like the companions who made sacrifices. We read the Quran, just like them. We tawaf (circumambulate) the Kaabah just like the companions. And we visit Prophet Muhammad just as sahabah and tabi'in did. May Allah make perfect His favors for us, that we will convene with Prophet Muhammad and his companions in Heaven. 

May Allah protect and keep this country peaceful. This gathering is just a small indication of our love for Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam. It does not do justice to the joy and happiness that we have for Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam. We do not doubt the great blessings that Allah would grant to this gathering. 

As ordered by Allah: O you believers, make sujud (prostrate), rukuk (bow), perform ibadah and do good deeds on this earth. And we do as ordered. When Prophet Muhammad is satisfied, happy and proud of us, the companions and awliya would be pleased with us too. As said in the Quran: the awliya are not overcome by sadness nor worry. Nor do they have fear in their hearts.

The awliya have attained ehsan. They performed ibadah as if they could see Allah. This was the state experienced by Talhah and other sahabah. They performed ibadah as if they were seeing Allah. Sayyidina Talhah bin Ubaidillah when he performed ibadah in his garden, he stood in solah as if he was a statue, that the birds would fly to him and perch on him. Such was the degree of his khusyuq (focus) towards Allah. 

Let's be grateful to Allah for this blessing of Islam and iman. This is the greatest blessing from Allah. There are many learned professors, philosophers, and scholars who have yet to be granted hidayah to embrace Islam. Yet those who are present here are Muslims and we glorify Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam. However, our praises for Rasulallah is insignificant compared to the honor that Allah and His angels afford to Rasulallah. The proof that Allah honors Prophet Muhammad is evident in the Quran, He addressed the Prophet with praiseworthy and noble names: Ya ayyuhan Nabi, Ya ayyuhan Rasul. 

The Prophet is mentioned in most surah in the Quran. There are nine surah that do not mention Prophet Muhammad such as Surah Nuh and Li ila fi Quraish. There is wisdom in this as kept hidden by Allah. 

Allah has blessed us with iman and Islam, so strengthen it in our hearts until we die in the kalimah La ilaha illallah Muhammad Rasulallah. Let's strengthen our iman by reading the Quran and by showing a good behavior towards both Muslims and non-Muslims, emulating the way Prophet Muhammad behaved, even towards the Jews in Madinah, and mushrikin and munafiqin in Makkah. Let's follow Prophet Muhammad in our life entirely, in our dealings (mu'amalah) in society.

Let's make salawat for Prophet Muhammad 20 times before we sleep, or 10 times in the morning and 10 times in the evening, as narrated by Imam Tabrani and Bukhari, until we attain syafaah from Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam

And we make salawat to Rasulallah salallah alaihiwasalam 100 times every day after Subuh in the morning and in the evening after Maghrib. So that Allah fulfills our wishes in this dunya and akhirah. As narrated in a hadith by Prophet Muhammad: whoever makes salawat to me in the morning and in the evening for 100 times, Allah will fulfill 100 of his/her wishes; 70 for akhirah and 30 for dunya. Therefore, make salawat, as it would guarantee us of success and happiness; and it would save us from hellfire. 

And we offer our thanks to Prophet Muhammad: may you receive the best rewards from Allah. Thank you O Rasulallah, may you be rewarded by Allah for you have delivered the risalah, you fulfilled the amanah and fought the best jihad.

And he makes istighfar for us while he is in the grave. May Allah reward him with the best favors in dunya and akhirah.

As narrated in a sound hadith, the Prophet said: whoever recites these six phrases: Jaza Allah anna Muhammadan mahuwa ahluh, he would tire the angels in reciting favors for him.

And we add 'Sayyidina' in those six words, before 'Muhammadan' to honor the Prophet. Seventy angels would write the rewards meant for you for 1000 days. One thousand days seem like a big number for us but it is little by His generosity and knowledge. 

