EID MUBARAK to all!

i would like to wish all a happy eidul fitri!

Salam Eidul Fitri,

Maaf Zahir & Batin, qaulan wa fi'lan

kalau ada apa-apa terkasar bahasa dalam penulisan

Moga-moga Tuhan menerima segala amalan sepanjang Ramadhan, dan dikurniakan Lailatul Qadr, amin!

Allahu Akbar, nahnul muhammadiyyuuna wa lillahil hamd!

Of Blinks and Breaths...

فَاتِحَةُ الأَوْرَادِ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
اللَّهُمَّ إِنـِّي أُقَدِّمُ إِلَيكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ كُلِّ نَفَسٍ وَلَـمْحَةٍ وَطَرْفَةٍ ، يَطْرِفُ بـِهاَ أَهْلُ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَأَهْلُ الأَرْضِ، وَكُلِّ شَيْئ ٍهُوَ فِيْ عِلْمِكَ كاَئِنٌ، أَوْ قَدْ كَانَ أُقَدِّمُ إِلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ ذٰلِكَ كُلِّهِ.

سَيِّدِ الإِسْتِغْفاَرِ
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِيْ، وَأَناَ عَبْدُكَ وَأَناَ عَلىَ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوْذُبِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ ماَ صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِيْ فَاغْفِرْلِيْ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ.

التَّهْلِيْلُ اْلمَخْصُوْصُ
لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ فِيْ كُلِّ لَـْمحَةٍ وَنَفَسٍ عَدَدَ ماَ وَسِعَهُ عِلْمُ اللهِ.

الصَّلاَةُ اْلعَظِيْمِيَّةُ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّـيْ أَسْأَلُكَ بِنُوْرِ وَجْهِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* الَّذِيْ مَلَأَ أَرْكاَنَ عَرْشِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* وَقَامَتْ بِهِ عَوَالِمُ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلىَ مَوْلاَناَ مُحَمَّدٍ ذِي اْلقَدْرِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* وَعَلىَ آلِ نَبِيِّ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* بِقَدْرِ عَظَمَةِ ذَاتِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* فِيْ كُلِّ لَمْحَةٍ وَنَفَسٍ عَدَدَ ماَ فِيْ عِلْمِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* صَلاَةً دَائِمَةً بِدَوَامِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ* تَعْظِيْمًا لِحَقِّكَ يَا مَوْلاَناَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ ياَ ذَا الْخُلُقِ الْعَظِيْمُ* وَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ مِثْلَ ذٰلِكَ* وَاجْمَعْ بَيْنِيْ وَبَيْنَهُ كَمَا جَمَعْتَ بَيْنَ الرُّوْحِ وَالنَّفْسِ، ظَاهِراً وَباَطِناً، يَقَظَةً وَمَنَامًا، وَاجْعَلْهُ ياَ رَبِّيْ رُوْحاً لِذَاتِيْ مِنْ جَمِيْعِ اْلوُجُوْهِ فِي الدُّنْياَ قَبْلَ الآخِرَةِ ياَ عَظِيْمُ*

الإِسْتِغْفَارُ اْلكَبِيْرُ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ اْلعَظِيْمَ* الَّذِيْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ اْلحَيَّ الْقَيُّوْمَ* غَفَّارَ الذُّنُوْبِ ذاَ الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ* وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ جَمِيْعِ الْمَعَاصِيْ كُلِّهاَ وَالذُّنُوْبِ وَالآثاَمِ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهُ عَمْداً وَخَطأً، ظَاهِراً وَبَاطِناً، قَوْلاً وَفِعْلاً، فِيْ جَمِيْعِ حَرَكَاتِيْ وَسَكَناَتِيْ وَخَطَرَاتِيْ وَأَنْفاَسِيْ كُلَّهاَ، دَائِماً أَبَداً سَرْمَداً، مِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِيْ أَعْلَمُ وَمِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِيْ لاَ أَعْلَمُ، عَدَدَ مَا أَحَاطَ بِهِ اْلعِلْمُ وَأَحْصَاهُ اْلكِتاَبُ وَخَطَّهُ اْلقَلَمُ، وَعَدَدَ مَا أَوْجَدَتْهُ اْلقُدْرَةُ وَخَصَّصَتْهُ اْلإِرَادَةُ وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِ اللهِ كَمَا يَنْبَغِيْ لِجَلاَلِ وَجْهِ رّبِّناَ وَجَمَالِهِ وَكَمَالِهِ وَكَماَ يُحِبُّ رَبُّناَ وَيَرْضىَ.

كَفَّارَةُ اْلمَجْلِسِ
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْكَ، عَمِلْتُ سُوْءاً وَظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِيْ فَاغْفِرْلِيْ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ.

Tasawwur Islam 1

It’s been a while since I last wanted to write about this, haven’t had the perfect opportunity to do so. anyways, most of the content shared in this post are from Ustaz Abdul Halim Abdul Karim; some of you may know him. Just to intro him; he was a GP tutor in one of the JCs and one thing about him that surprised me was that he is very pro Malay Language, what makes it even more surprising is that his complexion is surely not that of a Malay but rather an Arab! He explains that many of the treasures of Islamic knowledge in this part of the world are written in traditional Malay, so youngsters will need to have a good command of Malay in order to have access to those jewels... So hidupkan bahasa ibunda kamu ya? ;)

Some of the things learnt in his Tasawwur Islam class:

Definition!
Definition is very important! These days people do not regard definition as important, they always say “It’s up to how you define”. Some things, when defined wrongly, can have disastrous consequences, even haram can be halal if your definition is twisted to suit the desire.

The parallels between tasawwur and GP: You must have a solid definition before you begin!

So definition of Tasawwur Islam:
Pandangan tentang segala sesuatu dalam kewujudan menurut Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah
Tasawwur Islam is Islamic Worldview; ie the vision of Reality and Truth that appears before our mind’s eyes revealing what existence is all about, according to Quran and Sunnah.
Ru’yatul Islam li Al Wujud

Therefore it follows that Tasawwur Islam is:

NOT an ideology or Belief,
NOT a mix of elements of culture, values, opinions; NOT a synthesis of ideas.
NOT a result of stage by stage development or evolution
NOT a result of dialectic processes
NOT the opinion of individuals nor community, NOT subjective but real

“Existence” includes everything material, hidden, conceptual, including Islam itself (ie. Islamic view of Islam itself), also including Ourselves as Man, manhaj and natijah (means and ends, hence syumul, complete)

To appreciate the importance of Tasawwur, let us consider this:

A muslim and a Christian have been asked the same question:
“What is your religion’s view of the Nature of Man?”

If their answers are the same, then something is wrong with the Muslim.

Islamic Worldview sees an infant born into this world as sinless, regardless whether his parents are muslims or not, in a primordial state of fitrah; this is DIAMETRICALLY opposed to the Christian view that Man is born in Sin. There is no overlap, just opposite. In the Venn diagram, the two circles have no common areas and do not overlap a single bit.

