His Lineage
He is al‐Habib al‐`Allamah Ibrahim bin `Umar bin `Aqil bin `Abdullah bin `Umar bin Abu Bakr bin `Umar bin Taha bin Muhammad bin Shaykh bin Ahmad bin Yahya bin Hasan bin `Alawi bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al‐Dawilah bin `Ali Mawla Darak, bin `Alawi al‐Ghuyur, bin al‐Faqih al‐Muqaddam, Muhammad bin `Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin `Ali Khali` Qasam, bin `Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al‐Sawma`a, 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 Abu Talib and Fatima al‐Zahra, the daughter of our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ.
His Life
Habib Ibrahim was born in the town of al‐Masilah, near Tarim, in the year 1327 (1908). He received a righteous upbringing at the hands of his parents and his paternal and maternal grandmothers, Sharifah Zahra’ and Sharifah Sayyidah, both the daughters of the great Imam, Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir. Both women were known for their piety, and Sharifah Sayyidah specifically for her scholarship. Students and seekers would come to her to seek knowledge and take ijazah from her because of the strength of her sanad. On one occasion, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al‐`AQas came to visit her and Habib Ibrahim, then a young child, was brought in for Habib Ahmad to read over and pray for. He was also taken to Habib `Ali al‐ Habashi for the same reason. His mother, Sharifah Nur, would take him to the mosque before he had reached the age of seven in the last third of the night and not allow him to return to the house until after sunrise. It was in this environment of knowledge and spiritual nurturing that Habib Ibrahim grew up. It is not surprising that by the age of eight he was already composing poetry which demonstrated not only his linguistic genius but also his state with his Lord.
He said, “Had I wished to speak to people only in verse I could have done so.” The strength of his memory was such that he said: “I never read a book and was in need of going back to it.” It is no surprise that he quickly memorised the Qur’an and many of the core texts of the Islamic sciences.
He was taught first by his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil bin Yahya. Later he mastered the inward and outward sciences at the hands of the Imams of Tarim at the Pme, Habib `Abdullah bin `Aydarus al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abd al‐Bari bin Shaykh al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri and Habib `Alawi bin `Abdullah Shihab al‐Din. He also took knowledge from masters such as Habib `Alawi bin Tahir al‐Haddad and Habib Salih bin `Abdullah al‐Haddad. He began teaching in the mosque of Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir before he reached puberty and later became the imam of the mosque. In his youth he was involved in a number of scholarly activities, and was constantly wriPng, researching and teaching. He inherited great tracts of land around al‐Masilah, but one of his relatives falsely claimed that the land belonged to him. Habib Ibrahim duly went to Tarim with documentation proving his ownership of the land to present his case to the judge. He was met, however, by his shaykh, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri, who said to him, “O Ibrahim, if someone contests you in the affairs of your religion, then defend your religion. But if someone disputes with you over something worldly then throw it in his face.” Habib Ibrahim duly leA his claim to ownership of the land and in 1354 (1935) left Hadramawt for North Yemen. He first lived in al‐Hudaydah on the Red Sea coast, where he studied with his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil. He also learnt from the great scholar Sayyid `Abd al‐Rahman bin Muhammad al‐Ahdal. He went into business and was very successful but subsequently left it, having no desire for ephemeral things. After the death of his uncle, he moved to Zabid and then Ta`izz, where he eventually settled. During this period he travelled as part of a government delegation to Iraq, where he graduated from the military academy. When he returned to Yemen he was appointed a minister in the government of Imam Yahya bin Muhammad. He remained in this position until the revolution of 1381 (1962), after which he was appointed the Mufti of the city of Ta`izz.
His house in Ta`izz was open day and night to all‐comers. In fact, it was more of a zawiyah than a house – gatherings of remembrance were held, guests were honoured, the poor were fed and their needs answered. Habib Ibrahim would sit daily from Zuhr unPl Maghrib and students would come and read books to him in various sciences. He possessed an extremely strong sanad in Sahih al‐Bukhari and the book was constantly read along with its commentaries. As soon as it was completed, a new reading would commence. Other people would come with their problems or requests for fatwa and Habib Ibrahim would help them all with warmth and compassion. The rest of his Pme would be spent in remembrance of Allah and recitaPon of the Qur’an. He performed Hajj more than twenty times, renewing his connection to the scholars of the Hijaz on each occasion.
He was extremely humble and his heart had no attachment to worldly things. He preferred simplicity in the way he lived, and disliked affected behaviour (takalluf). When one of the wealthiest businessmen in Yemen came to visit him, he insisted that he ate from the same plates that the poor people ate from. He said: “I have never sworn an oath by Allah in my life in truth or in falsehood.”
Among his students were Habib Muhammad al‐Haddar, Habib Zayn bin Sumayt, Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al‐Maliki, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz and Shaykh Muhammad al‐Hariri.
His Death
Habib Ibrahim lost his sight in his final years and he spent most of his time in silence. He said at this time that the true meaning of well‐being (`afiyah) is that the heart is free from any opposition to the decree of Allah. He had lived his life in strict adherence to the Sunnah, and this did not change even in his last days. When someone helping him to make wudu’ rolled up his right sleeve before his leA in order to wash his right arm, he reminded him that the Sunnah when removing clothing is to begin with the leA and not the right. He finally departed this life on 14th Jumad al‐Awwal 1415 (1995). Vast crowds came out to aQend his funeral prayer in Jami` al‐Muzaffar, where he had been khatib for more than thirty years. He was then carried to his final resting place in the Habil Salman graveyard in Ta`izz.
May Allah raise his staPon and benefit us by him in this life and the next.
