'Abdallāh ibn 'Alawī al-Haddād: His life, works and understanding of Sufism

As one of the descendants of the prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) Abdallah ibn Alawī al-Haddād is a sūfī who lived in Hadramawt region of Yemen between 1044-1132/1634-1720. Despite the fact that he lost his both eyes in early ages, his zeal and passion for learning caused him to acquire a considerable maturity on religious sciences in his young ages. After finishing positive sciences Sayyid 'Abdallah wend his way to sufism and took ratification from many sheikhs (such as 'Aqīl ibn Abdarrahmān es-Saqqāf, 'Umar al-Attās, Nezīl al-Mecca Muhammad ibn Alawī) of his age. Being called with the epithet of "al-Imām al-Haddād" 'Abdallah ibn 'Alawī was seen as an important representative of 'Alawiyya order in XVII and XVIIIth centuries and accepted as the founder of Haddādiyya branch of the order. As a prominent personality in religious knowledge, worship and ethics 'Abdallah ibn 'Alawī raised many students and left valuable works behind. This study is on the life, works and understandings of sufism of 'Abdallah ibn Alawī al-Haddād who is an important representative of Alawiyya order emerged in geography of Yemen. The study consists of introduction, two chapters and conclusion. The first chapter is allocated to the life, theological personality and works of 'Abdallah ibn 'Alawī al-Haddād and in the second chapter his understandig of sufism is analysed in the context of his works named: Risālah al-muzākera, Risālah al-mu'āvene, Risālah al-murīd, al-Nesāih al-dīniyya ve al-Füsûl al-'ilmiyya.