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Mashrabaمشربة

Atlas

Chains of transmission from the Prophet, read as the sources give them.
About this atlas

The atlas holds the chains of transmission from the Prophet as the standard references and the classical sources record them: the Sufi orders, the chains of Qurʾān recitation, the teachers of the schools of law and ḥadīth, and the lines of the Prophet's family, with the places they spread and the living houses and teachers who carry them today. Every link shows its sources; where they differ, both readings are shown, and we do not rule on any community's claims. Ibn ʿArabī's own life, teachers and readers are on their own page.

عبد الرحمن السقاف

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf

Died 810/1407 or 819/1416 (approximate) · Tarīm

forebear of Āl al-Saqqāf and the ʿAydarūs

Sources for this person

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The chain up to the Prophet

Dates are given where the sources give them. Years are CE; the Hijri year is in each name's detail.

Route 1 of 3, the best-sourced: Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt). Tap a rule to read its basis, sources and checks.

Sources differ on 4 links of this route.

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
  4. the community's own accountthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, ʿĪsā (per Ibn ʿInaba's ʿUraydī line; the Bā ʿAlawī chain names them)sources differ

    child of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir · The community's own account

    The Bā ʿAlawī sayyids are traced to al-Ḥusayn through Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā; TDV Bā Alevî as read links the line to ʿAlī through Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and does not give the intermediates. Treated as the family's own genealogy.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Ibn ʿInaba traces al-Ṣādiq's son ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī to Muḥammad and ʿĪsā al-Rūmī, and (L6779-6783) reports al-ʿUmarī's statement that a ʿĪsā al-Azraq al-Rūmī al-ʿUraydī left twelve sons without descendants. The text read does not say whether this is the Bā ʿAlawī ancestor, and does not name Aḥmad al-Muhājir.Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI)
    Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājirأحمد بن عيسى المهاجر
  5. two sourcesin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿUbayd Allāh (ʿAbd Allāh), ʿAlawī b. ʿAbd Allāh and later generations; the basis note says the full genealogy is not traced. Ho (p. 39-40) confirms the intermediates: ʿUbayd Allāh, ʿAlawī, Muḥammad, ʿAlī the Endower of Qasam, Muḥammad Principal of Mirbat.

    family descent · Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam · Two independent sources

    TDV gives the Bā ʿAlawī descent through Alawi b. Abd Allah b. Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq; full genealogy not traced here.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)TDV, 'Aleviyye' (Hadramut) (Süleyman Uludağ, vol. 2, 1989, p. 370)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L925-929 · silentTrimingham gives Muḥammad b. ʿAlī of the Bā ʿAlawī tribe (574/1178-653/1255) but no descent from Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, pp. 37-40 and Table 1 (p. 38) · agreesHo gives the Migrant's descendants stage by stage to ʿAlī of Qasam (sixth generation), the Principal of Mirbat, then the First Jurist; not a direct line.
    Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddamالفقيه المقدم محمد بن علي1255
  6. the community's own accountin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: about 150 years of generations between Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 653/1255) and al-Saqqāf (d. 810/1407 or 819/1416), by the atlas dates; the sources read name none.sources differ

    family descent · Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf · The community's own account

    TDV Bâ Alevî names ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf, d. 810/1407 or 819/1416, as great ancestor of Āl al-Saqqāf and the ʿAydarūs; a secondary summary of the article calls him the son; generational gap unresolved.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4330-4331 · silentTrimingham says only that leadership was hereditary in the Bā ʿAlawī family from Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 1255); al-Saqqāf not named.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, Table 1 (p. 38) · silentTable gives the First Jurist (d. 1255) and Saqqāf (d. 1416) as foundational figures, with a gap of about 160 years; no kinship stated.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāfعبد الرحمن السقاف1407
Other routes (2)

Route 2 of 3: Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)

Sources differ on 5 links of this route.