This world was discovered 13,000 years ago, so compare that with 1000 days. One day by Allah's measure is equivalent to 1000 years in dunya.

This salawat is traceable to a sound (hassanhadith not known by those who claimed it to be a weak (dhaif) hadith. So recite Jazallahu anna Sayyidina Muhammadan mahuwa ahluh until our heart becomes beautiful with love for Rasulallah. When we have a love for Rasulallah, he would love us too and he would miss us.

As narrated in a hadith, the Prophet expressed his longing for his relatives to which Sayyidina Umar remarked: "Are we not your relatives, O Rasulallah?" The Prophet replied, "You are my sahabah. My families are those who come after me, they believe in me and they wish to see me. They long to see my face even if they have to sacrifice themselves and their wealth." 

So, keep nurturing the love and yearning for Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam. We have the mawlid every year to remind us of our love and to increase our affection for Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam.  

In every reminder we make, we explain and clarify the religion, that it is a mercy to all creations, for us and all other creatures. The religion forbids us from polluting the sea and river. It teaches us about the need to keep it clean. The religion teaches us about preserving and protecting the forest, that we cannot simply cut the trees and burn them. This is what we understood about the reality of religion. That this religion brings mercy to men and jinn. Therefore, we strive hard for this deen so that we could enter the Heavens with rivers flowing underneath. 

Allah created eight Heavens in the highest realm. Prophet Muhammad entered the Heavens during Israk Mikraj. There were eight doors. The keys to which are in the hands of all Muslim and Muslimah. Are those keys made of silver or gold? The keys to the Heavens are not made of gold or silver but syahadah: La ilaha illallah Muhammad Rasulallah.   

As narrated by Imam Bukhari from Abi Hurairah radhiallahu anhu: one who takes wudhu and makes perfect his wudhu, raises his hands and recites Ash hadu an la ilaha illallah wa ash hadu anna Muhammad Rasulallah the doors will be opened, and he/she can enter through any of the eight doors.

Therefore, we should keep renewing the meaning of La ilahaillallah Muhammad Rasulallah in our hearts. And let's prepare for our meeting with Allah. We should be happy about our meeting with Allah, as we think about death that is approaching us. Our life in this world is for a limited time. We are created from the earth and we shall return as dust. We shall then eat from the food that is buried in the earth. We shall eat insects and plants from the ground.

But, we have ruh (spirit) that does not feed on food in the ground. The ruh is not buried in the ground. The ruh feeds on zikrullah and it shall return to Allah the Most-High. Therefore, feed our ruh with plenty of zikrullah especially when we are about to sleep and upon waking up. And be grateful to Allah for nikmat Islam. There is no problem in this world except that the solution may be found in Islam, if we follow it properly.

Therefore, hold strong to this religion, purify our hearts from its illness, from pride and hasad. Improve our mannerisms until we could emulate the akhlak of Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam, so that people would be attracted to Islam. There will come a time when all the unbelievers would embrace Islam by batches including the Yahud and Nasra. Prophet Isa will descend and emerge as a fair leader. All ahlul kitab would accept Islam. Everyone would embrace Islam. This will come to be true. As mentioned in the Quran, Allah promised to the believers that Allah would give them a just leader (khalifah) like the people before them. This is from Surah Al-Kahf. This is for certain as mentioned by Rasulallah.

This religion will flourish. It is one that is built on love and compassion, devoid of violence. It does not propagate reproach nor hatred. It does not acknowledge coercion. This religion encompasses a wide scope. It has made clear the right path from misguidance. This is a true and clear religion that originates from sanad (chain of transmission) from ulama to ulama from yesteryears; from a teacher to the teachers of the past; to the lineage of saints, right to all the prophets and to Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

This is a genuine religion that will spread to each corner of the earth and it will be triumphant. And all who are granted tawfik will embrace it, except for some who will be left behind, those who ignore Allah, they are devilish in nature and will be hellbound. They shall face a dreadful torment. That is the reward for those who do not believe, that is the place of shaytan and iblis. They are the source of mischief and destruction on this earth and the source of cruelty, that people abuse one another. They do not receive guidance, they are not within the mercy of Allah. They don't bring good to this world, they don't intend peace in the society or harmony among communities. If they do not repent and try to understand the reality of Islam they will be grouped with the devils and dajjal, the greatest liar.

