Draft:Omar Aljunied
| Omar Aljunied | |
|---|---|
| Name | Omar Aljunied |
| Other Names | {{{other_names}}} |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Hadramaut, Yemen |
| Brith Date | 1207 AH (1792 CE) |
| Death Place | Singapore |
| Death Date | 1269 AH (1853 CE) |
| Teachers |
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| Religion | Islam |
Omar bin Ali Aljunied (1207–1269 AH / 1792–1853 CE) was a religious and social leader and a Hadrami merchant known for his charitable acts, public services, and good social conduct[1]. He was among those who combined knowledge with wealth, but he was more famous for his wealth. He migrated to Southeast Asia, specifically to Singapore, for the propagation of the Islamic religion and trade. There, he amassed extensive wealth, and people from all sects flocked to him, as he held a special position between the government and the people due to his generosity in charitable works and also his Sayyid lineage[2]. As one of the prominent figures in the history of Singapore, his statue was built and placed in the Tosoh Permanent Museum on Sentosa Island, Singapore.
Lineage
Omar bin Ali bin Harun bin Ali bin Aljunied bin Ali bin Abi Bakr Aljunied bin Omar bin Abdullah al-Salih bin Harun bin Hasan bin Ali bin Muhammad Jamal al-Layl bin Hasan al-Mu'allim bin Muhammad Asad Allah bin Hasan al-Turabi bin Ali bin al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat bin Ali Khali' Qasam bin Alawi bin Muhammad bin Alawi bin Ubaydallah bin Ahmed al-Muhajir bin Isa bin Muhammad al-Naqib bin Ali al-Uraydi bin Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) bin Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) bin Ali Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) bin al-Husayn (peace be upon him) bin Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and Imam Ali was the husband of Fatima (peace be upon her), daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny).
He is the thirty-third grandson of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny).
Birth and Upbringing
He was born in the year 1207 AH / 1792 CE in Tarim, Hadramaut. His mother was Alawiyya bint Abi Bakr Eidid. He grew up under his parents, and during the period of repeated attacks by armed tribes on various Yemeni lands, the scientific movement in Hadramaut was flourishing. He learned the principles of knowledge and religion from many scholars of Tarim and other Hadrami cities. He was foresighted, thoughtful, and possessed a strong memory, and if he had devoted himself entirely to acquiring knowledge, he would have reached the degree of ijtihad, but his travels prevented this.
Teachers
Among his teachers and shaykhs, he received knowledge from them:
- His uncle Abdullah bin Abi Bakr Eidid
- Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Bafaraj
- Abdulrahman bin Hamed al-Munfar
- Omar bin Ahmed al-Haddad
- Alawi bin Ahmed al-Haddad
- Tahir bin Husayn bin Tahir
- Abdullah bin Husayn bin Tahir
- Hasan bin Salih al-Bahr
Migration to Singapore
In late 1239 AH / 1824 CE, he left Hadramaut for Singapore.
He remained there until 1250 AH / 1834 CE, and his older brother Ahmed Aljunied asked him to return to Hadramaut, so that together they could succeed their brother Abdullah, who had drowned at sea while on pilgrimage to the House of God (Kaaba) that year. He fulfilled his older brother's request and took all his sons with him to live in Hadramaut. Along with his cousin Ali bin Muhammad Aljunied, who arrived in Hadramaut in 1251 AH / 1835 CE, he was unable to live in Hadramaut due to attacks by invading armed tribes, and their activity in harming prominent figures known for knowledge and wealth. In late 1253 AH / 1837 CE, Abdullah bin Awad Gharamah al-Yafi'i, the governor of the central Tarim region, arrested Ahmed, his brother Omar, and their cousin Ali, and imprisoned them all, releasing them only after receiving a large sum of money. Omar Aljunied immediately returned to Singapore with all his children, and he himself said he did not stay in Hadramaut for more than a week. He asked his brother Ahmed Aljunied to go with him to Singapore, but he insisted on remaining in Tarim.
Omar Aljunied returned to Singapore around 1254 AH / 1838 CE and followed the same path he had taken on his first journey. He settled there and gained fame. He was a great social and religious reformer and undertook spiritual leadership in Singapore.
