[1][2] Ali was born in the area of Kwitang in Central Jakarta on April 20, 1870, CE which was 20 Jumada al-Awwal 1286 AH.

His father better known as Habib Cikini (d. 1879 CE) was born in Petak Sembilan, Semarang and was an Islamic scholar and preacher who lived in asceticism.

His mother (born in Meester Cornelis) was a pious woman named Salmah (Nyai Salmeh), a daughter of a Betawi cleric from Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

[1] Abdullah died on his sailing back to Pontianak, where the ship sunk in Java sea near Sukadana in 1833 CE (1249 AH).

[1] Abdurahman asked his wife, Nyi Salmah, to ensure that his son, Ali, was schooled in Hadhramaut and Mecca as It was common for Betawi people to send their children to the Middle East for religious education.

From the marriage, Habib Ali had eight daughters (Rogayah, Fatimah, Khadijah, Maryam, Mahani, Zainab, Zahra, and Sa’diyah) and two sons (Abdurrahman and Muhammad).

Although he was busy trading, Habib Ali always kept his prayer times, which was then followed by many Muslim merchants at Tanah Abang market.

Every day approximately 10 minutes before Dhuhr time, Ali closed his stall and carried most of his merchandise, followed by other traders.

After midday Habib Ali no longer open his stall, but did trade while preaching to the planned destination of each days.

Habib Ali even made his residence as a mosque named Awwabin and used it for Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr prayers in congregation with a number of his disciples.

The body was then carried passing over the heads of thousands of mourners and it took about half an hour to arrive, even though the distance to the burial was only approximately 200 meters (660 ft) from the residence of Habib Ali.

Habib Salim bin Jindan appointed and initiated a Bay'ah to Ali's son Muhammad to continue his father's work.

Hamka also acknowledged that Habib Ali was the descendant of Muhammad the prophet of Islam and played very important role in the struggle of Indonesian people, so he should deservedly get a high respect.

The Dutch government sought help to Habib Ali Kwitang to mediate a ceasefire with the Priangan Muslims in the region.

On May 8, 1963, some newspapers in Jakarta, the Indonesian news agency Antara carried story about the Masjid Kwitang renovation with dome and minarets.

Habib Ali also played an important role in the establishment of Al-Rabithah al-Alawiyyah in 1928 and its sub-organization, al-Maktab Daimi in around 1940.

The assembly invoked a lot of prayers for safety of Sukarno and for the independence which would be proclaimed on the August 17, 1945 CE which was also in the month of Ramadan.

[1] In 1963, Sukarno planned to visit his congregation but due to various factors could not attend, so he instead sent the Indonesian Prime Minister at the time, Djuanda Kartawidjaja.

In March 1965, during Asian-African Islamic Conference (KIAA),[13][14] the heads of state and guests were ushered to Habib Ali's Majelis Taklim Kwitang by the chief of staff of the armed forces of Indonesia who was the Minister of Defence, General Abdul Haris Nasution.

[1][15] Habib Ali's Majlis of Mawlid is still hold annually to date in Jakarta, and is usually attended by thousands of people from many places, including foreign countries.