As-Sabiqun
Encyclopedia
The As-Sabiqun is an American
Muslim
organization under the leadership of founder Imam Abdul Alim Musa
, based in Washington DC and with branches in Oakland
(led by speaker and activist Amir Abdul Malik Ali), Philadelphia, Los Angeles
, San Diego
, and Sacramento
.
Abdul Alim Musa
in the early 1990s at the Masjid Al-Islam mosque
in Oakland, California
. The name As-Sabiqun, is approximately translated from Arabic as "the vanguard". The inspiration for the name comes from the verse in the Quran (9:100):
"The vanguard (of Islam) - the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of Those who gave them aid and (also) Those who follow them in good deeds. - Well pleased is Allah
with them. As they are with Him. For them hath He prepared Gardens under which rivers flow. To dwell therein for ever. That is the Supreme Felicity."
The organizational leadership has delivered numerous speeches in the United States
and abroad, offering its analysis and contributing its efforts to solving contemporary problems in the Muslim world and in urban America. The group's paramount goal is the establishment of a modern Islamic state, or Caliphate
, governed by shariah (Islamic law
).
Imam Musa has indicated a dedication to avoid what he calls an "absolutist" outlook on the advancement of Muslims. For example, while he does not advocate participation in the American political process as an ideal method for advancing Islamic issues in the US, he does not criticize groups who do. The As-Sabiqun philosophy stresses unity between the various Islamic organizations, regardless of methods, in the attainment of common goals. Cooperation on domestic social issues with like-minded non-Muslim groups is also encouraged, as long as Islamic ethics and morality are not compromised. Additionally, although the As-Sabiqun is a Sunni movement, they have publicly voiced support for Shia movements and organizations such as the 1979 Iranian Revolution
and Hizbullah. Imam Musa has repeatedly stressed that the tendency by some Muslims to focus on the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam at this juncture in history is counterproductive to the goals of the Islamic movement as a whole.
of Muhammad
. Leadership stresses a "do for self" methodology, similar to the Nation of Islam
, a group many As-Sabiqun members were formerly affiliated with before accepting orthodox Islam. The inspiration for this concept is based on the Quranic verse:
“Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)” (13: 11)
Imam Abdul Alim Musa has recommended a list of five "Things to do Now", to facilitate personal development, which include:
Daily Islamic studies
classes are given at the various As-Sabiqun masajid (mosques) across the country on a variety of topics including fiqh
, hadith
, Quran, seerah, strengthening family relations and analysis of contemporary political events. In addition, the As-Sabiqun movement runs an Islamic elementary school which provides students with both religious and secular education. They also provide youth mentorship, community food drives (especially during Ramadan), a prison outreach program, and employment assistance for ex-convicts.
One of As-Sabiqun’s major ongoing projects is its support of Jamil Al-Amin, once known as H. Rap Brown. Al-Amin was a Minister of Justice for the Black Panther Party
in the 1960s, currently serving a life sentence for the March 2000 murder of Georgia
sheriff's deputy, Ricky Kinchen. As-Sabiqun believes that Al-Amin was falsely targeted and convicted based on the United States' "effort to undermine his lifelong commitment to realizing comprehensive social justice in America and all that it implies."
The group also speaks on college campuses (notably UC Irvine) against Israel
and Jewish Americans and in support of Hamas
, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (see below). Malik Ali expressed contempt for the two-state solution
. Furthermore, Malik Ali supported the notion of "jihad on the UCI campus." In response, UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake
issued a statement condemning Malik Ali's "remarks supporting terrorism [as] deplorable."
(ADL) describes the Sabiqun as an "anti-Semitic Muslim group that advocates for the creation of a global Islamic state" and notes that their leaders have recently become popular speakers on college and university campuses and that they use that platform to promote hostility toward Israel and American Jews.
The ADL and various other organizations have characterized statements attributed to the leaders of the As-Sabiqun organization, and specifically to their leaders Imams Amir Abdul Malik Ali and Abdul Alim Musa, as anti-Semitic. According to the ADL, Malik Ali has suggested numerous times that Jews control the media, government, and economy of the United States. He also expressed support for the conspiracy theory that Israel was responsible for the September 11 attacks.
On March 13, 2010, Malik Ali, as a guest of the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine, gave a speech on the campus and made remarks advancing his belief that Jews were involved in the execution of the September 11 attacks, as well as indicating his support for the Hamas
(a group listed on the U.S. State Department's as a terrorist organization), and for the destruction of the State of Israel. Many, including administrators at UCI, considered this an "endorsement of terrorism."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organization under the leadership of founder Imam Abdul Alim Musa
Abdul Alim Musa
Imam Abdul Alim Musa is a Muslim American activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought and a well-known speaker around the world...
, based in Washington DC and with branches in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
(led by speaker and activist Amir Abdul Malik Ali), Philadelphia, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, and Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
.
History
The organization was created by African-American Muslim convert ImamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Abdul Alim Musa
Abdul Alim Musa
Imam Abdul Alim Musa is a Muslim American activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought and a well-known speaker around the world...
in the early 1990s at the Masjid Al-Islam mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. The name As-Sabiqun, is approximately translated from Arabic as "the vanguard". The inspiration for the name comes from the verse in the Quran (9:100):
"The vanguard (of Islam) - the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of Those who gave them aid and (also) Those who follow them in good deeds. - Well pleased is Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
with them. As they are with Him. For them hath He prepared Gardens under which rivers flow. To dwell therein for ever. That is the Supreme Felicity."