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
  4. the community's own accountthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, ʿĪsā (per Ibn ʿInaba's ʿUraydī line; the Bā ʿAlawī chain names them)sources differ

    child of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir · The community's own account

    The Bā ʿAlawī sayyids are traced to al-Ḥusayn through Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā; TDV Bā Alevî as read links the line to ʿAlī through Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and does not give the intermediates. Treated as the family's own genealogy.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Ibn ʿInaba traces al-Ṣādiq's son ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī to Muḥammad and ʿĪsā al-Rūmī, and (L6779-6783) reports al-ʿUmarī's statement that a ʿĪsā al-Azraq al-Rūmī al-ʿUraydī left twelve sons without descendants. The text read does not say whether this is the Bā ʿAlawī ancestor, and does not name Aḥmad al-Muhājir.Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI)
    Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājirأحمد بن عيسى المهاجر
  5. two sourcesin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿUbayd Allāh (ʿAbd Allāh), ʿAlawī b. ʿAbd Allāh and later generations; the basis note says the full genealogy is not traced. Ho (p. 39-40) confirms the intermediates: ʿUbayd Allāh, ʿAlawī, Muḥammad, ʿAlī the Endower of Qasam, Muḥammad Principal of Mirbat.

    family descent · Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam · Two independent sources

    TDV gives the Bā ʿAlawī descent through Alawi b. Abd Allah b. Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq; full genealogy not traced here.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)TDV, 'Aleviyye' (Hadramut) (Süleyman Uludağ, vol. 2, 1989, p. 370)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L925-929 · silentTrimingham gives Muḥammad b. ʿAlī of the Bā ʿAlawī tribe (574/1178-653/1255) but no descent from Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, pp. 37-40 and Table 1 (p. 38) · agreesHo gives the Migrant's descendants stage by stage to ʿAlī of Qasam (sixth generation), the Principal of Mirbat, then the First Jurist; not a direct line.
    Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddamالفقيه المقدم محمد بن علي1255
  6. the community's own accountin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: about 150 years of generations between Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 653/1255) and al-Saqqāf (d. 810/1407 or 819/1416), by the atlas dates; the sources read name none.sources differ

    family descent · Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf · The community's own account

    TDV Bâ Alevî names ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf, d. 810/1407 or 819/1416, as great ancestor of Āl al-Saqqāf and the ʿAydarūs; a secondary summary of the article calls him the son; generational gap unresolved.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4330-4331 · silentTrimingham says only that leadership was hereditary in the Bā ʿAlawī family from Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 1255); al-Saqqāf not named.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, Table 1 (p. 38) · silentTable gives the First Jurist (d. 1255) and Saqqāf (d. 1416) as foundational figures, with a gap of about 160 years; no kinship stated.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāfعبد الرحمن السقاف1407

Route 3 of 3: Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
  4. the community's own accountthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, ʿĪsā (per Ibn ʿInaba's ʿUraydī line; the Bā ʿAlawī chain names them)sources differ

    child of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir · The community's own account

    The Bā ʿAlawī sayyids are traced to al-Ḥusayn through Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā; TDV Bā Alevî as read links the line to ʿAlī through Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and does not give the intermediates. Treated as the family's own genealogy.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Ibn ʿInaba traces al-Ṣādiq's son ʿAlī al-ʿUraydī to Muḥammad and ʿĪsā al-Rūmī, and (L6779-6783) reports al-ʿUmarī's statement that a ʿĪsā al-Azraq al-Rūmī al-ʿUraydī left twelve sons without descendants. The text read does not say whether this is the Bā ʿAlawī ancestor, and does not name Aḥmad al-Muhājir.Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI)
    Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājirأحمد بن عيسى المهاجر
  5. two sourcesin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: ʿUbayd Allāh (ʿAbd Allāh), ʿAlawī b. ʿAbd Allāh and later generations; the basis note says the full genealogy is not traced. Ho (p. 39-40) confirms the intermediates: ʿUbayd Allāh, ʿAlawī, Muḥammad, ʿAlī the Endower of Qasam, Muḥammad Principal of Mirbat.

