al-Habib Ibrahim bin Yahya, Mufti Ta'iz

Biography | Habib Ibrahim bin `Aqil bin Yahya

His Lineage

He is al‐Habib al‐`Allamah Ibrahim bin `Umar bin `Aqil bin `Abdullah bin `Umar bin Abu Bakr bin `Umar  bin Taha bin Muhammad bin Shaykh bin Ahmad bin Yahya bin Hasan bin `Alawi bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al‐Dawilah bin `Ali Mawla Darak, bin `Alawi al‐Ghuyur, bin al‐Faqih al‐Muqaddam, Muhammad bin `Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin `Ali Khali` Qasam, bin `Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al‐Sawma`a, bin `Alawi, bin `Ubaydullah, bin al‐Imam al‐Muhajir il‐ Allah   Ahmad,  bin   `Isa,   bin   Muhammad   al‐Naqib,   bin   `Ali   al‐`Uraydi,  bin   Ja`far   al‐Sadiq,   bin Muhammad al‐Baqir, bin  `Ali Zayn al‐`Abidin, bin Husayn al‐Sibt, bin `Ali bin  Abu  Talib and Fatima al‐Zahra, the daughter of our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ. 

His Life

Habib Ibrahim was born in the town of  al‐Masilah, near  Tarim, in the year 1327 (1908). He received a righteous  upbringing at  the hands  of  his  parents  and his  paternal and maternal grandmothers, Sharifah Zahra’ and Sharifah Sayyidah, both the daughters of the great Imam, Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir. Both women were known for their piety, and Sharifah Sayyidah specifically  for  her   scholarship.  Students   and   seekers   would  come  to   her   to   seek knowledge and take ijazah from her because of the strength of her  sanad. On one occasion, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al‐`Athas came to visit her and Habib Ibrahim, then a young child, was brought in for  Habib Ahmad to read over and pray for. He was also taken to Habib `Ali al‐ Habshi for the same reason. His mother, Sharifah Nur, would take him to the mosque before he had reached the age of seven in the last third of the night and not allow him to return to the house until after sunrise. It was in this environment of knowledge and spiritual nurturing that Habib Ibrahim grew up. It is not surprising that by the age of eight he was already composing poetry which demonstrated not only his linguistic genius but also his state with his Lord. 

He said, “Had I wished to speak to people only in verse I could have done so.” The strength of his memory was such that he said: “I never read a book and was in need of going back to it.” It is no surprise  that  he  quickly   memorised   the  Qur’an   and   many   of   the core  texts   of   the Islamic sciences. 

He was taught first by his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil bin Yahya. Later he mastered the inward and outward sciences at the hands of the Imams of Tarim at the time, Habib `Abdullah bin `Aydarus al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abd al‐Bari bin Shaykh al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri and Habib `Alawi bin `Abdullah Shihab al‐Din. He also took knowledge from masters such as Habib `Alawi bin Tahir al‐Haddad and Habib Salih bin `Abdullah al‐Haddad.

He began teaching in the mosque of Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir before he reached puberty and later became the imam of the mosque. In his youth he was involved in a number of scholarly activities, and was constantly writing, researching and teaching. He inherited great tracts of land around al‐Masilah, but one of his relatives falsely claimed that the land belonged to him. Habib Ibrahim duly went to Tarim with documentation proving his ownership of the land to present his case to the judge. He was met, however, by his shaykh, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri, who said to him, “O Ibrahim, if someone contests you in the affairs of your religion, then defend your religion. But if someone disputes with you over something worldly then throw it in his face.” Habib Ibrahim duly left his claim to ownership of the land and in 1354 (1935) left Hadramawt for North Yemen. He first lived in al‐Hudaydah on the Red Sea coast, where he studied with his uncle, Habib Muhammad bin `Aqil. He also learnt from the great scholar Sayyid `Abd al‐Rahman bin Muhammad al‐Ahdal. He went into business and was very successful but subsequently left it, having no desire for ephemeral things. After the death of  his uncle, he moved to Zabid and then Ta`izz, where he eventually settled. During this period he travelled as part of a government delegation to Iraq, where he graduated from the military academy. When he returned to  Yemen he was  appointed a minister  in the government  of  Imam Yahya bin Muhammad. He remained in this position until the revolution of 1381 (1962), after which he was appointed the Mufti of the city of Ta`izz. 

