ك%نتم خير أ%م!ة' أ%خرجت للن!اس تأمرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر وتؤمنون بالله

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1 The Reality Of Habib Umar and those who tread his path presented by Jam iyyat Ahl-us-Sunnah (The Ahl-us-Sunnah Society) Cape Town South Africa Version 1.0 بسم ال الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allaah, The Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy All praise is due to Allaah, I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah alone, without any partner and I testify that Muhammad is the slave and messenger of Allaah. May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon our beloved prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. In light of the recent announcement by prominent senior members of the Muslim Judicial Council and their consorts in various mosques in Cape town and the ongoing publicity drive surrounding the imminent tour of the Yemeni leader of the Baa Alawi sufi tariqah, Habib Umar ibn Hafith, and also since many of them had praised and elevated him in order to draw the Muslim masses to attendance of his gatherings and lectures, The Ahl-us-Sunnah Society (Cape Town, South Africa) felt it a religious obligation upon them to make the generality of Muslims aware of who their imminent visitor is and what his positions are in relation to the Islamic beliefs asfound in the Qur aan and prophetic Sunnah and elucidated by the Ulamaa of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jamaa ah from the first generation of Muslims to the present day.. This is not merely a critique on an individual, his beliefs and methodology but it is in reality the fulfillment of a religious obligation which Allaah, Most High mentions in His book as a condition for the attainment of goodness for the Muslim Ummah.. Allaah Most High says: ك%نتم خير أ%م!ة' أ%خرجت للن!اس تأمرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر وتؤمنون بالله Meaning: You are the best of peoples, raised up for the guidance of mankind. You order 1

2 with the good (all that Islam orders) and you prohibit the evil (all that Islam prohibits) and you believe in Allaah. [Ali Imraan:110] It is when the Muslim Ummah neglect these fundamental aspects of their religion that they experience the loss of the goodness which Allaah offers them and that the aspects of beliefs and methodologies foreign to Islam enters their midst while they are heedless. Therefore Allaah mentions in the Qur aan that one of the reasons for the disbelieving Children of Israeel incurring the curse of Allah was : كانوا ل يتنهون عن م 0 نكر' فعل%وه Meaning: They used to not forbid each other from the evil they were doing. [Al-Maa idah: 79] )وسلم) The Messenger of Allah (صلى ا عليه ) Emphasized this obligation many times as is clearly witnessed from the large number of ahaadith wherein he commanded the ordering of the good and forbidding the evil for every Muslim in accordance with the individual s Imaan and ability. From it is the hadith )عنه) of Abu Sa eed Al-Khudri (رضي ا ) wherein he said: فإن لم رأى منك%م منكرا فليغي<ره بيده. سمعت رسول الل;ه صلى ال عليه وسلم يق%ول%: " "من وذلك أضعف اليان". فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه. يستطع فبلسانه. )وسلم) I I heard the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) say: Whoever of you sees an evil then he should change it with his hand and if he is not able to then with his tongue. And if he is not able to, then with his heart. And that is the weakest of Imaan (faith). [Muslim] )وسلم) In this statement the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) made it emphatically clear that it is an obligation on every Muslim to rectify the wrongs that he sees in his society and that this is not a task that is beyond the capability of the individual but rather the task will become bigger or smaller in accordance with his capability. So those in authority who are able to change things by instating the correct procedures and preventing people from the wrong practices and beliefs are obligated to do so, whereas those who do not share in that authority but are able to speak against the wrong that they see and call the people to that which is correct are obligated to do that. Those who do not have authority but are also not willing to speak up against the wrongs that they see, due to fear of censure or harm, should at the very least despise the wrong acts that they see and show it in their behavior while supplicating Allaah sincerely to bring about a change in that situation. However that is the weakest of the three manifestations 2