We are asked to make istighfar in our solah during the last tasyahud to seek protection from fitnah in this life, in the grave and from Massih Ad-Dajjal. May we be protected so that we don't belong with those who will be punished by Allah, those who refuse to abide by the orders of Allah. They are deceived by the glories of this world, making them forgetful. 

Let's disperse from this blessed Mawlid with good intentions, with pure determinations. Let us try to emulate the behaviors of Rasulallah, at home, in our actions, in our journeys, no matter where we are we exhibit the examples set by Rasulallah until it becomes visible the virtues of this religion.

May Allah grant the best reward for Prophet Muhammad, and that Allah will reward the awliya and ulama especially the Wali Songo (the nine saints of Java) and all the awliya and the companions who helped to spread and propagate this great religion in the east and in the west.

May Allah grant a big reward for Syed Munzir Al-Musawa in the hereafter. He passed away and returned to the mercy of Allah after having completed a task for the deen. May Allah bless his grave with the biggest mercy and may Allah give him much good until the Day of Judgment. That all good which you do here will get to the grave of Habib Munzir Al-Musawa.

As narrated in a hadith: he/she will earn the reward of those to whom he/she has guided to good. And those who carry out a good sunnah, the merits shall be for him until Qiyamah. May Allah bless Habib Munzir Al-Musawa and that Allah would make the coming generation pious. May Allah look after his family. May Allah grant them sihah wal afiah.

May Allah bless Habib Muhsin Al-Hamid, may Allah grant good health to him and all the habaib who help in spreading this deen, and those who support the religion will be rewarded directly from Allah and Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam

Praise Allah for this great blessing. We ask from Allah, the Essence Al-Awal, none came before Him, the last Essence and there is no ending for Him. Az-Zahir, nothing is above Him. Al-Batin, there is nothing beneath Him, the Creator of all.

There is not a country, kingdom or government as recorded in history, that has the power to claim to be the creator of mountains and the animals. So how can they have access to the skies? There are countless planets in the Milkyway, all are a creation of Allah. There is no one government that can claim to be the creator of the creatures on earth, what more those creations in the skies?

Praise be to Allah, the Most-Noble, the Creator of all things. He sent us Prophet Muhammad. At this place, today we commemorate the Mawlid. We make salawat and we praise Prophet Muhammad. We send salutations to Prophet Muhammad, we say Assalamualaika Ya Rasulullah, Assalamualaika Ya Habibullah, Assalamualaika Ya Nabi Allah. Assalamualaika Ya Habibullah, Assalamualaika Ya Safwatallah! This gathering is here to honor you O Rasulallah, the hearts wish to honor you O Rasulallah. Increase the glorification, adoration, and love in our hearts for you.

Magnify our love for Rasulallah. Let us praise our great Prophet who brings us out from darkness to light. And may Allah guide us.



O Allah, grant light in our hearts, improve our characters, remove our veils. Fill our hearts with love and longing for Rasulallah until we are able to look upon his noble face in this dunya and in the hereafter; in this world when we die and in the akhirah; in this world, at the well, and in the heaven until we could see his face; in our sleep and in person, as did your elite lovers and your honorable saints and the honorable ulama. They love Nabi. They look upon Nabi and other prophets and their families and companions; and those who follow them in a good way.

O Allah, accept us, shine Your light in our hearts, improve our akhlak. Fill our hearts with love, grant us makrifah, grant us maqam Musyahadah, grant us perfect iman so that we pray to you as if we are seeing you. Grant us maqam Muraqabah so that we are able to feel Your presence at all times that we are able to feel Your presence at all the places we go. Grant us useful knowledge, and a bright light. Make us all who are present as qurrata ain to Prophet Muhammad.

