Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

The Trodden Path: Spirituality and the Remembrance of God

From the text Fatah Al-Basir Al-Ikhwan fi Sharh Dawir Al-Islam/Opening

the brothers insight by explaining the spheres of Islam

October 2008 Bradford

This work is sufficient for a traveller to Allah (the exalted)

The author was from the Ahl Al-Bayt (from the blessed Prophetic descent)

He was a master in one hundred disciplines

Sheikh Abdurraham ibn Abdullah ibn Ahmed Al-Faqih Muhammad Ba’alawi

Lived in 12th Islamic century

He studied other knowledge after he studied the knowledge of the religion

There will be a realisation with it’s study

Let us direct ourselves

Bismillah is important to mention when beginning actions

The devil is unable is change this

A pious woman became persistent in saying Bismillah in all her affairs. A foolish man gave her some
silver coins to look after. She took the coins saying bismillah, stood up, sat down, took the key,
opened the safe and placed the coins in the safe, then closed the safe then put the key into its place
and she had said bismillah upon every movement. The man sneaked into the house, opened the safe
and threw the coins into a well then he went to her and asked her to return the money. She went as
she did saying bismillah upon every movement and when she opened the safe, the coins were where
she left them wet with water. She gave them back to him, he reflected and wept

Receiving counsel is the way of the successful

The inward cannot be reached without the outward

The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are the best of this nation, their station is
unattainable

Some are better than others: oath of content, those at Badr and Uhud, Oath of happiness, those
Muslims before the opening of Mecca.

The religion is one but the levels are various

This depends on sincerity

Entrance is the testification of faith

The people of mercy say there is no reality except Allah (mighty and majestic)

The first level is that there is no deity other than Allah

There are three hundred degrees:

100 no deity

200 no aim

300 no existence

360 No vision

Khalid ibn Al-Walid and some companions come to a place with some Christians who said if the
message of Islam was true then which of you will drink from this poison. Khalid ibn al-Walid (may
Allah be pleased with him) drank poison of the Christians, when he said nothing but Allah (mighty
and majestic) would harm him. He said, “Nothing with his name harms; in the Earth and the
heavens; he is the All-hearing, All -Knowing.” When he did not die this shock their hearts and they
became Muslims.

He said this in a state of realisation

There was a lady who asked a scholar to write bismillah on a glass vessel but every time he wrote
this the glass would break. Then he said I wrote this in a state of realisation and if you were bring all
the glass vessels of the town they would break. Get someone whose heart is headless to write it.

Session two

This sphere explains the two testification and their necessities

If the word, “There is no deity but Allah” was placed into one scale and the other the heavens and
the Earth; these words would outweigh it

Do not let the world cut you off

The two testification of faith comprise all of the affairs of the religion

The tawheed/oneness of Allah is clear

If someone says the two testifications and dies will enter paradise

We learn to water the seed of faith so it can expand

During the battle of Hybar there was a Sheppard asked what would happen to him if he became
Muslim? He said paradise the man entered Islam but because of he did not want his first action of
faith to be cheating a Jewish mans sheep. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon) said
to throw a stone near the sheep and they will return and they went back into the fortress. He later
died during the battle.

There were some spoils apportioned to a companion who took it to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and asked, “What is this?” “Your portion of the spoils.” “I did not
follow you for this.” “Then why did you follow me?” “I followed to be struck by an arrow here and
enter paradise.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If you are truthful to
Allah then Allah is truthful to you.” He went forth to fight again and was struck by an arrow in that
place he pointed to. He was found in the ranks and was carried to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) asked, “Is that him?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
supplicated for him

If the seed of faith is watered by good works

Allah gives the effect of pious deeds to the one who is angry and blames with himself not one who is
happy

Abu Bakr As-Salim said, “Someone who looks at themselves with displeasure; Allah looks at him with
pleasure.”

This is first ailment that causes the hearts to be blamed

Directing oneself to creation is the second disease that corrupts the heart

When a person listens to the devil then he becomes devilish

A sign of a pious heart is happy with faith, disliking disbelief, loving the pious, benefiting from
admonition, remembrance.

