Sharif Alawi was an Arab-Malay missionary of Prophetic descent (sharif) on his father's side; according to Meranaw (Maranao) tradition he landed on the shores of present-day Misamis Oriental (northern Mindanao), and his preaching spread from there into Lanao and Bukidnon. He is said to have established the Sultanate of Tagoloan in the early 16th century (traditionally 1500–1515) and to have been a kinsman (in one account, elder brother) of Sharif Kabungsuwan, founder of the Sultanate of Maguindanao. He played an important role in the early spread of Islam in the region, and his descendants remained there; the town of Tagoloan in Lanao del Sur is named after him. Although his tomb is said to be in the region, its exact location has not been archaeologically verified (burial certainty disputed).