ABSTRACT
Among the \Alawı¯ families descending from Ah ˙ mad b. \I¯sa¯ al-Muha¯jir, the A¯l
bin Sumayt ˙ must be considered typical. As is the case with many of these clans,
the Sumayt ˙ family derives its name from a sixteenth-century founder. As
discussed in Chapter 1, the emergence of \Alawı¯ sub-branches during this century can be linked to the consolidation of the \Alawı¯s as a distinct stratum. The Sumayt
˙ family is also typical in the sense that in the four hundred years
since its sixteenth century-founding, we find religious scholars and holy men in almost every generation, indicating a continued emphasis on Islamic learning and tradition. Yet another typical trait is trade and migration. From the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, we find Sumayt
˙ s dispersed over large
parts of the Indian Ocean, indicating a high degree of mobility coupled with trade and scholarly activities. Finally, we also find that male members of the family tended to return to, and keep a spiritual focus on their homeland – both the hometown of Shiba¯m and the sa¯da ‘capital’ of Tarı¯m.
