The Genealogy Books from Tenth to 13th Century AH

6/05/2026

The Genealogy Books from Tenth to 13th Century AH

Book Title: Literature of Genealogy Books of the 3rd–13th Centuries Hijriah: Proof of the Broken Lineage of the Ba'alawi (Bani Alawi, Habib, Habaib)
Original version in Indonesian: Literatur Kitab-Kitab Nasab Abad Ke-3-13 Hijriyah Bukti Terputusnya Nasab Ba'alwi (Habibs, Habaib)
Author: K.H. Imaduddin Utsman Al-Bantanie
Edition: 1st Printing
Page Count: 44 pages
Paper Size: B5
Publisher: Maktabah Nahdlatul Ulum BantenYear of Publication: 2024
Address: Kresek, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
Publisher of English version: Al-Khoirot Research and Publication
Fields of study: Ba'alawi history, history of the Prophet, science of lineage, Islamic history, genealogy, bloodline / lineage, philology/manuscripts, DNA testing

Table of Content

Other Islamic Book in English

(15) Bahr al-Ansab or Al-Musyajjar al-Kasyaf (10th Century)

This book is named Bahr al-Ansab, also referred to as Musyajjar al-Kasyaf, authored by Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Amididin al-Najafi (d. 900 AH). One of the printed versions of this book was edited (tahqiq) by Anas al-Kutbi al-Hasani and published by "Al-Khazanah al-Kutbiyyah al-Hasaniyyah al-Khashah" in the year 1419 AH in the city of Medina.

Within this book, five names are listed as the children of Ahmad bin Isa, namely: Muhammad, Ali, Al-Hasan/Al-Husain (unclear), Uraid, Ahmad, and Al-Ridlo.

This text confirms the preceding books—specifically Al-Syajarah al-Mubarakah—which noted that the children who left behind descendants numbered three individuals, namely: Muhammad, Ali, and Husain. Meanwhile, the other two names, Ahmad and Al-Ridlo, were not recorded by Al-Syajarah al-Mubarakah because they left no descendants. Muntaqilat al-Thalibiyah documented the descendants of Muhammad and Ali, but Husain's line was not recorded due to "ikhtilath" (the intermingling of historical accounts with the family of Husain bin Ahmad al-Sya'rani) (Al-Syajarah al-Mubarakah, p. 127). Even in this book, Bahr al-Ansab, although five children are written down, only two are documented as having left behind descendants: Muhammad and Ali.

Interestingly, this book also features an additional note indicating that in a certain copy of Bahr al-Ansab transcribed by Murtadha al-Zabidi, an extra child was appended for Ahmad bin Isa, named Ubaidillah. The manuscript copy by Murtadha al-Zabidi is preserved at "Daar al-Kutub al-Mishriyyah". Therefore, although the name Ubaidillah appears in this version of Bahr al-Ansab, it is merely an interpolation inserted by Murtadha al-Zabidi into a manuscript copy written at the beginning of the 13th century AH.

Observe the family tree diagram (musyajjar) of the book Bahr al-Ansab below:

To further substantiate that the name Ubaidillah found in the book Bahr al-Ansab is an early 13th-century interpolation, the following is a manuscript dating to 1214 AH that differentiates between the color of the author's writing and the color of the interpolated text. The original words of the author of Bahr al-Ansab are written in black ink, whereas the interpolated text is written in red ink. The name Ubaidillah found in this manuscript is recorded in red ink as a sign that the name Ubaidillah is merely an interpolation, and the copyist did not verify its authenticity (see Tuhfat al-Azhar, p. 34); furthermore, an explanatory note is provided beneath it reading: "Min khathi Muhammad Murtadla" (from the handwriting of Muhammad Murtadha [al-Zabidi]). Observe the manuscript below:

(16) The Book Tuhfat al-Thalib (10th Century)

This book is named Tuhfat al-Thalib Bima'rifati Man Yantasibu Ila Abdillah Wa Abi Thalib by Muhammad bin Husain bin Abdullah al-Husaini al-Samarqandi al-Madani (d. 996 AH). The printed version of the book was edited by Anis al-Kutbi al-Hasani and published by "Al-Khazanah al-Kutubiyyah al-Hasaniyyah al-Khashah" in the year 1418 AH in the city of Medina.