So certain things between the two religions are fundamentally different; although mostly similar.
Muslims are strict about the Oneness of God, but Christians say He is Three in One. Not the same, neither can it be compromised. If a Muslim acquiesces to the belief system of the Christians, then he is no longer a Muslim.

A Christian friend once said “Yes, Children are born in Sin, you study their behavior and you will know they are evil and selfish, children by nature do not like to share things they like such as sweets and toys.”

In my heart I was disgusted, what a perverted view! The reason why they behave like that is precisely because they are innocent and immature! Not because of Sin or Evil!

Well I don’t blame that Christian friend, for most Christians today join the faith because of the feel good factor they enjoy en masse during services in such churches as City Harvest or New Creation. They know too little about the orthodoxy of their faith, and mostly go to church because of the cool factor.

Why do I say so?
Examine the kind of clothing they wear in Churches, skimpy clothing for the girls, the waxed punk hairstyle and the Emo fringe. Granted, there are no fixed rulings about attire but please, we surely can afford some decency. Ask them what is Christ’s name in his own tongue, 99% they do not know. They don’t even know that Hebrew is the sister language of Arabic! And the Bible, no one reads it in the original language anymore. Any linguist will know that there are certain nuances and idiosyncrasies unique to a particular language such that the essence of the text cannot be fully delivered when translated into another language, it has to be in its own original language, lest its flavor be lost. Such is especially true for a voluminous work of literature like the Bible.

Ask them what is Islam and they say Islam is the religion of the False Prophet Muhammad who copied the Bible.

I urge you all to try asking your Christian friends some of the questions such as:
What is the Christian View of Man and the Purpose of Man?
What is the relationship between Hebrew and Arabic?
What is Jesus’ name in Hebrew/Aramaic?
What is Islam in your view?
Being as proselytizing as they are, I am sure they will be more than happy to share their knowledge ;)

We will need Tasawwur Islam to stand up to all these.

InsyaAllah I will share more about secularism and Islam another time, all these taken from my lesson under Ustaz Abdul Halim

Ramadhan, perfect Opportunity to QUIT SMOKING! SEIZE IT!

The ruling of smoking is an ikhtilaf amongst the ulamas. However it is important to note that the masyaikh of Tariqa Ahmadiah Idrisiah were opposed to the practice. They were more inclined to consider it to be HARAM.

Sidi Ahmad ibn Idris (d. 1837) was strongly opposed to smoking. When teaching a Prophetic hadith about Allah’s hatred for money squandering, he said,
“…And the greatest waste of money is in Tobacco. For I heard that in a previous year in which it was scarce, people used to buy it for 11 Riyals a pound. What mind does such a person have? Is there a mind behind this? No, it is far behind! Did he clothe he who has no clothes, or feed the hungry? And it doesn’t nourish or satiate…. And it causes illness: do you not see the chimneys of kitchens, how their shafts become blackened from the smoke that passes through them? So how do you think is the chest and throat of the smoker? Rust has piled up in them, so what benefit is sought from a person whose state is thus? For we have known many who quit it and became much happier, had lesser expenses, and their disposition came back to balance as they have told us; and they were able to sleep better, sleep being the source of man’s rest and mental stability. So what waste of money is worse than this waste?
And I was told by him in whose truthfulness I have no doubt, and in whose story I trust, that he saw the Prophet (saw) in his sleep and said to him: ‘Oh Messenger of God, is tobacco halal or haram‘? So he turned to Aisha who was next to him and said: ‘If she smoked it I would not come near her’. So he said, ‘Is it halal or haram’? He said, ‘If she smoked it I would not come near her’ three times. The man of the vision said, “I thought about saying to him: Did you forbid it in the Sharia? And if so, in which part of hadith? But I forgot because of the state I was in.”

So look at that which, had Aisha the mother of the believers smoked, the Messenger (saw) would have parted with her. What greater catastrophe is there than the separation of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and the Mother of the Believers, and what greater exposition of its prohibition than this? And he who has seen the Prophet (saw) in a dream has truly seen him, and he who has seen him in sleep is as if he has seen him in waking…” (1)

The teacher of Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris who was also opposed to smoking was Sayyid Abdul Aziz ad-Dabbagh (the founder of the Khidriah Tariqa and received initiation directly from Nabi Khidr). He said, “Tobacco is forbidden (haram) because it harms the body, because those who smoke it have an addiction to it that keeps them from worship of Allah and cuts them off from it…and because the angels are hurt by its smell.”

His student asked, “But garlic and onions and the like have a bad odor and eating them is not forbidden.”

He replied, “If the right of the human and the right of the angel came into conflict, then the right of the human is given precedence because everything was created for the sake of humans, and therefore that which benefits humans is not forbidden even if it harms angels. And in garlic and onions are clear benefits, in contrast to smoking for it has no benefit….” (2)

Sayyid Muhammad al-Sharif bin Abdul ‘Aali bin Ahmad bin Idris relates that a scholar asked Saiyyid Ahmad bin Idris to help him see the Prophet (saw) in a dream. So when Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris saw the Prophet (saw) he said: ‘Oh Messenger of God, so-and-so wants to see you in his sleep’, but then the Prophet turned away from him. Then the next time he saw him he mentioned the same thing and the Prophet turned away from him again and it happened a third time. So Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris wondered why the Prophet turned away every time he mentioned this man, the Prophet turned back toward him and said: “This man smokes, and I do not go to him who smokes.” Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris told this to the scholar the next time he saw him, which caused him to cry until he fainted. After this he repented for who he had been doing and God accepted his repentance and the Prophet visited him in his sleep for the sake of Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris.

Sayyid Muhammad al-Sharif also relates about his father Sayyid Abdul ‘Aali bin Ahmad bin Idris, the following: A man came to my father and said, “This is the price of the wheat, and this for the fava beans, and this for the tobacco.” So Sayyid Abdul ‘Aali said with anger, “subhanAllah brother! Who told you to plant tobacco on our land?” And he refused to take the money from the tobacco, and ordered the man to leave the land a whole year without any plant until it is purified.

