Draft:Saleh bin Alawi Jamal al-Lail
| Saleh bin Alawi Jamal al-Lail | |
|---|---|
| Name | Saleh bin Alawi Jamal al-Lail |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Comoros Islands |
| Brith Date | 1269 AH (1852 CE) |
| Death Place | Lamu Island |
| Death Date | 1354 AH (1935 CE) |
| Teachers |
|
| Students |
|
| Religion | Islam |
Saleh bin Alawi Jamal al-Lail (1269 – 1354 AH) was a Muslim scholar and great religious leader, among the most famous Muslim scholars in East Africa. He is regarded as the Sheikh of Sheikhs of East Africa and the father of the knowledge movement there, and possesses virtues and steadfastness in spreading religion and knowledge. He established the first Islamic culture education institute in East Africa in his own mosque named Riyadh Mosque. He is the founder of the grand annual festival in the city of Lamu for celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Lineage
Saleh bin Alawi bin Abdullah bin Hassan bin Ahmad bin Abdullah Sahib al-Tuyur bin Ahmad bin Harun bin Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Jamal al-Lail bin Hassan al-Muallim bin Muhammad Asadullah bin Hassan al-Turabi bin Ali bin al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat bin Ali Khali Qasim bin Alawi bin Muhammad bin Alawi bin Ubaydullah bin Ahmad al-Muhajir bin Isa bin Muhammad al-Naqib bin Ali al-Uraydi bin Ja'far al-Sadiq bin Muhammad al-Baqir bin Ali Zayn al-Abidin bin al-Husayn bin Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and Imam Ali, husband of Fatima daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny).
He is the thirty-second grandson of the Messenger of God Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny).[1]
Birth and Upbringing
He was born in Sangani on Grand Comoro Island in the year 1269 AH (1852 CE), and his mother was Mariam bint Ali Muwan Maswani from the Ani Rajab tribe. He grew up there and received the principles of religion and knowledge from his father, known as "Fundi Alawi", who died in 1311 AH (1893 CE). He learned the Quran from Abu al-Hasan al-Awwal al-Bar bin Ahmad Jamal al-Lail and Ahmad bin Abi Bakr bin Sumayt, who later became the Mufti of Zanzibar.
Teachers
He learned knowledge from many scholars of East Africa, including:
- His father Alawi bin Abdullah Jamal al-Lail
- His uncle Ali bin Abdullah Jamal al-Lail
- Abu al-Hasan bin Ahmad Jamal al-Lail
- Abu Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman al-Husayni
- Alawi bin Abi Bakr al-Shatiri
- Ahdal bin Abi Bakr al-Ahdal
- Ali bin Muhammad al-Ma'awi
- Abu Bakr al-Ma'awi
Students
Among those who learned knowledge from him:
- His son Ahmad Badawi bin Saleh Jamal al-Lail
- His son Eidarus bin Saleh Jamal al-Lail
- His grandson Ali bin Ahmad Badawi Jamal al-Lail
- Abdullah bin Muhammad Bakathir
- Salim bin Jum'an al-Qaysari
- Ali bin Hasan al-Qamari
- Abd al-Latif bin Uthman al-Qamari
Migration to Lamu
In the year 1287 AH (1870 CE), with the permission of his father and mother, he migrated from his homeland to the city of Lamu on Lamu Island. That place was full of scholars, so he learned various sciences from them. Habib Saleh faced various obstacles in his migration, so he persevered with determination and patience, conveyed knowledge to the general public, and made it accessible to everyone. Until a group of foolish people in the society harassed him and spoke ill of him, and some did him harm. But he remained patient. Until they realized their mistake and became aware of the Sayyid's pure intention. Therefore, they supported him with all their being. Sayyid Abu Bakr al-Husayni gifted him a large piece of land, and he built his mosque and named it (Riyadh al-Jannah), and constructed its building from wood and clay and carpeted its floor with clean earth, and built his residential house with palm leaves and branches. After a while, he decided to build a mosque with stone, and in the year 1319 AH (1901 CE), on the Night of Mi'raj, he completed the construction. This became Riyadh Mosque, the first institute for spreading knowledge and Islamic culture in East Africa, and institutes, schools, and corners of sciences branched out from it.
Mawlid al-Nabi Celebration
The largest session he held annually was on the day of the birth of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), which many people attended, and people came from various points, which is a season for preaching the religion of Islam and a day of brotherhood, acquaintance, and exchange of views among attendees. Since it is a very large economic season for the city of Lamu and its surroundings. This festival continues to attract many participants and visitors to this day.
Death
He died on Saturday, 2 Muharram 1354 AH (May 1935 CE) in Lamu. [2]
Notes
References
Al-Mashhur, Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad (1404 AH). Shams al-Zahira (PDF). Part II. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Alam al-Ma'rifah. p. 493.