Live Transmission of The Dowra Programme, Tarim

Please forgive this student for the late posting but we only found out today…

The Dowra Programme in Tarim, Yemen, is being transmitted live on the www.alhabibomar.com site. For those, like myself, who couldn’t attend the Dowra in Tarim this year, the opportunity to at least sit in the class and gain teachings from the Habaib will no doubt be most welcomed.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Lesson	Book	Days	Time	Shaykh
Tazkiya/Sulook	Aadab an-Nufoos	All days of the week	1:45pm	Habib Umar bin Hafiz
Fiqh of Fasting	Kitab Tanbeeh	Saturday and Sunday evening	4:40pm	Habib Umar bin Hafiz
Fiqh of Purity	Kitab Tanbeeh	Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings	4:40pm	Shaykh Umar al-Khatib
Seerah	جولان الروح في سيرة رسول الله باب الفتوح	Tuesday and Wednesday Evenings	6:00pm	Habib Umar bin Hafiz
Understanding of Dawah	Series of lessons on Dawah	Friday, Saturday and Sunday Evenings	6:00pm	Habib Ali al-Jifri
Guidance in Sulook	A series of weekly lectures	Thursday night	5:30pm	Habib Umar bin Hafiz

The above schedule is in British Standard Time (GMT+1) and was sent to me by a  dear brother, so please keep him, his family, and his friends in your duas… especially for the generosity he has sent to us. Allahumma Ameen.

Take care, keep smiling, and please keep us in your much required duas.

 

The Trodden Path - Sacred Retreat

Subhan’Allah we’re fortunate enough to have the Habaib visit us again this year. There’s so much to learn from our teachers and this is one of those opportunities every person should strive to attend, unless Allah pulls them back for another reason.

Insha’Allah clicking on the poster will direct you to more details about the retreat and the registration form…

There’s a possibility that this student may not be able to go to this excellent retreat of knowledge but we hope that others can benefit and will think of this pauper in their duas. Please spread the word and take up the opportunity to learn, if you can do so.

 

Mutiara Qasidah by Imam alHaddad

Mutiara Qasidah by Al-Imam Abdullah Bin Alawi Al-Haddad

Here are just a few of the many Qasidahs by Imam alHaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) that reminds this student of Allah, His Rasool (peace and blessings be upon him), the scholars of Islam and Tarim.

Ya Sayyidi Ya Rasulullah

Salaamun Salaamun Kamiskil Khitam

Ya Allah Bi Nadzrah

Courtesy of www.alhawi.net

May Allah have mercy on us, shroud us in His Tawfeeq, and provide us openings during our many trials to gain closeness to Him and our beloved Rasool (peace and blessings be upon him). Allahumma Ameen.

 

I am as My servant thinks I am

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Allah the Almighty says: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length; and if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.

[Related by alBukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

By The Ultimate Grace of Allah, we were fortunate enough to sit in on a live class with Habib Hussein as-Saqqaaf, whilst he taught from Imam alHaddad’s “The Treatise of Mutual Reminding” in Dubai. The class was broadcasted online via their website: http://www.hemmah.net/

Habib Hussein taught the benefits of undertaking wudhu (ritual ablution) as well as the six compulsory components of it, according to the Shafi’i madhab. Subha’Allah, due to the nature of the first component (the niyaat - intention) being so vast we never got round to the other 5 components but instead learnt about the importance of making intentions to every act, the reasons why our intentions count, and how to draw closer to Allah via our intentions.

This student would love to write down everything that Habib Hussein said but a) we would ideally like to seek ijazat before doing so and b) we’re a firm believer that people who may not have attended the class may fail to get the full jist of what the teacher was saying and thus this student would do a great injustice in relaying the message being taught (unless ones notes were reviewed and ijazat was given). Nonetheless from our small sittings with Shayukh, I’m sure that mentioning the deepest moment of reflection for this student would be permitted…

Habib Hussein (may Allah preserve him with Birr and His Tawfeeq. Allahumma Ameen) mentioned:

When the angels come to us in our grave and ask the first question: ‘Who is your Lord?’ Then we will reply according to what our relationship is with Allah. Thus if you are righteous and are in love with Allah you may start reciting all of His Names (Asmaa ulHusna) out of your deep compassion and love for Him.

