ImamalHaddad

HisLineage He is alImam alHabib `Abdullah bin `Alawi bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin `Abdullah bin Muhammadbin`AlawibinAhmadbinAbuBakrbinAhmadbinMuhammadbin`Abdullahbin Ahmad bin `Abd alRahman bin `Alawi `Amm alFaqih (uncle of alFaqih alMuqaddam), bin MuhammadSahibMirbat,bin`AliKhali`Qasam,bin`Alawi,binMuhammadSahibalSawma`ah, bin`Alawi,bin`Ubaydullah,binalImamalMuhajirilAllahAhmad,bin`Isa,binMuhammadal Naqib,bin`Alial`Uraydi,binJa`faralSadiq,binMuhammadalBaqir,bin`AliZaynal`Abidin,bin Husayn alSibt, bin `Ali bin Abu Talib and FaRmah alZahra, the daughter of our Master Muhammad,theSealoftheProphets(mayAllahblesshimandgranthimpeace). ThenamealHaddadgoesbacktooneoftheancestorsofHabib`Abdullah,SayyidAhmadbin AbuBakr,whousedtospendRmewithanironsmith(haddadinArabic)inhisshopinTarimand thusbecameknownbythatnametodisRnguishhimfromanotherSayyid,whosenamewasalso Ahmad.1 HabibcametobetheRtleofthe`Alawisayyidsfromthe11thCenturyonwards. HisLife ImamalHaddadwasborninSubayrnearthecityofTarimin1044Hijri(1634CE).Hewentblindat theageoffourbutAllahblessedhimwiththelightofinnersight.Hisfatherdirectedhimtothe pursuitofknowledgeandhememorisedtheQuranandthefoundaRonaltextsoftheIslamic sciencesatanearlyage.AmonghisteacherswereHabib`AbdullahbinAhmadBalfaqih,Habib `Umar ibn `Abd alRahman al`ASas and Habib Muhammad bin `Alawi alSaqqaf who lived in MeccaandwithwhomhecorrespondedbyleSer.HeconRnuedinhisstudiesunRlhereachedthe rankofmujtahid. His love of knowledge was accompanied with a love of worship. In his childhood, when his morninglessonshadnished,hewouldperformupto200rakatsofprayerinMasjidBaAlawior othermosques.Hisdaywasstructuredaroundactsofworship,whichbeganlongbeforedawnand endedlateatnight,interspersedwithlessonsandRmewithhisfamily.Hecompiledanumberof litanies,themostfamousbeingtheRaLbandalWirdalLaLf,whichprovidespiritualsustenance fortheseeker.HehadagreataSachmenttoSuraYaSin,whichhereadconstantlyandinwhichhe wasgivenaspecialopening.ThesupplicaRonwhichhewouldmakeaCeritconRnuestoberead widely,asdomanyofhislitanies. ACerbeinggiventheorderbyhisgrandfather,theMessengerofAllah(mayAllahblesshimand granthimpeace),theImambegancallingtoAllahateverylevel,suchthathebecameknownas thePoleofDa`wahandGuidance.Hehadasmallnumberofclosediscipleswhomhetrainedin thespiritualpath.Hesaidofhistechnique:Wemaytrainoneofourstudentsforawholeyearin aSainingoneaSribute.Hecalledthescholarstoactaccordingtotheirknowledgeandtobecome
1

ForthefullstoryandforamoredetailedbiographyoftheImam,see SuSageofArabia,MostafaalBadawi.

callersthemselves.Hecalledtherulersandthecommonpeoplealike.Heestablishedamawlidin themonthofRajabandwouldfeedallthosewhoaSended,saying:Iftheydonotbenetfrom ourspeechthenwewillplaceourblessingsinthefood. HeauthoredanumberofbookswhichconRnuetobenetpeople,generaRonaCergeneraRon.His worksareclearandconciseandthussuitableforourRmesandseveralhavebeentranslatedinto Englishandotherlanguages.HewoulddictatelargesecRonsofhisbookstohisstudentswithout anypreparaRon.TheImamslongestwork,alNasaihalDiniyyah,containstheessenceofImam alGhazalis Ihya`UlumalDin. In alDa`waalTammah (TheCompleteCall)heclassiessociety intoeightcategoriesandoutlineseachcategorysrightsandduRes. RisalatalMu`awanah (The BookofAssistance),whichheauthoredattheageof26,iseveryMuslimsmanualofthepathto Allah.Otherworksinclude TheLivesofMan, KnowledgeandWisdom and GoodManners, all excellentlytranslatedbyDrMostafaalBadawi. TheImamalsoplacedhisknowledgeandhissecretsinhiscollecRonofpoetry(Diwan)andusedit asameansofcallingpeopletoAllah.Hesaidthattheonewhohasthe Diwan needsnoother book.SeveralofthepoemsinitcontainacompleteexposiRonofthespiritualpathandwere explainedduringtheImamslifeRmebyhisgreatstudent, HabibAhmad binZaynalHabashi. HabibAhmadbinZaynalsowroteacommentaryontheImams`Ayniyyahinwhichhecompiled biographiesofmanyofthegreatImamswhorepresenttheImamschainofspiritualconnecRon backtotheMessengerofAllah(mayAllahblesshimandgranthimpeace).TheImam'spoetry reachedsuchadegreeofacceptancethatoneofhisverseswasinscribedonthewallofthe enclosureinwhichliesthegraveoftheMessengerofAllah(mayAllahblesshimandgranthim peace):