3 of faith. So what is the condition of the person who witnesses these evils being perpetrated against the Deen of Allaah, Most High, and he witnesses the slaves of Allaah being called to show devotion to other than Him and supplicate other than Him, yet he does not move a muscle to correct these wrongs nor does his tongue move to oppose it, nor does his heart become disturbed by it? )وسلم) It is only as the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) has described it in the hadith )عنه) of Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (رضي ا ) when he said: أن; رسول الل;ه صلى ال عليه وسلم قال: " "ما ما من نبي بعثه ال في أ%م<ة' قبلي إل; كان له من أ%م<ته ث%م< إن<ها تخل%ف من بعدهم خل%وفS يق%ول%ون حواري<ون وأصحابS يأخذ%ون بسن<ته ويقتدون بأمره. فمن جاهدهم بيده فهو مؤمنS ومن جاهدهم بلسانه ما ل يفعل%ون ويفعل%ون ما ل يؤمرون. وليس وراء\ ذلك من اليان حب<ة% خردل'". فهو مؤمنS ومن جاهدهم بقلبه فهو مؤمنS. ( وسلم) Verily the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said: There is no messenger that Allaah sent to a nation before me, except that he had disciples from his nation and companions who followed his sunnah and carried out his commands. Then they are followed after them by successors who say what they do not do and who do what they were not ordered to do. So whoever strives against them with his hand is a believer. And whoever strives against them with his tongue is a believer. And whoever strives against them with his heart is a believer. And there isn t a mustard seed s worth of faith after that. [Muslim] So at this point in time when we are witnessing the Muslim Ummah leaving the sunnah of their prophet and abandoning their religious obligations, while zealously rushing to accept beliefs and practices that is not from the Book of Allah or the sunnah of His messenger ( صصل ىلى ا (عليه وسلم ) nor from the way of the Companions ( (رضي ا عنهم ) while deviant scholars are fervently inviting them to it, propagating it and defending it, then the least that a believer should do is strive against it with the weakest manifestation of faith possible and that is to strive against it with his heart. That is the least! And let us all beware of being complacent and not detesting these unislamic beliefs and practices brought to us via the various sufi cults, lest we become of those for who there does not remain a mustard seed s worth of faith in our hearts. May Allaah protect us, aameen. 3

4 Now let us proceed to familiarize you, oh noble brothers and sisters, with this person called Habib Umar and his beliefs and practices. We will also take a look at some other individuals who tread the same path in their beliefs and methodology. Habib Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Salim ibn Hafith hails from the town of Tarim in Hadramaut, Yemen. He is the founder of the Daarul Mustafaa Sufi Seminary in Tarim and is considered to be the current head of the Baa Alawiyyah Sufi Order. He is from a family )عنه) that tracks their lineage to Husain the,(رضي ا )عنه) son of Ali (رضي ا ) and the grandson of the )وسلم) prophet Muhammad.(صلى ا عليه This is often the most frequently used angle in the publicity campaigns for his tours.. He was relatively unknown in Yemen and unnoted in Tarim until the union of Yemen in 1991 after which he suddenly appeared in the guise of a religious scholar wearing a cloak and turban.it is apparent that he only attained his current standing amongst the general masses in Hadramaut on the basis that his father was a noted scholar of Shafi ee fiqh in Hadramaut as he (Umar) himself was never a known student of religious knowledge.. Even the books that he teaches at the Daarul Mustafaa is from the very concise or small works in Shafi ee fiqh which the beginning students of knowledge are very easily able to learn or even explain on their own! So it is clear that he inherited his current position on account of his father s status and not at all because of his own achievements in the field of Islamic religious knowledge and research! He is also an adherent to the Ash ari religious rhetoric as can be seen from the Aqeedah books that form part of the Daarul Mustafaa programme! So he is a Shafi ee in Fiqh, a Baa Alawiyy in his Tariqah and a mixture of Sufi and Ash ari in his creed! He has been refuted by the President of the Council of Ulamaa of Ahl-us-Sunnah in Hadramaut, Shaikh Ahmad al-mu allim, in two outstanding works dealing specifically with )في) the practices of him (Umar) and his loyal blind followers. These books are titled القبورية (اليمن Grave worshipping in Yemen, )الضللت), and (زيارة هود و ما فيها من المنكرات و The Visitation of Hud and what it contains of vices and misguidance. The title of these two books is sufficient in telling us what the Ulamaa of Ahl-us-Sunnah in Yemen think about Habib Umar and his followers. He openly propagates the Issue of seeking madad (assistance or aid whether material or spiritual) from the dead who are perceived to have been pious, sacrificing to other than Allaah, undertaking ritual pilgrimage to the graves of the pious or prophets, as well as acting on the baseless innovations introduced into Islam by the leaders of the sufi orders, among other things. 4