Source: http://abdulkarimyahya.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/HbIbrahimbinAqil.pdf
He is al‐Habib al‐`Allamah Ibrahim bin `Umar bin `Aqil bin `Abdullah bin `Umar bin Abu Bakr bin `Umar bin Taha bin Muhammad bin Shaykh bin Ahmad bin Yahya bin Hasan bin `Alawi bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al‐Dawilah bin `Ali Mawla Darak, bin `Alawi al‐Ghuyur, bin al‐Faqih al‐Muqaddam, Muhammad bin `Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin `Ali Khali` Qasam, bin `Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al‐Sawma`a, 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 Abu Talib and Fatima al‐Zahra, the daughter of our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ.
His Life
Habib Ibrahim was born in the town of al‐Masilah, near Tarim, in the year 1327 (1908). He received a righteous upbringing at the hands of his parents and his paternal and maternal grandmothers, Sharifah Zahra’ and Sharifah Sayyidah, both the daughters of the great Imam, Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir. Both women were known for their piety, and Sharifah Sayyidah specifically for her scholarship. Students and seekers would come to her to seek knowledge and take ijazah from her because of the strength of her sanad. On one occasion, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al‐`AQas came to visit her and Habib Ibrahim, then a young child, was brought in for Habib Ahmad to read over and pray for. He was also taken to Habib `Ali al‐ Habashi for the same reason. His mother, Sharifah Nur, would take him to the mosque before he had reached the age of seven in the last third of the night and not allow him to return to the house until after sunrise. It was in this environment of knowledge and spiritual nurturing that Habib Ibrahim grew up. It is not surprising that by the age of eight he was already composing poetry which demonstrated not only his linguistic genius but also his state with his Lord.
He said, “Had I wished to speak to people only in verse I could have done so.” The strength of his memory was such that he said: “I never read a book and was in need of going back to it.” It is no surprise that he quickly memorised the Qur’an and many of the core texts of the Islamic sciences.
He was taught first by his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil bin Yahya. Later he mastered the inward and outward sciences at the hands of the Imams of Tarim at the Pme, Habib `Abdullah bin `Aydarus al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abd al‐Bari bin Shaykh al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri and Habib `Alawi bin `Abdullah Shihab al‐Din. He also took knowledge from masters such as Habib `Alawi bin Tahir al‐Haddad and Habib Salih bin `Abdullah al‐Haddad. He began teaching in the mosque of Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir before he reached puberty and later became the imam of the mosque. In his youth he was involved in a number of scholarly activities, and was constantly wriPng, researching and teaching. He inherited great tracts of land around al‐Masilah, but one of his relatives falsely claimed that the land belonged to him. Habib Ibrahim duly went to Tarim with documentation proving his ownership of the land to present his case to the judge. He was met, however, by his shaykh, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri, who said to him, “O Ibrahim, if someone contests you in the affairs of your religion, then defend your religion. But if someone disputes with you over something worldly then throw it in his face.” Habib Ibrahim duly leA his claim to ownership of the land and in 1354 (1935) left Hadramawt for North Yemen. He first lived in al‐Hudaydah on the Red Sea coast, where he studied with his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil. He also learnt from the great scholar Sayyid `Abd al‐Rahman bin Muhammad al‐Ahdal. He went into business and was very successful but subsequently left it, having no desire for ephemeral things. After the death of his uncle, he moved to Zabid and then Ta`izz, where he eventually settled. During this period he travelled as part of a government delegation to Iraq, where he graduated from the military academy. When he returned to Yemen he was appointed a minister in the government of Imam Yahya bin Muhammad. He remained in this position until the revolution of 1381 (1962), after which he was appointed the Mufti of the city of Ta`izz.
His house in Ta`izz was open day and night to all‐comers. In fact, it was more of a zawiyah than a house – gatherings of remembrance were held, guests were honoured, the poor were fed and their needs answered. Habib Ibrahim would sit daily from Zuhr unPl Maghrib and students would come and read books to him in various sciences. He possessed an extremely strong sanad in Sahih al‐Bukhari and the book was constantly read along with its commentaries. As soon as it was completed, a new reading would commence. Other people would come with their problems or requests for fatwa and Habib Ibrahim would help them all with warmth and compassion. The rest of his Pme would be spent in remembrance of Allah and recitaPon of the Qur’an. He performed Hajj more than twenty times, renewing his connection to the scholars of the Hijaz on each occasion.
He was extremely humble and his heart had no attachment to worldly things. He preferred simplicity in the way he lived, and disliked affected behaviour (takalluf). When one of the wealthiest businessmen in Yemen came to visit him, he insisted that he ate from the same plates that the poor people ate from. He said: “I have never sworn an oath by Allah in my life in truth or in falsehood.”
Among his students were Habib Muhammad al‐Haddar, Habib Zayn bin Sumayt, Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al‐Maliki, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz and Shaykh Muhammad al‐Hariri.
His Death
Habib Ibrahim lost his sight in his final years and he spent most of his time in silence. He said at this time that the true meaning of well‐being (`afiyah) is that the heart is free from any opposition to the decree of Allah. He had lived his life in strict adherence to the Sunnah, and this did not change even in his last days. When someone helping him to make wudu’ rolled up his right sleeve before his leA in order to wash his right arm, he reminded him that the Sunnah when removing clothing is to begin with the leA and not the right. He finally departed this life on 14th Jumad al‐Awwal 1415 (1995). Vast crowds came out to aQend his funeral prayer in Jami` al‐Muzaffar, where he had been khatib for more than thirty years. He was then carried to his final resting place in the Habil Salman graveyard in Ta`izz.
May Allah raise his staPon and benefit us by him in this life and the next.
Source: http://abdulkarimyahya.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/HbIbrahimbinAqil.pdf
