Muhammed Al-Ahari
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Muhammed Abdullah al-Ahari (born January 6, 1965, as Ray Allen Rudder) is an American
essayist An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
, historian, teacher, and writer on the topics of American
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
,
Black Nationalist Black nationalism is a nationalist movement which seeks representation for Black people as a distinct national identity, especially in racialized, colonial and postcolonial societies. Its earliest proponents saw it as a way to advocate for ...
groups,
heterodox In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , + , ) means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". ''Heterodoxy'' is also an ecclesiastical jargon term, defined in various ways by different religions and ...
Islamic groups,
Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
, and modern
occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...
. He has also taught at the
Islamic Foundation School The Islamic Foundation School (IFS) is a Preschool to 12th grade mosque/private school in Villa Park, Illinois. It was established in 1986, by the Islamic Foundation, Villa Park. Students are taught about Islam Islam is an Abrahamic ...
in
Villa Park, Illinois Villa Park is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage County, Illinois, United States, within the Chicago metropolitan area. The population as of the 2020 Census was 21,113. History When Ovaltine established its factory, it needed a wa ...
.


Education

Al-Ahari attended both
Charleston Southern University Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private university in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern Universit ...
and
Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 5,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Nat ...
. He then studied at the
American Islamic College American Islamic College (AIC) is a private Islamic university in Chicago, Illinois. It accepts students from all backgrounds and prepares students for leadership and policy making roles in American society; and for management and staff of Amer ...
for three years. He observed the
Sufi Orders A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the r ...
of
Bektashi Bektashism (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the wali, ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The ...
,
Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...
,
Mouride The Mouride brotherhood (, ''aṭ-Ṭarīqat al-Murīdiyyah'' or simply , ''al-Murīdiyyah'') is a large ''tariqa'' (Sufism, Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in the city of Touba, which is a holy city for t ...
,
Tijaniyyah The Tijjani order () is a Sufi Tariqa, order of Sunni Islam named after Ahmad al-Tijani. It originated in Algeria but now more widespread in Maghreb, West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Niger, ...
, the
Chishti The Chishti order () is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam named after the town of Chisht, Afghanistan where it was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami. The order was brought to Herat and later spread across South Asia by Mu'in al-Din Chishti in the city ...
, and
Ni'matullāhī The Ni'matullāhī or Ne'matollāhī () (also spelled as "Nimatollahi", "Nematollahi" or "Ni'matallahi) is a Sufi order (or ''tariqa'') originating in Iran. The order is named after its 14th century CE Sunni founder and qotb, Shah Nimatullah (N ...
. These studies and his travels to mosques and Islamic schools around the country led al-Ahari to focus on the preservation of rare pieces of American
Islamic literature Islamic literature is literature written by Muslim people, influenced by an Islamic culture, Islamic cultural perspective, or literature that portrays Islam. It can be written in any language and portray any country or region. It includes many lite ...
and the documentation of the presence of Muslims in the United States and Canada. He briefly moved back to his home state of South Carolina before returning to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1990. He attended the
American Islamic College American Islamic College (AIC) is a private Islamic university in Chicago, Illinois. It accepts students from all backgrounds and prepares students for leadership and policy making roles in American society; and for management and staff of Amer ...
for an additional two years.


Writing career

Al-Ahari began writing about the history of Islam in the United States in the 1980s and published several articles with the journals ''Minaret'' and ''Meditations''. With Magribine Press, he then published a catalogue of Arabic Slave Narratives written in the United States. Upon his move to Chicago in 1990, he published edited editions of Muhammed Alexander Rusell Webb's ''Islam in America'' (1993) and Shaykh Daoud's ''al-Islam, the True Faith of Humanity'' (2003). He attended the first
Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...
-
Bektashi Bektashism (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the wali, ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The ...
Conference in
Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...
, Turkey in 2005, where he presented a paper on the links between the
Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
and the
Bektashi Bektashism (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the wali, ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The ...
community. He has reprinted over 20 texts of early American Muslim works with his own edits and annotations. He also sometimes translates. Al-Ahari's writing has been included in anthologies such as ''Islam Outside the Arab World'' (1999). His works have also been quoted in ''(Dis)forming the American Canon: African-Arabic slave narratives'' (1993) and ''African Muslims in Antebellum America: Transatlantic Stories and Spiritual Struggles'' (1997). His work has also appeared in magazines and journals such as ''Message'', ''Islamsko Misao'', ''Islamic Horizons'', ''Indian Times'', ''
Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...
'', '' al-Basheer'', ''New Era'', ''
Muslim Journal ''Muhammad Speaks'' was a Black Muslim newspaper published in the United States. It was one of the most widely read newspapers ever produced by an African American organization. It was the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam from 1960 to 1 ...
'', ''Amexem Times and Seasons'', and ''Svijest'', among others. He has been an editor for '' Moorish Science Monitor'', ''The Islamic Cultural Center-Greater Chicago Newsletter'', and ''Meditations''. His original writings have been translated into
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
, Bosnian,
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
, and
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
. Within the Bosnian community, al-Ahari has worked as the principal of an Islamic weekend school, a librarian, a museum director, and an editor of the community newsletter, and has contributed to an edited volume of articles on the history of Bosnians in Canada and the United States. Ten of his articles appear in ''A Hundred Years of Bosnians in America'' (2006).


