Autobiography of an Azharite American: From the Nile to the Potomac

Abstract

It is now approximately ten years since I resigned. Soon, I will be 87 years old. Will I live until 89 as my father did? Only Allah knows. In my life, and especially in my duties as Imam, I strove to be a model of good behavior and an embodiment of the Islamic virtues of patience, endurance, forgiveness, and clemency. I do not mean to imply that I am endowed with all of these meritorious qualities. Rather, I humbly plead to Almighty Allah to forgive my shortcomings and failures. Looking back, I am awed by my journey from an impoverished village in Egypt to oil-rich Kuwait, the United Kingdom, multi-racial Malaysia and New York City, America’s power hub: Washington, D.C., the United Arab Emirates, and back to Malaysia. I hope my stories may relate the differences of my experiences due to history and locale, while underlining the common humanity of all of us. The Noble Qur’an undermines any stark opposition set between the East and the West: “To God belongs the East and the West.” Amen.