Finally, Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali al Yamani, the great grandson of Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris through his other son Sayyid Muhammad al-Qutb, was once invited to the house of a man in Dunqula, Sudan. He accepted the invitation. Before that day came, he passed by the store of the man who invited him and saw him selling tobacco so he said: “subhanAllah brother, you sell tobacco? Your food is haram and I withdraw my acceptance of your invitation”, and he did not go to his house. (3)

————
1. Ahmad ibn Idris. al-Iqd al-Nafees, Cairo: Dar Jawami’ al-Kalim, pg 60-1.
2. al-Lamati, al-Ibriz min Kalam Sidi Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, pg 260-1.
3. Saleh al-Jaafari. al-Muntaqa al-Nafees, Cairo: Dar Jawami’ al-Kalim, pg 93.

harapan ramadhan

Ku mengharapkan Ramadhan
Kali ini penuh makna
Agar dapat kulalui
Dengan sempurna

Selangkah demi selangkah
Setahun sudah pun berlalu
Masa yang pantas berlalu
Hingga tak terasa ku berada
Di bulan Ramadhan semula

Puasa satu amalan
Sebagaimana yang diperintahNya
Moga dapat ku lenturkan
Nafsu yang selalu membelenggu diri
Tiada henti-henti

Tak ingin ku biarkan Ramadhan berlalu saja
Tuhan pimpinlah daku yang lemah
Mengharungi segalanya dengan sabar
Kita memohon pada Tuhan diberikan kekuatan
Ku merayu pada Tuhan diterima amalan
Selangkah demi selangkah…
Dengan rahmatMu oh Tuhanku…
Ku tempuh jua

Oh God, make this ramadhan a beneficial, fulfilling and wholesome one! One that lives on forever! amin!

prior to ramadhan

alhamdulillah, the two weeks rior to ramadhan had been ful-filled with events that purify and uplift the spirit.

big events were organised by 2 of the tariqahs i have the most affection for;


the ahmadi ikhwans saw guests from Italy, France, and now UK, and insyaAllah Pakistan


Dr Hisyam Hellyer of Senoussi geneology was present at the hol of Sidi Ibrahim Ar-Rasyid. it was a condeerful majlis, with Ust Hasbi leading a very powerful and moving zikr, exactly what is needed prior to ramadhan.


and in his sharing, Dr Hisyam Hellyer mentioned that the only reason why Prophet Muhammad saas had that speck of clot in his heart prior to cleansing was that he had mercy for all, and really all things. for he is the rahmatal lil 'alamin. and the definition of 'alam is everything other than Allah, and Satan is other than Allah. Satan must not interfere with Prophetic mission and so he was removed.

Dr Hisyam Hellyer with Ust Hasbi

after the mamam. the senior ikhwans, aka pakciks, were the ones who learnt from Sidi Abdul Rasyid.

up the steps to visit sahibul maqam

a little bit more recent, singapore is blessed by the visit of Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani, Naqshbandi Khalifah

as usual, Mawlana spoke from a very heartfelt level, to an overflowing audience.

Ust TM Fouzy, speaking with such energy

calm and composed, Ust Iqbal read out a chain of salawat which included salawat 'azhimiyyah

Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani

the event at wehdah was filled with zikr, salawat and music, lively indeed. i could just imagine how the people of Madinah were more than jubilant upon receiving the Prophet saas.

towards the end, a qawwali was recited, indian artform of poetry, traditional and authentic lah. haha, that reminds me, during shaqq al qamar, the Indians witnessed the miracle of the prophet saas and the king who converted sent his regards and delegates to the prophet. the indians became muslims as early as during the time of the Prophet saas himself.

Trivia: there is a narration that stated that the Prophet actually ate the Indian achar!

Why are they afraid of Islam?

General Paper, a very interesting and intellectual subject taught in junior colleges, seeks to instill in students a balanced view of the world and its happenings, and also stimulate students to think in order to provide opinions on various wide-spanning world issues. Having taken the subject, I must say that GP has its parallels with Tasawwur Islam, ie Islamic Worldview, and that GP in one way or another, helps one in studying Tasawwur Islam. Many contemporary issues related to us by the media updates us only from a certain perspective, which may or may not be biased. It is like seeing through coloured spectacles, if one is wearing blue lenses, every white is blue, every yellow, green. Similarly, issues that cloud around muslims generally have not enjoyed being given the right coverage, it is often opinionated or slanted towards a certain perspective only, thus biased. The sad thing is, not many among the masses are able to smell this biasness, and hence are influenced by those slanted views.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a classic example. Often headlines such as these appear in papers all over the world, since most local papers take their materials from the same news agencies such as AP and Reuters:

“Palestinian terrorists kill Jews in Israeli Settlement”

The impression created can never be more solid: Palestinians are terrorists, violent butchers who go to the extent of bombing public facilities.

Most of the masses would not have known and won’t bother to ask or research about this Israeli Settlement. Truth is, a line was clearly drawn in the past depicting the borders, and the Israeli authorities have forcefully grabbed some areas from the Palestinians, literally bulldozing their way through plantations, houses and property belonging to Palestinians, at times killing even babies, and they call the newly stolen land “Israeli Settlement” after accommodation for Israelis have been built.

Should this simple piece of information be told, then the impression created would be vastly different.

The use of the word terrorist is also very loose, without even a strong, proper definition to it. It would seem rather obvious to the rational that the terrorist is usually the one who is capable of oppressing; and in this case, we are talking about a well-armed, high tech and formidable army as compared to civilians and even children whose weapon include stones, slingshots and at best homemade explosives and cheap ammunition.

Who are we to talk about the sufferings of the Palestinians? We say that the three years Malaya was under Japanese Occupation was terrible, yet we have never experienced occupation. These Palestinians have experienced occupation for over 60 years and continue to do so. So how do you differentiate terrorist from freedom fighter?

Today, any potential candidate for the US Presidency, be it a Democrat or Republican, is fully aware of the sensitivities of this issue; and that if he or she were to criticize the Zionist movement even in the slightest bit, he or she would lose significant votes and thus loses the chance at becoming the President. Such is how extremely powerful the small Israeli lobby is in the US.

It just doesn’t seem right to exert that throughout the past 60 years, all rights were the Zionists and all wrongs were the Palestinians, but the picture painted is as such, the good guys are the Zionists; the evil ones are the Palestinians.

Now I run a risk of being labeled anti-Semite, as do anyone who seeks to know the real picture and understand the plight of the oppressed Palestinians. I hereby proclaim that I am in no way an anti-Semite, and any hatred to a people just because of their biological race is unsupported and condemned by the Quran. I am a believer of the Quran as the Last and Final Testament of God who sent Joseph, Moses, Jesus, John and Muhammad, peace upon them all, and therefore I am obliged, by the authority of the Quran, to love all them all, a significant portion of whom are Jews. So how can a muslim hate Jews because of their “Jewishness”? That would otherwise be hypocritical.

Lately the Straits Times carried an article entitled, “Israel ‘bullying sick Palestinians into spying’”

Just wondering, how would a patriotic Singaporean feel, should a foreigner come to him and say “You Singaporeans are wicked sick, you people cruelly occupied Japan and made the Japanese people suffer three whole years!”

Doesn’t that sicken you??

This is not an academic article, and I admit I have not put in resources, but rest assured, sources are readily available. The reason why I don’t cite sources is that I would prefer people researching for themselves and be convinced for themselves, other than convenience of course ;)

But I am tempted, I cite you an excerpt of a review on the book “Lords of the Land: The War for Israel’s Settlements in the Occupied Territories, 1967-2007” by Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar that appeared in The Economist October 13th 2007 issue:

“And thus it has always been. Never mind that Israel has flouted International Law by settling its citizens in occupied foreign territory; what is remarkable is how consistently the settlers have thwarted Israel’s own laws, in pursuit of what to them are biblical lands inhabited by Palestinian interlopers. The Bilin case was just a variation on a tried and tested method: seize land illegally, establish hard-to-reverse “facts on the ground” and then legalise the claim retroactively through the courts or government.”