5 Following are some of his rulings and statements regarding these issues as well as the Islamic view regarding them from the Glorious Qur'aan and the Prophetic Sunnah. The issue of seeking madad (aid,help,or assistance) from other than Allaah Habib Umar said in answering a question relating to the issue of seeking madad from other than Allaah: The meaning of the word madadis "the" act of providing anything that is physical or spiritual, thus all things that are given and provided to a person are considered madad, whether that supply is physical such as money, weaponry and the like, or spiritual such as providing supplication and providing a request through one s high standing with Allah, blessed and exalted is He. It is said that a person has extended a madad of devoted supplication to us when he calls to The Real Being, the Exalted Almighty, in our affairs and concerns. Also, madad can be in the supply of care when a person recognizes and cares for your affair, directs his supplication in your matter to The Real Being, the Exalted Almighty, and doing what he can to help. What is now widespread amongst the Muslims in seeking madad from the prophets, the pure ones and the saints,, refers to seeking their notability with Allah, blessed and exalted is He, when directing a call for the sake of a person s needs and concerns. source: : ( the official Habib Umar website in the section of Fataawaa Note: The meaning of the word madad is substance provided in terms of material or spiritual assistance, aid, resources provision etc. especially in alleviating difficulty or distress.. It is clear from the wording of Habib Umar s answer that he means invoking the deceased to direct a call to Allaah on the person s behalf or to grant assistance in that or something else. The person saying madad yaa rasulallah or madad yaa jilaanee or madad yaa badawi is therefore essentially saying: Help us oh Messenger of Allaah! or Assist us oh Jilaanee! or Provide for us oh Badawi!.Seeking madad from other than Allaah is therefore seeking assistance, aid or provision from other than Allaah in matters which is only under the command and control of Allaah. It is thus an act of du aa or invocation and invoking or making du aa to other than Allaah is Shirk (polytheism/associating partners with Allaah). 5

6 So what is the Islamic view from the Qur aan and Sunnah on this issue: Allaah, Most High, in his book, in the opening chapter, teaches the Muslims to say: إي!اك نعبد وإي!اك نستعي You alone do we worship and You alone to we beseech for assistance. [Al-Fatiha] So important is this issue that the Muslims are ordered to recite the Fatiha in every unit of every prayer throughout every day!whether it is an obligatory or optional prayer! Likewise Allaah, Most High says: وقال رب 0 ك%م ادعونى أستجب لك%م إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتى سيدخل%ون جهن!م دخرين And your Lord said: "Call upon Me, I will answer you. Verily, those who arrogantly scorn My worship will surely enter Hell in humiliation! [Ghafir: 60] So Allaah Most High has made it very clear that invoking or making du aa is an act of worship and therefore can only be directed at Allah as every Muslim testifies saying: ل اله ال ا There is none worthy of worship except Allaah. )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) further clarified this when he said: «إن إن الد 0 عاء\ هو العبادة» Indeed Du aa (invocation) is Ibaadah (worship). Collected by Abu Dawud, from the hadith )عنه) of An-Nu maan ibn Bashir.(رضي ا Likewise he )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said )عنه) to Abdullaah ibn Abbaas :(رضي ا إذا سألت فاسأل ال\ وإذا استعنت فاستعن بال 6

7 When you ask, ask from Allaah and when you seek help, seek help from Allaah. [Tirmidhi] There is then no doubt that invoking or making du aa is an act of Ibaadah or worship as Allaah Most High and His messenger has informed us. So what is the condition of those who invoke other than Allaah and what is the ruling on their action according to the Qur aan and the Sunnah? Allaah most high Himself has given us the answer to both these questions. Allaah Most High says: يولج اليل فى الن!هار ويولج الن!هار فى اليل وسخ!ر الش!مس والقمر ك%لg يجرى لfجل' م 0 سمdى ذلك%م الله رب 0 ك%م له الملك والذين تدعون من دونه ما يملك%ون من قطمي' - إن تدعوهم ل يسمعوا دعآء\ك%م ولو سمعوا ما استجابوا لك%م ويوم القيمة يكف%رون بشركك%م ول ينبlئ%ك مثل% خبي' He merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmir (the membrane of the date seed). If you invoke them, they do not hear your call; and even if they were to hear, they could not grant it to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will reject your shirk (associating them as partners to Allaah). And none can inform you like one Acquainted with everything. [Fatir: 13-14] And Allaah Most High says: ومن أضلp مم!ن يدعو من دون الله من ل يستجيب له إلى يوم القيمة وهم عن دعآئهم غفل%ون وإذا حشر الن!اس كانوا لهم أعدآءq وكانوا بعبادتهم كفرين And who is more astray than those who invoke besides Allah others, who cannot respond 7

