Habib Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani bin Salim bin Alawi Kharid was born in Tarim in the year 1358/1939. He was raised by his father Habib Salim. The Kharid clan are descendants of al-Faqih al-Muqaddam through Shaykh Abdullah bin Alawi Ba Alawi. They have been known for their scholarship since the days of their ancestor, the hadith scholar, Imam Muhammad bin Ali Kharid (died 960/1553).
Habib Abd al-Qadir completed his memorisation of the Quran at the age of 12 in Tarim’s famous Quran school, Qubbah Abu Murayyam, where hundreds of great men have memorised the Book of Allah. He studied in the Ribat of Tarim and became a student of the great scholars of that time, at their forefront Habib Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafiz and Habib Alawi bin Shihab. He then moved to the Hijaz in 1376/1956, where he worked as an editor and journalist for several newspapers. He took knowledge from the great scholars of the Hijaz, such as Sayyid Alawi bin Abbas al-Maliki, Sayyid Muhammad Amin Kutbi and Shaykh Yasin Fadani. His two main shaykhs were Habib Attas al-Habashi and Habib Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf, who were for him like the two wings of a bird. Habib Abd al-Qadir al-Saqqaf instructed him to start a circle of knowledge in his own house, which continued for many years.
He was known for his financial support for students of the Sacred Law. He also distributed generators to provide electricity to people in Tarim during frequent power cuts.
He authored several works and helped to reprint others. His ancestor, Imam Muhammad bin Ali Kharid, left behind two important works: al-Ghurar, which contains biographies of the great Ba Alawi Imams, and al-Wasa’il al-Shafiah, a collection of supplications, both of which Habib Abd al-Qadir helped to reprint and wrote forewords for.
It is in the realm of poetry, however, that he is most celebrated. He edited and republished the great Diwan of Imam al-Haddad, which has benefited untold numbers of people. He composed four poems in honour of “the Mothers”: Sayyidah Aminah, Sayyidah Khadijah, Sayyidah Fatimah and Sayyidah Aishah.
We will quote a few lines from each poem.
The first poem is composed in praise of Sayyidah Aminah. In it, he addresses those who hold the awful opinion that the Prophet’s parents will not be allowed to enter Paradise. He says:
فاختاركِ المولى لِحَمْلِ أَمانةٍ
فَخُلِقْتِ آمِنَةً وَضَعْتِ أَمِينا
The Lord chose you to bear a weighty trust (amanah)
You were created Aminah (a person of safety) and you gave birth to Amin (the Trustworthy One)
جَهِلوا مَقَامَكِ حين قالوا قَوْلةً
و لَقَدْ أَسَاؤوا في النبيِّ ظُنونا
They were ignorant of your greatness when they said what they said
And they held a bad opinion of the Prophet
تَرْجُوهُ أُمَّتُهُ و تَيْأَسُ أُمُهُ
حاشاه و هو بِبِرِّها يُوصِينا
Is it possible that his nation hopes for his intercession while his mother despairs of it?
It is inconceivable since he is the one who teaches us to honour her
و لَسَوْفَ يُرْضِيهِ الإِلهُ فَهَلْ تَرَى
يَرْضى لِآمِنَةٍ تَذوقُ الهُونا؟
Allah will make sure he is content
So do you think he will be content that Aminah is disgraced?
إن كان أشرفَ بُقْعَةٍ تلك التي
أَضْحى بها خَيْرُ الأَنام ِدَفينا
If the greatest place on earth is the place
Where the best of creation is buried
فَلِكَوْنِها ضَمَّتْ عِظامَ المصطفى
لكنْ بِبَطْنِكِ كُوِّنَتْ تَكْوِينا
That is because it holds the body of the Chosen One
But it was in your womb that his body was perfectly formed
He says in praise of Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra:
عَلَوْتِ فَلَمْ تُدْرَكْ مَقَاماتُكِ الكُبْرى
فَغَيْرُكِ لا تُدْعى وإِنْ عَظُمَتْ كُبْرى
You are so elevated that no one can reach your great station
However great others are, only you are named “Kubra” (the great one)
وكَمْ في نِسَاءِ العَالمين عظيمةٌ
ولكنَّها إِنْ قُورِنَتْ بِكِ فالصُّغْرى
Many are the women who attained greatness
But in comparison to you, all are “Sughra” (beneath you)
He says in praise of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra:
لا وربّـي، وحـقِّ طـه أبـيـكِ لا يَـطـيبُ الـمَديـحُ إلاّ فيـكِ
I swear by my Lord and by the rank of Ta Ha, your father, nothing could be sweeter than praising you
بَضْعَةُ المصطفى، وللجُزءِ حُكْمُ الكُـلِّ، يُرْضِيهِ كُـلُّ ما يُرْضِـيكِ
You are part of the Chosen One, and what applies to the part applies to the whole: what pleases you pleases him
Finally, he says in praise of Sayyidah Aishah:
و كَمْ آيَةٍ في النُّورِ تُتْلى صريحةً
بِأَنَّكِ عِنْدَ اللهِ عَالِيَةُ القَدْرِ
Many are the clear verses recited in the Chapter of Light (Surat al-Nur)
That show how great you are in Allah’s sight
مُبَرَّأةٌ مِنْ كُلِّ إِفْكٍ كَأَنَّما
غدا الإِفْكُ تَاجاً فَوْقَ رَأَسَكِ مِنْ دُرِّ
You are innocent of every accusation
And the “Ifk” is like a crown of pearls on your head
Habib Abd al-Qadir lived out his days in the Hijaz, making occasional visits to Tarim. He passed away in Jeddah on 1st Rabi al-Thani 1447/23rd September 2025. May Allah raise his rank and continue to benefit us by him.