The Islamic Discourse in Religious Institutions: It's Current State & Future Development

About the author

Umar ibn Hafiz: Born in 1383 AH / 1963 CE in Tarim, in Yemen's Hadramawt valley, Umar ibn Hafiz is among the most widely followed contemporary Sunni scholars and a sayyid, a descendant of the Prophet through his grandson al-Husayn. He belongs to the BaʿAlawi scholarly tradition of Hadramawt, which traces its teaching lineage back many centuries. His father, Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafiz, the mufti of Tarim, disappeared in 1973 under the region's socialist government when Umar was a boy; the loss shaped his early dedication to learning. He memorized the Qurʾan young, studied under Tarim's scholars and his elder brother ʿAli al-Mashhur, and later studied in the Hijaz. After years of study and teaching, he founded Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, opened in 1417 AH / 1997 CE, a seminary built on three aims: the transmission of sacred knowledge, the purification of the soul, and daʿwa, calling people to Allah. It has since drawn students from around the world and inspired affiliated institutions and the revival of historic ribats. Shafiʿi in law and Ashʿari in creed, he is also a signatory of the 2007 interfaith letter "A Common Word." His writings, several of which MeccaBooks carries, include The Clarification of Noble Character, Sacred Knowledge: Aims and Objectives, and works on Sufism, remembrance, and the path of calling to Allah.