Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

A man of manifold and staggering achievements, Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is the founding leader of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International (MQI), an organization with branches and centres in more than 90 countries around the globe, working for the promotion of peace and harmony between communities and the revival of spiritual endeavour based on the true teachings of Islam. Shaykh-ul-Islam is a scholar of extraordinary proportions and an intellectual leader for all seasons. He is a living model of profound classical knowledge, intellectual enlightenment, practical wisdom, pure spirituality, love, harmony and humanism. He is well known for his ardent endeavour to strengthen bonds among people, by bringing them together through tolerance, dialogue, integration and education. He successfully bridges the past with his image of the future and finds convincing solutions for contemporary problems. He has been teaching Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, Theology, Sufism, Seerah, Islamic philosophy and many other rational and traditional sciences to thousands of people, including Ulema, scholars, Shuyukh, students, intellectuals and academics in the east and the west.

Shaykh-ul-Islam was born on February 19, 1951 in the historical city of Jhang, Pakistan, and is the son of the great spiritualist and intellectual of his time ash-Shaykh Dr Farida’d-Din al-Qadri. He was educated from the young age in both the Islamic and secular sciences simultaneously. Although he had already started his religious education under his father two years earlier, his formal classical education was initiated in Madina at the age of 12, in Madrasa al-‘Ulum ash-Shar‘iyya, which was situated in the blessed house of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the first residence of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) after his migration. By the time he had received a First Class Honours Degree from the University of the Punjab in 1970, he had also completed his Classical Islamic Studies, having spent over ten years under the tutelage of his father and other eminent Shuyukh of his time and achieving an unparalleled understanding of the classical shari‘a sciences and Arabic language. He earned his MA in Islamic Studies in 1972 with the University of the Punjab Gold Medal, achieved his LLB in 1974 and began to practise as a lawyer in the district courts of Jhang. He moved to Lahore in 1978 and joined the University of the Punjab as a lecturer in law and then gained his PhD in Islamic Law. He was also a member of the Syndicate, Senate and Academic Council of the University of the Punjab, which are the highest executive, administrative and academic bodies of the University.
In a short span of time, he emerged as the country’s leading Islamic jurist and scholar and revivalist of the Islamic ideology. He was appointed as a Jurist Consult (legal adviser) on Islamic law for the Supreme Court and the Federal Shari‘a Court of Pakistan and also worked as a specialist adviser on Islamic curricula for the Federal Ministry of Education of Pakistan at various times between 1983 and 1987. In the 1980s, a number of historical judgments in the legal and constitutional history of Pakistan were passed by the Federal Shariʻa Court and the Appellate Shariʻa Bench, Supreme Court of Pakistan as a result of Shaykh-ul-Islam’s juristic arguments, documented in the Pakistan Legal Decisions (PLDs) and Pakistan Legal Judgments (PLJs).
He is also a former Professor of Islamic Law at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, and the youngest person ever to have been awarded a professorship in the history of the University. Shaykh-ul-Islam has also previously held the position of the Head of the Department for LLM in Islamic Legislation.
Shaykh-ul-Islam founded Minhaj-ul-Qur’an in 1981 and established its headquarters in Lahore. In less than 30 years, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an has expanded and spread over more than 90 countries around the world; and in terms of its comprehensive and all-encompassing sphere of activities, educational, social, cultural and spiritual, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an is probably one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world.
Shaykh-ul-Islam is founder and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Minhaj University Lahore which is chartered by Government and is imparting higher education to thousands of students in the faculties of basic, modern, social, management and religious sciences. He is the founder of Minhaj Education Society which has established more than 570 schools and colleges in Pakistan. He is also the founding Chairman of Minhaj Welfare Foundation, a humanitarian and social welfare organization working globally. He is the founding leader of different forums of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an including Minhaj-ul-Qur’an Ullama Council, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an Women League, Minhaj Youth League, Mustafavi Students Movements and Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum.