His house in Ta`izz was open day and night to all‐comers. In fact, it was more of a zawiyah than a house – gatherings of remembrance were held, guests were honoured, the poor were fed and their  needs  answered. Habib Ibrahim would sit  daily from Zuhr  until Maghrib and students would come and read books to him in various sciences. He possessed an extremely strong sanad in Sahih al‐Bukhari and the book was constantly read along with its commentaries. As soon as it was completed, a new reading would commence. Other people would come with their problems or requests for fatwa and Habib Ibrahim would help them all with warmth and compassion. The rest  of  his  time would be spent  in remembrance of  Allah and recitation of  the Qur’an. He performed Hajj more than twenty times, renewing his connection to the scholars of the Hijaz on each occasion. 

He was extremely humble and his heart had no attachment to worldly things. He preferred simplicity in  the way he lived, and disliked affected  behaviour  (takalluf). When  one of  the wealthiest businessmen in Yemen came to visit  him, he insisted that he ate from the same plates that the poor people ate from. He said: “I have never sworn an oath by Allah in my life in truth or in falsehood.” 

Among   his   students   were   Habib   Muhammad   al‐Haddar,   Habib   Zayn   bin   Sumayt,   Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al‐Maliki, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz and Shaykh Muhammad al‐Hariri. 

He composed a number of prayers upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Among them is this beautiful formula:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ و سَلِّمْ و بَارِكْ و كَرِّمْ عَلى سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ حَبِيبِكَ المَحْبُوب و مُحِبِّيهِ كَمَا يُرْضِيكَ و

يُرْضِيهِ و حَبِّبْنَا إِلَيْهِ و زِدْنا مَحَبَةً فِيهِ

O Allah, bestow Your prayers, peace, blessings and generosity upon our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, and upon those who love him to the extent that pleases You and pleases him and make us beloved to him and increase us in love for him.

His Death

Habib Ibrahim lost his sight in his final years and he spent most of his time in silence. He said at this   time that   the  true  meaning  of   well‐being  (`afiyah)   is   that   the  heart   is   free  from  any opposition to the decree of Allah. He had lived his life in strict adherence to the  Sunnah, and this did not change even in his last days. When someone helping him to make  wudu’ rolled up his right sleeve before his left in order to wash his right arm, he reminded him that the   Sunnah when removing clothing is to begin with the left and not the right. He finally departed this life on 14th Jumad al‐Awwal 1415 (1995). Vast crowds came out to attend his funeral prayer in Jami` al‐Muzaffar, where he had been khatib for more than thirty years. He was then carried to his final resting place in the Habil Salman graveyard in Ta`izz. 

May Allah raise his station and benefit us by him in this life and the next. 

BIOGRAFI Habib Ibrahim bin `Aqil bin Yahya

Nasab Beliau

Beliau adalah al‐Habib al‐`Allamah Ibrahim bin `Umar bin `Aqil bin `Abdullah bin `Umar bin Abu Bakr bin `Umar  bin Taha bin Muhammad bin Shaykh bin Ahmad bin Yahya bin Hasan bin `Alawi bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al‐Dawilah bin `Ali Mawla Darak, bin `Alawi al‐Ghuyur, bin al‐Faqih al‐Muqaddam, Muhammad bin `Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin `Ali Khali` Qasam, bin `Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al‐Sawma`a, bin `Alawi, bin `Ubaydullah, bin al‐Imam al‐Muhajir il‐ Allah   Ahmad,  bin   `Isa,   bin   Muhammad   al‐Naqib,   bin   `Ali   al‐`Uraydi,  bin   Ja`far   al‐Sadiq,   bin Muhammad al‐Baqir, bin  `Ali Zayn al‐`Abidin, bin Husayn al‐Sibt, bin `Ali bin  Abu  Talib and Fatima al‐Zahra, anak perempuan Rasulullah SAW, Nabi Penutup.

