The Ba 'Alawi sadah or Sadah Ba 'Alawi ( ar-at, السادة آل باعلوي, al-sādatu al-bā'alawiy) are a group of
Hadhrami Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
families and social group originating in
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
in the southwest corner of the
Arabian Peninsula. They trace their lineage to
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
al-Imam
Ahmad al-Muhajir
Ahmad al-Muhajir ( ar, أحمد المهاجر, ', ; 260-345 AH or c. 873-956 CE) also known as Al-Imām Aḥmad bin ʿĪsā was an Imam Mujtahid and the progenitor of Ba 'Alawi sada group which is instrumental in spreading Islam to India, South ...
bin Isa al-Rumi born in 873 (260H), who emigrated from
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...
to
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
in 931 (320H) to avoid sectarian violence, including the invasion of the
Qaramite forces into the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
.
The origin
The word Sadah or Sadat ( ar, سادة) is a plural form of word ar, سيد (
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
), while the word Ba 'Alawi or ''Bani 'Alawi'' means ''descendants of Alawi ''(''B''ā is a Hadhramaut dialect form of ''Bani''). In sum, Ba'alawi are
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
people who have a blood descendant of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
through Alawi ibn Ubayd Allah ibn
Ahmad al-Muhajir
Ahmad al-Muhajir ( ar, أحمد المهاجر, ', ; 260-345 AH or c. 873-956 CE) also known as Al-Imām Aḥmad bin ʿĪsā was an Imam Mujtahid and the progenitor of Ba 'Alawi sada group which is instrumental in spreading Islam to India, South ...
. Meanwhile, Alawiyyin ( ar, العلويّن; ) Sayyid term is used to describe descendants of
Ali bin Abi Talib from
Husayn ibn Ali (
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
s) and
Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan ibn Ali ( ar, الحسن بن علي, translit=Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He briefly ruled as caliph from Jan ...
(
Sharif
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, f ...
s). All people of Ba 'Alawi are Alawiyyin Sayyids through
Husayn ibn Ali, but not all people of Alawiyyin family are of Ba 'Alawi.
The
Ba 'Alawi tariqa is a
sufi order founded by one of Ahmad al-Muhajir's descendant,
Muhammad al-Faqih al-Muqaddam
Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī Bā ʿAlawī ( ar, محمد بن علي باعلوي) commonly known as al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam ( ar, الفقيه المقدم), ; 574 H - 653 H or 1178 CE - 1232 CE) is known as the founder of Ba 'Alawiyya Sufi order whic ...
and named after and closely tied to the Ba 'Alawi family.
Imam al-Muhajir's grandson Alawi was the first
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
to be born in Hadhramaut, and the only one of Imam al-Muhajir's descendants to produce a continued line; the lineages of Imam al-Muhajir's other grandsons, Basri and Jadid, were cut off after several generations. Accordingly, Imam Al-Muhajir's descendants in Hadhramaut hold the name ''B''ā ''
'Alawi'' ("descendants of Alawi").
The Ba 'Alawi Sadah have since been living in Hadhramaut in Southern Yemen, maintaining the Sunni Creed in the
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
school of
Shafi'i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
. In the beginning, a descendant of Imam Ahmad al-Muhajir who became scholar in Islamic studies was called
Imam, then
Sheikh, but later called
Habib
Habib ( ar, حبيب, ''ḥabīb''; ), sometimes written as Habeeb, is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ‘''Habibi’'' ...
.
It was only since 1700 AD they began to migrate in large numbers out of Hadhramaut across all over the globe, often to practice
da'wah
Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات).
Etymology
The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...
(Islamic missionary work). Their travels had also brought them to the
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
. These hadhrami immigrants blended with their local societies unusual in the history of diasporas. For example, the
House of Jamalullail of
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
is descended from the Ba 'Alawi.
Habib Salih of
Lamu, Kenya was also descended from the Ba 'Alawi. In Indonesia, quite a few of these migrants married local women or men, sometimes nobility or even royal families, and their descendants then became
sultans or kings, such as in
Sultanate of Pontianak or in
Sultanate of Siak Indrapura.
People
List of Families
Some of the family names are as follows:
See also
*
Alavi (surname)
Notable people with the surname Alavi include:
* Ali Alavi, Theoretical chemist
* Patrick Alavi, a German Musician
* Abass Alavi, is Professor of Radiology and Neurology
* Abrar Alvi, was an Indian film writer, director and actor
* Ameer Faisal ...
*
Al-Rabithah al-Alawiyyah
Rabithah Alawiyah ( ar, ; lit. ''The Association of Alawiyyin '' or'' Alawiyyin League'') is an Indonesian Islamic organization engaged in social movements. In general, the organization is an exclusive association of Hadhrami people of Ba 'Alaw ...
*
Alids
*
Hadhrami people
The Hadhrami ( ar, حضرمي, ḥaḍramī, singular) or Hadharem ( ar, حضارم, ḥaḍāram, plural) are an Arab ethnic group indigenous to the Hadhramaut region in South Arabia around Eastern Yemen, western Oman, and southern Saudi Arabia ...
*
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...
*
Sharif
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, f ...
References
Further reading
*.
*
*
*
External links
Ba'alawi.comBa'alawi.com , The Definitive Resource for Islam and the Alawiyyen Ancestry.
Saada Ba Alawi of East Africa Facebook page
{{Authority control
Society of Yemen
Hadhrami people
Hashemite people