The Works of Shaykh-ul-Islam

Shaykh-ul-Islam is a prolific author and researcher. He has authored around 1000 books out of which 400 books are already published, and the rest of them are yet to be published. An unrivalled orator and speaker, he has delivered over 5000 lectures (in Urdu, English and Arabic), on a wide range of subjects, which are available on cassette, CD, DVD formats as well as online.
The following represents a selection of his printed works:

Works on Qur’anic Tafsir (in number totaling 80 works) include:

• Irfan al-Qur’an (the Meanings of the Qur’an — Urdu and English versions)
• Tafsir Minhaj al-Qur’an (al-Futuhat al-Madaniyya — 14 volumes U.P.)
• Tafsir Sura al-Fatiha (partly published, totaling 7 volumes), the largest available publication on this subject.
• Kashf al-Ghita ʻan Maʻrifat al-Aqsam li-l-Mustafa (Tafsir in Arabic on the excellence of the Holy Prophet — blessings and peace be upon him).
• Tasmiyya al-Qur’an (a voluminous book on the meanings of Bism Allah)
• Manahij al-‘Irfan fi Lafz al-Qur’an (a voluminous book on the meanings of the word Qur’an)
• Meaning of Ayat al-Kursi (a voluminous book)
• Development of Human Personality in the Light of Sura al-Fatiha
• Islamic Philosophy of Human Life
• No Coercion in Religion
• al-ʻIrfan fi Fadaʼil wa Adab al-Qurʼan (recitation of the Qur’an; virtues and manners)
• Islamic Concept of Human Nature
• Qur’anic Philosophy of Da‘wa

And many others


Central Secretariat:
365, M Block Model Town, Lahore, Pakistan
Office No: (+92-42) 5171 404, 5168 365
UAN: (+92-42) 111 140 140
Fax: (+92-42) 5169 114, 5168 184


URLs:
Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
www.islamicresearcher.com

Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International (MQI)
www.Minhaj.org

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Shaykh al-Habib 'Umar bin Hafiz

