Abdullah al-Harari

'Abdullah al-Harari was an Ethiopian muhaddith and scholar of Islamic jurisprudence. He lived and taught in Beirut, Lebanon.

WWW harariyy.org

History

Al-Harariyy was born in 1906 in Harar, Ethiopia.
In 1983, he founded Al-Ahbash, a Beirut-based organization also known as the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. Al-Ahbash is a Sufi religious movement. Due to the group's origins and activity in Lebanon, the Ahbash have been described as the "activist expression of Lebanese Sufism."
Al-Harariyy was one of the Ulama signatories of the Amman Message. Issued in 2004, the statement gives a broad foundation for defining Muslim orthodoxy. He was also licensed as a Shaykh by Al-Azhar University's branch in Lebanon.
Al-Harariyy died of natural causes on September 2, 2008, aged 102.

Views

Al Harariyy held controversial views regarding Muawiyah, Aisha, and others. He believed that they were wrong for rebelling against Rashidun Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib during the first fitna and he criticized them for it in his book, al-Dalil al-Sharʿi ʿala Ithbat man Qaatalahum ʿAli min Sahabi aw Tabiʿi,. This is a position that runs contrary to the orthodox Sunni view, which maintains neutrality in regard to disputes among companions.