The Book of Intentions
Every Friday at 8.15pm Livestreamed on Facebook Live
Weekly classes every Friday taught by a traditionally trained Islamic Scholar, Shaykh Haisam Farache.
About the Book
The Book of Intentions by Habib Muhammad “Sa`d” ibn `Alawi al-`Aydarus (and translated by Mohamad Mbaye) presents an array of intentions drawn from the Prophetic Sunnah and the practice of the Pious Predecessors [salaf]. It illustrates, in a concise and practical manner, the meaning of the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ‘Verily actions are only according to intentions and every man shall have according to what he intended. Whosoever makes migrates [hijra] for God and His Messenger ﷺ, then his migration is to God and His Envoy, and whosoever makes migration to achieve some worldly benefit or to take a woman in marriage, then his migration is to that for which he made migration.’
The Pious Predecessors used to say, ‘Whosoever opens the door of a virtuous intention, Allah will open seventy doors of the doors of success [tawfiq] for him.’ This saying encapsulates the tacit prayer of this book: that one’s intention may become a vehicle to tawfiq and a gateway to many more virtuous intentions. Few works gift such an insight into the multitude of opportunities to realize and harness the latent blessings within the intention.
About the Shaykh and Teacher
Shaykh Haisam Farache is teaching this wonderful and life-changing text online via Facebook Livestream.
The most remarkable thing about Shaykh Haisam’s teaching method is how he relates what we learn in these books to contemporary issues and how we can apply them to our every day life. We do not just read the books but we live the books.
Biography of the Author
He is al-Habib “Sa`d” Muhammad bin `Alawi bin `Umar bin `Aydarus bin `Alawi bin `Abdullah bin `Alawi bin `Abdullah bin al-Hasan bin `Alawi bin `Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Shaykh Husayn bin Imam `Abdullah al-`Aydarus bin Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Sakran bin Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al-Dawilah, bin `Ali Mawla al-Darak, bin `Alawi al-Ghayur, bin al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad, bin `Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin `Ali Khali` Qasam, bin `Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Sawm`ah, bin `Alawi, bin `Ubaydullah, bin al-Imam al-Muhajir il-Allah Ahmad, bin ` Isa, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, bin `Ali al-`Uraydi, bin Ja`far al-Sadiq, bin Muhammad al-Baqir, bin `Ali Zayn al-`Abidin, bin Husayn al-Sibt bin `Ali bin Abi Talib and Fatimah al-Zahra’, the daughter of our Master Muhammad , Seal of the Prophets ﷺ.
Habib Muhammad, known by all as “Sa`d”, was born in Tarim in 1351 (1932). He was raised, nurtured and schooled under the watchful gaze of his father, Habib `Alawi, one of the foremost scholars of Tarim at the time, and his pious mother, Sharifah Fatimah bint Hasan al-Junayd.
Habib Sa`d was assiduous in his care for his mother and later she lived with him in his house in al-Nuwaydarah until she passed away in 1410 (1989) at the age of nearly one hundred. Habib Sa`d thus grew up in an environment of scholarship and virtuousness. He studied for many years under a large number of scholars in Tarīm and elsewhere.
In 1371 (1951), he travelled to Aden to earn a living and study at the hands of the city’s scholars. In 1391 (1971), however, he was jailed by the socialist government of the time, which in its vain attempts to suppress Islam imprisoned and killed a number of scholars. He spent three and a half years in prison enduring the most severe types of torture. Yet in spite of these circumstances, he was able to memorise the Qur’an.
After his release, he returned to Tarim in the year 1395 (1975), where he was made the imam of the famous Masjid al-Saqqaf. Just as Sayyiduna Yusuf was given authority over the land of Egypt after his time in prison, Habib Sa`d was entrusted with religious authority in Tarim after his incarceration.
In 1397 (1976), he reopened the renowned school of Abu Murayyam for the memorisation of the Qur’an, which had been closed by the authorities. It was founded by the great Imam, Muhammad bin `Umar Abu Murayyam in 822 (1419). Thousands of great scholars have graduated from it over the centuries. The school is known for being a place where people attain spiritual openings and a place where memorisation of the Qur’an is made easy and prayers are accepted. Habib `Umar bin Hafiz was one of the first students to complete his memorisation of the Qur’an after the school reopened. Habib Kazim bin Ja`far al-Saqqaf also graduated at the hands of Habib Sa`d, along with many other scholars and callers to Allah. The school has since gone from strength to strength and has opened sixteen branches in and around Tarim.
Out of his desire to benefit people, he compiled over one hundred small books on numerous subjects. He believed that a book should be short, beneficial and affordable and this is how his books are. The first of them was Kitab al-Ayat al-Mutashabihat, which assists anyone who wishes to memorise the Qur’an by mentioning verses in different parts of the Book that are either similar or the same. Habib Sa`d compiled several other books on aspects of the Qur’an as well as biographies and pieces of wisdom of many of the Imams of Hadramawt. His “Book of Intentions” delves deep into the science of intentions and due to its practical benefit was translated into English and several other languages. He also compiled books on subjects as diverse as remedies for forgetfulness and depression, neglected elements of the Sunnah.
Habib Sa`d’s door was always open to visitors, who came in droves. Hardly a single visitor left without first drinking tea and being presented with his latest book. His heart was full of mercy and compassion for all those that came to him, especially students of knowledge, whom he would assist and encourage in whatever way he could. He saw all his students as his children. He severely counseled people to respect papers on which the name of Allah or one of His Prophets ﷺ was written, and not to waste food or water.
He was in a constant state of remembrance of Allah and a substantial portion of his life was spent with the mushaf or masbahah (prayer beads) in his hands. He would spend most of the night writing and researching, would go in the second half of the night to pray in Masjid Ba `Alawi and then go to Masjid al-Saqqaf to read the Qur’an with the group before Fajr.
He often advised his students to read a portion of the Ihya’ every day and it is fitting that just days before his death he was given copies of a new print of the book and he spent his last hours with this great work in his hand.
In his final years, it was only old age and poor health that prevented him from leading the prayer in Masjid al-Saqqaf and presiding over the Hadrah and gatherings of knowledge. When he found the strength he would come, and he attended the great khatm of Masjid al-Saqqaf on the 21st night of Ramadan in the last year of his life, as well as the Hadrah only a few days before his death.
He was finally reunited with his Lord on Thursday, 8th Dhu’l-Qa`dah 1432/6th October 2011 at the age of 82. Thousands of the people of Tarim and Hadramawt came out at `Asr on Friday for his funeral prayer. Before the prayer, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz and Habib Salim al-Shatiri addressed the crowd, recounting the exploits of this great Imam and calling the people to return to Allah and hold fast to the inheritance of their predecessors. He was then buried in the Zanbal graveyard just outside the Qubbah of Imam al-`Aydarus, at the top of the path which leads down to the grave of Imam al-Haddad. May Allah have mercy upon Habib Sa`d and benefit it us by him.
[Source: Muwasala.org]