He is al-Habib ‘Umar the son of Muhammad the son of Salim the son of Hafiz the son of Abd-Allah the son of Abi Bakr the son of ‘Aidarous the son of al-Hussain the son of al-Shaikh Abi Bakr the son of Salim the son of ‘Abd-Allah the son of ‘Abd-al-Rahman the son of ‘Abd-Allah the son of al-Shaikh ‘Abd-al-Rahman al-Saqqaf the son of Muhammad Maula al-Daweela the son of ‘Ali the son of ‘Alawi the son of al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad the son of ‘Ali the son of Muhammad Sahib al-Mirbat the son of ‘Ali Khali‘ Qasam the son of ‘Alawi the son of Muhammad the son of ‘Alawi the son of ‘Ubaidallah the son of al-Imam al-Muhajir to Allah Ahmad the son of ‘Isa the son of  Muhammad the son of ‘Ali al-‘Uraidi the son of Ja'far al-Sadiq the son of Muhammad al-Baqir the son of ‘Ali Zain al-‘Abidin the son of Hussain the grandson, the son of both ‘Ali the son of Abu Talib and of Fatimah al-Zahra the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad r.
He was born in Tarim, Hadramaut one of the ancient cities of Yemen that became known far and wide due to the abundance of scholars and pious people that it has produced over the centuries. He was raised in a household that possessed a tradition of Islamic scholarship as well as righteousness with his father being the famous martyr, the Erudite, the Preacher, Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafiz bin Shaikh Abu Bakr bin Salim. His father was one of the scholars of Islam that dedicated their lives to the spread of Islam and the teaching of the Sacred Law and the lofty teachings of Islam. He was tragically abducted by communist forces and presumed dead, may Allah have mercy upon him. Likewise his grandfathers al-Habib Salim bin Hafiz and al-Habib Hafiz bin Abd-Allah were scholars who were highly respected by the scholars of their day. Allah prepared appropriate conditions for al-Habib ‘Umar in terms of both his connection with the people of knowledge and piety from within his very household as well as the environment and society in which he was raised.
Having memorised the Qur’an at a very early age he also memorised  the core texts in fiqh, hadith, Arabic Language and other religious sciences thereby adhering to the circles of knowledge that were held by many traditional scholars such as Muhammad bin ‘Alawi bin Shihab and al-Shaikh Fadl Baa Fadl and other scholars who taught at the famous Ribat of Tarim. Naturally he studied many sciences including the spiritual sciences from his father the martyr al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim acquiring from him a deep love and concern for da'wah and religious counsels in the way of Allah. His father paid a lot of attention to the young ‘Umar with him constantly being at the side of his father in circles of knowledge and dhikr. Tragically al-Habib ‘Umar accompanied his father to the Jum‘ah prayer from which he has abducted by the communist forces, with the young ‘Umar returning home alone with his fathers shawl, with his father never to be seen again. Thus the young ‘Umar began to assume the responsibility of continuing the work done by his father in the field of Da‘wah it was as if his fathers shawl was a banner which he had given to his youngest child before being martyred. Thus, with the banner held aloft he began, vigourously, the arduous journey of exhorting the people, arranging conferences and da‘wah. His vigourous attempt at continuing the work of his father began to bear fruits. Classes were being held for the young and the old in local mosques where opportunities to memorise the Qur’an and to study the traditional sciences were being offered. He indeed had grasped the Book firmly it being evident that he had been given something special from Allah despite his young age. This however began to cause great concern for his safety with it eventually culminating in him being sent to the city of al-Bayda’ which is situated in the then North Yemen away from the grasp of those who may wish to inflict harm on the young sayyid. There began another important phase in his development. Enrolled at the Ribat of al-Bayda’ he began to study the traditional sciences under the expert tutelage of the great al-Habib Muhammad bin ‘Abd-Allah al-Haddar, may Allah have mercy upon him, as well as under the Shafi‘i jurist and scholar al-Habib Zain bin Sumait, may Allah preserve him. His promise was confirmed when he was appointed as a teacher soon after. Likewise he continued his exhausting efforts in the field of Da‘wah. This time the scene was to be al-Bayda’ and her neighbouring towns and villages. No stone was left unturned in his attempt to revive the love of Allah and His r Messenger in the hearts of the people. Classes were established, lectures were held people were counseled. His work which deprived him of much sleep and rest began to have a major impact on all those that came in contact with it, especially the youth who previously had been resolved to a empty and shallow life but now had undergone internal transformations to the point that life now had a purpose, they were proud of their new found Islamic identity wearing the cloaks of Islam and beginning to focus their attention on acquiring the noble traits of the Messenger of Allah r.  Thus a large group of people from those he had influenced began to gather round him assist him in his da‘wah efforts and teaching commitments in various cities and towns in Northern Yemen. Within this period he began to visit many neighbouring towns and communities across Yemen from the northern city of Ta'iz in order to take knowledge from the mufti of Ta‘iz al-Habib Ibrahim bin Aqil bin Yahya who began to show him much love and attention likewise he received similar treatment from his Shaikh al-Habib Muhammad al-Haddar to the extent that he gave him his daughters hand in marriage after having noticed in him the lofty traits of uprightness and intelligence.
It was not soon after that he set out on the arduous journey to perform the prescribed pilgrimage to Makka and to visit the Prophet r in Madina. During his trip to the Hijaz he was blessed with the opportunity to study several books of their most prominent scholars especially those of al-Habib 'Abdul Qadir bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf who saw in the young ‘Umar a youthful vigor full with of the love of Allah and his Messenger r totally absorbed in the spread of knowledge and righteousness amongst mankind such that he became endeared to al-Habib Abdul Qadir one of his greatest teachers. Likewise he was blessed to have received knowledge and guidance from the other two pillars of righteousness in the Hijaz al-Habib Ahmed Mashur al-Haddad and al-Habib 'Attas al-Habashi.
Thus the name al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz began to spread far and wide in the land especially due to his unrelenting effort in establishing the call to Islam and reviving its traditionally based teachings this mass popularity did not in any way detract from his academic endeavors on the contrary it provided him with an additional source from which high aspirations could be maintained. No time was wasted, every moment was filled with the remembrance of Allah in its multiple manifestations and in its differing situations and locations. His overt concern with the spiritual development of especially those who kept his company was to become one of his most distinguishing traits one for which his name would spread even as far as the New World.
The land of Oman would be the next phase in the move towards fifteenth century renewal. After responding positively to the invitation of a group of Muslims who possessed a deep desire to benefit from his teachings he left the land of his birth and was not to return for several years. Seeds of erudition and piety were sewn as well in the eastern Yemeni town of Shihr, his first stop on his return to Hadramaut Yemen. There his teachings began to crystalise in the development of the Ribat al-Mustafa. This would be a major turning point for and it could signal in more ways than one the completion of the theoretical aspect of this work and the bringing forth of tangible realities that would embody the prophetic teachings.
The return to Tarim would signal a metamorphosis of all those years he had spent in learning, teaching, in the development of others spiritually in the establishment of the call and enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. Dar-al-Mustafa would be his gift to the world and to it the world was summoned. In what would seem such a short time the people of Tarim would witness the convergence of students from lands far and wide upon a city that was on the verge of being forgotten whilst under the rule of communist infidels. Students from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Comorus Islands, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Great Britain, Pakistan, United states and Canada as well as other Arab states and countries would be under the watchful eye of Habib Umar. They would become agents in what is now becoming an authentic attempt at reviving traditional Islam in the fifteenth century after the flight. The rise of similar Islamic institutions in Yemen and abroad under the management of al-Habib Umar would again be a major impatice in the spread of Knowledge and good behavior and provide the common people with opportunities that they had previously been deprived of.
Habib ‘Umar currently lives in Tarim Yemen where he oversees the development of Dar al-Mustafa and the many schools that have been set up under his management. He still maintains an active role in the propagation of the religion of Islam such that he may spend most of the year traveling all over the world in pursuit of such noble activities.

