Scholar of Riyadha Mosque

Sayyid Ahmad Badawy was born 1883 C.E in Lamu. His mother, Fatma bint Abu Bakr was of Comorian origin and was popularly known as Mwana Mkaa. It is reported that one day, while Habib Swaleh was reading a Biography of The great Egyptian Scholar Sheikh Ahmad Badawy of Tanta,he received news that his wife had delivered a baby boy.Habib Swaleh thus named his first born son, Ahmad Badawy

Sayyid Ahmad Badawy was raised up in a house of worship and learning. He grew up to be a very obedient and dedicated servant of Islam. He was blessed with a deep understanding and insight of life matters.

He gained his knowledge from the well known scholars of Lamu during those days. These scholars include:

  • Habib Swaleh- his father
  • Sheikh Abdallah bin Muhammad Bakathir who later on became his father in law
  • Sheikh Faysal bin Ali bin Abdallah Al-lamy ( d. 1911)
    • and
  • Al-Habib Abu Bakr bin Abdulrahman Al-Hussein (Mwenye Manswabu)

As a young adult, Sayyid Ahmad Badawy was already helping his father in disseminating knowledge at the Riyadha Mosque as his assistant. He spent most of his time engaging in either learning, teaching or curing people a discipline that he acquired from his father and Sayyid Muhammad Abi Tayyib, one of the scholars of Mecca, during his stay in Lamu.

Sayyid Ahmad Badawy was a very eloquent speaker and dedicated teacher. He produced a huge number of students who later became renowned scholars. Among his many students are:his sons

  • Sayyid Ali
  • Sayyid Muhammad (Shariff Dini)
  • Sayyid Abdulrahman (Shariff Khitamy)
  • Sayyid Hassan (d. 2008),
  • Sayyid Alwy (Mzee Mwenye) (d. 2009)
and
  • Sheikh Faraj Bwanamkuu (d. 2010 )
  • Sheikh Abdallah Khamis (d. 1975)
and others.

Against many odds and limitations he managed to write two treatises:

  • Nadhm Risalat Jami’a – incomplete
  • His travels to Hadhramout

After returning from Hajj in the early 1930’s C.E, he travelled to Hadhramout on an academic visit where he met many great Scholars from there.

He was blessed with a big family of twenty one children including sons and daughters. In fact, All of Habib Swaleh’s descendants pass through him. Sayyid Ahmad Badawy died just four years after his father’s death in 1939 at an early age of 55 years. He was buried beside his father’s grave in Lamu.