Ahmad al-Muhajir

Ahmad al-Muhajir (820-924) ( _ar. أحمد المهاجر) also known as Al-Imam Ahmad bin Isa was the descendant of Ali bin Abu Talib and Fatimah bint Muhammad, the daughter of Muhammad. He was the son of ‘Isa the son of 'Ali al-Uraidhi [cite web|url=http://www.sunnah.org/arabic/mawldhouse/past_desecrations.htm |title=A History of Wahabi Desecrations in the Holy Land of al-Hijaz |accessdate=2008-09-20 |last=Morton |first=Shafiq |work=Notebooks from Makkah & Madinah: A modern journey to Islam’s two Holy Cities ] who was the fourth son of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, a fifth generation descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. His full name is "Ahmad ibn Isa Ar-Rumi ibn Muhammad An-Naqib ibn 'Ali al-Uraidhi ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq ibn Muhammad al-Baqir ibn Zayn al-Abidin ibn al-Husain ibn Ali bin Abu Talib". He is thought to have been born in 241 Hijrah (820 CE). ["al-Qirtas fi Manaqib al-Attas", Sayyid Ali bin Hasan al-Attas]

Al-Imam Ahmad bin Isa is called "Al-Muhajir" (emigrant) because he left Basra, Iraq during the Abbassid Caliphate that was headquartered in Baghdad in the year 317H (896 CE). He first went to Madinah and Mecca, and then from Mecca to Yemen at around 319H.

He migrated at a time when there was much internal strife, bloodshed and confusion in Iraq, where a large number of the descendants of Muhammad were persecuted for political reasons by the ruling Abbasids.Fact|date=June 2007.

He passed away in 345H (924 CE) at Husayyisah, a town between Tarim and Seiyun, Hadramaut. His shrine stands on a hill and is among the first visitors to Hadramaut pay their respects to when visiting the area.

Descendants and status

The Sayyids from the family of Ba'Alawi of Tarim, of the Hadramaut region of Yemen trace their descent to him. [cite book | last = Ho | first = Engseng | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean | publisher = University of California Press | date = 2006 | location = | pages = | url = http://www.al-bab.com/bys/books/ho06.htm | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0520244532 ] Some of the Nine Saints of Java or Wali Sanga in Indonesia in some traditions are claimed to be descendants of Al-Imam Ahmad Al-Muhajir bin Isa.

Imam Ahmad Al-Muhajir is an "Imam Mujtahid". This means he is regarded as a primary source for rulings on religious matters.

References

* "Umar bin Abd al-Rahman", Syed Hassan bin Muhammad al-Attas, Spore.