HE Sheikh Al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz, a 39th-generation direct descendant of the Prophet ﷺ, stands as one of the foremost scholars, spiritual guides, and preachers within the Islamic tradition today. His prominent position in the Ba Alawi Tariqah further extends his influence over hundreds of millions of Muslims around the globe.

The Aal Ba Alawi: The Aal Ba Alawi, derived from “Banu Alawi” or “the clan of Alawi”, have called the Hadramaut region in Yemen their home since the 4th-century Hijri (CE 931) when a prominent member of the Prophet’s ﷺ family, Imam Ahmad bin Isa al-Muhajir, emigrated there. The Ba Alawi lineage has produced exceptional scholars and devout individuals celebrated for propagating and revitalising Islamic teachings, anchoring their spiritual approach fundamentally in Imam Al-Ghazali’s renowned work, the Ihya’ Ulum Al-Din. They have played a pivotal role in spreading Islam across the globe. In the Malay Archipelago—which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei—they contributed to the spread of Islam through the revered Wali Sanga (the Nine Saints), eight of whom were of Ba Alawi lineage. They also helped spread Islam in various regions of India, including Kerala and Gujarat. In East Africa, their influence continued into the 20th century through figures such as Habib Umar bin Sumayt and Habib Ahmad Mashhur Al-Haddad. This legacy was preserved in the modern era by giants like Habib Abdul Qadir Al-Saqqaf, Habib Muhammad Al-Haddar, Al-Allama Ibrahim bin Aqil, and Habib Muhammad bin Hafiz.

Dar Al-Mustafa and Dar Al-Zahra: Following the unification of Yemen, Habib Umar founded Dar Al-Mustafa in 1993. The landmark seminary is grounded in three fundamental pillars:

• Acquiring sacred knowledge from qualified sources through an unbroken, authentic chain of transmission (isnad).
• Purifying the soul and refining character (tazkiyah).
• Engaging in dawah, the active call to faith.

Since then, thousands of scholars have graduated from Dar Al-Mustafa and have established their own educational networks globally. In 2001 a sister institution, Dar Al-Zahra, was inaugurated to expand rigorous religious instruction to women. Additional branches have since been established across Southeast Asia, operating in close synergy with nearby historical institutions.

Global and Popular Presence: Habib Umar maintains an extraordinarily active global itinerary. His tour of Indonesia attracted over 700,000 attendees across multiple venues, while a concurrent tour of Malaysia alongside Egypt’s former Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa pulled in over 500,000 people. Further expanding the global reach of the Tarim methodology, in January 2026, his wife, Hubaba Nur, alongside his son, Sayyid Hamid bin al-Habib Umar, launched a highly publicised South African Tour. This historic tour brought the spiritual frameworks, educational blueprints, and traditional learning methodologies of Tarim directly to women’s and youth circles across major South African metropolitan hubs.

Teacher of Teachers: His strategic connection to Southeast Asia remains highly streamlined through Muwasala, an organisation he established in 2007 that links over 30,000 active Sunni scholars across the Indonesian archipelago. His influence extends directly into Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s largest Islamic organisation boasting over 90 million members. Within NU, Habib Umar serves as a spiritual reference point, conducting monthly online readings and classes for their vast scholarly leadership. Furthermore, his direct students have become prominent global figures in their own right, including Habib Ali Al-Jifri, Habib Kadhim Al-Saqqaf, and Habib Muhammad Al-Saqqaf, the latter of whom established the Al-Erth Al-Nabawi (The Prophetic Legacy) satellite television channel, which broadcasts Habib Umar’s daily classes to a global audience.

Scholarship and Recognitions: Habib Umar was an influential early signatory of A Common Word Between Us and You, a historic initiative fostering theological understanding between Muslims and Christians. He has authored numerous texts, three concise hadith collections, and a summary of the third quarter of Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ Ulum Al-Din. His devotional compositions for the Prophetic celebration (mawlid), namely Al-Diya’ Al-Lami’ and Al-Sharab Al-Tahur, are recited globally. He is a recipient of the prestigious King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies (2016) and the Sheikh Zayed Award for Human Fraternity (2021), and is recognized widely for his precise emulation of the Prophetic character.

"The essence of knowledge is the realization of your dependence on the Creator, which in turn breeds profound mercy for all of creation."

15 is the age at which he started teaching

1,500 international scholars annually at the Dar Al-Mustafa institute in Tarim, Yemen