8 to them until the Day of Resurrection and all the time they are unaware of their invocations. And when the people will be gathered they (the false deities) will be enemies to them and will deny their worship. [Ahqaaf: 5-6] And Allaah Most High says: وات!خذ%وا من دون الله ء\الهةu لعلهم ينصرون مwحضرون ل يستطيعون نصرهم وهم لهم جندS - And they have taken gods besides Allaah hoping that they might be helped They are not able to help them but they will be brought forth as an army against them. [Yasin: 74-75] My dear brothers and sisters, we see in the Quranic verses above that Allaah Himself has clarified the condition of these people and what they are doing. He informs us that Du aa is worship and that directing it to other than Him, is worship of other than Him and therefore shirk (associating partners with Allaah). Not only that but those whom they call on besides Allaah will be enemies to them on the Day of Resurrection and will reject their )وسلم) worship! Furthermore the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) told us what the end result of such actions will be: )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said: من مات و هو يدعو من دون ال ندا دخل النار ( ( Whoever dies while he is invoking a rival unto Allaah will enter Hellfire. Reported by Bukhari, from the hadith )عنه) of Abdullah ibn Mas ud.(رضي ا So this issue is of utmost importance and not to be taken lightly oh Muslims! We strive our whole lives so that Allaah may save us from the Hellfire and by His mercy, enter us into Paradise! Then someone comes and under the pretext of honoring the pious and the prophets, calls us to the very actions that will land us in Hellfire! May Allaah protect us all from the Hellfire, aameen. 8

9 The Issue of sacrificing to other than Allaah The Reality Of Habib Umar and those who tread his path The following question and answer found on Habib Umar s website not only illustrates that he endorses acts of worship directed to other than Allaah, but also his cunning ability to argue with vague arguments, incorrect analogies and misplaced evidence in defense of it. The question: As you know, slaughtering to other than Allah is regarded as a major shirk that expels the person from the fold of Islam. So the question is do you regard slaughtering to other than Allah permissible and you have an interpretation for that? I would like to ascertain this from you. Habib Umar s answer: You ought to know that people offer the guest something when they are visited, so it is usually said that we slaughtered for a certain guest or visitor. This is a common occurrence in the community, so what have you to say about it? Do you consider it an act of slaughtering to other than Allah? You ought to know that the implication of slaughtering to other than Allah is like the implication of prostrating to other than Allah, may He be blessed and exalted: it would be considered shirk if the slaughterer or the person who is prostrating believed that the one who is offered the slaughtering or the prostration is another god alongside Allah Almighty who is offered the sacrifice by name, worship and vicinity, in the same way prostration is offered to seek nearness and with belief in the godhead (uloohiyyah)) and lordship (ruboobiyyah( ruboobiyyah) ) of that being. Slaughtering and prostrating to other than Allah may have a different meaning to this. Sacrifice may be offered to present the rewards to a dead person or offered in honour of a visitor. In this case, the sacrifice is not offered out of belief in godhead or lordship of that person, rather it is offered in the name of Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, and is intended to honour the visiting guest or present the rewards to the deceased. Similarly, prostration to other than Allah is forbidden in our Shari ah and is regarded as shirk if one believed in the godhead of whom he is prostrating to. However, other than this form is not considered shirk and was permissible for the previous nations and was even practiced by the Prophets.. In fact the Qur an is clear about Allah s order to the angels to prostrate to Adam, and there is no doubt that Adam is not Allah, may He be blessed and exalted. It is well-known that this prostration was not due to a belief in the divinity or lordship of Adam, blessings and peace be upon him, rather it was a sign of glorification, respect and esteem towards him which was sanctioned by the command of Allah, may He be blessed and exalted. 9

10 Allaah Almighty said about Prophet Ya qoob (Jacob) and his sons, And he raised his parents high meaning Yoosuf (Joseph) raised his parents, on the throne, and they fell down in prostration, before him. It is well-known that Ya qoob, who is a noble, son of a noble and grandson of a noble and is one of the Messengers of Allah, has prostrated to Yoosuf and fell down in prostration, before him as Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, said. So would you consider this an act of shirk on behalf of the Messengers and Prophets of Allah? Therefore, you should verify your information and must examine the divine texts and reflect on those Qur anic verses to know that categorically assuming that prostration to other than Allah is major shirk is incorrect, let alone the assumption that slaughtering [to other than Allah is shirk] ] when it is certainly a lesser form of worship than prostration. Hence, categorical assertions are incorrect. Know that anyone who slaughters in honour of a visiting guest is not regarded as one of the mushrikeen (idolaters) and this act of slaughter does not denote an act of shirk. Source: ( the official Habib Umar website in the section of Fataawaa. Note: This answer speaks volumes in illustrating the devious nature of the Sufi cult leader not to mention the lack of real Islamic knowledge! If we did not fear lengthening this document too much we would focus on this for a while due to the amount of ignorance and deviation contained in this single answer! Nevertheless, here are some points: 1. The issue that the questioner is asking about and the initial reply of Habib Umar is clearly two different things. The questioner is not asking about slaughtering a sheep to honor your guest, but slaughtering to other than Allaah seeking nearness to them or assistance from them. A common practice, amongst the Sufis. 2.The act of slaughtering or sacrificing and the act of honoring the guest are two separate acts of worship and is not thrown into the blender and mixed up so that the layman no longer knows whether he is sacrificing to Allaah or to his visiting guest, or whether he is honoring the guest out of glorification to the guest or out of obedience to Allaah. 3. All sacrificing and slaughtering that a Muslim does is only for the sake of Allaah, in the Name of Allaah and seeking nearness and reward from only Allaah. The evidence for this will follow shortly. 10

