al-Habashi

Habib Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Habshi (1259-1333 AH / 1843-1915 CE) was a Hadrami Ba'Alawi scholar who settled in the Indonesian archipelago and became one of the most beloved religious figures among Southeast Asian Muslims. Born in Tarim, Hadhramaut, Yemen, into the distinguished Alawide lineage, he traveled to Java in his youth as part of the wave of Hadrami scholar-merchants who shaped Islam in Southeast Asia.

He eventually settled in Solo (Surakarta), Central Java, where he spent most of his life teaching, guiding disciples, and providing spiritual leadership to the Muslim community. He was a master of the Ba'Alawi Sufi tradition — the Shadhili-Alawi path of Hadhramaut — and attracted followers from across the Malay-Indonesian archipelago.

Al-Habshi is best known for composing Simthut Thahab fil-Alfiyat Mawlid Sayyid al-Arab (The Necklace of Gold in the Thousand Verses on the Mawlid of the Master of the Arabs), commonly known as Simthut Thahab — a praise poem on the Prophet ﷺ in the tradition of mawlid literature. This poem is recited at celebrations marking the Prophet's birthday ﷺ and at other religious gatherings across Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, and surrounding regions. Its recitation became a central part of the religious and communal life of Hadrami-influenced Muslim communities.

Beyond his literary contribution, his personal spiritual presence, his teaching, and his guidance of a generation of students and disciples left a deep imprint on Javanese and broader Indonesian Islamic practice. He passed away in Solo in 1915 and is buried there. His tomb is visited by devotees, and his memory is revered among the Ba'Alawi tradition in Southeast Asia.