Hababah Maryam, the eldest daughter of Habib Ali al-Mashhur bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafiz was one of the foremost female scholars in Tarim. Her life was spent in service, remembrance of Allah and teaching and reminding people of their Lord.
She took after her father, Habib Mashhur, the late Mufti of Tarim, in what she taught and how she taught it. She was, like him, a person of great fiqh and she taught even the driest subjects with love and humour. Like her grandfather, the great shahid, Habib Muhammad bin Salim, she would travel regularly to outlying villages to educate people. Her home and her madrasah were in the heart of Tarim, Dar al-Faqih, the original house of the great Imam, al-Faqih al-Muqaddam.
Hababah Maryam passed away on 20th Jumada al-Akhirah / 11th December 2025. It is no coincidence that she passed away on the day that Fatimah al-Zahra was born, as she spent her whole life emulating her. She came from a long line of female scholars in Tarim and Hadramawt who prefer not to be known and celebrated but whose service speaks for itself. The janazah took place the following day, after Asr on Friday and she was laid to rest in the Zanbal Cemetery at a time beloved to Sayyidah Fatimah.
She will be sorely missed in Tarim and beyond by the countless people who loved her and benefited from her. Our condolences go especially to her uncle, Habib Umar bin Hafiz, her children, her relatives and her many students. May Allah raise her rank and continue to benefit the Ummah with her knowledge.
Image: Hababah Maryam’s coffin is carried from her father’s house to the Jabannah, where the funeral prayer was held