Habib Luthfi is currently Ra’is ‘Amm  Jam’iyyah Ahli Thariqah Al-Mu’tabarah Al-Nah­dliyah (Head of the Association of Recognised Sufi Orders), Head of MUI Middle Java, and the spiritual leader of the Ba Alawi tariqah in Indonesia. He is also a leading figure in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest  Muslim organisation in the world with over 90 million members. He was appointed to Indonesia’s Presidential Advisory Council in December 2019.

Ba Alawi: The Ba Alawi are descendants of the Prophet ﷺ who migrated to Hadramaut in Yemen early on in Islamic history. They played a major role in bringing Islam to the Far East, including Indone­sia and Malaysia, and they hold high prominence to this day. They emphasise the importance of inward sincerity coupled with the study of religious sciences, especially as espoused by Imam Al-Ghazali.

Seeker of Knowledge: Habib Luthfi started his quest for knowledge early in life, and first studied under the tutelage of Ba Alawi teachers in Indonesia. He then travelled to Makkah and Madinah for fur­ther education and received authorisation (ijazaat) in all the traditional fields of learning including, ha­dith, and sufism (tasawwuf). His authorisation to be a spiritual master comes from more than one tariqah (spiritual brotherhood).

Preacher and Spiritual Guide: Habib Luthfi has published numerous books on Islamic theology, mysticism, and law. He is also a regular speaker at Islamic conferences and events around the world. Habib Luthfi has established thousands of schools, mosques, and zawiyahs (spiritual centres) in Indonesia. He has garnered a following numbering in the millions, emphasising the importance of spiritual practices, particularly the recitation of litanies (awrad). His 2025 Maulid events in Pekalongan drew over 100,000, reinforcing NU’s moderate voice.