May God let us see the real picture and the truth, amin.

Risalah Al-Qawaid, by Sidi Ahmad ibn Idris

La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur Rasulullah, fii kulli lamhatin wa nafasin 'adada maa wasi'ahu 'ilmullah

Below is the English translation of Sidi Ahmad ibn Idris' Risalah Al-Qawaid, just notice the way he writes, so saintly.

Risalah Al-Qawa’id
By As Saiyyid Al Qutb Ahmad bin Idris Al-Hasani

By the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful

May Allah’s blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and his household in every blink and in every breath inasmuch as Allah’s broad knowledge encompasses.

What is collectively recommended, for the sensible man who wants to save himself from every perishable situation and wants that Allah make him enter among the ranks of those nearest to Him in all of his affairs, he should follow these principles closely.

Firstly : He should be aware that Allah (the Most Exalted) is definitely going to make him stand before Him and question his particular speech or action. Thus, he should be prepared with an answer to the question from the Lord (the most exalted) before he proceeds with any speech/action. If he sees the answer to be right and pleasing to the Lord (the most exalted) and that Allah would accept it from him, then he should execute the speech/action, for it has praiseworthy consequences in this world and the thereafter.
However, if his answer would not be accepted by God and is not pleasing to Him, then he should avoid that matter regardless, for it brings negative consequences.
This basis is the base of all actions and words. Whoever verifies this firmly, he would have all his affairs built on righteousness inside out, without any defect of any kind. This is the meaning of the prophetic saying “Account yourself before you are accounted and weigh up your deeds before they are weighed up on you”.

Second basis is that man should never ever do a deed or say a word except that the intention is for the sake of Allah. If the intention is rightly for the sake of Allah the Most Exalted and he washes his heart clean from any ambiguous actions performed not for the sake of Allah, he would become a person who would only talk or act after being sure and careful. His deeds would become all pure and unmixed in any way.

This is what our Creator, the Most Exalted, Most High, meant when He told His great Prophet and His Most Beloved Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “And keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face”. Meaning, the ultimate intention is none but Allah in all his affairs.

Allah, the Most Exalted also said “And have in their minds no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return. But only the desire to seek the countenance of their Lord Most High; and soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.”


Third basis is that he makes his heart full of mercy for all Muslims, elders among them and the young and he should give the Islamic right of respect and reverence. If he is firm on this basis and based on it strengthens his heart, Allah will pour on his body the lights of Lordly mercies and make him taste its sweetness; he will thus get great portion from the prophetic heritage as Allah, the Most Exalted said “We did not send you but for mercy for the worlds”.

This is also the meaning of the word of the prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). “Allah, the Most Exalted has 3 sacred rites, whoever keeps and protects them, Allah will protect for him the affairs of his din and his worldly affairs. Whoever does not keep them, Allah will never keep for him anything: The sacred rite of Islam, my sacred rite and the sacred rite of my womb”.

In this meaning is what the prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Abu Bakar As-Sidiq (may Allah be pleased with him) “Never ever look down (disgrace) any one among Muslims for the smallest Muslim is a great one with Allah”.

Fourth basis: noble (sublime) morals for which the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent to complete.

That is the prophet saying, “I was only sent to complete (accomplish) sublime morals”. This basis is the pearl of the religion, the reality of which is that a servant of Allah should be easy going and kind to his family, friends and every Muslim.

The prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said “Dwellers of paradise are all easy going and easy to approach, whereas the dwellers of Hell Fire are all harsh to their families, friends and kin’s”.

And our Lord, the supreme said “And speak fair to the people” meaning not harshly. Allah, the most exalted also said “Say to my servants that they should (only) say those things that are best” Al Ahsan is what comprises all beautiful things are more. To sum up, what you would like people to treat you by, such as nice word, good talk and good work, you must also do likewise to all creatures of Allah, what you dislike being treated with such as dirty word, bad talk and detestable work, you must keep away from it, for Allah does treat the servant by his own character and behavior by which he treats other creatures.

Reward is by its kind. For their (false) attribution (of superstitions to Allah). He will soon punish them, a fitting recompense (for them). Whoever is like a garden of mercy and good shade, under which they rest, so will Allah be for him.

Whoever respects and dignifies a slave for the sake of the slave master, he is actually respecting the master.

It thus comes in Hadith about Allah, the Most Exalted, as saying to the servant on the day of the resurrection:

“I was hungry and you did not feed Me, I asked of you to give Me drink and you did not, and I was sick but you did not pay Me a visit.”
The servant would say “How could You be hungry when You are the Lord of worlds? How could You be sick when You are the Lord of worlds? How could You request for drink when You are the Lord of world?”
Allah, the Most Glorious and High, would say in interpreting it, “But My so and so servant got sick, had you paid him a visit, you would have found Me there. My so and so servant also got hungry, had you given him food, you would’ve found that with Me. My so and so servant also requested drink from you, had you given him drink, you would found that with Me.“

Interpreting Himself, the most Glorious, His saying:” I was hungry, sick and asked of you to give me a drink, which means “My servant got hungry, My servant got sick, and My servant requested drink from you”.

Treating the servant for the sake of his master is, without doubt, treating the master.

Whoever stands firm in this situation and is sincere to Allah, his treatment would be right with the True Lord, the Most High in everything. He would not watch out for anyone but Allah. The collective sublime morals between Allah, the Most High, and his servants is the saying of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “Respect Allah that He should not see in what He had forbidden you from”.
That is Allah, the Most Glorious, should not find you where He had forbidden you, and should not miss you where He had commanded you to be around.

What makes the servant feel shy from Allah is that he should be cognitive of the fact that Allah’s knowledge encompasses all and that He is a witness to all things. That is Allah’s saying “And know that Allah knows what is in your hearts, and take need of Him; And know that He is Forgiving, Most Forbearing”.
Should the servant be aware of Allah’s watching over him and make that awareness part and parcel of his actions, then there will be in his heart a feeling of shyness to utter or do something that is not pleasing to Allah and does not befit Him who is Great, for the servant is reminded of“And He is with you, wherever you are”.

Allah is with him and is looking at him. For example, if a servant wants to commit adultery or theft, he could not do so while people are looking at him, because that would be degrading and shameful to him.

If that is the case with regards to fellow creatures who can cause no harm nor benefit, then the servant would feel even more ashamed of committing an act that is not pleasing to Allah, should he be aware that Allah is with him and is looking at him. Certainly he would leave that act altogether!



That is the meaning of the Prophetic hadith explaining Al-Ihsan:
“(Ihsan is) to worship Allah as though you are seeing him, and if you are not seeing Him then He is seeing you.”

Whosoever reaches such a state will surely perform his ibadah to the highest standards!

May peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet Muhammad in every blink of the eye and in every breath, inasmuch as Allah’s knowledge encompasses.