Kehidupan Beliau

Habib Ibrahim lahir di kota al-Masilah, dekat Tarim pada tahun 1327 H (1908 M). Beliau mendapat pendidikan dari kedua orang tuanya dan nenek kandungnya yaitu Syarifah Zahra dan Syarifah Sayyidah yang mana merupakan anak perempuan dari Imam Besar Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir. Kedua wanita ini terkenal akan kealimannya, khususnya Syarifah Sayyidah akan keulamaannya. Pelajar dan salik akan mendatangi beliau untuk mendapat ilmu dan mendapat ijazah dari beliau karena sanadnya yang kuat. Pada suatu waktu, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al-Athas datang untuk menemui Syarifah Sayyidah, lalu Habib Ibrahim yang masih kecil dibawa ke hadapan Habib Ahmad untuk dibacakan doa. Habib Ibrahim juga pernah dibawa ke Habib Ali al-Habshi dengan alasan yang sama. Ibunya Syarifah Nur sering membawanya ke mesjid waktu umurnya belum mencapai 7 tahun pada sepertiga malam dan melarangnya pulang sebelum matahari terbit. Begitulah kondisi keilmuan dan spiritual Habib Ibrahim tumbuh. Jadi tidak mengherankan bila pada usia 8 tahun beliau sudah dapat menyusun syair yg menunjukkan tidak hanya kejeniusan tata bahasanya tapi juga hubungannya dengan Tuhannya.

Beliau berkata, " Jika saya ingin berbicara hanya sesuai dengan ayat yang sudah saya kerjakan". Kekuatan memorinya, seperti kata beliau," Saya tidak pernah membaca sebuah buku dan butuh untuk membacanya lagi." Maka dari itu tidak heran bila beliau cepat menghafalkan Al_qur'an dan kitab-kitab ilmu agama Islam.

Beliau diajarkan pertama oleh pamannya, Habib Muhammad bin Aqil bin Yahya. Kemudian beliau menguasai ilmu lahir dan bathin di tangan para Imam Tarim kala itu yaitu  Habib `Abdullah bin `Aydarus al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abd al‐Bari bin Shaykh al‐`Aydarus, Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri dan Habib `Alawi bin `Abdullah Shihab al‐Din. Beliau juga belajar dari para guru seperti Habib `Alawi bin Tahir al‐Haddad and Habib Salih bin `Abdullah al‐Haddad. 

Beliau mulai mengajar di mesjid Habib `Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir sebelum beliau baligh dan nantinya menjadi imam dari mesjid tersebut. Di masa mudanya beliau terlibat di beberapa kegiatan keulamaan dan selalu menulis, meneliti dan mengajar. Beliau mewarisi banyak tanah di sekitar al-Masilah, tetapi salah satu saudaranya memalsukan bahwa tanah itu milik saudaranya. Habib Ibrahim akhirnya pergi ke Tarim dengan dokumen yang membuktikan kepemilikan tanahnya untuk diserahkan kasusnya kepada hakim. Tapi kemudian beliau bertemu dengan syaikhnya Habib `Abdullah bin `Umar al‐ShaPri, yang berkata kepadanya," Wahai Ibrahim, jika seseorang menentangmu di masalah agama, maka pertahankanlah agamamu. Tapi jika seseorang berselisih denganmu karena masalah dunia maka lemparkanlah ke wajahnya."  

Habib Ibrahim akhirnya meninggalkan masalah kepemilikan tanahnya dan di tahun 1354 H (1935 M) meninggalkan Hadramaut ke Yaman Utara. Beliau pertama tinggal di al-Hudaydah di pesisir Laut Merah, dimana beliau belajar kepada pamannya, Habib Muhammad bin 'Aqil. Beliau juga belajar dari ulama besar Sayyid `Abd al‐Rahman bin Muhammad al‐Ahdal.