The manuscript of this book was written in 1895 CE / 1316 AH, or 129 years ago, by Muhammad Sa'id bin Muhammad bin Sulaiman without mentioning from which source he copied the text attributed to that 10th-century AH scholar. In all likelihood, he copied it from the writings of someone from Tarim, Yemen. The manuscript of Tuhfat al-Thalib was discovered in Tarim, specifically at the "Maktabah Al-Husaini", consisting of 77 pages. According to the editor (muhaqqiq) of this book, the author drew references from two texts, namely Umdat al-Thalib and Bahrul Ansab by Ibnu Amididdin al-Najafi. Interestingly, the editor states that aside from these two books, the author relied on "Ta'liqat Lathifah Gaer Muhaqqaqah" (minor, unverified marginal notes) (p. 8).

The author of this book inserted the family of Abdurrahman Assegaf (Ba'alwi) as descendants of Ahmad bin Isa based on a marginal note (ta'liq) that he found. This is the very first genealogy book to insert the family names of Abdurrahman Assegaf as descendants of Ahmad bin Isa. He admitted that he included the Ba'alwi family as descendants of Ahmad bin Isa solely from a marginal note that he encountered.

This explains just how weak the Ba'alwi lineage was when it first entered a dedicated genealogy book, as it was based merely on a small note rather than originating from any preceding genealogy book. Subsequently, genealogy books of later periods simply quoted from this book Tuhfah without providing notes regarding that inherent weakness. From that point onward, the widespread notoriety (Syuhrah wa al-Istifadlah) of the Ba'alwi clan as descendants of Ahmad bin Isa began to grow, despite originating from a highly tenuous connection. This weakness can be examined from two angles: first, the weak attribution to Al-Samarqandi (d. 996 AH), where although it is attributed to a non-Ba'alwi figure, the physical source of this manuscript comes from Tarim; second, the weakness that it was written without any reference to previous genealogy books.

Imam Nawawi in the book Raudat al-Talibin states:

"Widespread notoriety (Al-Istifadlah) and fame (Al-Syuhrah) among the common folk cannot be relied upon because sometimes its source is deception (talbis—covering up and distorting the truth). As for mass-transmitted reports (Tawatur), it cannot yield certainty unless it relies on a trusted source that can be physically perceived." (Raudlat al-Thalibin, Al-Maktabah al-Syamilah, Vol. 11, p. 103).

Observe the phrasing of the book Tuhfat al-Thalib below:

The book Tuhfat al-Thalib is the first genealogy text to mention the family names of the Ba'alwi as descendants of Ahmad bin Isa after a span of 651 years from the passing of Ahmad bin Isa. This mention is without a single shard of reference; it was taken by Al-Samarqandi from a marginal note (ta'liq) and subsequently inserted into this book. It also cannot be argued that this book drew its reference from Al-Nafhah al-Anbariyah, because what was mentioned by Al-Nafhah was the lineage of the Jadid family, who had similarly interpolated themselves into the family of Ahmad bin Isa. The only genealogy book to list Jadid as a descendant of Ahmad bin Isa is Al-Nafhah, done without any reference from older genealogy texts.

What is most fascinating is that while both lineages grafted themselves, they did so without mutual coordination. When the book Al-Nafhah grafted Jadid, it only recounted Jadid bin Abdullah "bin" Ahmad bin Isa; meanwhile, the book Tuhfat al-Thalib only recounted the family of Alwi bin Abdullah "bin" Ahmad bin Isa. Yet, both of these families grafted themselves to Ahmad bin Isa through a "son" named Abdullah. Logically, they should have mutually reinforced one another by stating that Jadid had an older brother named Alwi, or vice versa. However, this was not done. This lack of alignment is a significant characteristic showing that both lineages merely grafted themselves onto the lineage of Ahmad bin Isa. Historical coordination of this narrative would only take place in subsequent periods within the history and genealogy books written by Ba'alwi scholars and their circles in later times.