As Habib Hussein mentioned this all we could do was pray that we are of the righteous ones who in our graves recite His Beautiful 99 Names, not just for light to enter our graves and ease the process, but more out of knowing that by calling out to Him in devotion we are expressing our love for Him. A love that Allah Knows and reciprocates to a far greater extent than our own imagination. No other love can really compare to The Love of Allah. Subhan’Allah what a reflection.

So, how then do we make our relationship strong with Allah such that we receive these gifts? The answer is in the Hadith Qudsi mentioned in the beginning of this post “I am as My servant thinks I am…“

Through the Remembrance of Him in our heart, tongue and mind; and making sure that when we carry out an everyday task we look at it as a form of ibadat, a means to gain closer to Allah, and a way of showing gratitude to Him, The All Merciful, The All Encompassing, we can truly gain closeness to Him and make ourselves open to receiving His Rahma and His Love. And verily He is The All Loving, The All Forgiving, The All Compassionate, The All Wise.

May Allah bless the one who sent a text message our way to inform us of the class. May Allah shroud him with His Tawfeeq and Mahabba, and grant him a good fruitful life in this world and the next. Allahumma Ameen.

Insha’Allah Next Class:

• Title: “How to call people to Islam” by Habib Hussein
• Date: Friday 18th April 2008 at 7pmDubai Time (4pmUK Time)
• Link: http://www.hemmah.net/ (in Arabic and translated in English)

 

The Call of Yemen…

The first time I heard of Yemen was on an American sitcom where one of the characters books a ticket to go to Yemen in order to escape from his nagging partner. Didn’t really understand where Yemen was at the time but thought it must be an awesome place filled with serenity if that’s where the character was going to “escape” and also because people who say “yeah man” are pretty chilled out and take life easy. For those thinking “sister, you’ve truly lost the plot” - in my defence, I was very little at that age and for sure wasn’t aware of the need to be an “Arif”.

Possibly about 8 years on from that episode and I’m becoming more aware of this beautiful country called Yemen and the blessings of it. In particular the strange pull I have towards it - more than likely down to the fact that when you learn from such beautiful Habaib and Shayukh you’re naturally drawn to what they’re drawn to. May Allah encapsulate them in His Tawfeeq and Mahabba such that The Goodness our teachers receive from Him is transpired to all of us and only aids in elevating our states in the hereafter. Allahumma Ameen.

Every year there’s a programme called The Dowra, a 40 day intensive Learning Programme with the Habaib and Shayukh of Tarim, Hadramaut, teaching all parts of the Islamic curriculum from Hadith, Da’wah Methodology, Seerah, Shamail and Fiqh just to name a few.

Two years ago we had a yearning to go but knew it wasn’t possible due to our dear father falling severely ill and so instead we went to Pakistan to look after him (keep him in your much needed duas please), and then a year ago we were fortunate enough to be ill our-self but by His Grace were able to listen to some of the lessons being broad-casted online. This year I’ve been made aware of the subtleties of my situation which require me to stay in the UK before I can set out but Insha’Allah I hope to go when Tarim calls me to come. I’m sure that one day, if it’s not doing so already, it will call for me and this student will humbly take up the offer and sit with those we’ve dreamt of learning from. Insha’Allah when the invite comes.

So what’s the point of this thread then - even though this student can’t attend we’d still like to urge any of you who can make it, to go and bring back the light from your studies in Tarim … of course, first with the ijazat from the Habaib & Shayukh. There’s much benefit in the doors of Tarim being open and so when you enter please enter with salaam and good etiquette cos that’s the first basis of being a guest.

Information is as follows:

The Dowra Summer 2008
40 Day Intensive Course
1st July 2008 - 10th August 2008

• Teachers
• Activities
• Application Form (deadline is the 20th May 2008 or until all the seats for the Dowra Programme have been filled up)

If anyone would like to share their experiences of your time in previous Dowra Programmes then this student would love to hear from you.

Take care, keep smiling, and wasalaam alaykum wa rahmatullah