Beliau pernah berdagang dan sangat sukses tapi kemudian beliau tinggalkan karena tidak menghendaki sesuatu yang bersifat sementara. 

Setelah kematian pamannya, beliau pindah ke Zabid lalu kemudian Ta'izz yang mana akhirnya beliau menetap. Selama periode itu beliau pergi ke Irak sebagai bagian dari delegasi pemerintahan, yang mana beliau lulus akademi militernya. Ketika kembali ke Yaman beliau diangkat sebagai Mentri di masa pemerintahan Imam Yahya bin Muhammad. Beliau menjabat posisi ini sampai revolusi tahun 1381 H (1962 M), yang mana setelah itu beliau diangkat menjadi Mufti di kota Ta'izz.

Rumah beliau di Ta'izz terbuka siang dan malam untuk semua pendatang. Bahkan lebih mirip sebuah zawiya dibandingkan sebuah rumah, menjadi tempat majlis-majlis zikir, tamu-tamu dihormati, yang miskin diberi makan dan kebutuhan mereka dipenuhi. Habib Ibrahim bisa tiap hari duduk dari Zuhur hingga Maghrib dan murid-muridnya datang dan membacakan buku-buku di berbagai ilmu kepada beliau. Beliau memiliki sanad yang sangat kuat  dalam Sahih al-Bukhari dan kitab ini terus menerus dibaca bersama dengan penjelasannya. Jika sudah selesai, bacaan baru segera dimulai. Banyak orang yang datang dengan masalahnya atau meminta fatwa dan Habib Ibrahim menolong mereka semua dengan penuh kehangatan dan kasih sayang. Sisa waktu beliau digunakan untuk berzikir kepada Allah dan membaca Al-Qur'an. Beliau melaksanakan haji lebih dari 20 kali, memperbaharui hubungannya dengan ulama-ulama Hijaz di setiap kesempatan.

Beliau sangat rendah hati dan hatinya tidak terpaut keduniaan. Beliau lebih memilih hidup sederhana dan tidak menyukai sifat mempengaruhi (takalluf). Ketika seorang pebisnis paling kaya di Yaman mengunjungi beliau, beliau bersikeras kalau beliau makan dari piring yang sama yang mana orang miskin makan. Beliau berkata," Saya tidak pernah bersumpah atas nama Allah dalam hidup saya baik dalam kebenaran atau keburukan."

Murid-muridnya antara lain adalah  Habib   Muhammad   al‐Haddar,   Habib   Zayn   bin   Sumayt,   Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al‐Maliki, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz and Shaykh Muhammad al‐Hariri.  

Kematian Beliau

Habib Ibrahim kehilangan penglihatannya di masa akhirnya dan menghabiskan waktunya dalam kebungkaman. Beliau berkata bahwa saat ini makna sebenarnya sehat ('afiyah) adalah di mana hati bersih dari penentangan terhadap ketetapan Allah. Beliau telah hidup dengan penuh ketaatan terhadap Sunnah dan hal ini tidak berubah bahkan di akhir hayatnya. Ketika seseorang menolongnya untuk berwudhu menggulung lengan bajunya yang kanan sebelum yang kiri supaya bisa membasuh tangan kanannya, beliau mengingatkan bahwa sunnahnya ketika membuka pakaian adalah dimulai dari yang kiri bukan yang kanan. Beliau wafat pada 14 Jumadil Awal 1415 H (1995 M). Banyak sekali yang menghadiri shalat jenazah beliau di Jami' al-Muzaffar, di mana beliau menjadi khatib selama lebih dari 30 tahun. Beliau dimakamkan di pemakaman Habil Salman di Ta'izz.

Semoga Allah mengangkat derajatnya dan menurunkan rahmatNya karena beliau dalam kehidupan ini dan akhirat.