When someone gets attached to dhikr then they ascends the ladder of Islam

Pious deeds are a gift from Allah

Someone attached to pious is like someone knocking on a door; soon they will enter

So one turning away from pious deeds is turning away from the door

Abu Bakr Al-Buwara was a known highway man in Iraq truly repented; heard a man tell his wife to
wake him in the night so I can travel early so he can escape Abu Bakr. This affected him and caused
people to fear; he heard the wife waking the husband and told her to leave him asleep. He went to a
masjid made ghusl and found a gathering of dhikr were the men of Allah where present. He heard
what he had to say and they studied various knowledges and remained with the pious people; he
stayed with them for three days. Allah sent him a light and he spoke when they were discussing the
meaning of knowledge. They asked who spoke they said Abu Bakr Al-Bawara, the highway man?
Who was known for wicked deeds. He said I repented to Allah and remained his door then he
accepted me.

Third Session

With a broken heart see Allah’s favour upon us

This sphere we take benefit for beneficial knowledge

Knowledge and action need to be combined; a mixture

All knowledge is a blessing by Allah’s will

Anyone opposing this is contentious; the one who envies is punished and the person who is envied
about is raised

Pray for that person and it will removed from your

Knowledge in the heart is beneficial knowledge

It was stated that one unit of prayer is better than a thousand of ignoramus because of his
knowledge

Three types of scholar:

1. Scholar of people

2. Scholar of refinement of purification

3. Scholar of spiritual opening

Some have more than one level

It is stated that those without a sheikh; have satan as their sheikh (spiritual leader)

Satan tricked a student telling him that he would take him to paradise, he did this a few times and
the student was confused and asked his sheikh who said for him to refuse to leave there because if
someone goes the paradise then they do not leave. So when this occurred again he refused to leave
then when fajr adhan came he realised in was in a rubbish heap. The student returned home
ashamed. The Sheikh knew was it was satan but did not tell the student because he knew the
students reaction.

The unclear matters in this religion were cleared up by Abu Mansur Al-Maturdi (Hanafi) and Abu
Hassan Al-Ashari (Ashari) – after the initial period

The defended the correct path and refuted those incorrect

These creeds are the footing to realise Allah

Fourth Lesson

We spoke about out the outward rulings

The word Faqaha means to understand (the same word used for the Fiqh/Jurisprudence)

Faquha means someone with much understanding

Faqaha means someone who has changed

This is to know the ruling based on sound scholarship

500 verses in the Quran pertain to legal rulings and the verses of the Quran are over 6000

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon) sent Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with
him) to Yemen and asked how he was going to Judge he said with the Book of Allah. He asked if you
do not find it, then with the sunna, and if you will not find it then I will endeavour to use my opinion.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “All praise is to Allah who taught the
messenger of the Messenger.”

There are thing that have been transmitted canonically/tawatur so there was no need for anyone to
to make ijtihad (try to find a ruling) on them

Allah (mighty and majestic) has

The companions would refer to leading companions of they had a question

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would gather the people of Badr to answer a question

Then there was a need for people who could make rulings so Allah (mighty and majestic) sent the
Imams including the four Imams (Hanafi, Maliki, Shaf’i and Hanbali)

Then these school spread outside their areas to other lands

The founders of the schools were scrupulous and followed the prophetic example

Owais al-Qarni was good to his mother with a heart present with Allah; this is gave him a great
station; he had dishelved hair, two garments but if he would make a prayer it would be accepted; it
was said they he would intercede for two large tribes.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Umar and Ali to seek his supplication

Their station was greater than his but this is manner in which we treat the poius

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) advised that they would find him in the
groups that would come for major pilgrimage, from Yeman. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)
would ask the Yemenis, if they were all there. They said yes but there was an old man who stayed
behind looking after the flock of camels, near arf. They went there and found him praying towards a
tree with camels around him; they gave him greetings. He finished his prayer returned the greetings,
they asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “The slave of Allah.”

“All of creation is a slave of Allah, what does your mother call you by?” asked Umar

“Owais.”

“Son of Amr?”

“Yes.”

“Qarani?”

“Yes.”

“From the tribe of murad?”

“You had a mother and you were kind to her.”

Surprised he said, “Yes.”

“You had leprosy which you were healed from, except a place on your left shoulder.”

“Who explained my condition to you?”

“He is Umar leader of the believers and I am Ali ibn Abu Talib.”

He got up greeted them and said, “May Allah give you the best reward on behalf of the Muhammad
nation.” Then he said, “Who informed you about me?”

