As the month of Rabi’i al-Awwal is upon us, there are opportunities aplenty to remind ourselves of the importance of loving the Prophet, ‘alayhi salat wa salam, in all the gatherings that we may be blessed to partake in.
That love – that mahabba – is shown in adhering to his example, upholding his way (sunna), internalising all of that, as well as outwardly manifesting it.
One of the great inheritors of the blessed Prophet Muhammad, ‘alayhi salat wa salam, was the great Hasani sharif, of the Idrisi lineage, Shaykh Ali Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhuli. His full lineage being: ‘Ali ibn ‘ Abd Allah ibn ‘ Abd al- Jabbar ibn Tamim ibn Hurmuz ibn Hatim ibn Qusay ibn Yusuf ibn Yusha ‘ ibn Ward ibn Battal ibn Idris ibn Muhammad ibn ‘lsa ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘ Ali ibn Abi Talib. At a later stage, perchance there will be another article published on him in particular, and his special story.
At this point, suffice it to say that he is one of the great scholars of this ummah in history; that he was the shaykh of scholars such as ʿIzz al-Dīn b. ʿAbd al-Salām and Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi; and that we were honoured to be connected to him through our teachers via lines that went through al-Sayyid Muhammad b. Alawi al-Maliki of Makka, and lines that went through Sidi Salama al-Radi of Egypt.
Sidi Abu al-Hasan gave many pieces of advice, including the prescription of litanies (awrad) and remembrances (adhkar). He recommended to people four things in particular:
“Stick firmly to these good habits and you will have happiness in the two worlds:
1. Do not take awliya (close friends) from those who reject belief (al-kafirin), and do not make enemies from amongst the believers.
2. Make the provisions for your journey in this dunya to be taqwa, and consider yourself to be among the dead.
3. Bear witness to the Oneness of Allah, and to the message of His Messenger.
4. Account for your good deed, even if be small, and say: آمنتُ بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسوله واليوم الآخر – سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَاۖ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ”
He also said that those who stick to these habits, then God will guarantee four things in this world, and four things in the next.
The four things in this world:
1. Truth in speech
2. Sincerity in action
3. Provision like rain
4. Protection from evil
The four things in the next world:
1. Massive forgiveness
2. Affectionate nearness
3. Entering the sheltered Garden
4. Reaching the high Rank
Just one of these things would be a gift of great worth; all 8 are tremendous indeed.
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Beyond these notes, our shaykh, Sayyidi Abu al-Hasan, also said:
If you yearned for truthfulness in speech, then persevere in reading Surat al-Qadr;
If you yearned for rizq like rain, then persevere in reading Surat al-Falaq;
If you yearned for preservation from the evil of people, then persevere in reading Surat al-Nas;
If you yearned to bring goodness (khayr), rizq and blessings (baraka), then persevere in reading بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الملك الحق المبين نعم المولى و نعم النصير, and also Surat al-Yasin and Surat al-Waqi’a;
If you yearned that God would make a way out for you from every distress and an opening from every hardship, and that He would give you from where you know not, then seek forgiveness (Istighar);
If you yearned to feel secure from what terrifies you, then persevere in reading اعوذ بكلمة الله التامات من غضبه وعقابه و من شر عبده و من همزات الشياطين و إن يحضرون
Elsewhere he told us: if you wish your heart not to die, then say every day 40 times: يا حي يا قيوم لا إله إلا أنت
What is included here is enough to busy us for the rest of our lives. May Allah grant us the tawfiq to put it into practice. Allah bless you and all of us.