The organizational leadership has delivered numerous speeches in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and abroad, offering its analysis and contributing its efforts to solving contemporary problems in the Muslim world and in urban America. The group's paramount goal is the establishment of a modern Islamic state, or Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
, governed by shariah (Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
).
Imam Musa has indicated a dedication to avoid what he calls an "absolutist" outlook on the advancement of Muslims. For example, while he does not advocate participation in the American political process as an ideal method for advancing Islamic issues in the US, he does not criticize groups who do. The As-Sabiqun philosophy stresses unity between the various Islamic organizations, regardless of methods, in the attainment of common goals. Cooperation on domestic social issues with like-minded non-Muslim groups is also encouraged, as long as Islamic ethics and morality are not compromised. Additionally, although the As-Sabiqun is a Sunni movement, they have publicly voiced support for Shia movements and organizations such as the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
and Hizbullah. Imam Musa has repeatedly stressed that the tendency by some Muslims to focus on the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam at this juncture in history is counterproductive to the goals of the Islamic movement as a whole.
Activities
The group encourages social-political advancement concurrent with a program of spiritual and moral development according to the Quran and SunnahSunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Leadership stresses a "do for self" methodology, similar to the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
, a group many As-Sabiqun members were formerly affiliated with before accepting orthodox Islam. The inspiration for this concept is based on the Quranic verse:
“Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)” (13: 11)
Imam Abdul Alim Musa has recommended a list of five "Things to do Now", to facilitate personal development, which include:
- Spend at least thirty minutes a day reading the Quran. The early morning after fajr is the best time for framing the word of Allah.
- Always be equitable in all situations. Never allow anger to make you forget your merits, nor let affection and pleasure blind you to defects. Don't allow disputes to make you ungrateful. Always speak the truth no matter how painful it is, even if it is against the people dearest to you.
- Strive to make your daily life Islamic in every aspect (legal, educational, social, economic, in your greetings and language)
- Strive against your own soul until it is under your full control. Lower your gaze, control your emotions and direct your sexual urge to decent and lawful outlets.
- Call others to Islam. Familiarize your leadership with your activities and never undertake any actions without first consulting your leadership. Keep yourself in constant spiritual contact with your community and always consider yourself a soldier in the barracks awaiting a command.
Daily Islamic studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
classes are given at the various As-Sabiqun masajid (mosques) across the country on a variety of topics including fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, Quran, seerah, strengthening family relations and analysis of contemporary political events. In addition, the As-Sabiqun movement runs an Islamic elementary school which provides students with both religious and secular education. They also provide youth mentorship, community food drives (especially during Ramadan), a prison outreach program, and employment assistance for ex-convicts.
One of As-Sabiqun’s major ongoing projects is its support of Jamil Al-Amin, once known as H. Rap Brown. Al-Amin was a Minister of Justice for the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
in the 1960s, currently serving a life sentence for the March 2000 murder of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
sheriff's deputy, Ricky Kinchen. As-Sabiqun believes that Al-Amin was falsely targeted and convicted based on the United States' "effort to undermine his lifelong commitment to realizing comprehensive social justice in America and all that it implies."
The group also speaks on college campuses (notably UC Irvine) against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Jewish Americans and in support of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (see below). Malik Ali expressed contempt for the two-state solution
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
. Furthermore, Malik Ali supported the notion of "jihad on the UCI campus." In response, UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake
Michael V. Drake
Michael V. Drake is an American physician and current chancellor of the University of California, Irvine .-Early years:...
issued a statement condemning Malik Ali's "remarks supporting terrorism [as] deplorable."
Allegations of Anti-Semitism
The Anti-defamation leagueAnti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
(ADL) describes the Sabiqun as an "anti-Semitic Muslim group that advocates for the creation of a global Islamic state" and notes that their leaders have recently become popular speakers on college and university campuses and that they use that platform to promote hostility toward Israel and American Jews.
The ADL and various other organizations have characterized statements attributed to the leaders of the As-Sabiqun organization, and specifically to their leaders Imams Amir Abdul Malik Ali and Abdul Alim Musa, as anti-Semitic. According to the ADL, Malik Ali has suggested numerous times that Jews control the media, government, and economy of the United States. He also expressed support for the conspiracy theory that Israel was responsible for the September 11 attacks.
On March 13, 2010, Malik Ali, as a guest of the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine, gave a speech on the campus and made remarks advancing his belief that Jews were involved in the execution of the September 11 attacks, as well as indicating his support for the Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
(a group listed on the U.S. State Department's as a terrorist organization), and for the destruction of the State of Israel. Many, including administrators at UCI, considered this an "endorsement of terrorism."
See also
- Crescent InternationalCrescent InternationalCrescent International is an international news magazine of the global Islamic movement that is affiliated with the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought. It is published in Canada, South Africa and Pakistan, and also distributed from London and Nigeria...
- Kalim SiddiquiKalim SiddiquiKalim Siddiqui, Ph.D. was an Indian British writer and Islamic activist.-Early life:Siddiqui was born in the village of Dondi Lohara, CP, British India on September 15, 1931...
- Abdul Alim MusaAbdul Alim MusaImam Abdul Alim Musa is a Muslim American activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought and a well-known speaker around the world...
- Siraj Wahaj
- W.D. Muhammad
- Jamil Al-Amin
- Hamid AlgarHamid AlgarHamid Algar is a British-American Professor Emeritus of Persian studies at the Faculty of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley. He is a prolific writer on Persian and Arabic literature and contemporary history of Iran, Turkey, the Balkans and Afghanistan.Hamid Algar was born in...