Personal life

One issue of ''Svijest'' has a two-page interview with al-Ahari and documents his conversion to Islam and his work on the history of Islam in America.


Selected works

Al-Ahari's annotated and edited reprints of early American Muslim texts have been used in Muslim book clubs and as supplementary texts and textbooks in several university-level classes on Islam in America. Al-Ahari's archives are housed at
DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...
. * Anthologies and Collections ** 2006: ''Five Classic Muslim Slave Narratives'', Magribine Press. This is a collection of five out-of-print or rare slave narratives. ** 2006: ''A Heritage of East and West: the writings of Shaykh Kamil Yusuf Avdich'', Magribine Press. Foreword by al-Ahari. This is a collection of 37 of Imam Kamil Avdić's English-language articles. ** 2006: ''The Islam Papers: The 1893 World Parliament of Religion'', Magribine Press. This is a collection of ten speeches on Islam given at this event. ** 2006: ''Taking Islam to the Street: The Da'wah of the Islamic Party of North America'', Magribine Press. This is an annotated edition of five pamphlets published by the Islam Party of North America. ** 2006: ''Islam in America and Other Writings of Muhammed Alexander Rusell Webb'', Magribine Press. Foreword by al-Ahari. This is a collection of three pamphlets and two speeches from Webb. ** 2011: ''Islam, the True Faith, the Religion of Humanity'', Magribine Press. A collection of Shaykh Daoud's writing. * Articles ** 1992: "Muhammad Alexander Rusell Webb." ''The Minaret'', 51–2. ** 2006: "A Hundred Years of Bosnians in America" with Senad Agic. Bosnian American Cultural Association. * Books ** 1992: ''African Muslim in Antebellum America and Their Education Theories'', Magribine Press ** 2006: ''Painting Coal Gold'', Magribine Press. ** 2011: ''The Osmanli Diaspora & the Development of an Ethnic Press'', Magribine Press. ** 2012: ''The Outline of Islam'' with Imam Adnan Balihodzic and Shaykh Kamil Avdich, Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago. * Edited and annotated works ** 2005: ''100 Seeds of Beirut — The Neglected Poetic Utterances of
Warren Tartaglia (Walid al-Taha) Warren Tartaglia (also known as Walid al-Taha) (March 13, 1944 – November 1965) was an American jazz musician, poet and one of the six founders of the Moorish Orthodox Church of America.Folsom, M."Heroin Shot Kills Youth in Hospital: Mount Ver ...
'' ** 2010: ''The Black Man, the Father of the Civilization: and other Biblical Commentary'' by Rev. James Morris Web, Magribine Press. ** 2011: ''The Voice of Islam and the Moslem World'', Magribine Press. This was an annotated edition of Muhammed Alexander Rusell Webb's newspaper from 1894 to 1895. * Translations ** 1993: ''Bilali Muhammad: Muslim Juriprudist in Antebellum Georgia'', Magribine Press. ** 2006: ''The Bektashi Pages'', trans. with Naim Frasheri and Huseyin Abiva. Babagan Press. The foreword in the translation from the Albanian-language original was written by al-Ahari. ** 2012: ''Bilali Muhammad: Muslim Juriprudist in Antebellum Georgia'' expanded and illustrated edition with Arabic text, Magribine Press.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahari, Muhammed Converts to Islam Living people 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam Northeastern Illinois University alumni Charleston Southern University alumni 1965 births Muslims from Illinois