Ali al-Jifri


Habib Al-Habib Ali Zain al-Abidin al-Jifri is a Sunni Sufi Islamic scholar and spiritual educator located in the United Arab Emirates. He is the founder of Tabah Foundation, a research institute based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Early life

Ali Zain al-Abidin al-Jifri was born in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 16 April 1971. Al-Jifri is a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandson Imam Hussein.
His lineage is recorded as follows: He is Ali, bin Abdul-Rahman, bin Ali, bin Muhammad, bin Alawi, bin Ali, bin Alawi, bin Ali, bin Ahmad, bin Alawi, bin Abdul-Rahman Mawla al-Arsha, bin Muhammad, bin Abdullah al-Tarisi, bin Alawi al-Khawas, bin Abu Bakr al-Jifri, bin Muhammad, bin Ali, bin Muhammad, bin Ahmad, bin Muhammad al-Faqih Muqaddam, bin Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Mirbat, bin Ali Khali Qasam, bin Alawi al-Tsani, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Ṣawma'ah, bin Alawi al-Awwal, bin Ubaydullah, bin Ahmad al-Muhajir, bin Isa al-Rumi, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, bin Ali al-Uraidhi, bin Ja'far al-Sadiq, bin Muhammad al-Baqir, bin Ali Zayn al-Abidin, bin Husayn, bin Ali bin Abi Talib and Fatimah al-Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad.
He has written a number of articles and books including "The Concept of Faith in Islam."

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Al-Jifri was listed 37th in the world's by Georgetown University's The Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talaal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan. He has since moved up on the list throughout the years, currently holding the number 24 spot.
He was a recipient of the Eugen Biser award in 2008 for his contribution to the document A Common Word Between Us and You.