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Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki

Shaykh al-Sharif Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Alawi ibn Abbas ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Maliki al-Hasani al-'Idrisi al-Makki (1944–2004) was a prominent Sunni Islamic scholar from Saudi Arabia. He was born in Mecca to a family of well known scholars who, like himself, taught in the Sacred Mosque. The Maliki family is one of the most respected families in Mecca and has produced great scholars, who have taught in the Haram of Makkah for centuries. With his father's instruction, he also studied and mastered the various traditional Islamic sciences of Aqidah, Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Usul al-fiqh, Mustalah, Nahw, etc. great scholars of Meccah, as well as Medina, all of whom granted him full Ijazah (certification) to teach these sciences to others. Some of the scholars from whom he obtained ijazahs and chains of transmission from include: His father, Shaykh al-Sayyid 'Alawi ibn 'Abbas al-Maliki al-Hasani, Shaykh as-Sayyid al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur TaHa al-Haddad, Shaikh Hasanain Makhlouf, Shaykh Diya al-Din Ahmad al-Madani al-Qadiri (Khalifa of Imam Ahmed Rida Khan), Shaykh Mustafa Rida Khan al-Qaadiri (Khalifa and son of Imam Ahmed Rida Khan , Shaykh Muhammad Hafidh al-Tijani, Shaykh Amin Kutbi, and numerous others.

By the age of 15, the Sayyid was already teaching the books of Hadith and Fiqh in the Haram of Makkah to fellow students, by the orders of his teachers. After finishing his traditional education in his hometown of Mecca, he was sent by his father to study at the esteemed Al-Azhar University of Egypt. He received his Ph.D. from the al-Azhar university at the age of 25, making him the first and youngest Saudi to earn a Ph.D. from there. His thesis on Hadith was rated excellent and highly praised by the eminent Ulama of the Azhar at that time, such as Imam Abu-Zahrah.