Salaams everyone,

Ba'alwi mosque would like to invite you to a forum organised specially for you. The details are as stated below.

Forum Title: ' Sufism: The Core of Islam'

Date/Time: Saturday, 16th August 2008;
1000hrs-1300hrs

Payment: Free of Charge (Lunch included)

Venue: Raffles Town Club ( Click here for map)


The idea is to get together with members of the International Muslim community in Singapore, mainly students, professionals, and activists, and to have a discussion on historical and contemporary issues surrounding Sufism. We would also wish to communicate that Sufism is not a deviant offshoot of Islam but has been a core to Islam in terms of its teachings and historical contributions.

Speakers: Dr. Hisham A Hellyer
Fellow; Center for Research in Ethnic Relations(CRER)
University of Warwick; UK

Assc/Prof Mehmet Sait Ozervarli
Researcher; Islamic Thought (ISAM)
Icadiye Baglarbasi cad,Turkey; Istanbul

Dr. Muhammad Suheyl Umar
Director; Iqbal Academy; Pakistan

Prof. Rex Sean O'Fahey
Professor; University of Bergen; Norway



MasyaAllah, Dr Hisyam Hellyer is from the Senoussi lineage, the descendant of Shaykh Muhammad As-Senoussi, a student of al Qutb Ar-Rais, Sidi Ahmad Idris, Dr Hisyam is also an ikhwan.

Plus the Author of the book; "the Enigmatic Saint: Ahmad ibn Idris", Prof. R.S O'Fahey is also speaking at the forum!

Dr Hisyam will also speak more about the Tasawwuf and Ahmadiah Idrisiah at baalwie this sat evening for nisfu syaban, and also this sunday night at maqam habib nuh for Hol Sidi ibrahim Ar-Rasyid led by Al-fadhil Ust Hasbi Bin Hassan.

events to come

1)22 Aug 2008 Fri 8 PM at Singapore Power Auditorium beside Somerset MRT
Lecture By Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani an-Naqshbandi
Topic: Conversations With God
Free Admission, All are welcome

2) Majlis Nisfu Syaban @ Masjid Ba'alwie
16 Aug 2008, Saturday, After Marghrib,
Dr Hisyam Hellyer will be speaking insyaAllah
Dr Hisyam Hellyer is a descendant of Shaykh Muhammad As-Senoussi, a murid of Sidi Ahmad Idris

3) Hol Sidi Ibrahim Ar-Rasyid
Masjid Mohd Salleh Maqam Habib Nuh, Palmer Rd
17 Aug 2008, Sunday, After Isyak
Led by Ustaz Hasbi Bin Hassan
Again, InsyaAllah Dr Hisyam Hellyer will speak

Verses of Love (ayat-ayat cinta)

Been a while since i last wanted to blog about the movie and the book. i actually read the book and watched the movie ayat-ayat cinta. quite surprising even to myself coz i don't read fiction unless it is super interesting, more so if it is in malay...

hmmm, well, it's a nice story in short, meaninful and definitely enlightening.
For the benefit of those who do not know about ayat-ayat cinta, it is an indon hit movie released earlier this year, touching on several themes close to the hearts of muslim youths such as how to BGR, date, relationships with girls, polygamy, friends from other faiths, mercy, compassion, tolerance, all under the observant guidance of Islam.

it's mostly a hit because today in this modern world we seldom see young muslim couples honoring the islamic tradition of cherishing modesty and chastity, this is especially so amongst melayu. they hold hands, hug, kiss, spend the night together etc all before marriage, thus devalueing marriage itself, which is sacred.

Ayat-ayat cinta tells of a story otherwise...and it is,according to my jc friend, zamir, soo damn nice larh...haha. true lah, it somehow motivates muslim youths here to sanctify marriage by abstaining from romance before marriage, in order that the tension is kept high, electricity intense, on the malam zafaf, the first night. just imagine what it would be like to experience something for the very first time on a sacred and significant chapter of our lives. Islam teaches you to honour that experience by safeguarding its novelty, which means, absolutely no sneakpeeks, no previews whatsoever, you get everything in a lump sum. surely the experience is different! so safeguard your modesty and chastity, and do not go near fornication! that you may be able to experience ecstasy when the highly recommended marriage comes.

the Prophet said; "marriage is part of my tradition, whosoever rejects my tradition is not from me"

haha, that reminds me, we had a meeting with the ikhwans and after the meeting we thought of going for late-night supper. one ikhwan who is already married asked to be excused,
" sorry ah can't join for makan, ana punyer zawjah ngah tunggu arh..."

that's what i call gentlemanly, prioritise your zawjah over your friends!

oh ya, dr gigi was a lil bit grumpy abt those ppl alr married.
he told me " orang yang dah kahwen ni kan, biler malam jer working effiency SLOW DOWN"
then the other ikhwans blast back " ni dr ni betol ah mintak kene kahwinkan ah!"
it was a light moment and we all laughed and laughed and laughed...

26 lah hor, maybe 28 ah, who knows? ;)

فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى

An-Najm; The Star
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى (53:9
53:9 And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer;

I am intrigued by this verse of the Quran, describing the Mi'raj of the Prophet saw, when he came to meet his Lord, the Great, at sidratul muntaha.
Why was bow-lengths used as a unit of measure?
What is the significance?
and then "aw adna"? or less?

and then
53:18
لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى
53:18: truly did he see some of the most profound of his Sustainer’s symbols.

Scholars of Quranic exergesis say that greatest symbol is non-other than the vision of the Visage of God.

That is why Imam Nawawi in his Al-adzkar interprets this verse as
" ra'a rabbahu bi 'ainai raasihi'
"he saw his Lord with the eyes of his head"

and then there is this Hadith Qudsi where God said
"do not curse time, for I am Time"

All these discussions intermingle the concept of time, distance, speed and space.
i can't help but to ask about quantum physics and see what i can gather.
i just got a gimpse, but it's nonetheless fascinating, in every sense of the word.
On earth, a metre ruler has that length we know as 1metre, but that is true only because earth is moving very slowly as compared to speed of light, suppose if we were to move at the speed of light, then the ruler, according to our perception will cease to exist, coz the light that reflects off the ruler is travelling at your speed and can never catch up with you. in other words, distance is not absolute, it depends on speed.
and in quantum physics, it has been proven also that a particular object can be present at multile places in a single moment. sounds very much like the karamah of awliyaullah, the saints of God whose miraces include being spotted in many places at one time.

i have the feeling, that somehow or another, these hidden divine secrets will be revealed through modern day science.
when einstein puts forth the formula E=mc^2, it is like a step closer to understanding the connection between the Prophet, who is constantly described as a Light, and all his miracles. even a verse in the quran so powerfully hint at the concept of c^2, when it says
"nuurun 'alaa nuur" Light UPON Light.

now the question is, who can legitimately answer these questions? the scholars of the external sciences? even in the islamic world, so many people just go for the knowledge of paper, degree etc, they only study the external form of Islam such as how to perform prayers etc etc and at the same time reject the legitimacy of spiritual masters.

what the saints have been talking about for so long, is now coming to light thanks to modern day science which reveals even more about the nature of Light than ever possible. we are still in the beginning stages, so much things in modern physics are still just theoretical. soon, for God will show them the signs until it becomes obvious to them - surah baqarah.

the sad thing is, as i was discussing with one of our ikhwan, even among students of tasawwuf, they find tariqah so obscure, so underground, and some are even stereotyped against it. even when scholars such as ust tm fouzy and ust hasbi keep on emhasising the need to find a mursyid, mot would just say " oh, there is such and such a mursyid out there" and that is it, they stop there and don't go finding one. of course these mursyids won't publicly reveal themselves, even their representatives don't do that. how many people view ust hasbi as just an islamic degree holder? while in fact he is a representative of a tariqah, not many know that.

may Allah guide us all.
Allahummahdinaa ila tariqil mustaqeem, amin

Charity starts with me. To what extent is charity the responsibility of an individual?

