Advice For Women During Pregnancy by Habib Umar

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

This is a brief list of advice for women during pregnancy by Habib Umar

The Intention:

You should make the intention of Saiyyidah Hanna - the mother of Saiyyidah Maryam, the mother of Saiyyidina Isa (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon all of them). Saiyyidah Hanna dedicated the child in her womb to the service of Allah.

Her intention is described in the Qur’an:

إِذْ قَالَتِ ٱمْرَأَتُ عِمْرَٰنَ رَبِّ إِنِّى نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِى بَطْنِى مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّىٓ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ﴿٣٥﴾ فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَضَعْتُهَآ أُنثَىٰ وَٱللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ ٱلذَّكَرُ كَٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّى سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّىٓ أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ ﴿٣٦﴾ فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنۢبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا ٱلْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزْقًا ۖ قَالَ يَـٰمَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَـٰذَا ۖ قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّـهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴿٣٧

(Remember) when the wife of 'Imrân said: "O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship), so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knowing." (35) Then when she gave birth to her [child Maryam], she said: "O my Lord! I have given birth to a female child," - and Allâh knew better what she brought forth, - "And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge with You (Allâh) for her and for her offspring from Shaytan (Satan), the outcast." (36) So her Lord (Allâh) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyâ. Every time he entered Al-Mihrâb to (visit) her , he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam! From where have you got this?" She said, "This is from Allâh." Verily, Allâh provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit." (37)

[Qur'an, AleImran 3:35-37]

وَإِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَـٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصْطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ﴿٤٢

And (remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam! Verily, Allâh has chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you above the women of the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinn) (of her lifetime)." (42)

[Qur'an, AleImran 3:42]

In a lecture entitled, Isa (peace be upon him) and his Blessed Mother (peace be upon her), Habib 'Ali al-Jifri attests to the sincerity and far-reaching consequences of Saiyyida Hanna's intention: " The intention of Hanna made the one she bore be accepted by Allah. She possessed an intention with Allah. When she intended that in her offspring there would be someone who serves Allah, someone who would serve this religion - when she was truthful in such an intention, Allah honored her because of her intention. Look at the effect of that intention: the very deliverance this community will take place at the hands of Prophet Isa.”

Repeat the following verses during pregnancy:

رب هب لي من لدنك ذرية طيبة إنك سميع الدعاء

Rabbi hab li milladunka dhurriyatan tayyibah innaka samiu-du'a

"O my Lord, grant me a progeny that is pure, for You hear (our) prayers! [AleImran 3:38]

ربنا هب لنا من أزواجنا وذرياتنا قرة أعين واجعلنا للمتقين إماما

Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata 'ayun waj'alna lilmuttaqin imama
"Our Lord, grant us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous." [Al-Furqan 25:74]

ثم السبيل يسره

Thumm-assabila yassarah

Then He made the path easy [Abasa 80:20]

والله أخرجكم من بطون أمهاتكم

Wallahu akhrajakum min butuni ummahatikum

Allah brought you forth from your mothers’ wombs [An-Nahl 16:78]

Read Daily:

- Surah Inshiqaq – to be recited on a daily basis throughout pregnancy
- Surah Luqman – to be recited in the 1st trimester
- Surah Yusuf – to be recited in the 2nd trimester
- Surah Maryam - to be recited in the 3rd trimester as labour approaches
- "Ya Latif" – to be recited 129 times every morning and evening
- "Ya Qawī" – to be recited 116 times daily for strength

For 7th month:

Ask your husband to recite Surah Sharh (Surah 94) 152 times (in one sitting) on the baby during the 7th month.

General Advice:

- Recite all your daily adhkar and awrad, and pray as many prayers in jama’ah with your husband as possible
- Read as much Qur’an as possible
- Do as much salawat on the Prophetﷺ as possible
- Just as babies are said to recognise certain music from the time spent in their mother’s wombs, similarly, reading texts such as the ‘Book of Assistance’ by Imam al-Haddad, are advised in order to bring about similar recognition

During labor:
- The first ayat of Surah al-Fath’ (surah 48)
- Surah Maryam (surah 19)
- Surah Inshirah (surah 94)
- "Ya Latif"
- "Assalaam alaykum ayyuha-nnabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh"
- Read Surah al-Baqarah in the room in which the baby is to be born, as this drives away the Shaytan for three days

During birth and leading up to it repeat Allah’s name "al-Latif" in abundance, along with the following:

يا لطيفا بخلقه يا عليما بخلقه يا خبيرا بخلقه ألطف بنا يا لطيف يا عليم يا خبير
يا لطيفا لم يزل ألطف بنا فيما نزل إنك لطيف لم تزل ألطف بنا والمسلمين

Ya Latifan bi khalqihi ya 'Aliman bi khalqihi ya Khabiran bi khalqihi ultuf bina ya Latifu ya 'Alimu ya Khabiru (repeat 3 times)
Ya Latifan lam yazal ultuf bina fima nazal innaka Latifun lam tazal ultuf bina walmuslimin (repeat 3 times)

O One Who is gentle with His creation, O One who has complete knowledge of His creation, O One who has complete awareness of His creation! Treat us with gentleness O Gentle, O All-Knowing, O All-Aware!
O Gentle Who remains forever, be gentle to us in all that befalls us, You are constantly Gentle, treat us and the Muslims with gentleness!

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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