Ba 'Alawi sada

The Ba 'Alawi sada (Arabic: سادة باعلوي, romanized: sādat bā'alawiy), or the House of Ba 'Alawi (Arabic: آل باعلوي, romanized: Āl Bā'alawiy), is a group of Hadhrami Sayyid families and social group originating in Hadhramaut in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. They trace their lineage to Ahmad al-Muhajir who was born in 873 (260H). Ahmad al-Muhajir emigrated emigrated from Basra to Hadhramaut in 931 (318H) to avoid sectarian violence, including the invasion of the Qaramite forces into the Abbasid Caliphate. Great classical scholars of Islam such as Ibn Hajar al-Haitami, Yusuf bin Ismail Al-Nabhani and Murtada Al Zabidi have validated the genealogy of the Ba Alawi Sada. This claim has recently faced criticism as several public figures and researchers in Indonesia began to question the direct lineage to Muhammad.

They follow the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah methodology on the Shafi'i school in jurisprudence, and the Ash'ari school in faith, and they have their own way of seeking God, which is the Al-Baalawi Tariqah, one of the Sufi orders spread in the Islamic world.

The Ba 'Alawis or Bani 'Alawi are known for preaching Islam. The founder of their order was Muhammad bin Ali Baalawi, known as "Al-Faqih Al-Muqaddam", who, during his time, Sayyid families in Hadhramaut were seen as a threat by other tribes. Due to regional instability, it was normal during his study that Muhammad bin Ali put a sword on his lap for protection. Muhammad grew tired of the tension and bloodshed in the ranks of the believers, thus symbolically broke his sword and announced that his Tariqa and the way of Alawi Sayyids are non-violence and renounced any tariqa that uses violence. It is believed the dissemination of Islam in Southeast Asia was carried out by traders and clerics of Hadhramaut who transited in India since 15th century as the Sufism, their practices and its influences can be traced strongly in the region.

They were at the top of the social ladder in Hadhramaut because of their esteemed lineage, significant social and financial contributions, and their influence, spreading the principles of Islam to the people, establishing mosques and religious schools, and advancing knowledge through intellectual centers, which solidified their prominent position in the society.