Ali bin Abdurrahman al-Habsyi

Ali bin Abdurrahman al-Habshi, better known as Habib Ali of Kwitang or Habib Ali Kwitang (, ; April 20, 1870 – October 13, 1968), was one of the leading Islamic clerics and preachers in Jakarta in the 20th century. He was also the founder and chairman of the Majelis Taklim Kwitang (the Islamic congregation of Kwitang; although Majelis Taklim itself literally means Board of Education) and Islamic Center Indonesia, which are the forerunners of other religious organizations in Jakarta.

History Ali was born in the area of Kwitang in Central Jakarta on April 20, 1870, CE which was 20 Jumada al-Awwal 1286 AH. His father was Abdurrahman bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Habshi, an Arab Indonesian of Hadhrami- Sayyid descent. His father better known as Habib Cikini (d. 1879 CE) was born in Petak Sembilan, Semarang and was an Islamic scholar and preacher who lived in asceticism. His father died in 1879 CE when Ali was young and was buried in Cikini. His mother (born in Meester Cornelis) was a pious woman named Salmah (Nyai Salmeh), a daughter of a Betawi cleric from Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. His father once married to Syarifah Rogayah bint Husen bin Alwi bin Awal bin Yahya, the younger sister of Raden Saleh, but from this marriage they did not have any offspring. Besides Ali, Abdurrahman had another son named Abdul Qadir, the younger brother of Ali who married to Sidah, the daughter of Habib Usman bin Yahya. Only from Ali the lineage of Abdurrahman continued as Abdul Qadir had only three daughters (the Arab society is patrilineal). Among students of Habib Abdurahman was Habib Ahmad Bin alwi al-Haddad, known as Habib Kuncung, who is buried in Kalibata, which is known for his piety and sanctity.

His grandfather was Habib Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Habshi was born in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. He married a Semarang girl and had a son named Abdurrahman, and later in Pontianak he married another girl of Bansir family and had a son named Ali, who later moved to Gorontalo, settled and built a family there. Hadhramaut. He married the princess of Pontianak Sultanate of Algadri clan from the dynasty of al-Qadiriyyah al-Hashimiyyah.

Ali was a Sayyid and his lineage traces back to Imam Ali as recorded as follows: Ali bin Abdurrahman bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Husein bin Abdurrahman bin Husein bin Abdurrahman bin Hadi bin Ahmad Shahib Syi'ib bin Muhammad al-Ashghar bin Alwi bin Abubakar al-Habshi bin Ali bin Ahmad bin Muhammad Assadilah bin Hasan al-Turabi bin Ali bin Muhammad al-Faqih Muqaddam bin Ali ibn Muhammad Shahib Mirbath bin Ali Khali' Qasam bin Alwi al-Tsani bin Muhammad bin Alwi al-Awwal bin Ubaidillah bin Ahmad al-Muhajir ibn Isa al-Rumi ibn Muhammad al-Naqib bin 'Ali al-Uraidhi ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq bin Muhammad al-Baqir ibn Zayn al-‘Ābdīn ibn Husain ibn Ali bin Abu Talib and Fatimah daughter of Muhammad. married a catholic woman of Dutch descent named Maria Van Engels (people later called her Wan Enon or Jidah Non, while her families call her Nonni) who then converted to Islam and changed her name to Mariam. Abdurrahman had a short life and died in 1940 long before his father died. Abdurahman was buried initially at Said Naum Cemetery in Tanah Abang, but later moved to Karet Cemetery. Children of the couple Abdurrahman and Mariam, among others, were Muhdhar (nickname: Adong) and Salmah (nickname: Dameh). He also used yellow books (a term for classic religious books; usually printed in yellow paper) written by Abdullah ibn Alawi al-Haddad, a scholar living in Hadramaut about 300 years ago who wrote the famous Ratib Haddad.

A number of other Betawi scholars who had studied to him and some even open other Majelis Taklim were Thahir Rohili (the founder of al-Thahiriyyah), Abdullah Syafi'i (the founder of Assyafi'iyyah), Fathullah Harun (later migrated to Malaysia), Abdulrazak Mamun and Zayadi. the heads of state and guests were ushered to Habib Ali's Majelis Taklim Kwitang by the chief of staff of the armed forces of Indonesia who was the Minister of Defence, General Abdul Haris Nasution. Leaders of the Muslim World League during their visit to Indonesia also paid a visit to Habib Ali. Similarly, Soeharto, B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at least have visited the place once.

Habib Ali's Majlis of Mawlid is still hold annually to date in Jakarta, and is usually attended by thousands of people from many places, including foreign countries.