    family descent · Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam · Two independent sources

    TDV gives the Bā ʿAlawī descent through Alawi b. Abd Allah b. Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā al-Muhājir to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq; full genealogy not traced here.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)TDV, 'Aleviyye' (Hadramut) (Süleyman Uludağ, vol. 2, 1989, p. 370)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L925-929 · silentTrimingham gives Muḥammad b. ʿAlī of the Bā ʿAlawī tribe (574/1178-653/1255) but no descent from Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, pp. 37-40 and Table 1 (p. 38) · agreesHo gives the Migrant's descendants stage by stage to ʿAlī of Qasam (sixth generation), the Principal of Mirbat, then the First Jurist; not a direct line.
    Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddamالفقيه المقدم محمد بن علي1255
  6. the community's own accountin Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: about 150 years of generations between Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 653/1255) and al-Saqqāf (d. 810/1407 or 819/1416), by the atlas dates; the sources read name none.sources differ

    family descent · Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf · The community's own account

    TDV Bâ Alevî names ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf, d. 810/1407 or 819/1416, as great ancestor of Āl al-Saqqāf and the ʿAydarūs; a secondary summary of the article calls him the son; generational gap unresolved.

    TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4330-4331 · silentTrimingham says only that leadership was hereditary in the Bā ʿAlawī family from Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (d. 1255); al-Saqqāf not named.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, Table 1 (p. 38) · silentTable gives the First Jurist (d. 1255) and Saqqāf (d. 1416) as foundational figures, with a gap of about 160 years; no kinship stated.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāfعبد الرحمن السقاف1407
How to read the marks
  • Two sources: a solid rule. Two independent references give the same link.
  • One source: a lighter rule, so labelled.
  • The community's own account: a dotted rule. The order tells it; we have not yet read it against a reference source.
  • A gap in the rule: the sources omit names between the two. The label says which.
  • The sources differ: tap the ≠ to read each reading with its source.
  • A ring: a spiritual link, without a meeting (uwaysī).

Who received from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf

1 recorded, each with the chain set it belongs to.

  • Abū Bakr b. ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūsأبو بكر بن عبد الله العيدروس1508
    one sourcein Bā ʿAlawiyya (Ṭarīqa ʿAlawiyya of Ḥaḍramawt)omits: Abū Bakr al-Sakrān and ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūs (al-Saqqāf is the great-grandfather; the two names are from the standard Ḥaḍramī genealogy and were not read in a source for this atlas).sources differ

    family descent · ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf to Abū Bakr b. ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūs · One source

    TDV Ayderûs: the family claims descent from the Saqqāf branch of Bā ʿAlawī.

    TDV, 'Ayderûs' (Süleyman Uludağ)TDV, 'Bâ Alevî' (Sâmî es-Sakkâr, 1991, vol. 4, pp. 355-357)

    Suggest a correction

    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4332-4334 · agreesAbū Bakr b. ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūs (d. Aden 914/1509) is a derivative of the ʿAlawī line; al-Saqqāf is not named.
    • Ho, The Graves of Tarim (University of California Press, 2006), ch. 2, Table 1 (p. 38) · silentTable lists Saqqāf (d. 1416), ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūs (d. 1461) as progenitor of the lineage, and Abū Bakr al-ʿAydarūs (d. 1513) separately; no direct link.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Trimingham (1971, p. 73) says Abū Bakr al-ʿAydarūs "acquired a Kubrawī silsila" and describes the ʿAydarūsiyya as a restricted lineal ṭarīqa, a derivative of the ʿAlawī line.Trimingham, Sufi Orders in Islam (1971)

How to cite

Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saqqāf”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/abd-al-rahman-saqqaf (data of 31 October 2026).