Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani is a very courageous ‘alim in spreading the teachings of Islam. He is the Chairman of As-Sunnah Foundation of America (ASFA). He has traveled to Hollywood, not to become a film star, but rather, for doing da’wah, and he is assisted by his staff who are experts in computer technology.
Mr. Mateen Siddiqui is a software engineer who is also the Secretary General of ASFA. He has assisted Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani to utilize the computer technology in his da’wah efforts.
Please follow the experience of Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani on this page and the experience of Mr. Siddiqui on the next page. Report made by Nizam Ismail.
Da’wah Will Correct The Image Of Islam In America
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani:"Islam has great potential to grow" "I always emphasize that Islam is the religion of peace and love. However this image has been destroyed not only by the Western press, but also due to the mistakes of the Muslims themselves. We must show that the actual practices of Islam are: the happy marriage without divorce; the happy family; teenagers who do not be the drugs addicts; and other excellent Islamic traits. The young generation in America must also be guided to be good engineers, doctors and scientists. The main message is that, Islam is not a way for rebellion and terror." - Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, the Founder of As-Sunnah Foundation of America (ASFA). |
Almost every week, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani visits Beverly Hills and Hollywood, California, United States of America. Beverly Hills, the place where many actors live, has also been the place for his Islamic da’wah for about 7 years now.
"Now there are some famous Hollywood actors who study Islam. However, I cannot mention their names because I also have to take care of their right to privacy as artists. At this time, spreading the names of the actors who study Islam about is not a wise think to do, because Hollywood is organized by non-Muslims," Shaykh Hisham Kabbani said in an interview during his recent visit to Singapore.
Nevertheless, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani did not mind giving an example of two celebrities who recently became interested in Islam. They are:
O.J. Simpson, the former champion of American football, who has taken the world attention in the murder case of his wife in 1994, now studying Islam from Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani.
Jiacomo Forbes, the famous hairstylist (his clients are among others the super-model Cindy Crawford and the film star Sharon Stone), has embraced Islam by the support of Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani.
However, the da’wah effort of this 50-year-old Lebanese ‘alim is not only limited focused on the film stars. His da’wah efforts in developing the As-Sunnah Foundation of America (ASFA) is based on two approaches as follows:
- By educating, including the efforts to give the proper understanding of the religion of Islam to the public in the United States.
- By doing da’wah to special interest groups, such as the residents of Hollywood, academic groups, university students, employees in Silicon Valley and even the prisoners in jails.
In addition, the ASFA also makes the effort to provide financial assistance to the needy in Muslim society.
Regarding his da’wah activity in prisons, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani shared his experience of when 500 prisoners converted to Islam, all together at the same time.
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani has a BS degree in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut and a Medical Degree from Louvain, Belgium. And he has a degree in Shari’ah from University of Al-Azhar [of Damascus]. Therefore, his main approach to da’wah is based on the science and technology.
About his immigration to America, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani explains that he has chosen Silicon Valley in California as his place to live and the center of his da’wah.
"Silicon Valley is the center of the computer industry. This place of technology can be used to do Islamic da’wah by using the Internet," explained Shaykh Hisham Kabbani.
Why did Shaykh Kabbani choose America as a place for his da’wah?
He answered: "I decided to immigrate to the United States because in my home-country Islam has been long established. In the United Stated, I found that many people still do not even recognize Islam, and I feel that this is a part of my responsibility and obligation to introduce Islam to them."
Shaykh Hisham added further that according to informal sources in the United States there are about 8 to 9 million Muslims.
Shaykh
Kabbani Interview