Habib Umar is a direct descendant of the Messenger of Allah through Imam al-Husayn. His father and his father’s father and all his forefathers were scholars and knowers of Allah. Among his blessed forefathers are Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin as well as the first of the Prophetic Household to settle in Hadramawt, Imam Ahmad bin Isa al-Muhajir and his noble descendants, al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad bin Ali, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf and Shaykh Abu Bakr bin Salim.
Habib Umar was born in Tarim, in Yemen’s Hadramawt Valley on Monday, the 4th Muharram 1383 AH (27th May 1963), and it was there that he grew up. His father, Habib Muhammad, was a great scholar and caller to Allah, and he carefully supervised his son’s upbringing. When he was still very young, his father would take him with him to gatherings of knowledge and on expeditions calling to Allah.
At an early age, Habib Umar memorised the Qur’an and began studying the Islamic sciences under his father and many of the great scholars of Tarim of the time.
Although Habib Umar is best known for his speeches and lessons, he has authored several works. Among them are al-Dhakirah al-Musharrafah,2 which contains personally obligatory knowledge for every Muslim, and three short hadith compilations, Mukhtar al-Hadith, Nur al-Iman and Qutuf al-Falihin. His Qabas al-Nur al-Mubin is a summarised version of the third quarter of Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ Ulum al-Din and is an expression of his concern for curing the ailments of the heart. It also reflects the love and respect that the Ba ‘Alawi scholars have traditionally had for Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din. A selection of Habib Umar’s speeches and wisdom have been collected in Tawjihat al-Tullab and Tawjih al-Nabih, and some of his khutbahs have been collected in Fayd al-Imdad. Khulasat al-Madad al-Nabawi is Habib Umar’s compilation of adhkar for the seeker to recite on a daily basis. It contains Prophetic invocations and the litanies of many of the great Imams. His mawlid compositions, al-Diya’ al-Lami’ and al-Sharab al-Tahur are recited in gatherings throughout the world, as are his poems.
The Arabic word Sunnah lexically means "road" or "practice." In the language of the Prophet {saw} and the Companions it denotes the whole of lawful practices followed in the Religion, particularly the pristine path of Prophets, whether pertaining to belief, religious and social practice, or ethics generally speaking.
