‘In that case, build this house the old way.’
This post is a follow up from the previous one about the late Sayyid Eesa bin Abdul Qader al Haddad. The post about the handwritten copy of the Qur’an.
For those who have visited Hawi district of Tareem where Imam al Haddad’s mosque is, as you enter the arch, Sayyid Eesa’s house is on the far left perpendicular to the building that has the huge signboard prior to the mosque.
There is a secret tunnel that connects Imam al Haddad’s mosque to his house. This photo is from the living room and that is him on the wall.
Modern and smaller cement bricks had just come to Tareem at that point in time and people were beginning to prefer that over that cheaper large size mud bricks which also require more maintenance.
‘In that case, build this house the old way. Maintenance for the house means more employment for those who need it.’
Since the 1700s the Hadhramout had outgrown its local economy according to one researcher. And Sayyid Eesa was not the only one who managed his resources in this manner.
The teacher to the famous Habib Alwi BinShihab is the last great mufti of Hadhramout, Habib Abdul Rahman al Mashoor. His Shaykh is Habib Abdul Rahman al Junied.
Habib Abdul Rahman bin Ali al Junied used to receive fine cloth from his merchant brother Sir Omar al Junied in Singapore. He would keep it in a chest and not make any use of it, fearing that if it was seen and desired by others, local textile would be in less demand.
Seen even to this day, the poor are plenty, but so are the generous.