Five of the Sayyid’s ancestors have been the Maliki Imams of the Haram of Mecca. His grandfather, al-Sayyid Abbas al-Maliki was the Mufti and Qadi of Mecca and the Imam and Khatib of the Haram. He held this position during the Ottoman then Hashemite times, and continued to hold it after the Saudi Kingdom was established too. The late King Abd-al-Aziz bin Sa‘ud had great respect for him. His father, al-Sayyid Alawi al-Maliki was considered one of the greatest Ulama of Mecca in the previous century. He taught the various traditional Islamic sciences in the Haram of Mecca for nearly 40 years. Whereas the Wahhabism is the official branch of Islam in Saudi Arabia, al-Maliki adhered to theMaliki traditional school of Islamic jurisprudence, and was a renowned teacher of teaditional Mystical Sufi Islam (known as Sufism). Because of this difference with the Wahhabi religious establishment, al-Maliki has been accused of heresy.

Hundreds of students from all over the Islamic world benefited from his lessons in the Haram makkah and many hold key religious positions in their lands today. The King Faisal of Saudi Arabia would not make any decision concerning Mecca without consulting al-Sayyid Alawi. He died in 2004 and his funeral was the biggest in Makkah in a 100 years. For the next three days after his death, the local Saudi radio stations played the Qur'an only. This was something that was done only for him. Future King Abdullah and the powerful defense and interior ministers also attended his funeral.

His brother, Sayyid Abbas & Sayed Muhammad Abd al-Hasan is also a learned scholar but is better known for his beautiful voice and as the topmost Qasidah reciter of Saudi Arabia.

[edit]His Teaching Career

Al-Maliki, like all traditional Shaykhs, and like his ancestors before him, taught a number of students at his own residence, providing them with food, shelter, and learning material free of cost. These students usually stayed with him for many years, learning the various branches of Islamic knowledge, then return to their lands. Hundreds of his students have become savants of Islamic knowledge and spirituality in their own countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and Dubai. After returning from the al-Azhar university he was an appointed professor of Sharia at the Umm al-Qura University in Makkah, where he taught from 1970. In 1971, after his father’s death, the scholars of Mecca asked him to accept his father’s position as a teacher in the Haram, which he did. Thus, he sat on the Chair from which his family had taught for more than century. He also taught in the Haram of Medina occasionally. His lessons were the largest attended lessons in the Two Harams.

In the early eighties, he relinquished his teaching position in the Umm al-Qura University as well as his ancestral chair of teaching in the Haram, due to the Fatwas of the Council of the Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia headed by the late Mufti Ibn Baaz, who considered his beliefs to be in violation of the purity of the Monotheistic belief (Tawheed). Shaykh Saalih Aal-Shaykh, the incumbent Minister of Islamic affairs authored a book entiltled "Haazihi Mafaahimuna" [these are our views] in which he attacked the beliefs of the Sayyid, prouncing him to be deviant and misguided. The book was in fact a rebuttal of Sayyid Al-Maliki's book: "Mafaahim yajib An Tusahhah" [Views that must be corrected].

Since late mufti ibn baaz considered the Mawlid-un-Nabi(صلی الللہ علیہ وسلم) as unislamic there was a war of words between the two scholars. In opposition and reply to Sheikh Bin Baaz' Fatwa, the distinguished Arab Scholar, Sheikh Sayyid Alawi Maliki, who is an Ustad of Hadith in the Haram Shareef in Makkah, produced a clear, decisive and well-supported argument in Arabic on the permissibility of Meelad-un Nabi. Sheikh Sayyid Alawi, in his book "Holal Ihtefaal Bezikra-al Moulidin Nabawee al-Shareef" raised some very serious questions to Bin Baaz. He questioned Bin Baaz about his views on the innovations which are being practised "here" (in the Haram Shareef) and which were never practised before, neither in the Prophet's time, nor in the period of the Sahaba-Ikraam or of the Salf-e-Saleheen. The practices, which Sheikh Alawi mentioned were those such as:

1. The forming of a congregation to perform tahajjud salaah behind an imaam.

2. The recitation of du'a after the Quran has been completed at the end of Ramadaan in taraweeh prayer.

3. The gathering of people on the 27th of Ramadaan at tahajjud where the imaam delivers a sermon.

4. The call of the muezzin by saying "Salaatul qiyaam athabakumullah."

5. Sending praise and salaams upon the prophet during azaan(call for prayer).This was first introduced by Hazrat Ali (radi Allahu anhu) and he used to teach it to people of his time. Ibn Jabir mentioned that in his book called "Tah'theeb Al-Aa'thar" so did Imam Tabari, Ibi Assem and Yaqoub bin Shaibah.

