| Honorific Prefix: | Habib |
| Ali Al-Jifri | |
| Native Name: | الحبيب علي زين العابدين الجفري |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Birth Date: | 1971 4, df=yes[1] |
| Birth Place: | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality: | Yemeni |
| Occupation: | Sufi scholar |
| Organization: | Tabah Foundation |
| Shaykh Sayyid | |
Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jifri (Arabic: الحبيب علي زين العابدين الجفري; born 16 April 1971[1]) is a Yemeni Sufi Islamic scholar and spiritual educator based in the United Arab Emirates.[2] [3] He is the founder of Tabah Foundation (
مؤسسة طابـة),[4] [5] a research institute based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.[6] He is a direct descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.Ali Zain al-Abidin al-Jifri was born in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 16 April 1971[7] (20th Safar 1391 AH). Al-Jifri is a direct descendant of Muhammad through his grandson Husayn ibn Ali.[8] [9] He has written books including "The Concept of Faith in Islam."[10]
Most of Al-Jifri’s critics commented on his Sufi & Ashari tendencies.
Al-Rajhi criticizes him for saying that it is permissible to ask Muhammad and ask the righteous after their death for help. Al-Rajihi also accused Al-Jifri of citing fabricated Hadiths [11] Ahmed Naqib describes him as “a Shiite who disguised himself as a Sufi”. Abdullah Al-Ghunaiman accused him of “deviancy”. [12]
Those who ascribe to his teachings have complimented him.These include Mohammed Al-Sharif [13] and Al-Masali. [14] Al-Bouti responded to the issue of Al-Jifri using fabricated hadiths by saying that using fabricated narrations does not make one a bad preacher.[15]
One of the biggest scandals revoloving around him is his visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque. A group of scholars considered his visit to go against the consensus of Sunni scholars. The fiancher of Al-Aqsa Mosque also criticised him and a Jerusalem body demanded that Al-Jafri be trialed because it is a kind of “normalisation with the Israeli enemy”.[16]
Al-Jifri believes that Muhammad shook hands with Ahmed Al-Rifai. [17] Al-Jifri even insists that whoever does not believe that this is possible has mental problems because “it is logically a possibility“.[18] His followers justify this claim thru historical texts.
Al-Jifri also opposed those who rejected the idea of giving 20% of the spoils to the family members of the prophet, siding with Shia terrorist militias. [19] [20]
Al-Jifri also claimed that the turban he wears “has a chain to the Prophet”, which sparked a wave of ridicule among Yemenis and was heavily criticized by some influential figures such as the novelist Marwan Al-Ghafouri and Dr. Naguib Ghlab, head of the Al-Jazeera Center for Strategic Studies.[21] Those who follow Al-Jifri claim what he meant is that his turban is worn in the same fashion as the prophet.
Shaykh Habib Ali al-Jfri has been closely associated with some of the famous scholars of Islam like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Timothy Winter (Sh Abdal Hakim Murad), Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Habib Kadhim al Saqqaf and many others. He had close ties with Naqshbandi Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani.
In 2009 Al-Jifri was listed 37th in the world's 500 most influential Muslims by Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.[22] and in 2023 was number 22. He was a recipient of the Eugen Biser award in 2008 for his contribution to the document A Common Word Between Us and You.[23]