"The Book of Assistance" Course

The aptly-named "Book of Assistance" (Arabic: "Risalatul Mu'awanah") is today in widespread use among Islamic scholars and teachers in Arabia, Southeast Asia and East Africa. The book is a manual of prayers and practical ethics that is invaluable to all who love the Prophet and wanting to emulate his exalted character.  The author Imam Abdallah Ibn-Alawi Al-Haddad (d. 1720), lived at Tarim in the Hadramaut valley between Yemen and Oman, and is widely held to have been the ‘renewer’ of the twelfth Islamic century. A direct descendant of the Prophet, his sanctity and direct experience of God are clearly reflected in his writings, which include several books, a collection of Sufi letters, and a volume of mystical poetry.

The genius of this book is that it condenses the collected wisdom of centuries of Muslim spiritual doctors such as Imam-al Ghazali into a handy, brief manual. For centuries books like this have shaped men and women of all races, from Indonesians to Swahilis, into shining examples of godliness and beautiful conduct.  Anyone who implements the advice of the book is on the path of the perfection of character, characterized by everything from kindness and charity (including a cheerful countenance), to waking up in the middle of the night to worship, to inward states such as thankfulness and trust in God's will. Like all men of God, Imam al-Haddad's writing is clear, sober and eloquent.

Course Details
Commencement Date: Friday 1 April 2011
Time: 8.15 pm to 9.45 pm
Course End Date: Friday 29 July 2011 (4 months)
Teacher: Ustaz Muhammad Mukhtar Bin Habib
Course Fee: $125 complete course fee ($20 registration fee + $80 course fee + $25 "Book of Assistance" by Imam 'Abdallah Bin 'Alawi Al-Haddad, translated by Mostafa al-Badawi, published by Fons Vitae)

For enquiries, please call SimplyIslam at Tel 65474407 or email saira@simplyislam.sg.

About the Teacher

The course will be taught by Ustaz Muhammad Mukhtar Bin Habib. He studied the academic sciences in Singapore and completed the A Levels examinations. Subsequently he studied Islam and Arabic in Indonesia for a year under the guidance of Shaykh KHA Sohibul Wafa Tajul Arifin. He then went on to further his Islamic studies at the renowned Rubat Tarim in Hadramawt in Yemen, under the guidance of eminent scholars like Habib Salim bin Abdullah As-Shatiri, Habib Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Shihab, Habib Abdullah bin Umar bin Sumait and many others. The institution of Rubat Tarim has produced more than 13,000 scholars from all over the world, including Singapore’s famous and eminent scholar, Allahyarham Shaykh Umar Al-Khatib.

In Rubat Tarim, Ustaz Mukhtar Habib studied the books of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Nahu (Arabic Grammar), Tafsir (Exegesis), Hadith (Prophetic Traditions) and Tasawwuf (Islamic Spirituality). 

Ustaz Muhammad Mukhtar is currently a full-time staff of Masjid Alkaff Kg Melayu, as its Youth Development Officer, and actively organise programs and activities to guide Muslim youths in their Islamic educational and spiritual development.