11 4.Honoring one s guest is an act of obedience to the order of Allaah and His Messenger ( صصل ىلى (ا عليه وسلم ) and therefore an act of worship. Muslims honor their guest to attain Allaah s pleasure and nearness unto Him, not in seeking favors of the guest or nearness to him. 5. He (habib umar) then goes on to make an analogy between slaughtering to other than Allaah under the final and perfect Shari ah and prostrating to other than Allaah under the previous legislations. The difference is not hidden from even the most unlearned of laypeople! 6. He goes on using the erroneous analogy as a basis for his argument, claiming that slaughtering or prostrating to other than Allaah is shirk only if the doer thereof believes that the one he is prostrating or sacrificing to is a god other than or along with Allaah. It is اله god clear in this that he does not know what the meaning of the word is in the Islamic Shari'ah.. The term god or ilaah means something that is worshipped or deified. All Muslims agree that sacrificing and prostrating to Allaah is acts of worship that Allaah commands us with. If it is done to other than Allaah it therefore becomes worship of that object/person and that object/person becomes an ilaah or god, albeit a false god. Hence the Declaration of Tawhid: : There is no ilaah (one worthy of worship) except Allaah. 7. He uses the example of the angels prostrating to Aadam and the prophet Ya qoob and his sons prostrating to Nabi Yusuf.عليهم الصل والسلم. The angels prostrated to Nabi Aadam in fulfilling the order of Allaah and Nabi Ya qoob and his sons were thousands of years before )وسلم) the Nabi Muhammad (صلى ا عليه ) and therefore not under the Shari ah of Nabi )وسلم) Muhammad (صلى ا عليه ) and The Glorious Qur aan had not yet been revealed. So who s Shari ah does Habib Umar follow? 9. Habib Umar says we must examine the divine texts and reflect on those Quranic verses to know that categorically assuming that prostration to other than Allaah is major shirk, is incorrect Had He done what he is so eagerly encouraging, he would have known that those verses deals with informing the Muslims of what transpired with previous prophets in their time and under the Shari ah of that particular time. It does not deal with legislating Divine Law for the Ummah of our beloved Nabi Muhammad ( وسلم صلى ا عليه ). 11

12 10.All Muslims are governed by the final Shari ah that Allaah perfected for His chosen slave )وسلم) and messenger Muhammad ibn Abdullaah.(صلى ا عليه In the perfect and final Shari ah ( عليه) of the Final Messenger of Allaah, which is our beloved Nabi Muhammad صلى ا,(وسلم it is not permissible to prostrate to any other than Allaah nor is it permissible to sacrifice to any other than Allaah and doing so has been clearly defined as Shirk (associating partners with Allaah). Now let us look at the evidence regarding this issue from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah )وسلم) of His messenger.(صلى ا عليه Allaah Most High says: ق%ل إن صلتى ونسكى ومحياى ومماتى لله ربl العلمي أو!ل% المسلمي -ل ل شريك له وبذلك أ%مرت وأنا Say: Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner. And with that I have been commanded and I am the first of the Muslims. [Al-An aam: ] So Allaah makes no distinction between prayer and sacrifice clarifying that both of it is the sole right of Allaah alone and that He has no partner in that. Just as He has no partner in granting us life and preserving us throughout our lives, nourishing and sustaining us and finally causing us to die and bringing us back to Him. And Allaah Most High says: لربlك وانحر إن!آ أعطينك الكوثر الكوثر-فصل} Verily We have granted you (oh Muhammad) al-kauthar!! Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him). Allaah clarifies to His Messenger, Muhammad that : It is Allaah alone who has (صلياللهعليهوسلم) given you the abundant goodness in this life and the Hereafter - and from that is the river al- Kauthar.. Therefore make your obligatory and optional prayer, and your sacrifice (of animals) solely and sincerely for your Lord. Worship Him alone and do not associate any partner with him. And sacrifice pronouncing His Name alone, without ascribing any partner to Him. [Alwww.sunnahpress.com 12