(17) The Book Tuhfat al-Azhar (11th Century)

This book is named Tuhfat al-Azhar wa Zilal al-Anhar Fi Nasab Abna'i al-A'immati al-Athhar, authored by Dhamin bin Syadqam Al-Husaini al-Madani (d. < 1090 AH). The printed version of this book was edited by Kamil Salman al-Jamburi and published by "Markaz Nasyr Turats al-Makhtut" in Tehran, Iran, in the year 1420 AH. This work consists of volumes one and two; volume two is further divided into volume two part one and volume two part two.

In volume two part two, the name Alwi bin Abdullah is mentioned as a descendant of Ahmad bin Isa. This is the second genealogy book to contain the name Alwi as a descendant of Ahmad bin Isa after the book Tuhfat al-Thalib (996 AH). Thus, after a lapse of 94 years, another book author emerged to insert the name Alwi as a descendant of Ahmad bin Isa. In all likelihood, he used Tuhfat al-Thalib as his reference.

He was unaware that when Tuhfat al-Thalib inserted the name Alwi, it did so without any prior reference. Within this book, a third interloper into the family of Ahmad bin Isa is uncovered. That interloper is the Ismail family, who grafted themselves as a child of Abdullah. Observe the book Tuhfat al-Azhar below:

In this book Tuhfat al-Azhar, it is stated that Abdullah had three children: Abdullah, Muhammad, and Ali. Strangely, it is then claimed that Abdullah had children named Alwi and Ismail.

In the records of the Ba'alwi, Abdullah has three children: Alwi, Bashri, and Jadid; there is no mention of the name Ismail. Furthermore, it cannot be argued that Ismail is simply another name for Bashri, as claimed by modern Ba'alwi books, because the name of Bashri's descendant recorded in early Ba'alwi literature like Al-Burqat and Al-Gurar is only Salim bin Bashri, whereas in this book Tuhfat al-Azhar, many descendants of Ismail are recorded and none are named Salim.

In this book Tuhfat al-Azhar, it is stated that Ismail had three children: Tahir, Ahmad al-Murahhaj, and Hasan al-Barak. Tahir had a child named Barkat, Barkat had a child named Husain, Husain had a child named Musa, and Musa had a child named Husain. No name of Salim is mentioned. This demonstrates that the Ismail mentioned in the book Tuhfat al-Azhar is not Bashri. He is another distinct grafter onto the family of Ahmad bin Isa through Abdullah. Observe the book Gurar al-Baha al-Dlaui by Khirid Ba'alwi (d. 960 AH) below, which states that Bashri's only descendant was named Salim:

It is glaringly obvious that the name Ismail is not mentioned in the book Al-Gurar as an alias for Bashri. It states that the only known descendant of Bashri was Salim, whereas the name Salim is not mentioned in the book Tuhfat al-Azhar. Similarly, another Ba'alwi book, namely Al-Burqat al-Musyiqah (890 AH), provides no alias for Bashri as Ismail (p. 135).

The name Jadid is completely unmentioned in this book Tuhfat al-Azhar as a child of Abdullah. This indicates that the author of this book did not read the book Al-Nafhah al-Anbariyah (880 AH) or the book Al-Suluk (732 AH), wherein the family of Abdurrahman Assegaf first attached themselves to Ahmad bin Isa after seeing Jadid's lineage in the book Al-Suluk, which was recorded via Jadid bin Abdullah "bin" Ahmad bin Isa. Likewise, the book Al-Nafhah al-Anbariyah recorded the name Jadid as a child of Abdullah "bin" Ahmad bin Isa in all probability due to seeing that very book Al-Suluk.

