Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah Ba ‘Abbad hails from a tribe which has long been known for knowledge and piety in Hadramawt. The Ba ‘Abbad tribe traces its lineage to Sayyiduna `Uthman bin `Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).

His first teacher was his father, Shaykh Abdullah, who later directed him to Habib Umar bin Hafiz to complete his spiritual instruction. His in depth legal training came at the hands of Habib Abd al-Qadir bin Salim Rawsh al-Saqqaf, Mufti of Hadramawat. He also took knowledge from Habib ‘Abd al-Qadir bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf and the other great scholars of his time.

Although still young in years, many people benefited from his wisdom and witnessed his beautiful character both in his home town of al-Ghurfah and in Yemen, the Middle East and South East Asia.

He contributed significantly to the renewal of traditional Islam in Hadramawt and students came from far and wide to study in the institute which he established and directed, Ribat al-Is’ad, in his hometown, al-Ghurfah.

Those who attended the annual visit to the Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) will remember his powerful speeches in the mosque established by his illustrious ancestors, Masjid Ba ‘Abbad. He was always a voice of reason and moderation and helped to maintain unity among the tribes of Hadramawt. He expended all his efforts to prevent bloodshed during the current conflict in Yemen.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman was killed in a car crash in Oman on 12th Muharram 1440 / 22nd September 2018. May Allah raise his station and the station of Hasan bin Muhammad Ba ‘Abbad, who died alongside him, and bless their loved ones with patience and contentment. His loss comes after the loss of his younger brother, Shaykh Muhammad, also a promising young scholar, in recent years. May Allah enable his youngest brother, Shaykh Ma’ruf to continue to carry the banner of the Prophetic legacy.

As the year 1439 came to a close, the Ummah lost one of its great men, Habib Abbas bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Saqqaf, the most senior of the Ba Alawi scholars in Singapore.

Habib Abbas was born in Singapore in 1923. He studied the Islamic sciences with the principal scholars of the city, including two great jurists: Shaykh Umar bin Abdullah al-Khatib and Qadi al-Shihr Habib Shaykh bin Abdullah al-Habashi. He then taught at a variety of places around Singapore.

The great caller to Allah, Habib Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf, indicated that Habib Abbas should establish gatherings of knowledge in his house and it duly became a focal point where the scholars and students of Singapore would gather.

The most frequented and well known of these gatherings was on Saturday morning in which the mawlid of Habib Ali al-Habashi, Simt al-Durar, was recited and a lesson in tasawwuf would be delivered. Any scholar visiting Singapore would make a point of visiting Habib Abbas. He passed away on 29^th Dhu’l-Hijjah 1439, 10^th September 2018.

Let us heed his oft-given advice: always be humble, show respect to your elders and show respect to all, regardless of whether they rich or poor, beggars or government ministers.

May Allah raise Habib Abbas to the highest of stations and allow his legacy to live on.