13 Kauthar:1-2] )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) saidin in the hadith narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib ( :(عنه رضي ا (( لعن ال من ذبح لغير ال )) Allah s curse is on the one who slaughters to other than Allah. [Muslim] So it is clear that it is forbidden for Muslims to slaughter or prostrate to any object or being other than Allaah whether that object or being is alive or dead and whether he affirms that that object or being is a god or not. Habib Umar s answer to this question is nothing but a sinister attempt to justify the acts of worship that he and other Sufis do to appease their shaikhs, dead or alive, and to seek nearness to them. The Issue of yearly pilgrimage to the Grave of Nabi Hud Another of the grave innovations propagated by Habib Umar is what he and his followers call The thousand year journey. This is a yearly ritual pilgrimage to the alleged grave of Nabi Hud to perform various acts of worship, many of which they fabricated themselves, in the supposedly sacred area. According to Habib Umar and his followers all the great saints and sages gather at this site in the south of Yemen annually! In the beginning of one of the videos depicting this pilgrimage it starts by saying: Seeking purification and forgiveness they congregate at base of Hud canyon, where the grave of Nabi Hud rests on the mountainside Note: Dear Muslims! Did Allaah Most High legislate for His slaves and worshippers that they should go and seek purification and forgiveness at Hud Canyon near the grave of Nabi Hud every year? Where in the Islamic Shari ah does this pilgrimage come from? Is it mentioned in the Book of Allaah or in the Sunnah )وسلم) of the Messenger of Allaah?(صلى ا عليه Did any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah go and seek forgiveness and purification there? Did any of the most followed Imams such as Abu Hanifah, Maalik, As-Shaafi ee and 13

14 Ahmad ibn Hanbal go and seek purification and forgiveness there? The Reality Of Habib Umar and those who tread his path It is clear that some of the Sufi Shaikhs legislated it for themselves and their followers with no authority from Allaah! Let us look at what Allaah says about those who legislate for His slaves and worshippers that which He Most High did not give any authority for in His Book or in the Sunnah of His )وسلم) Messenger.(صلى ا عليه Allaah Most High says: كلمة% الفصل لق%ضى بينهم وإن أم لهم شركاء{ شرعوا لهم مlن الدlين ما لم يأذن به الله-ولول الظلمي لهم عذابS أليمS Or have they partners (with Allah) who have legislated for them of the religion that which Allah has given no permission for? And had it not been for a decisive Word, the matter would have been judged between them. And verily, for the wrongdoers there is a painful torment! [Ash-Shuraa:21][ One of the followers of Habib Umar states: The tradition has been there for at least 1000 years. Shuyukh [plural of sheikh] visiting this location and doing the tarteeb that we did, swimming in the river, making the intention for ghusul [the Islamic ritual bath] having sins removed every time you make this ghusul, every time you dip your head under making this intention. Note: Please note dear Muslims that this annual pilgrimage is not a mere outing but there is a tarteeb to be followed! Including a swim in the river and dipping one s head under in order to have the sins removed! Muslims who live in non-muslim countries where there are multitudes of Christian people will be more or less familiar with the concept of Christian Baptism. Scores of Christians belonging to certain denominations go to the seashore or somebody s swimming pool and have themselves dipped under by the priest in order to emerge a newborn person free from all prior sins! Christians trace this tradition back to the time of the prophet Yahyaa whom they therefore call John the Baptist. It is said that Prophet Isaa (Jesus according to Christians) was baptized in the river by Nabi Yahyaa and this tradition has remained a 14