The conclusion from all of this is that the book Tuhfat al-Azhar further exposes just how inconsistent a grafted lineage is, such as the deliberately fabricated Ba'alwi lineage. Contrast this with the names Muhammad and Ali, sons of Ahmad bin Isa, which remain consistently mentioned from the 5th century down to this book Tuhfat al-Azhar.

(18) The Book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy (13th Century)

This is a spurious book named Al-Raudh al-Jaliy Fi Nasab Bani 'Alwi, falsely attributed to Imam Muhammad Murtadha al-Zabidi (d. 1205 AH). This book exists in two printed versions: first, edited by Arif Ahmad Abdul Ghani, and second, by Dr. Muhammad Abubakar Abdullah Badzib. The printed version edited by Arif Ahmad Abdul Ghani is titled Al-Raudh al-Jaliy Fi Ansab Ali Ba'alwi, published by "Daar Sa'd al-Din" and "Daar Kinan" in the year 2010. Meanwhile, the one edited by Badzib is titled Al-Raudh al-Jaliy Fi Nasab Bani Alwi, published by "Daar al-Fath" in the year 2022.

This book is labeled spurious because Badzib, the editor of Al-Raudh al-Jaliy who hails from Hadramaut, stated that the emergence of this book is highly suspicious. The manuscript of the book appeared based on a chronological chain of transmission that ends with a figure proven to have forged a text. The figure in question is an individual named Hasan Muhammad Qasim (d. 1394 AH) from Egypt, who passed away just 50 years ago. According to Badzib, Hasan Muhammad Qasim was the first figure to bring to light the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy. Prior to this, there was no report that Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi authored a book by that title (see the Introduction of the Book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, Dar al-Fath edition, p. 47).

The chronology of the appearance of the Al-Raudh al-Jaliy manuscript, according to Badzib in the introduction to that edition, relies on the admission of Alwi bin Tahir al-Haddad (d. 1962 CE), who held the copy: Hasan Muhammad Qasim befriended the Ba'alwi residing in Egypt. One of these Ba'alwi individuals was named Ali bin Muhammad bin Yahya. This Ali bin Yahya was a student of Alwi bin Tahir. According to Alwi bin Tahir, Ali bin Yahya subsequently sent him a copy of Al-Raudh al-Jaliy in the handwriting of Hasan Muhammad Qasim, dated 25 Sha'ban 1352 AH; according to him, that copy was transcribed from a 1196 AH copy written by Abdul Mu'ti al-Wafa'i. He further claimed that this Abdul Mu'ti transcribed it from the original text of Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi. He added that the manuscript written by Abdul Mu'ti was preserved in the "Maktabah Sadat Al Wafaiyyah" in Egypt (see Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, p. 7).

The question arises: Is it true that the original copy in the handwriting of Abdul Mu'ti exists in the "Maktabah Sadat Al Wafaiyyah"? It does not. Please check the "Al-Wafaiyyah" library. There is no manuscript of the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy copied by Abdul Mu'ti. That book is clearly a fabrication. Its manuscript is fake. The book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy was not written by Syaikh Murtadha Al Zabidi. The manuscripts circulating today originate from two copyists: first, the copy by Hasan Muhammad Qasim in the year 1352 AH; second, the copy by Tahir bin Alwi bin Tahir, who transcribed it from the aforementioned Hasan Muhammad Qasim.

Who, then, was Hasan Muhammad Qasim? He is a figure who was proven to have written the book Akhbar al-Zainabat and then attributed it as the work of Al-Ubaidili al-'Aqiqi (d. 277 AH) (see Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, p. 48). This means he wrote a fabricated manuscript in modern times and then associated that text as a composition by a 3rd-century Hijriah scholar. Badzib suspects that the emergence of the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy shares the exact same pattern of occurrence as the forged book Akhbar al-Zainabat (see Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, Dar al-Fath edition, p. 48).

Hasan lived in Egypt and befriended the Ba'alwi residing there, such as Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Yahya (d. 1414 AH) and Ali bin Muhammad bin Yahya (d. 1409 AH) (see the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, p. 8). Thus, it is clear that Hasan had a common thread when writing the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy—namely, the presence of interaction between himself and the Ba'alwi in Egypt. According to the author, it is highly reasonable to suspect that the book was written by Hasan Muhammad Qasim on a commission basis.

