Born in Damascus on the 13th of Dhul Hijja, 1382 AH (1963 CE), Shaykh Sayyid Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi is from a noble family of scholars that descend from the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). From this household have emerged numerous renowned men of Allah who have taught the sacred sciences for many centuries. Shaykh Muhammad's father, the light of Damascus and master of the Islamic disciplines, Sayyid Ibrahim al-Yaqoubi, was one of the greatest scholars of The Levant in recent times.
Shaykh Muhammad's grandfather was a great scholar and Gnostic, Sayyid Ismail al-Yaqoubi; his father's maternal uncle was Shaykh Arabi al-Yaqoubi and his paternal uncle was the famous Gnostic, Shaykh Sharif al-Yaqoubi. Amongst his blessed ancestors, three have held the Maliki Imamate at the Grand Umayyad Mosque in Damascus - may Allah envelope them all in His mercy.
Shaykh Muhammad traces his lineage back to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) through the great Mawlay Idris al-Anwar who built the city of Fes, a descendant of Sayyiduna al-Hasan the Second, who is the son of Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and son of Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah ennoble his countenance).
From an early age, Sayyid Ibrahim al-Yaqoubi supervised Shaykh Muhammad's upbringing and tutelage. He accompanied his father until his demise in 1406 AH. Shaykh Ibrahim meticulously ensured that every aspect of his son's life was developed with the most detailed care under the guidance of the Shari'a. For over twenty years, Shaykh Muhammad studied over 500 works with his father, in the sciences of Qur'an, Hadith (Prophetic traditions), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Mantiq (Logic) and many more. His father gave him full authority to narrate Hadith, to teach and to issue fatawa (legal rulings). He also received many other ijazat (licenses to teach) from the most prominent scholars of Syria such as: the Hanafi Mufti of Syria, Shaykh Muhammad Abul Yusr Abidin; the Maliki Mufti of Syria, Sayyid Makki al-Kittani; Shaykh Ali al-Boudaylimi of Tlemcen; Shaykh Salih al-Khatib; and Shaykh Abdul Aziz Uyun al-Sud.
Some of the books Shaykh Muhammad studied under his father are as follows: most of the six books of Hadith, al-Muwatta of Yahya al-Laythi, most of al-Muwatta of Imam Muhammad with Sharh al-Laknawi, most of al-Muwafaqat of al-Shatibi, the first volume and other sections (of the five volumes) of al-Hashiya of Ibn Abidin, Ihya Ulum al-Din, al-Hidaya of al-Marghinani, Mughni al-Labib of Ibn Hisham, parts of Kitab Sibawayhi, Miyar al-Ilm of al-Ghazali, several volumes of Sharh Sahih Muslim of al-Nawawi, several volumes of Irshad al-Sari of al-Qastallani, half of Madarik al-Tawil of al-Nasafi, Hashiyat al-Sawi on Tafsir al-Jalalayn, three volumes of Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lugha of Ibn Faris, al-Bayan w'al-Tabyin of al-Jahiz, several volumes of Wafayat al-Ayan of Ibn Khallikan, and Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra of Ibn al-Subki, and Maqamat al-Hariri. In fact, Shaykh Muhammad wrote a thabat (detailed list) of the names of the books he studied under his father entitled, "The Concealed Pearls". This book is a testament to his father's labour of love and the expenditure of his energy in passing on his knowledge and experience to his children, a rarity in our times.