No Evidence That Ahmad Al-Muhajir Bin Isa Had A Son Named Ubaidillah
Book Title: Measuring the Authenticity of Habib Lineage in Indonesia
Author: KH Imaduddin Utsman Al Bantani, leader of Nahdlatul Ulum Islamic Boarding School, Banten
First Edition: October 2022
Publisher: Maktabah Nahdatul Ulum
Translator: alkhoirot.org | Al-Khoirot Research and Publication
Field of Study: Islamic History, genealogy
Contents
- There is No Evidence That Ahmad Al-Muhajir Bin Isa Had A Son Named Ubaidillah
- Back to Book Measuring the Authenticity of Habib Lineage in Indonesia
Is There Evidence That Ahmad Al-Muhajir Bin Isa Had A Son Named Ubaidillah?
Fifth Century Hijri Book
First, the book Tahdhib al-Ansab wa Nihayat al-Alqab, authored by Al-Ubaidili (d. 437 AH) in the 5th century AH, does not mention the name Alawi or his father, Ubaidillah, when explaining the descendants of Ali al-Uraidhi. He only identifies one child of Ahmad al-Abaj bin Isa, namely Muhammad. The following is an excerpt from the book:
واحمد بن عيسى النقيب بن محمد بن علي العريضي يلقب النفاط من ولده ا ابو جعفر الاعمى) محمد بن علي بن محمد بن أحمد ، عمي في آخر عمره وانحدر الى البصرة واقام بها ومات بها وله اولاد وأخوه ا بْالجبل له اولاد.تهذيب الانساب ونهاية الالقاب ص 176-177
"And Ahmad bin Isa an-Naqib bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Uraidhi is given the title an-Naffat; some of his descendants include Abu Ja’far (al-A’ma: the blind) Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad, who became blind toward the end of his life, traveled to Basra where he settled and passed away, and he had children. His brother in al-jabal (the mountains) also had children." (Tahdhib al-Ansab wa Nihayat al-Alqab, Markaz Komputer Ulum Islami, p. 176-177).
When mentioning the descendants of Ahmad al-Abah bin Isa, Al-Ubaidili only
provides one sample of his lineage, which includes a son of Ahmad al-Abah
named Muhammad. However, he is not explicit as to whether Ahmad al-Abah only
had a son named Muhammad or if there were other children. Consequently, the
possibility for other children's names to be included remains open.
Of
particular note is that Al-Ubaidili was a contemporary of Alawi bin
Ubaidillah. When Alawi passed away in the year 400 AH, Al-Ubaidili was
already 62 years old; nevertheless, he did not record Alawi’s name as a
descendant of Ahmad al-Abah.
Second, the book al-Majdi fi Ansab
al-Talibiyyin by Sayyid Syarif Najmuddin Ali bin Muhammad al-Umri
an-Nassabah (d. 490 AH), when explaining the descendants of Isa bin Muhammad
an-Naqib, mentions that the descendants of Ahmad al-Abah bin Isa are located
in Baghdad—specifically stemming from al-Hasan Abu Muhammad ad-Dallal
al-Dauri bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Isa. Similar to
Al-Ubaidili, al-Umri mentions only one son of Ahmad al-Abah. The full
excerpt is as follows:
“And Ahmad Abul Qasim al-Abah, known as ‘al-Naffat’ because he traded in
nafat oil (a type of kerosene), has descendants in Baghdad through al-Hasan
Abu Muhammad ad-Dalal al-Dauri in Baghdad; I saw him pass away at the end of
his life in Baghdad. He was the son of Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin
Ahmad bin Isa bin Muhammad (an-Naqib) bin (Ali) al-Uraidhi.” (Al-Majdi fi
Ansab al-Talibiyyin, al-Umri, Ayatullah al-Uzhma al-Mar’ashi Library, Year
1442 AH, p. 337)
From the book al-Majdi by al-Umri, it is
concluded that one of the children of Ahmad bin Isa was named Muhammad,
which is consistent with the book Tahdhib al-Ansab by al-Ubaidili. The
difference between the two is that al-Umri explains the descendants of Ahmad
bin Isa named Muhammad bin Ali in Basra, whereas al-Ubaidili explains the
son of Muhammad bin Ali, namely al-Hasan, who had already moved to
Baghdad.