Quintessentially, charity celebrates the joy of the heart when commendable attributes such as mercy, compassion and altruism are manifested through various means such as donations, offering to help those who are not as fortunate as ourselves. In particular, charity brings happiness to its beneficiaries. An undeniable core aspect of charity would definitely be sincerity on the part of those giving out charity. Because of this reasoning, I am inclined to agree to a large extent that ‘charity starts with me’. In the light of the modern and materialistic world whereby people generally value one another according to one’s social status and material wealth, I opine that such calls to charity are really needed to make our society a more compassionate and caring one.

Charity begins with the heart, it is the measure of how much care and love we have for fellow human beings who happen to be less well-off than ourselves. If an individual truly has compassion for other people, then it would certainly pain him to see other human beings suffer from afflictions such as penury and disease. Hence he would be compelled to do whatever within his means to ameliorate the suffering of the less fortunate whom he affectionately refer to as ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister’. Charity also tends to lose its value if there is a lack of sincerity in it. For example, society will not consider a donation commendable or exemplary should the donor seek fame or praises for his act. An ostentatious act of ‘charity’ loses its value and therefore charity must be accompanied by sincerity that comes from the heart and hence must ‘start with me’.

Also, charity does not have to be perceived as a burden or something that is difficult to implement in our daily lives. We can give charity from anything that is within our means. When asked to give donations, a student may give just a petty amount of one dollar. Even though a dollar is an insignificant proportion of what s actually needed, no one can say that the student is being miserly or stingy just because he donated only a dollar. The circumstances are that the student is not earning any income and hence can afford to donate only that amount. The important lesson is that the student’s donation is no less an act of charity than a millionaire donating thousands of dollars. From here, it is evident that charity is a simple act which anyone can perform. “Even a smile is charity,” says Prophet Muhammad. As such, charity should start with the individual since it is so easy.

Another part worth taking note is that ‘true charity’ can never be imposed upon others. This is because people have ownership and rights over their possessions and may choose not to give charity even when urged to do so. After all, charity has never been obligatory. There are many people who have acquired or been blessed with substantial amounts of money yet their hands shiver when asked for donations when they ought to be philanthropic.

Some may argue that authorities such as governments and religions can impose the concept of ‘obligatory charity’ upon people. In Singapore for example, a small percentage of people’s income actually goes to the Community Chest, an organization that raises funds for charity. However, I believe that such ‘obligatory charity’ does not deserve to be credited as an act of sincerity or true charity as one can always question whether the Community Chest would get the same amounts of money if the government no longer enforces such laws. In this aspect, ‘obligatory charity’ can be considered a subtle form of tax to improve income inequality in a society. Furthermore, no sane person would exalt such ‘donations’ since it is a must for everyone to do it.

Some religions make it an obligation for adherents to give a portion of their wealth to those deserving. In Islam, the concept of zakat states that a Muslim will have to give away 2.5% of his savings yearly if it exceeds a certain amount. In this case, charity is seen as the responsibility of the religion. However, this is not true as Islam calls zakat money the rights of the poor whether or not zakat has been given out. In this case zakat cannot be considered a charity as the money does not belong to the ones giving the zakat. In addition to zakat, Islam promotes and encourages followers to constantly give charity and according to Islamic tenets, a Muslim’s charity can never substitute his obligations to observe the zakat. Hence, it is axiomatic that even religions do recognize the ‘start-with-me’ nature of charity.

Charity may also be considered as society’s responsibility as the implementation of some large-scale charity moves will require the efforts and hard work of many. The President’s Star Challenge, for example, is a joint effort by many sponsors and celebrities without whom it may never be successful. In a way the efforts of society are required to kick start this kind of charity but nevertheless it all boils down individuals who actually chose to volunteer. The act of volunteering oneself for a charitable act is definitely an act that begins with the individual concerned.

In conclusion, charity is, to a large extent, the responsibility of an individual as it requires sincerity that comes from the heart, it cannot be coerced upon others and charity really is something that is within everyone’s means. Ever since the dawn of religion, thousands of years ago, charity has always been celebrated as the manifestation of compassion and love on the part of those giving charity. Society would truly be ethically bankrupt should the day when ‘true charity’ no longer exists and people have to be forced to ‘donate’, comes.

Izharul down with fever!

my nephew got fever just 2 days ago, his body becomes heaty very frequently, and he coughs every once in a while...poor boy, but on the brighter side, he is much more obedient and less active, so much more silent, otherwise he is a chatterbox hehe.

i always enjoy looking at how he is fed his medicine ah, the whole episode tickles me a lot! seeing how he tries to avoid the medicine, and the crumpled face when he starts to taste the bitterness of the medicine, just sooo cute!

i shall show some pictures that eternalise his torment:

Time to SYRINGE out the medicine!

Art of War: Use the Pacifier as Bait!

NAH! amek kau obat!

dalam hati aku, ah padan muke kau, and i laughed all the way...
my mum said "korang adek-beradek tak leh nak kate-mengate, sumer skali penakot obat time kecik, ah ni satu menurun ah ni!"

Upcoming key events

On sunday, the 3rd of August 2008, 10 am onwards, there will be an Isra' Miraj forum organised by Ikhwan TAI, details are as follows:

And also from 22 to 24 august, Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani will be in town, so do keep these dates free, insyaAllah will be beneficial.

Below a CV of Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani:

Born into an eminent family of religious scholars in Beirut, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Kabbani is a world-renowned Muslim scholar, author, and lecturer.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani received his Islamic Law (Shariah) Degree in Syria (Damascus). He also studied deeply the subject of Islamic spirituality under two internationally renowned Naqshbandi spiritual guides, namely, Shaykh Abdullah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestani and Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut and also studied medicine in Lowain, Belgium.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani is Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), a non-profit religious organisation based in Washington DC. ISCA has spearheaded a number of peace initiatives, hosted notable conferences, actively engages in inter-religious dialogue, and promotes traditional and moderate Islamic views within and outside of USA. ISCA has addressed numerous world bodies such as the United Nations and continues to advise the United States Department of State on issues regarding Islam, religious tolerance and terrorism. The organisation was a key adviser in the formation of US foreign policy on Kosova, and has recently paved development and trade resources for Muslim-populated newly independent states of former Russia.