Keep us away from wrongdoings and sins. Grant us aafiyah in this world and the hereafter. Grant us Your pardon in this world and in the hereafter. Grant us safety in this world, for our religion and dunya and in the hereafter. Elevate our ranks to a high station that You are proud of.

Make our face radiant at gazing upon Your Essence. Make our grave a garden of Your Heavens. Make our hearts face You always, and that we are always serving Your Nabi, the Quran, the sunnah of the Prophet and his dakwah, and the awliya Allah.

Make us among those whom You love; who love You and whom You love in return; one who loves You and whom You love; who loves You and loved by You. Protect us from all other attachments except to You.

Make this country safe and peaceful, full of light, knowledge, goodness, and mercy from Allah, and hidayah. Make alive anything that is lost from us, and from the path of solehin. Grant mercy to Your saints in the east and west, Sayyidina Shaykh Abdul Kadir Al-Jailani, Shaykh Abul Hassan As-Shadhili, Sayyidina Fakeh Al-Muqaddam, all who toiled in spreading this religion, all who propagated the teachings, who enlivened the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.

Elevate their stations in Heaven. Grant them plenty of favors. Bless all their students. Make us among those who love for Your sake and do everything that is pleasing to You. Lift all calamities that are afflicting the Islamic countries; all hardships; all dangers; war; diseases and all the troubles; and all that is causing sufferings.

Make us the cause for good, who prevent evils. Bless those who gather and practice sunnah. Do not punish us for our sins and ugliness. Help us pay off all our debts. Remove our troubles and afflictions. Cure our illnesses. Cure the sickness of all Muslims in the east and west, those who are hospitalized and at homes. Descend upon them shifa, cure from Your shifa. None can remove anything except You.

Increase our knowledge. Grant us tawfiq. Make our limbs obedient to You. Make our hearts love You. Make our spirits attain makrifah towards You. Illuminate our intellects. And brighten our hearts. Purify our deeds. Beautify our manners. Give us perfect health and aafiyah. Give us good in this world, and all the rewards in the hereafter.

Allow us to gaze at Your Majestic Essence. Allow us to gaze at Your Majestic Essence. Give us the joy of looking at Your Great Essence, without having to go through punishment and interrogation, without reckoning; with Your Most Compassionate Essence, the Most-Holy.

O Allah, Most-Sacred, Al-Awal, Al-Akhir, Ya Qawiyal Matin, the One who loves all who are poor. We are all Your servants sitting before You, we are faqir waiting at Your door. We are poor and faqir kneeling before You. Honor us with obedience towards You. Migrate us from wrongdoings to obedience; from heedlessness to zikir; from illness to good health; from hardships to prosperity; from turning our backs to You, to facing You. Grant us all good from You. Increase our iman and yaqin; give us good health, knowledge, and all the favors; and all the blessings that You give to your honorable servants.

WaSalamualaikum warahmatullah.

***

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Prophetic pass

Bismillah.

There is no doubt that Habib Umar bin Hafiz's actions have inspired many people to learn more, do more and become more. I will speak/write from my own experience with the hope that more people would want to read up/listen to Habib Umar's advice over the years especially on the importance of learning and reciting salawat for Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

Thanks to the advancement of social media (yes, there are plenty of socmed pros too ok), yup, thanks especially to Muwasala who has been active on various socmed platforms in propagating lessons given by the venerable Habib Umar bin Hafiz, particularly on the various "new" salawat that the habib would ask people to recite in Rabiul Awal each year.


If you care to search, this blog has been following the annual Rabiul Awal salawat challenge (or rather amanah) since 2015. Except for 2018 cos I slacked in blogging.

It is interesting to note that the salawat which Habib Umar prescribed this year (2019) contains one same line with the salawat he taught us in 2015 - that is wa adzib huzna qalbi. It means: "remove the sadness in my heart."