15 practice in some denominations of Christians. The Reality Of Habib Umar and those who tread his path The question is therefore: Did Allaah legislate the practice of swimming in a certain river or dipping one s head under the water to attain forgiveness? Did The Messenger of Allaah ( (صلى ا عليه وسلم ) order us to go and do this? Did any of the Companions or the Imams go and swim in a river or baptize themselves to have their sins forgiven? This is nothing but a clear imitation of the Christians in their practices and beliefs and imitating the disbelievers is absolutely forbidden in Islam! As the Messenger ص صل ( ىلى) of Allaah us: has warned (ا عليه وسلم «من من تشب!ه بقوم' فهو منهم» Whoever imitates a people is one of them. [Abu Dawud] This Hadith is one of many that indicate, along with their threats and warnings, that we are not allowed to imitate the disbelievers in their statements, deeds, clothes, feasts, acts of worship, etc., whatever actions of the disbelievers that were not legislated for us. The Issue of taking graves as places of worship The same follower of Habib Umar states that there is a specific Du aa in a specific book that is to be recited when entering the Grave of Nabi Hud. This is another fabrication of the Sufis themselves as you will not find in any book of the known and recognized collectors of Hadith,, any ritual pertaining to the visit of the grave of Hud! No du aa or tarteeb for it exists in the authentic textual references of the Muslim Scholars. It is also prohibited to take the graves as places of worship and the Messenger of )وسلم) Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) expressly forbade it as it opens up the avenues to Shirk. Here are some ahaadith relating to this issue. Aaishah ( رضي ا عنها )عنها) narrated that Umm Salamah ) (رضي ا ) mentioned to the Messenger of )وسلم) Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) a church that she had seen in Abyssinia and what it contained of )وسلم) images. He (صلى ا عليه ) said: 15

16 إذا مات فيهم الرجل الصال أو العبد الصال بنوا على قبه مسجداu وصوروا فيه تلك (أولئك الصور أولئك شرار اللق عند ال) Those people, when a pious person or a pious servant amongst them dies, they build a place of worship over his grave and erect those images in it. They are the worst of the creation before Allaah. [Bukhari] Narrated Aaishah ( رضي ا عنها )وسلم) that the Messenger of Allaah ) (صلى ا عليه ) said: ال على اليهود والنصارى اتذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد) (لعنة The curse of Allaah is upon the Jews and the Christians. They took the graves of their prophets as places of worship. [Bukhari and Muslim] )عنه) Narrated Jundub ibn Abdullaah (رضي ا )وسلم) ) that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said: أل وإن من كان قبلكم كانوا يتخذون قبور أنبيائهم مساجد أل فل تتخذوا القبور مساجد فإن أناكم عن ذلك Indeed those who came before you took the graves of their prophets as places of worship. Behold! Do not take the graves as places of worship for verily I prohibit you from that! [Muslim] So there remains no doubt in the hearts of the Muslims who follow the prophet )وسلم) Muhammad (صلى ا عليه ) that it is prohibited to take the graves as places of worship, let alone legislate baseless acts of worship to be done there. This is another example of how Habib Umar and his followers have followed the Jews and the Christians in their religion! The Issue of taking Images of the Shaikhs Habib Umar encourages his students to carry photos of himself on their person and to place it under their pillows when they go to bed! Not only has this, but he then created his own grave lie to give encouragement to those who may be skeptical about this! He says in one of his lectures: Whoever places a picture of me under his pillow when he goes to bed at night, will soon see the Messenger of Allaah ( (صلى ا عليه وسلم in a dream. 16

17 Note: Dear Muslims! On account of this grave lie it is not strange to find photos of Habib Umar hanging on the walls of the printing shops in Tarim. It resembles the photo markets of Tehran Iran where photos of Khomeini can be seen all over the walls. The students and blind followers of Habib Umar of course make the largest percentage of the clientele for these photos! The Messenger of Allaah has warned his Ummah about making images of all things that possess a soul and that the consequences thereof will be severe on the Day of Resurrection. It is also the taking of images of the pious people that led to the occurrence of Shirk among mankind! Habib Umar calls the Muslims back to what The Messenger of Islam came to eradicate! Allaah Most High says regarding the people of Nabi Nuh : ومكروا مكراu ك%ب!اراu وقال%وا ل تذرن ء\الهتك%م ول تذرن ود<اu ول سواعاu ول يغوث ويعوق - ونسراu And they have plotted a mighty plot. And they have said: `You shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth, and Ya'uq and Nasr. [Nuh:22-23] In the Sahih (Bukhari) Ibn Abbaas commented (رضي ا عنه) on the verse: You shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth, and Ya'uq and Nasr saying: These are the names of righteous people from the people of Nuh. When they passed away Shaytaan inspired their people to set up statues in their honour and set them in their gathering places and to name them the names of those deceased people. They did this but did not worship them until they too passed away and knowledge of their origins was forgotten. Then they were worshipped. This is how shirk started amongst mankind and that is why The Messenger of Allaah warned us so sternly about making images of living things! )عنها) Narrated Aaishah :(رضي ا )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said: 17

