He was described as a firm yet loving teacher towards his students, who deeply respected him. One of his earliest teaching experiences came when he was appointed to teach Islam at two famous Malay vernacular schools in Singapore, Sekolah Sang Nila Utama and Sekolah Tun Sri Lanang. One of them, Al-Ustadh Peer, remarked that Habib Abdillah was someone who deeply respected his teachers and it was came as no surprise then that the knowledge he acquired had so much barakah, bearing fruits for the Muslim community to benefit from later on in his life.Įquipped with the knowledge and wisdom acquired from his teachers and elders, Habib Abdillah began teaching. As a student, he maintained the highest adab towards his teachers. His mastery of the Arabic Language, both colloquial and classical, was also unparalleled, as was his mastery of the other sciences. He had a tremendous exposure to the Malay language and culture, making him suitable for the leadership of the Muslim community in Singapore towards the end of his life.
Habib Abdillah also studied with non-Arab teachers, including al-Ustadh Ahmad Sonhadji Muhammad (who assigned him to take over his tafsir classes over the local radio), al-Ustadh Peer Sinarwatar, al-Ustadh Muhammad bin Muhammad Said Semarang, Kyai Ahmad Zuhri Bin Mutamin, and the 3 rd Chief Judge, Qadhi Haji Ali bin Haji Ahmad Said. He had the blessed fortune of having many great teachers, among whom were al-Habib Abu Bakr bin Taha al-Saggaf, al-Habib Abdullah bin Shaikh Bilfaqih, al-Habib Muhammad bin Alwi al-Aydarus, al-Habib Muhammad bin Hasan Bin Tahir (with whom he had private lessons after his classes at Madrasah Aljunied), al-Habib Abdullah bin Hasan al-Shatiri, al-Habib Alwi bin Tahir al-Haddad (the Mufti of Johor who gave him ijazah to teach), al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim al-Attas, ash-Shaikh Muhammad bin Abdullah Diab, and later from the great jurist of the Shafi’i madhhab, al-Allamah Ash-Shaikh Umar bin Abdullah al-Khatib. Habib Abdillah had his formal education at this school, as well as informal education at the feet of various ‘ulama residing in Singapore at the time. At that time, the school was run by scholars of the highest calibre, making it a premier centre for Islamic learning and teaching in Southeast Asia. Religious education was highly stressed upon the Hadhrami youth of Singapore in those days. Habib Abdillah was sent first to Madrasah Khairiyyah and later to the well-known Madrasah Aljunied, a school set up by a pious man by the name of Habib Abdurrahman Bin Junied al-Junied. Maulana Abdul Aleem placed his blessed hands on the head of Habib Abdillah and made a special du’a for this future leader of the local Muslim community. As a boy, he also accompanied and received attention from the great ambassador of Islam, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, during one of his visits to Singapore. Thus, his mother would always remind the young Habib Abdillah to remain focused in his education, which he duly took seriously. Upon his birth, he was brought by his mother to the 2 nd Chief Judge of Singapore, Qadhi Haji Abbas, who said that Habib Abdillah would be a great scholar. His name was initially Ibrahim, named after his elder brother who passed away, but it was later changed to Abdillah. He was born at Asar on 29 th Zulhijjah 1356 Hijri (2 nd March 1938), the youngest of three children, to his father, Habib Ahmad Bin Ali al-Jufri, who migrated from Hadhramaut to Singapore, and his mother, a pious woman by the name of Sharifah Khadijah bint Hamid al-Jufri, with the latter having much influence in his upbringing, especially since he was orphaned by his father’s death at an early age.
Al-Habib Abdillah bin Ahmad bin Ali bin Muhammad al-Jufri was one of the precious gifts of Allah (High and Exalted is He) to the Muslims of Singapore, coming from a family well-known for its scholarship, piety and saintliness.
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