Habib Umar is a direct descendant of the Messenger of Allah through Imam al-Husayn. His father and his father’s father and all his forefathers were scholars and knowers of Allah. Among his blessed forefathers are Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin as well as the first of the Prophetic Household to settle in Hadramawt, Imam Ahmad bin Isa al-Muhajir and his noble descendants, al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad bin Ali, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf and Shaykh Abu Bakr bin Salim. His full lineage is as follows.

His Birth

Habib Umar was born in Tarim, in Yemen’s Hadramawt Valley before Fajr on Monday, the 4th Muharram 1383 AH (27th May 1963), and it was there that he grew up. His father, Habib Muhammad, was a great scholar and caller to Allah, and he carefully supervised his son’s upbringing. When he was still very young, his father would take him with him to gatherings of knowledge and on expeditions calling to Allah.

His Study of the Islamic Sciences

At an early age, Habib Umar memorised the Qur’an and began studying the Islamic sciences under his father and many of the great scholars of Tarim of the time. Among them were Habib Muhammad bin ‘Alawi bin Shihab, Habib Ahmad bin Ali Ibn Shaykh Abu Bakr, Habib Abdullah bin Shaykh al-‘Aydarus, Habib Abdullah bin Hasan Balfaqih, Habib Umar bin ‘Alawi al-Kaf, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al-Haddad, Habib Hasan bin Abdullah al-Shatiri and his brother, Habib Salim, the Mufti, Shaykh Fadl bin Abd al-Rahman Ba Fadl, and Shaykh Tawfiq Aman. He also studied under his older brother, Habib Ali al-Mashhur, the former Mufti of Tarim.

His Travels

Habib Umar constantly travels to convey the Prophetic message and to call people to Allah. He delivers regular lectures and khutbahs within Hadramawt and often makes trips abroad. His travels have taken him to almost all the Arab states, East and South Africa, South East Asia and Australia, the Indian Subcontinent, Western Europe and Scandinavia and North America. He has connected to the chains of transmission of the scholars of these regions and has also participated in many conferences.

His Attributes

Only a knower of Allah can truly describe another knower of Allah. That said, anyone that spends time in the company of Habib Umar will witness his complete emulation of his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and also his emulation of his predecessors among the Ba ‘Alawi Imams. Whether it be in his acts of worship, in his dealings with people, in receiving his guests, in the words that he speaks, or in his smile, his every action is an expression of his Prophetic inheritance. He shows utmost mercy to every creature and desires goodness and elevation for every human being. He invites non-Muslims to accept Islam, calls Muslims to increase in faith and to benefit others and assists spiritual seekers on the path to Allah. His concern above all is the Ummah of our Master Muhammad ﷺ and playing his part in the renewal of Islam.

May he be blessed with the highest level of the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. May Allah bestow His enabling grace upon him in all of his affairs and benefit us immensely by him in this life and the next.