Commerce
He traded in Singapore and was very successful in business. He became the owner of many properties, including numerous buildings and lands in Singapore, which he donated to the government for public facilities and state benefits. He provided expenses for most families and friends of his tribe. He was the first person to introduce the Hadrami people to the cloth known as "Baft" and named that type of cloth after himself; since he was the one who wove this cloth at a time when the Hadrami people only used local fabrics. Gradually, he imported men's cloth from abroad. He also contributed to all charitable and social projects that were religiously and nationally beneficial to the Hadrami people.
Notes
References
Religious Influence
His trade did not divert him from the work of the Hereafter, and he observed ethics, religion, presence in Muslim congregations, acts of worship, supplications, and litanies. He adhered to the Alawi and Hadrami way of life. Thousands of Singaporeans embraced Islam through him, and he familiarized them with the teachings of Islam, instilling its spirit and etiquette in them. He also spread the religious culture and customs known as Hadramaut in Singapore, including morning and evening supplications, Ramadan programs, and annual religious traditions. These customs were well-received by the people in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and thanks to his spiritual influence in that country, with the help of his cousin Ali bin Muhammad al-Junaid and the renowned Sayyid Abu Bakr bin Muhammad, they continue to this day.
Most of his time was spent acquiring knowledge and studying, teaching and guiding people, resolving disputes, and participating in congregations, supplications, and litanies. It is said that when Sayyid Umar bin Hassan al-Attas traveled to Singapore at that time and saw the Hadrami customs in the country, he said: "If someone swears that Umar al-Junaid and Abu Bakr al-Mashhur have not left Tarim, he has not lied." This is because the situation they were in Singapore was the same as that of Hadramaut. This indicates their interest and importance in the Alawi lifestyle and the lack of influence of other regions' cultures on them, despite having moved to and lived in those places for a long time.
Government Recognition
He was popular among all communities in Singapore and by the local government. The privileges that the government granted only to him indicated honor and respect for him:
- The post office was obliged to deliver Ibn Junaid's letters to his house two hours before distributing other people's mail.
- The police would not arrest anyone, regardless of their crime, as long as they were under the protection of Umar al-Junaid's house, until they left.
- After Umar al-Junaid's death, a major street in Singapore was named after him, called "Omar Street".
- The government included a brief translation of Umar bin Junaid's biography in history textbooks, and their teaching in schools continues[1].
Activities
One of his lasting legacies in Singapore was the construction of a mosque in Kampong Melaka, in the village of Malacca. Later, the street and the mosque became known by the name Umar al-Junaid, and the mosque was called the Omar Kampong Melaka Mosque. This mosque was renovated after him by his son Abdullah bin Umar al-Junaid. He also built another mosque in Bengal, which is now known as the Banguli Mosque. It is said that he built seven mosques in Singapore, but he did not attribute them to himself. He also endowed a large piece of land for the burial of Muslims in Singapore[2].
When the Al Kathiri dynasty was established for the second time in Hadramaut and governance reached Sultan Ghalib bin Muhsin al-Kathiri, it was ordered that the demands of the people of Hadramaut be generally accepted, and the Alawis specifically gathered around him, solidifying the foundations of his government and placing all assistance at his disposal. Umar al-Junaid was the first to support him, helping him with substantial amounts, 300 troops, and several war cannons, each inscribed in Arabic with the name "Junaid," and it is said that these weapons still exist today.
Children
He married a woman from Alawiyyah al-Kaf and all his children were born in Singapore. He occasionally sent his sons to Hadramaut to familiarize themselves with their family origins and genealogical tree and to visit relatives and family. They were five: Alawi, Ali, Junaid, Abdullah, and Abu Bakr.
Death
He died on 24 Muharram 1269 AH / 1852 CE in Singapore and was buried there, and a large dome was built over his grave.
Notes
References
Al-Junaid, Abd al-Qadir bin Abd al-Rahman (1414 AH). Al-Uqud al-Asjadiyah fi Nashr Manaqib Ba'd Afrad al-Usrah al-Junaydiyah (PDF). Singapore: Kyodo Printing Company Ltd.