Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad bin Ali bin Harun Ba Alawi was a scholar and devotional figure of Tarim. Al-Mashra al-Rawi records that he was born in Tarim, memorised the Qur’an, studied foundational religious texts and devoted himself from an early age to worship and spiritual discipline.
His principal teacher in the mapped biography is Ahmad bin Alawi. Abd al-Rahman attended his lessons closely and followed his guidance in both study and conduct. The account says that he withdrew from ordinary distractions while still young, practised extensive night prayer and fasting, and sought his teacher’s counsel about whether he should leave his homeland. Ahmad bin Alawi advised him that remaining in his home country was better for him.
The biography remembers Abd al-Rahman as a man of few words and measured conduct. These descriptions form part of how Al-Mashra al-Rawi remembers his character and devotional life.
Al-Mashra al-Rawi records that he died in 1000 AH and was buried in Bashar Cemetery.
Lineage and source note
Primary source: Al-Mashra al-Rawi fi Manaqib al-Sada al-Kiram Al Abi Alawi, volume 2, full mapped biography section. The Arabic heading traces Abd al-Rahman through Ahmad, Ali, Harun, Hasan and Ali to Muhammad Jamal al-Layl. The section records his Tarim upbringing, Qur’an memorisation, sustained attachment to Ahmad bin Alawi, devotional practice, death in 1000 AH and burial in Bashar Cemetery.
Independent exact-person genealogical witness: Shams al-Zahirah fi Nasab Ahl al-Bayt min Bani Alawi, first edition, 1404 AH / 1984 CE, printed page 512, footnote (2). The printed note gives the exact lineage Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad bin Ali bin Harun bin Hasan bin Ali bin Muhammad Jamal al-Layl, says that he was born in Tarim, pursued the sciences and literature, learned from a number of scholars, and died in 1000 AH.
This witness is distinct from the later near-name Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Ali bin Harun, whose extra paternal generation and 1070 AH death identify a different person. That later notice is not used for this biography.
Scholarly connections
The primary biography explicitly presents Ahmad bin Alawi as Abd al-Rahman’s teacher and guide. No structured teacher relationship is asserted here because the exact canonical target remains unresolved.