INTRODUCTION

The Ba‘Alawi ( بَاعَلَوِي or the descendants of ‘Alawi) trace their lineage from Prophet Muhammad through Ahmad Al-Muhajir who migrated from Basra, Iraq, to Hadramaut, Yemen, in 320H. They thus have their ancestral roots in the valley of Hadhramaut. Since the early nineteenth century, large numbers of people left Yemen and traversed the Indian Ocean, resulting in a Hadhrami diaspora across South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Africa (Ho 2010, p. xxii). They played an important role in commercial activity and the spread of Islam, and over the years became well-respected for their religious knowledge. In Southeast Asia, some of them even attained political influence through marriage to local ruling families. Most Hadhramis in the region are concentrated in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Where Indonesia is concerned, there are pockets of Hadhrami communities in Java, and various provinces across Kalimantan and Sulawesi. While their exact numbers are unknown, there are statistics showing over 13,000 Indonesian Ba‘Alawis as of 2017 (Kumparan, 13 January 2017). However, this number is only reflective of those living in the greater Jakarta region, and should therefore be smaller than the actual figure. Popular estimates on online news sites say they could number around 1.2 million (Andi 2023). The Ba‘Alawi in Indonesia are commonly referred to as the habaib, the plural of habib, which means “beloved one”, and the term is often used as an honorific for male religious scholars of Ba‘Alawi lineage. Ba‘Alawi males often have the title “Syed” in front of their names, while females have the title “Sharifah”. While this is the common practice, it is rare for Indonesian male Ba‘Alawis who are often just known as habib.

There are several Indonesian habaib who are well-known to the general Muslim community, most of whom are religious scholars. For example, Habib Ali Al-Habsyi (1839–1913) is the author of Simth Ad-Dhurar, a well-known book of life stories and praises of Prophet Muhammad which are regularly recited by traditionalist Muslims. There is also Habib Hasan Baharun (1934–99) who established an Islamic boarding school in East Java, specializing in Arabic language and the propagation of Islamic teachings.