For many years Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has publicly condemned all acts of terrorism and the use of Islam to promote terrorist agendas. He has worked ardently to help people all over the world, from all walks of life, better understand the moderate, tolerant nature of traditional Islam, as practiced around the world.

In this role of spreading the message of Islam and peace, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has met with many heads of state like President George Bush, President Bill Clinton, President Bambang Yudhoyono (Indonesia), Vice-President Jusuf Kalla (Indonesia), Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi (Malaysia), President Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan), Prime Minister Recep Erdogan (Turkey) and many more.

BooksShaykh Hisham Kabbani writes extensively and has published the following notable books:

Through the Eye of the Needle. By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 204 pgs, 2008.
Symphony of Remembrance. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 188 pgs, 2007.
Universe Rising. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 284 pgs, 2007.
Illuminations: Compiled Lectures on Shariah and Tasawwuf. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 532 pgs, 2007.
The Sufi Science of Self-Realization. Fons Vitae, 252 pgs, 2006.
Pearls and Corals – Secrets of the Sufi Way. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 220 pgs, 2005.
Keys to the Divine Kingdom – Lessons in Classical Islam’s Spiritual Science. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 88 pgs, 2005.
Liberating the Soul – A Guide for Spiritual Growth (Volume 1). By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 360 pgs, 2002.
Liberating the Soul – A Guide for Spiritual Growth (Volume 2). By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 328 pgs, 2002.
Liberating the Soul – A Guide for Spiritual Growth (Volume 3). By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 208 pgs, 2005.
The Approach of Armageddon – An Islamic Perspective. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 292 pgs, 2003.
Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Order. Islamic Supreme Council of America, 972 pgs, 2003.
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah – His Life and Prophecy. By Hajjah Amina Adil, Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 582 pgs, 2002.
Liberating the Soul – A Guide for Spiritual Growth (Vol 1 to 3). By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2002, Vol 1 (360 pgs), Vol 2 (328 pgs), Vol 3 (190 pgs).
In the Mystic Footsteps of Saints (Vol 1 & 2). By Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (ed). Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2002.
Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine. 7 Volumes. Kazi Publications, 1998.
Volume 1 - Beliefs. 232 pgs.
Volume 2 - Remembrance of Allah and Praising the Prophet. 225 pgs.
Volume 3 - The Prophet: Commemorations, Visitation and His Knowledge of the Unseen. 191 pgs.
Volume 4 – Intercession. 181 pgs.
Volume 5 - Self-Purification and the State of Excellence. 192 pgs.
Volume 6 - Forgotten Aspects of Islamic Worship, Part 1. 177 pgs.
Volume 7 - Forgotten Aspects of Islamic Worship, Part 2. 232 pgs.
Encyclopedia of Muhammad’s Women Companions and the Traditions They Related. By Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar. Defenders Publications, 500 pgs, 1998.
Remembrance of God Liturgy of the Sufi Naqshbandi Masters. Kazi Publications, 32 pgs, 1998.
Angels Unveiled: A Sufi Perspective. Kazi Publications, 262 pgs, 1996.
The Naqshbandi Sufi Way – History and Guidebook of the Saints of the Golden Chain. Kazi Publications, 469 pgs, 1995.
Shaykh Hisham is on the boards of a number of organisations that promote the tolerance and moderation inherent in traditional Islam:
Advisor to Sufi Muslim Council (United Kingdom)
Co-Chair, Council of Muslim Leadership
Chairman, Islamic Supreme Council of America
President, The Muslim Magazine
U.S. Leader, Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order
Chairman, As-Sunnah Foundation of America
Chairman, Kamilat Muslim women’s organization
Advisor, UnityOne - an organization devoted to ending gang violence
Advisor, Human Rights Council, U.S.A. for supporting the establishment of human rights and freedom in all nations.
Advisor, American Islamic Association of Mental Health Providers.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has also addressed students and academics at many universities like Oxford, Harvard, Columbia, UC Berkeley, UCLA, McGill, Georgetown, etc.
In his ongoing efforts to unite, educate and serve Muslims, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani founded several national organisations like the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), As-Sunnah Foundation of America (ASFA), and KAMILAT (Muslim women organisation). As founder of KAMILAT, he has brought challenges faced by women and families to the forefront of Muslim consciousness. His strong commitment to gender equality and continuous support of women’s rights to education, inclusion in politics, policymaking and all levels of community affairs, paved the way for KAMILAT to co-host the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference ‘98 in Washington DC. “The Role of Women in Building the 21st Century” featured experts from around the world and a dozen panels on contemporary Muslim-specific issues. He is also founder and publisher of The Muslim Magazine, which was launched in 1998.
In addition to being interviewed by and reported on by almost every major daily newspaper in the USA, including an exclusive feature in Newsweek magazine, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has been featured on CNN, C-Span, A & E and the Odyssey Channel. His efforts have been lauded by the US Senate, the US Congress, the Governor of California, the California State Senate and the National Press Club.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has spent his life spreading the teachings of peace, tolerance, respect and love, which are the message of Islam, throughout the world. He continues to disseminate the light and peace of Islam’s spiritual dimension to people of every background, ethnicity, race and belief.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani’s mission is to spread the peaceful and beautiful Islamic teachings of the brotherhood of mankind and the Unity of belief in Allah. His efforts are directed at bringing the diverse spectrum of religions and spiritual paths into harmony and concord, in recognition of mankind’s responsibility as caretaker of this fragile planet and of one another. His arduous spiritual training of 40 years has endowed him with the sublime qualities of wisdom, light, intellect, and compassion. Shaykh Hisham Kabbani’s outreach mission is his unique contribution to the Endeavor of Humankind in reaching for its highest destiny - nearness to Allah the Almighty.

Accomplishments & Projects:

September 2006 - Keynote speaker at Journey to Ihsan - International Conference on Islamic Spirituality held in Singapore. Other international speakers include Dr Ustaz Uthman El-Muhammady (Malaysia), Shaykh Faris Abdul Maqsud (Egypt), Prof Abd al-Haqq Godlas (USA), Prof Abu Mustafa Gianotti (USA), Sis Aisha Virginia Gray (USA), Bro Aftab Malik (United Kingdom) & Ustaz Mohamed Bin Hj Ali (Singapore).
May 2006 - Keynote speaker at the International Sufi Symposium held in San Jose, California.
March 2006 - Met with staff of No 10 Downing (United Kingdom’s Prime Minister’s Office), to present his views on the situatio of Islam in the UK and Europe.
February 2006 - Met personally with U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney to present his views on the cures of Islamist radicalism.
February 2006 - Met with Ms. Fran Townshend, Assistant to the U.S. President for Homeland Security, and her deputy, Mr. Juan Zarate, to also discuss the cures for Islamist radicalism and responses to the “cartoon controversy”.
July 2005 & Jan 2006 - Held private meetings with President Susilo Bambang Yudiyono of Indonesia and Vice President Yusuf Kalla to strengthen ongoing joint projects on “Jihadi rehabilation” for Indonesian youth.
April 2005 - Met with England’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to discuss current situation of Islam in Europe.
March 2005 - Attended White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Leadership Conference and met with President Bush at a round table on the initiative.
January 2005 - Gave keynote speech at the International Sufi Booksellers conference in Florida on “Importance of Spirituality and Culture in Modern Life”; conducted book signing.
December 2004 - Chief guest and speaker “Global Challenges in Islam” Seminar, Singapore. Over three days spoke in three different religious forums. Met with Singapore’s Minister of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zainul Abidin Rasheed and officials from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).
December 2004 - Met with Rohan Gunaratna, Head of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (Singapore), to discuss methods for promoting traditional Islam and assisting to rehabilitate terrorists.
December 2004 - Principal keynote speaker and host, International Conference of Scholars and Activists, Jakarta, Indonesia under the theme “Islam & Civil Society in the 21st Century: A Path to Transformation” addressing the topic “Principles of Leadership in War & Peace” detailing the illegitimacy of terrorism and the prohibition of suicide as a means of combat in Islam. Addressed the Friday sermon at two of Jakarta’s largest mosques and hosted during the conference, HRH Prince Raja Muda Nazrin Azlan Shah, Pro-Chancellor, University of Malaya and Crown Prince of Malaysia’s state of Perak, Dato Hishammudin Tun Hussein, Malaysia’s Minister of Education, Dato Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Malaysia’s Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Shaykh Hazyim Muzadi, Head of Indonesia’s largest NGO, Nahdatul Ulama, US Ambassador B. Lynn Pascoe and other dignitaries at the conference.
December 2004 - Met with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla at his home in Jakarta to discuss issues of state.
November 2004 - Guest at the White House for the President Bush Annual Ramadan Dinner.
August 2004 - Attended Sidi Shekir Conference on “Importance of Spirituality in Human Affairs,” in Marrakech, Morocco, under the patronage HRM King Mohamad VI and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
June 2004 - Keynote speaker at the northern California-based Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center (IECRC) second annual conference.
June 2004 - Met with His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan and presented him with an invitation to Islamic leaders’ conference, Indonesia, winter 2004.
May 2004 - Keynote speaker at Universal Muslim Association of America in Washington, DC. Topic: “Extremism is inconsistent with Islam.”
May 2004 - Keynote speaker at Islamic Studies and Research of Association in Columbia, SC. Topic: “Classical Islam: religion of mercy.”
May 2004 - Keynote speaker at international religious conference in Indonesia. Met with Indonesia’s vice presidential candidates. In Malaysia met with Minister of Education His Excellency Tun Hishamuddin Hussein and with Crown Prince of Perak, HRH Raja Muda bin Azlan Shah.
April 2004 - Keynote speaker at conference, “Beyond Radical Islam?” held by LeFrak Forum and Symposium on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy at Michigan State University and the Ethics and Public Policy Center of Washington, DC.
February 2004 - Led an international delegation to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. In Thailand presented a paper at the Thailand Leadership Forum, toured Buddhist shrines and met religious leaders; Performed Celebration of Remembrance with 140,000 students in Indonesia’s Istiqlal Mosque; met privately with Malaysian Prime Minister His Excellency Dato Seri Abdallah Badawi.
January 2004 - Met with His Excellency Recep Tayyib Erdogan Prime Minister of Turkey to discuss building interfaith dialogue between US academics and scholars and their Turkish counterparts.
January 2004 - Keynote speech to annual board meeting of the American Foreign Policy Council.
December 2003 - Represented US Muslims at 3-day interfaith conference of international religious leaders held in Spain.
October 2003 - Joined President George W. Bush for Iftar at the White House. Gave the keynote address at the Nixon Center conference on Sufism and US Policy.
July and October 2003 Led two international delegation to Indonesia and Malaysia to meet with government and religious leaders as part of a campaign against religious extremism; addressed more than 100,000 Muslims in Indonesia’s Mosque Istiklal, calling for religious tolerance, and opened a new institute dedicated to teaching classical Islam.
May 2003 - Spoke at Conference on Islam and America, sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC.
May 2003 - Addressed conference of federal prison chaplains sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Ann Arbor, Michigan; warned of danger posed by extremists within federal corrections system.
January-February 2003 - Traveled across the U.S. to convene grassroots coalition meetings and community watch groups to prevent the rise of religious extremism and to promote traditional Islam.
November 2002 - Met with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, respectively, at White House and State Department events for Ramadan.
September 2002 - Met with President George W. Bush for his official Proclamation of the Days of Remembrance and Prayers September 6-9, 2002.
August 2002 - Invited as a guest of the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, to visit the republic and explore issues of religious educational development.
July 2002 - Presented a paper entitled “Understanding Sharia” at the Freedom House conference in Washington, DC, as well as a paper on “Islam and Democracy” for the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
March 2002 - Met with Asst. Secretary of Defense, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz and his staff to introduce the activities of ISCA and its promotion of moderate Islam throughout the world.
March 2002 Guest speaker at the American Society for Industrial Security on the topic of “Traditional Islam in the U.S.”
February 2002 - Signed Memorandum of Understanding with State Minister of Indonesia on the building of civil society infrastructure and the promotion of traditional Islam.
February 2002 - Met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Youth for Malaysia to discuss issues facing the Muslim world after 9-11.
September 2001 - Advised numerous government agencies on issues of national security as it relates to radical religious insurgents, both domestically and abroad.
May 2001 - Led the ISCA Asian Tour to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Japan.
April 2001 - Led a hundred-member delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan as a guest of the President of Uzbekistan.
January 2001 - Guest of Honor, Annual Meeting of the National Committee of American Foreign Policy.
October 2000 - Met with various ministers and the President of Indonesia.
September 2000 Delegate to the UNESCO conference on inter-religious dialogue in Uzbekistan.
August 2000 - Met with His Excellency President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.
April 2000 - Keynote speaker at Central Asia–Caucasus Institute (CACI) of Johns Hopkins University conference on The Emergence of Religious Extremism in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
March 2000 - Met with His Excellency President Denktash and the foreign minister of Cyprus.
January 2000 - Met with U.S. President Bill Clinton at a White House event in honor of Ramadan.
November 1999 - Joined U.S. Congressional representatives in generating nationwide support for an official stamp recognizing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
February 1, 1999 - Appointed representative of the Muslim faith for Vice President Al Gore’s conference on “Corruption in Government,” February, 1999.
January 7, 1999 - Keynote speaker at “Islamic Extremism” Open Forum at the U.S. Department of State.
January 6, 1999 - Keynote Speaker at forum on “The Evolution of Wahhabism” at Johns Hopkins University, Central Asia – Caucasus Institute.
August 7 – 9, 1998 - Chaired the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference in Washington, DC.