Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Alawi Mawla al-Dawila was a scholar and devotional figure of Tarim. Al-Mashra al-Rawi traces his lineage through Abdullah, Alawi, Abdullah and Alawi to Muhammad Mawla al-Dawila.
He was born in Tarim and devoted himself to sacred learning and the company of leading spiritual figures of his time. Among those named in his biography are Ahmad bin Alawi and Qadi Muhammad bin Hasan bin Shaykh Ali. The account especially emphasises his long companionship with Ahmad bin Alawi and his adherence to a life of public benefit, night prayer, Qur’an recitation and regular devotional practice.
The biography remembers Abd al-Rahman as someone who preferred obscurity to public prominence and who at times withdrew from social life in order to concentrate on worship. He continued in this way until his death in 983 AH.
Lineage and source note
Primary source: Al-Mashra al-Rawi fi Manaqib al-Sada al-Kiram Al Abi Alawi, volume 2, biography of Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Alawi of the Mawla al-Dawila line. The section records his Tarim origin, named scholarly and spiritual associations, devotional practice and death in 983 AH.
The later Hadrami geographical and historical work Idam al-Qut fi Dhikr Buldan Hadramawt independently names the same Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Alawi Mawla al-Dawila and identifies al-Fujayr near Seiyun as a settlement of his descendants, explicitly referring to his biography in Al-Mashra. This independently confirms the same person and continuing family line. The 983 AH death date remains attributed here to Al-Mashra al-Rawi rather than being presented as independently dated by Idam al-Qut.
Scholarly connections
The biography gives particular prominence to Ahmad bin Alawi as a senior figure whose company Abd al-Rahman kept and whose way he closely followed. This is retained as documented companionship and formative influence rather than converted into a broader teacher-student claim.