So in 2015, he asked us to recite the recommended salawat for 10,000 times; in 2016 he prescribed the well known Salawat Fatih for 10,000 times; in 2017 another "new" salawat for 3,000 times, and in 2018 he tasked us with reciting another new salawat for 5,000 times.

This year the minimum recommended recital is also 5,000 times. Please refer to the posting dated 29 Oct 2019.

Habib Umar bin Hafiz is [I repeat] a true leader as he is able to inspire people to learn more, do more and become more. I am one of those, Alhamdulillah, who have been deeply inspired by the Habib. By his barakah, for 2019 challenge, I have been able to recite 3300 times, so far. Alhamdulillah. I am determined to exceed the 5000-target because according to Habib Umar, those who do more, will get more rewards from Allah.

I wish to impress upon the young ones in my family (some of them follow this blog) to make an attempt to learn salawat and make it a habit because I reckon, the merits for those who recite plenty of salawat are worth more than a million dollars. It is like the mother of all VIP pass there is. No, it is not comparable to the other mortals because Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam is THE Beloved of Allah. Those other so-called VIPs, who cares?

I wish to remind you, O young man/woman, it does not matter how bad your days/years had been; it does not matter if some people cut ties with you, belittle you, or if for any reason you feel left out, it does not matter, as long as you keep an open express channel with Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Reciting salawat is the Prophetic-pass, the only pass you will ever need. And it will sort out everything for you. Not only will it sort things out for you, but it will also elevate you. Elevate you it will, to a better consciousness, better peace of mind, and ultimately it could place you at a better "seat" in the Hereafter. Let those who take pride in their fancy superbikes or Ferraris or whatever, let them speed as they wish, but you, we, let us speed up on the express-lane to Prophet Muhammad.

OK?

It's been a week since I memorized the salawat which Habib Umar taught us this year. What do I feel? I feel so much calmer as I am able to recognize and discard all nonsense and just move forward with the salawat, hoping for more shafaat from the Prophet and more bounties from Allah. I also feel that 5000 is achievable. It's not that difficult if we really want it hard enough. I will be 50 next year, and I've made an intention to recite 50,000 salawat from now until my birthday month in the year 2020 InShaAllah, bi-iznillah. It would be the best birthday present one could give to oneself. Forget those thematic fancy birthday parties. Who cares? [We can have a much grander party if we get admitted to Heaven. I am already dreaming about my hairstyles there LOL]

And do not be shy about it. Don't be shy talking about it, just as I am not shy about sharing and promoting it. Because as said Habib Umar bin Hafiz, and I quote this from Muwasala FB: 
"Those who spread, share and publish prayers upon the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam are among those who are closest to him because they will have the reward of all those who bestow prayers upon him as a result of their efforts. They have a high rank in the sight of Allah and His Messenger salallah alaihi wasalam."

Who cares about being a celebrity in this world? Who cares about having tonnes of followers on IG or having a blue-tick next to one's name? We should care about having a high rank in the sight of Allah and Prophet Muhammad.

Our path is one that is private and direct to the one man that matters most - Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

So hurry up!

*** 

The Salawat prescribed by Habib Umar bin Hafiz for Rabiul Awal in 1441 Hijri/2019:
Allahumma Ya Robba
Sayyidina Muhammad wa ali Sayyidina Muhammad
solli 'ala Sayyidina Muhammad
wa 'ala ali Sayyidina Muhammad 
wa soh bihi wasallim 'adada 'ilmik
wa az hib huzna qalbi (remove sadness from my heart)
fid dunya wal akhirah (in this world and the hereafter)

wa far rij kuruba ummatihi (relieve the hardship of this ummah)
wa hawwil ahwa lahum (and make their state)
ila ahsanil ahwal (the best possible state)
Ya Rahman


Habib Umar bin Hafiz
[Pic credit: Habib Umar followers]

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