From that time until his death in 2004, he taught the great books of Hadith, Fiqh, Tafsir and Tasawwuf at his home and mosque on al-Maliki street in the Rusayfah district of Makkah, and his public lessons, between Maghrib and Isha'a, were attended by no less than 500 people daily. Many students from the University used to attend his lessons in the evenings. Even the night before he died, his lesson was well attended.

Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki was highly respected by the Saudi government and was often consulted by the King himself on important affairs. He was also nominated as the head judge at the international Qira’at (Qur'anic reading) competition in Mecca for three consecutive years.

His Writings

The Sayyid was a prolific writer and has produced close to one hundred books. He has written on a variety of religious, legal, social and historical topics and many of his books are considered masterpieces on the subject and are prescribed textbooks in Islamic institutes around the world. According to one of his students, Shaykh Muhamad Fuad Kamaludin, a Muslim scholar from Malaysia, Dr Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki could write up a book of 150 pages just in one night.

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Habiba ali Jiffry

Biography                             

ALI ZAIN AL-ABIDIN AL-JIFRI

FOUNDER AND GENERAL DIRECTOR OF TABAH FOUNDATION
DEPUTY DEAN OF DAR AL-MUSTAPHA FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES

Birth


Habib Ali was born in the city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just before dawn on Friday 20th Safar 1391 AH (16th April 1971), from parents who are both descendents of Imam Hussein son of Ali, peace be upon them.

Lineage

Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Abdul-Rahman son of Ali son of Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ali son of Alawi son of Ali son of Ahmed son of Alawi son of Abdul-Rahman Mawlah al-Arsha son of Muhammad son of Abdullah al-Tarisi son of Alawi al-Khawas son of Abu Bakr al-Jifri son of Muhammad son of Ali son of Muhammad son of the Ahmed son of the al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad son of Ali son of Muhammad Sahab Murbat son of Ali Khali` Qassam son of Alawi son of Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ubaidullah son of the Ahmed al-Muhajir ila Allah (trans: the one who made an exodus to the Divine presence) son of Isa son of Muhammad al-Naqib son of Ali al-Uraidhi son of Jafar al-Sadiq son of Muhammad al-Baqir son of Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Hussein (the grandson of the Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him) son of Ali son of Abu Taleb, may God ennoble his countenance, the husband of Fatimah al-Zahra daughter of the Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him.


His noble mother is Marumah daughter of Hassan son of Alawi son of Hassan son of Alawi son of Ali al-Jifri.

Educational Background

He began taking knowledge from his early childhood from his first teacher, his mother’s great-aunt the scholar and knower of God Safiah daughter of Alawi son of Hassan al-Jifri, she had an immense influence on him and the direction he took in the pursuit of knowledge and spirituality.


As a continuation of the authentic methodology of receiving Sacred Knowledge, and wayfaring on the spiritual path, through an unbroken chain of masters, all the way back to the Messenger of God may God Bless him & his family and give them peace, a methodology the preservation and maintenance of which, the valley of Hadramaut and the city of Tarim are renowned, this work was continued in the intellectual Milieu of the Hejaz which became a meeting point for the Scholars of the School of Hadramaut when they were exiled from the South of Yemen during Communist Rule; he received his education in the Sacred Sciences and the Science of Spiritual Wayfaring at the hands of Scholars and Spiritual Educators, among them:


The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Abdul-Qadir Bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf in Jeddah. With whom he studied the Authentic Hadith Compilations of Bukhari and Muslim, as well as the Revival of the Religious Sciences of Imam Ghazali and other important texts. He continued studying directly under his teacher from the age of 10 until he was 21 years of age.
The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Ahmad Mashhur Bin Taha Al-Haddad the author of many famous books. Among the books he studied under this master was: ‘The Clarification of the Secret Knowledge known to those Brought Near to the Divine Presence’.
The Scholar and Master Muhammad Bin Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani, the Hadith Master of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Under whom he studied Hadith Terminology, Legal Principles and the Biography of the Prophet.
The Scholar and Educator Al-Habib Attas al-Habshi.
The Scholar Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashhur al-Adani, the author of numerous works.
The Scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ba-Sheikh.
He enrolled in the College of Islamic Studies in Sana’a Yemen from 1412 AH/1991 AD, until 1414 AH/1993 AD. During this time he was given the opportunity to study directly under Habib Muhammad Bin Abdullah al-Hadaar who was in his last days, so he went to the Habib’s Centre of Learning in the City of Baeda in Yemen. It was during this phase that he began to move from theoretical studies to the work of calling to God, as he benefited greatly from the late Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s methodology of living his knowledge, and making it impact his reality.
During that phase the link between him and the Great Scholar & Educator Habib Omar Bin Muhammad Bin Salem Bin Hafiz, (who was one of the foremost people in Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s Centre of Learning) was strengthened He later went to the City of Sheher to be with him.
He settled in Tarim in the Companionship of Habib Omar Bin Mohammed Bin Hafiz from 1993 to 2003.

Professional Background

1426 AH/2005 – present: General Director of Tabah Foundation.
1424 AH/2003 – present: Member of the Board of Director of Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.
1428 AH/ 2007 – present: Active member of The Royal Aal al-Bayt Foundation for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan.
1428 AH/ 2007 – Present: Secretary General to the Board of Trustees for the Al Mahabbah Awards.
1424 AH/ 2003 – Present: Member of the Board of Trustees of the European Academy for Islamic Culture and Science in Brussels, Belgium.
1418 AH/1997 – Present: Visiting Lecturer (summer program) at Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.

Achievements

Founding the Tabah Foundation – an organization whose remit is “the renewal of contemporary Islamic discourse to fit the needs humanity” through its three divisions: Research, Projects, and Media.
Producing a Media Package for a unique lecture entitled ‘So that the Religion Does not Become a Game’ which dealt with some of the crisis and tribulations of the contemporary world which are a direct result of people taking advantage of religions for their own limited ambitions, the lecture was both an analysis and a clarification.
Contributed to the formulation of the Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI after his offensive lecture regarding Islam and the Prophet May God Bless him & Give him Peace, he was also one of 38 scholars who were signatories to the letter which was lofty and intellectual in its manner in the context of constructive dialogue.
Contributed in managing the historical project on “A Common Word” a document signed by 138 Muslims Scholars, scholars representing different sects and schools of thought as well as countries. This document was sent to Christian Leaders the world over, and received a huge and positive reaction from the Christian side.
Contributed to the formulation of the ‘Declaration by Muslim Religious Leaders’ issued by 42 scholars and Islamic Authorities of whom he was a member and which was in reply to the offensive Cartoons by a Danish Newspaper.
Founding the ‘Guidance Media’ Company and Magazine in the UK.
Founding the Board of Trustees for the ‘European Academy for Islamic Culture and Science’ in Brussels, Belgium.
Founding the ‘Noor Centre for the Preservation/Renovation, Documentation and Editing of Manuscripts’ in Tarim, Yemen.
Supervising the founding of Schools and Centre of Learning within and outside Yemen for the propagation of an authentic methodology for the dissemination of knowledge, education and spiritual training.

Activities and Travels

He has given classes for teaching, guidance, advice, in order to awaken people to their responsibilities, and to call people to God in many countries, he began in 1412 AH/1991 AD in the towns and villages of Yemen. He started his overseas journeys in 1414 AH/1993 AD which still continue to this day, and which have included the following countries:

Arab Countries: UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, the Comoros Islands, and Djibouti.
Asian Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
African Countries: Kenya, and Tanzania.
European Countries: Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Denmark, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Turkey.
USA: 3 trips the first of which was in 1419 AH/1998 AD, the second was in1422 AH/2001 AD, and the third of which was in 1423 AH/2002 AD, in addition to which he also visited Canada.