Both of these fifth-century books agree that Ahmad bin
Isa had a son named Muhammad.
Third, the book Muntaqilat
al-Talibiyyah by Abu Ismail Ibrahim bin Nasir ibnu Thobatoba (d. circa 400
AH)—a book that explains the geographical migration areas of the descendants
of Abu Talib—mentions that the descendants of Abu Talib located in Ray were
from Muhammad bin Ahmad an-Naffat. As is well known, the descendants of the
Prophet are also the descendants of Ali bin Abi Talib. The excerpt from the
book Muntaqilat al-Talibiyyah is as follows:
From that excerpt, Ahmad bin Isa is mentioned as having a son named Muhammad, consistent with the books Tahdhib al-Ansab and al-Majdi.
The fifth century is consistent, based on the three books above, that the only child of Ahmad recorded is Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Isa. However, these three books do not explicitly state that Ahmad had only one child. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean there were no other children, as there is no definitive statement of exclusion in these three texts.
Sixth Century Hijri Book
The book al-Syajarah al-Mubarakah by Imam al-Fakhr al-Razi (d. 604 AH) states that Ahmad bin Isa did not have a son named Ubaidillah. The excerpt from the book is as follows:From the excerpt above, Imam al-Fakhr al-Razi explicitly states that Ahmad al-Abh bin Isa al-Muhajir had only three children, namely Muhammad, Ali, and Husain. Ahmad al-Abh did not have a son named Ubaidillah. Furthermore, according to Imam al-Fakhr al-Razi, none of these three children resided in Yemen.
Imam al-Fakhr al-Razi, the author of the book al-Syajarah al-Mubarakah, lived in the city of Ray, Iran, where there were many descendants of Ahmad al-Abh through the lineage of Muhammad Abu Ja’far. Naturally, he would have obtained valid information regarding the number of children Ahmad al-Abh had from those descendants living in Ray. In his book, Imam al-Fakhr al-Razi strictly lists only three names for the children of Ahmad al-Abah bin Isa. Consequently, the possibility for another name to be included is scientifically closed, unless there exists a contemporary or earlier book that states otherwise.
Seventh Century Hijri Book
The book al-Fakhri fi Ansab al-Talibiyyin by Azizuddin Abu Talib Ismail bin Husain al-Marwazi (d. 614 AH) mentions the same information as the fifth-century books: it only lists one lineage of descendants for Ahmad bin Isa, which is through the line of Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Isa. The full excerpt is as follows:Up until this seventh century, there is no mention of a son of Ahmad named Ubaidillah, nor is there any mention of Ahmad having descendants in Yemen.
Eighth Century Hijri Book
The book al-Ashili fi Ansab al-Talibiyyin by Safi al-Din Muhammad ibn al-Tiqtaqi al-Hasani (d. 709 AH) mentions a single sample of the lineage of Ahmad bin Isa, specifically through his son named Muhammad bin Isa. The full excerpt is as follows:Likewise, up until this eighth century, there is no name for a son of Ahmad called Ubaidillah, nor is there any mention that Ahmad had descendants in Yemen.
Ninth Century Hijri Book
In the book Umdat al-Talib fi Ansab Ali Abi Talib by Ibn Anbah (d. 828 AH), it is mentioned that among the descendants of Muhammad an-Naqib is Ahmad al-Ataj bin Abi Muhammad al-Hasan ad-Dallal bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Isa. The full excerpt is as follows:Up until the beginning of this ninth century, the name Ubaidillah is not mentioned as a son of Ahmad bin Isa. Likewise, there is no mention of any son of Ahmad bin Isa residing in Yemen.[]