Why, then, did Badzib proceed to print and publish the book, even though he knew that it was in all probability a forgery? Badzib reasoned that the manuscript of Al-Raudh al-Jaliy in the form of microfilm had already circulated widely in society; in fact, some had even printed it without any accompanying explanation of the errors and matters unfit to be attributed to Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi (Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, p. 49). By reprinting the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy accompanied by an explanation of the chronology of the manuscript's appearance, Badzib hoped the public would realize that its attribution to Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi is "gairu maqtu" (not conclusively finalized) and remains merely "muhtamilah" (a possibility) (Al-Raudh al-Jaliy, p. 49).

The author understands why Badzib engages in pleasantries by stating there is still a possibility that the book is attributable to Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi, despite the abundance of "qarinah" (strong indications) concluding that the book is not the writing of Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi, given Badzib's closeness to prominent Ba'alwi figures. To the author, the book is unequivocally a forgery and is not the work of Murtadha al-Zabidi; it is the writing of Hasan bin Muhammad Qasim himself. Just as he previously composed the book Akhbar al-Zainabat and claimed it was the work of Al-Ubaidili al-Aqiqi, this book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy is the same: he composed it and claimed it was the work of Syaikh Murtadha al-Zabidi.

To prove whether the author's conclusion is correct or incorrect is very simple: produce the manuscript supposedly written by Abdul Mu'ti in 1196 AH, which Hasan Muhammad Qasim claimed is located at the "Al Wafaiyyah" Library and from which he claimed to have copied. The author is absolutely certain, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that such a copy has never existed.

CONCLUSION

Out of 18 genealogy books lined up from the 3rd to the early 13th centuries Hijriah, only the book Tuhfat al-Thalib (996 AH) and the book Tuhfat al-Azhar (1090 AH) mention the Ba'alwi family lineage as connecting to Ahmad bin Isa. Even then, it is not based on valid references but merely on a "Ta'liq Majhul" note (an obscure note taken from an unidentifiable source). Meanwhile, we disregard the book Abna al-Imam and the book Al-Raudh al-Jaliy because both show strong indications of being forgeries.

Thus, the Ba'alwi lineage was only recorded in a dedicated genealogy book 651 years after the passing of Ahmad bin Isa. Later, we will discover that the first book from outside the realm of dedicated genealogy texts to mention the name Alwi bin Ubeid/Ubaidillah/Abdullah as a descendant of Ahmad bin Isa or a descendant of the Messenger of Allah is a Sufism book composed by the Ba'alwi themselves—namely, the book Al-Burqat al-Musyiqat in the year 895 AH. Therefore, their current recognition as descendants of the Prophet does not stem from the testimony of expert genealogists, but began from their own claims, which were then carelessly adopted by a genealogy book author—namely, the writer of Tuhfat al-Thalib—who inserted it into his text. Yet, even as he inserted it, an explanatory note was explicitly provided stating that this Ba'alwi lineage was not taken from a genealogy book but merely from a marginal ta'liq note.

From this, the words of Imam Nawawi in the book Raudat al-Thalibin ring true: that widespread notoriety (Syuhrah) and fame (al-Istifadlah) occurring among the common folk cannot be trusted, because it often happens that the origin of such fame is a deception. Even a mass-transmitted (mutawatir) report yields no benefit to knowledge unless it relies on a source of knowledge that can be physically perceived.

"Widespread notoriety (Al-Istifadlah) and fame (Al-Syuhrah) among the common folk cannot be relied upon because sometimes its source is deception (talbis—covering up and distorting the truth). As for mass-transmitted reports (Tawatur), it cannot yield certainty unless it relies on a trusted source that can be physically perceived." (Raudlat al-Thalibin, Al-Maktabah al-Syamilah, Vol. 11, p. 103).

Wassalam