External Lectures

Has delivered a number of lectures of concern to humanity at large throughout the world including:


Lecture at Santa Clara University.
Lecture at San Diego University.
Lecture at the University of Miami.
Lecture at the University of Southern California USC in L.A.
Lecture at S.O.A.S in London.
Two Lectures at the Wembley Conference Centre in London.
A number of lectures as part of the Radical Middle Way Project in different parts of the UK.
A presentation at the House of Lords in London.
Nearly 300 lectures and series of sessions on cassettes, CDs, and DVDs.

Conferences and Forums


Participated in the following:

Conference on A Common Word in London and Cambridge 12-15 October 2008.
Conference on A Common Word at Yale University in conjunction with Princeton and Georgetown Universities 24-31 July 2008.
Conference of the Global Centre for Renewal and Guidance held in Nouakchott, Mauritania March 2008.
Conference on the Middle Way in Amman, Jordan 2007.
Conference of Judges in Amman, Jordan 2007.
Conference of the Love of the Quran, Dead Sea, Jordan 2007.
11th annual Conference on ‘Dialogue and Understanding’ in Paris, France 1427 AH/2006.
7th annual forum entitled ‘the Quran a Doctrine and Way of Life’ in Frankfurt, Germany 1426 AH/2005.
Conference on Guidance, in Sana, Yemen 2004.
Participated in ‘Symposium on Islamic Unity’ in Damascus 1425 AH/2004.
Participated in ‘the Forum for the Callers to Islam’ in Beirut 1425 AH/2004.
Participated in the Conference on ‘the Guidance of the Prophet’ in Abu Dhabi 1425 AH/ 2004.
Participated in the Conference on ‘Unity for the Sake of Peace’ in Sri Lanka 1424 AH/2003.
Participated in ‘the Forum on Minority Culture from a Western and Islamic Perspective – Understanding and Practice’ in Paris, France 1424 AH/2003.
Symposium for Muslim Scholars in Tarim, Yemen 2002.
Conference on ‘the Etiquettes of Disagreement’ in Sri Lanka 1422 AH/2001.

Television Programs

Program entitled ‘the Spiritual Aspirant’ on the Mihwar Channel (Spirituality) 30 parts.
Program entitled ‘Al-Mizan’ on Iqra, (Thought) over 100 produced.
Program entitled ‘the Way to God’ on Dream 2 (Spirituality) 43 produced.
Program entitled ‘Intellectual Dialogue’ on Dream 2 and on Aqariya (Thought) 30 parts.
Program entitled ‘the Friday Meeting’ on Dream 2 (Thought) 6 produced.
Program entitled ‘Alive in our Hearts’ on Dream 2 (Biography of the Prophet and Description of his outward form and character).
Program entitled ‘Journey of Faith’ on Mihwar (Spirituality).
Program entitled ‘the World View of Islam’ with Dr. Ahmad Omar Hashem on the 1st Egyptian Channel and on Mihwar (Thought) 14 parts.
Program entitled ‘they Love Him (i.e. God) and He Loves them’ with Sheikh Ali Abu Hasan on the Risalah Channel (Spirituality).
Program entitled ‘For the sake of His (i.e. God’s) Love’ on Emirates channel (Spirituality and the Jurisprudence of Alms) 30 parts.
Program entitled ‘Gathering of Mustapha’ on the Yemeni Channel (an Analytical study of the Prophet Muhammad’s Biography) 30 parts.
Various Debates Programs: (‘Lights’ on Al-Arabia, Shariah and Life on Jazeera, ‘Hot Topic of Debate’ on Abu Dhabi TV, Cairo Today on Al-Yawm Orbit, ‘On Air’ on Safwa Orbit), and ‘Reminder’ on the Emirates Channel.
Program on the Virtues and Characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad on the Iqra Channel.
Program on the Biography of the Prophet Mohammed on the Dubai Channel 6 parts.
Program entitled ‘Insinuations/Whispers’ on the Qatar Channel.

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