18 الناس عذاباu يوم القيامة الذين يضاهؤون بلق ال). (أشد The people in the worst torment on the day of Resurrection will be those who try to imitate the creation of Allaah. [Bukhari and Muslim] )عنه) Narrated Abul Hayaaj: Ali (رضي ا ) said to me: أبعثك على ما بعثن عليه رسول ال صلى ال عليه وسلم أل تدع صورة إل طمستها (أل ول قباu مشرفاu إل سويته). Should I not send you forth for that which the Messenger of Allaah sent me forth? That you leave no image except that you deface it and no raised up grave except that you flatten it. [Muslim] )عنه) Narrated Abdullaah ibn Abbaas :(رضي ا )وسلم) The Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه ) said: مصور ف النار يعل له بكل صورة صورها نفس يعذب با ف جهنم). (كل Every image maker is in the Hellfire. For every image that he made a being will be created and he will be punished by it in Jahannam (Hell). [Bukhari and Muslim] In Conclusion: Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters, May Allaah protect us and guide us all to that which pleases Him, Most High. It is sufficiently clear from what has preceded that Habib Umar is no righteous Islamic scholar, seeking to revive the Tawhid of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (صلى ا عليه وسلم) but rather he is the leader of a Sufi cult seeking to revive the practices and beliefs of Jaahiliyyah (pre Islamic ignorance). It is amazing then to see that those who are hosting and endorsing his tour of South Africa is non-other than some of the most senior of the Muslim clergy of Cape Town and other than them.the Muslim Judicial Council is at the forefront of the publicity campaign for this tour with announcements being made in most of the Mosques in Cape Town. Shaikh Ebrahim Gabriels, former president of the MJC,, has announced his tour in his mosque in Portlands, Mitchell s Plain, along with elevating him and harshly attacking those who oppose the practices of his Tariqah. Molvi Tahaa Karaan, the head of The Daarul Uluum in Strand is 18

19 one of the people charged with introducing Habib Umar to the people of Cape Town. It is the same MJC who via their Fataawaa Committee,, under the leadership of Molvi Yusuf Karaan, issued a fatwaa (religious ruling) in March 2003 regarding a person who calls for madad from other than Allaah.. The ruling states: With regards to the recitation of those words after the salaah by this person standing in for the actual Imam occasionally, we declare that most certainly the recitation of those words is a Bid at - an innovation which did not exist during the era of Rasulullah صلى ا عليه) (وسلم ),nor the Sahabas nor the age after them. These words of supplication are not appropriate to be recited and efforts should be made to avoid having that person lead the salaah.. According to the Quran it is not permissible to call upon any other being besides Allah for any help-----not even a saint or a Nabi or anyone else in that manner He goes on to mention some proofs of the Qur aan regarding this issue, until he says: If the reciter of those words truly believes that those beings whom he calls, indeed have the power and the ability to grant him that help and favors he seeks from them, then this a shirk belief that does not belong to a Muslim and must be discarded. We suggest that you have a quiet and discreet word with the actual Imam of the masjid, that in his absence arrangements be made that someone more suitable should lead the jamaat in the event of his absence. The Fatwaa is signed by Yusuf Karaan for the MJC Fatwa Committee. So Dear Muslims! Has the religion of Allaah changed since 2003, and if so, what are those changes? Has the acts which the MJC deemed Bid at and Shirk in 2003 become the Sunnah and Tawhid of today!? Exalted is Allaah above what they ascribe unto Him! So beware of blind following these Shaiks and Imams, my brothers and sisters lest we fall into what Allaah Most High has warned us about: )عنه) It is narrated by Adi ibn Hatim (رضي ا )عليه) ) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah صلى ا 19

20 recite (وسلم the verse: ات!خذ%وا أحبرهم ورهبنهم أرباباu مlن دون الله والمسيح ابن مريم ومآ أ%مروا إل ليعبدوا إلهاu وحداu ل إله إل هو سبحنه عم!ا يشرك%ون They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah, and (they also took as their Lord) the Messiah, son of Maryam, while they were commanded to worship none but One God, none has the right to be worshipped but He. Praise and hallowed be He above what they associate (with Him). [Tawbah: 31] )وسلم) So I said to him :(صلى ا عليه )وسلم) Verily, we did not worship them. He (صلى ا عليه ) replied: Did they not make Haraam (impermissible) what Allaah made Halaal (permissible) and then you made it Haraam and did they not make Halaal what Allaah made Haraam and so you made it Halaal? I said: Yes. )وسلم) He (صلى ا عليه ) said: That is worshipping them. [Ahmad and Tirmidhi] May Allaah Guide the Muslims to that which is Beloved to Him and keep us firm upon the )وسلم) way of His Messenger (صلى ا عليه ) and may He bestow His Blessings and Peace upon our Beloved prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions. 20