Habib Ali al-Habashi علي بن محمد الحبشي

Habib Ali ibn Muhammad al-Habashi rahimahullah (1259-1333 AH / 1843-1915 CE) was one of the most celebrated scholars and poets of the Ba'Alawi Sayyid tradition of the Hadhramaut, Yemen. Born in Seiyun, he received his formative education in the Hadhramaut before traveling to Tarim, a city renowned as the heartland of Ba'Alawi Islamic scholarship. He studied under the foremost Ba'Alawi scholars of his generation and became himself a leading figure in the transmission of their spiritual and legal tradition. His most enduring contribution is Simt al-Durar fi Akhbar Mawlid Khayr al-Bashar, a widely recited mawlid text composed in praise of the Prophet ﷺ, which spread throughout East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the broader Muslim world. He also authored Al-Lata'if al-Arshiyya, a compilation of spiritual litanies and devotional prayers. His legacy is especially felt in communities connected to the Hadhramaut diaspora.