Habib Umar bin Hamid bin Abd al-Hadi al-Jilani al-Hasani was a direct descendant of the great Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani.
He was born on Eid al-Fitr, 1st Shawwal 1365 (1946) in the town of al-Khuraybah deep in the Daw’an Valley. The Valley lies to the South West of the Hadramawt Valley. The Valley is famous for its beautiful scenery and for the many great scholars who lived there who were both masters of the Sacred Law, and particularly the Shafi school, and knowers of Allah. They include figures like Shaykh Sa’id al-Amudi, Shaykh Abdullah Ba Sawdan and Habib Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Mihdar.
Habib Umar’s father, Habib Hamid, was a great scholar and leader whose advice and knowledge were highly sought after. His mother was a pious woman from the tribe of Ba Ras, who are known as people of knowledge and piety.
Habib Hamid oversaw his son’s education and recognised his potential. Habib Umar spent his early years tirelessly gaining a deep knowledge of the sacred sciences. He was blessed to learn from some of the great Imams of Hadramawt at that time, who included Habib Muhammad bin Hadi al-Saqqaf and Habib Alawi bin Shihab. He began teaching at a young age and when he was barely seventeen years old, his father told him to take over his classes while he went for hajj.
The Communist government that ruled South Yemen from 1967 onwards made life very difficult for scholars, and Habib Umar decided to move to Makkah. He continued his studies there with the scholars of the Haramayn, including Shaykh Hasan Mashat, Sayyid Alawi al-Maliki and Shaykh Ya Sin al-Fadani. He began teaching in Makkah with only a few students. Over the next 30 years, his classes continued to grow and became a feature of the religious life of Makkah. He was recognised as being the Mufti of the Shafi school in Makkah.
He authored a number of small works on topics such as the necessary conditions of giving fatwa, the etiquettes of students of the Islamic sciences, the contribution of Hadrami scholars to the Shafi School and a historic study of the attempts of the Portuguese to attack the Yemeni coastline.
Habib Umar travelled extensively, taking part in conferences, delivering lectures and teaching courses in different parts of the world. Everywhere he went, he won people’s hearts with his noble character. He spoke gently but firmly, calling people to Allah with the utmost care and compassion. He carried himself with such dignity and beauty that all could see he was truly one of the heirs of the Prophet and of the great Imams of the Prophetic Household.
Habib Umar lecturing on a visit to Germany and Austria, November 2014
Towards the end of his life, due to political reasons, he was no longer able to reside in Makkah. He took up residence in Istanbul while continuing to travel. He would regularly visit Hadramawt and South East Asia. In December 2025/Rajab 1447 he visited Tarim and delivered a series of lectures in Dar al-Mustafa. He also visited his hometown al-Khuraybah and other parts of Hadramawt before travelling to Oman, where he attended more gatherings. He then flew to Jakarta but passed away while on the flight. He left this life on a Friday, 4th Sha’ban 1447 / 23rd January 2026. He left this life as he had lived it, in the path of Allah, calling people to Allah and connecting them to Allah and His Beloved ﷺ
The people of Jakarta are known for their love of the Ahl al-Bayt and they turned out in great numbers to bid farewell to this noble scholar. Habib Umar was interred in the burial complex of Habib Ahmad bin Alawi al-Haddad, popularly known as Habib Kuncung in Kalibata, South Jakarta.
May Allah give Habib Umar the greatest of rewards for his service to Islam and Ahl al-Sunnah, raise his rank and allow his legacy to live on in his children and students.