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AnawesomeProphet,whosecharactertheAllCompassionatehasveneratedintheMasterofall Books ImamalHaddadspoemsconRnuetobringlightandlifetogatheringsallovertheworld.Oneof hismasterpiecesishisPredawnBreeze,whichbegins:

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OLord,OKnowerofeverystate ToYouIturnmyhopes Soblessusbyturningtous, BethereforusandrecLfyus Hesaidofit:Thisoneofthegreatestworkswhichwehavecomposed,foreveryverseisan

expressionofAllahsoneness(tawhid).Haditbeenourwaytotakethemeans2 wewouldhave bequeathedthatthepoembeburiedwithus,butourwayistomeetAllahinastateofabsolute neediness(faqr).TheImamestablishedahadarahofdhikronThursdaynight,whichconRnuesto thisdayinMasjidalFathinalHawi.Heplacedthispoemattheend,atwhichpointhe,andthose aSendingwouldstand.OneofthesultansofHadramawtcametoTarimandrequestedameeRng withtheImam,whorefused,butsentinsteadsenthimthispoem,saying:Itissucientforhim. ImamalHaddadwasinvolvedinsocietyateverylevel.Hewouldwritetothesultanswarning themoftheircontravenRonoftheSacredLawandcommandingthemtorepentandreturnto Allah.HealsoadvisedthemintheaairsofgovernmentandmediatedbetweenconicRngtribes. He advised farmers on agriculturaltechniques and casRgated thewealthy fornot using their wealthtohelpthepoor. HeestablishedthevillageofalHawiontheoutskirtsofTarimwhichwasselfsucientandfree fromthemeddlingoftherulersoftheRme,closeenoughtoreceivethegoodofTarimbutfar enoughawaytobesafefromtheconictandsediRonthatplaguedthecity.Themosquewhichhe builtthere,MasjidalFath,andhishousehavenowbeengreatlyrenovatedandreceivemany visitors. Hewouldsuperviseandfundtheraising oforphansin hishouseandinspiteofhis blindnesswouldtakepartintheworkofthehouse,feedingtheanimalsandsealingthewater vessels. OneofthesultansofIndiawishedtohonourhimbysendingashipladenwithgoldbuttheImam knewthatthearrivalofthiswealthwouldhavenegaRveeectsonHadramawtanditspeopleso heaskedAllahto maketheshipsinkandthateveryoneaboardwouldbesaved,which duly happened. HisrelianceonAllahwassuchthathesaid:Iftheskyweretocallout,Iwillnotsendforthadrop ofrain,andtheearthweretocallout,Iwillnotsendforthasingleshoot,andIwasresponsible forfeedingallthepeopleofTarimIwouldnotbeintheleastconcernedaCermyLordhassaid: ThereisnocreatureontheearthbutthatAllahhasguaranteedtoprovideforit.3 HisconstantsupplicaRonwastoperfecthisfollowingoftheMessengerofAllah(mayAllahbless himandgranthimpeace).Inhisoldagehegrewhishairlong,saying:Thereisnotasunnahthat wasprescribedbytheProphet(mayAllahblesshimandgranthimpeace)exceptthatIhopeIhave acteduponit. Habib`AlialHabashisaidofhim:

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2

MeaningthatthegreatnessofthispoeminAllahssightwouldhavebeenameanstoaSaininghismercyand forgiveness.However,theImampreferredtomeetAllahwithnothingrelyingcompletelyonHisgenerosity. Hud,11:6

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Everyonethattakesthepatha=erhim Isguidedbyhisbrilliantlight HewasthecoolingoftheeyeoftheProphetMuhammad Andheisoneofthebestofhischildren

HisDeath Itis liSlesurprisethattheImamcametoberegardedas therenewer(mujaddid)ofthe12th IslamicCentury.HediedinalHawion7 thDhulQa`dah1132(1719)andwasburiedintheZanbal GraveyardinTarim.He(mayAllahbepleasedwithhim)leCbehindsixsonsHasan(whobecame his spiritual heir), Husayn, `Alawi, Salim, Zayn, Muhammad and four daughters `Aishah, Salmah,FaRmah,andBahiyyah. Hisstudentsweregiantsintheirownright:amongstthemHabibAhmadbinZaynalHabashi, Habib`AbdalRahmanbin`AbdullahBalfaqih,Habib`Umarbin`AbdalRahmanalBarrandHabib MuhammadbinZaynbinSumayt.