Muhammad ibn 'Ali Ba 'Alawi, commonly known as al-Faqih al-Muqaddam was the founder of Ba 'Alawiyya Sufi order. He is the only son of Ali bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbath whom all 75 families of Ba 'Alawi sada that spread out from Yemen to Africa to Southeast Asia are rooted.

He was called al-Faqih because he was a great teacher who mastered a lot of religious sciences, including the science of jurisprudence. One of his teachers, Ali Bamarwan said that he mastered the science of jurisprudence as great as the scholar Imam al-Shafi'i who died in 406 H.

While the title al-Muqaddam means he is the foremost. In this case, Muhammad ibn Ali throughout his life was always given precedence. It can also mean somebody who has been authorized by his murshid to assist in teaching the path to other students (see Muqaddam).
He was the first to introduce Sufism in Yemen. He received his Ijazah from Abu Madyan through one of his prominent students, Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Hadhrami al-Maghribi (he died before reaching Hadramaut, but it was continued by another Moroccan Sufi he met in Mecca). However, Muhammad al-Faqih did not follow fully Abu Madyan's tariqa, but he combined it with the teachings of his forefathers and the tariqa of Abdul Qadir Gilani.

During his time, Sayyid families in Hadramaut were seen as a threat by other tribes. Due to instability in the region, it was normal during his study that Muhammad bin Ali put a sword on his lap for protection. Muhammad grew tired of the tension and bloodshed in the ranks of the believers thus symbolically broke his sword and announced that his Tariqa and the way of Alawiyyin Sayyids are non-violence and renounced any tariqa that uses violence. It is said that over 70% of Muslims worldwide are as a result of Da’wah by his Tariqa.

He lived from 1178-1255, and his grave is located in Zanbal in Hadramaut.

He was also nicknamed al-ustadz al-a'dzam because he was a great teacher and a Sufi who practiced the tariqah of poverty (only wish for Allah swt) and Sufism with Sufism that is clean and protected from things -things that are forbidden, based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah which is preached with the spirit of Islam and monotheism.

Al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad bin Ali was blessed with 5 sons, namely Alwi al-Ghuyur, Ali, Ahmad, Abdullah and Abdurahman. And who continued his descendants only 3 people, namely: Alwi al-Ghuyur, Ali and Ahmad.