“Allah and his Messenger.”

“He mentioned me by name?”

“Your name, your fathers and tribes name and all of your description.”

Owais cried and cried. Then he said, “May my father and mother be a ransom for you O’ Messenger
of Allah.”

Then they asked, “Show us the spot on your left shoulder.” He showed it to them. They found it as it
was described and they asked. “Seek forgiveness for us.”

“How can I seek forgiveness for you, when you are the companions of the Messenger of Allah, I ask
you to seek forgiveness for me.”

“The Messenger of Allah ordered us to so.”

So he cried and supplicated for them. “Where do you want to go?”

“Al-Basara.”
“Would you like me to write a letter to the governor?”

“No, I love to be unknown.”

“When you reach that place I will send you provision and support.”

“I have tended to the camels for four silver coins. I have these two clothes. I do not need any
provision or support. Where will we be at the basin of the Messenger?”

“Before you and I is a difficult ascent. No one will pass it except those who are light.”

Umar cried and hit the ground with a stick, “Who will take this caliphate with everything in it? I will
that i could leave it without anything for it or against it.”

They bade farewell after this

This was Owais Al-Qarni who reached a great station because he was kind to his mother out of faith

Fifth session

Much of the state of the Muslims is due to the lack of recitation of Quran and Hadith

The generality of Muslims neglect the blessing of the Quran

If our hearts were pure we would be satiated by this speech

If you mention a pure soul there is a subtle connection that opens up between you and them

The pure soul is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

How many people sent invocations to him, all the time? In the Earth and in the Heaven; As it is
stated in hadith that Allah will return his soul back to his body so he can return the
greeting/invocation; he is also praying; how pure is this soul?

Persist on reading the Quran, invocations and wirds (continuous ritual acts)

When you mention the pious, you are mentioned with them

It was said, “Mercy descends by the mention of the righteous.”

One of the companions used to say that they did not find the same state of heart when they with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when they were away

Who are the awilya of Allah/Men of Allah those who when mentioned, Allah is remembered

During some battles they would call those who had seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) then they seek victory through them
Sixth Session

Like the prayer needs to be directed to the Qibla likewise the prayer of the heart needs to be
directed to the chosen one (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

This is uncovering of if you follow me Allah will love you

Fear Allah and Allah will teach you

Allah mentions that we gave taught him knowledge about Khidr (Sura Al-Kaf)

This is a vast sphere

We ask Allah to gaze into hearts; and make this an opening for our hearts

Sura Takatur talks about different states of certainty, eye of certainty, knowledge of certainty and
true certainty.

Entering paradise is the true certainty

Knowledge of certainty was that they heard about the gathering, eye of certainty is someone who
saw us learning and the true certainty is when someone sits with us

There is a reality to every saying

The slave is given their wage upon completion and what is left to conclude the book

Seventh Session

The outwards should not conflict the inward

The shariah should be followed; these are Allahs rulings

Applying the rulings of the scared law whilst spiritual journeying

They ascribe their good deeds to Allah

When they travel this way Allah bring them out of the darkness into the light

Ask Allah for success, pardon, pleasure and to be with the righteous
He witnesses that every blessing is from Allah

Allah created us and what we do

Our ability and deeds are created, however we are responsible for the action

A person will be asked about they are responsible for

Final session and Question and Answers

There is a summary of the shariah, the reality and spiritual journeying

Pharaoh, Harrun had great armies and empires but were oppressors; then final outcome was in
favour of Musa (upon him peace)

They are in a persistent punishment now and will arrive at a greater punishment

The fire is presented to them in the morning and evening

Musa, Haroon and their followers are show bliss in the morning and evening

Our master Hassan ibn Ali cried near death; our master Hussain said, “Did not Ali, your mother
Fatima and your grandfather the Messenger of Allah all die?” he replied, “I swear by Allah that I am
not crying for sadness of death or for leaving the world but I fear that I will die and I will not travel as
they travelled.”

This is the fear of someone truthful

Q+A

We have ability to acquire deeds and we are responsible for that

When someone does something they are held in responsibility for their action

If someone sees a dream it has to be in the sacred law if it is not then the problem is with the person
who saw it

Deem all obstacles as major

Directly yourself to Allah and have glad tidings

Do not seek to be protected from sin because that’s is for the Prophets (upon them peace)

If you make a mistake repent and return