Hangout with Dr Hisyam Hellyer

MasyaAllah, i was given the opportunity to attend Dr's lecture at arqam yesterday, really an eye opener, he went on to highlight the immense contributions and achievements of converts to this religion who in as short a timespan as a decade can rise to become respected authorities, this being the fruition of their hardwork and dedication in seeking knowledge. All these are even more admirable given the fact that they come from minority communities who make up less than 1% of their country's population, we are 14.9% here.

Dr mentioned quite a long list of names, including Shaykh Nuh Keller, Shaykh Hamzah Yusuf, Prof Abdul Hakim Murad alias Timothy Winter and many more.

These converts excelled in various fields, from scholars of Jurispudence to scholars of Theology, even authorised Khalifahs and Shaykhs in Tasawwuf.

after all that, we had a light refreshment, and after that i was dragged by Dr Ahmad the dentist to join them for supper. i wasn't mentally prepared, nor did i feel exactly comfortable squeezing in a car driven by Dr Hisyam; but Dr Ahmad insisted... anyways, somehow managed to break the ice as we chatted actively whilst dining in at Swensens beside Paragon.

had a light moment, and we discussed various issues, from Ayah Pin's Sky Kingdom in pro-Islam Kelantan, to the various Tariqah movements in Singapore.

One thing to be at ease at would be the fact that the Tariqah movements in Singapore are generally friendly with one another, with their heads working closely and/or are close friends, fellow students of the same teachers etc. And the Islamic scene in Singapore is something that we can be grateful for, as many of the top positions are held by scholars who emphasize on tasawwuf.

And then we went to talk about the Awrad Muhammadiyah movement. The respected Shaykh, Almarhum Ust Taha Suhaimi is a leader of the Awrad Muhammadiyah, which is to a certain extent misunderstood and/or not well understood by the masses. anyways, i guess it won't be appropriate to talk about it here. Both Ust Taha Suhaimi and his late father Kiyai Fadhulllah Suhaimi were renowned scholars, and the Suhaimi family founded the madrasah maarif at ipoh lane.

I was told by my mum that her father (my maternal grandpa) was a follower of almarhum Ust Taha Suhaimi, but he passed away when i was three.

Here are some pics;


Dr Hisyam giving the lecture



Having a good chat


with Dr Ahmad, Dr Hisyam and his zawjah