On Tuesday, April 1, 1997, the ASFA
delegation led by as-Sayyid Shaykh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani, ASFA
Chairman, arrived in Singapore for a five-day visit. In a
whirlwind tour, the delegation met with numerous government
officials, Islamic scholars, visited numerous mosques and maqams,
and countless private homes. This visit brought light and joy to
the hearts of the Singaporean Muslims wherever ASFA Chairman,
Shaykh Hisham Kabbani went.
Shaykh Kabbani and the ASFA delegation spent the duration of their stay in the Tampines Center of the Naqshbandi Order in Singapore.
Every morning began with the murids attending tahajjud and Fajr (morning) prayer with Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. Tahajjud, salat an-najaat, salat ash-shukr, salat at-tasbih and the Naqshbandi ratib were done in congregation every morning. Shortly after sunrise, the congregation would pray salat al-ishraq and then would partake of the generous hospitality of the Naqshbandi murids as breakfast was served, Singaporean style.
The first official visit was made on Wednesday with a morning
am visit to the Honorable Minister for Community Development, Mr.
Abdullah Tarmugi, Mr. Zainul Abideen Rasheed, Member of
Parliament, President of Majlis Ugama Islamic Singapura, Hajji
Maarof, President of Majlis
Ugama Islamic Singapura, (MUIS) and the Mufti
of Singapore, His Eminence Shaykh Isa al-Semait. The minister was
extremely happy to meet with the shaykh and to obtain his views
on how Islam can be protected and promoted in an environment
where Muslims are the minority. Shaykh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani
explained the successful da`wah work in the US and the rapid
spread of Islam there.The officials present were highly impressed
with Shaykh Hisham's work in the US and questioned him closely on
matters pertaining to inter-religious harmony, reformation of
prisoners and drug addiction.Since both Singapore Muslims and US
Muslims are minorities in a modern non-Muslim nation there were
many common areas to exchange notes.
What impressed the Singaporeans most about ASFA was its
moderation and tolerance for people of other faiths. In fact
western media reports gave the impression that Muslim groups in
the US tend to be self-centred and intolerant. So much was
discussed that the original fifteen minutes allotted to the
courtesy call was extended to almost an hour by the kind
permission of the Minister.
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The Honorable Minister for Community Development, Mr. Abdullah Tarmugi (right), the Honorable Mr. Zainul Abideen Rasheed, Member of Parliament, meet with Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Chairman of ASFA. |
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Group photo left to right: the Honorable Mr. Zainul Abideen Rasheed, Member of Parliament, Mr. Mohammed Khan, President of Muslim Networks, His Eminence Shaykh Isa al-Semait, Mufti of Singapore, Honorable Minister for Community Development, Mr. Abdullah Tarmugi, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Hajji Maarof President of MUIS (right of Shaykh Kabbani) and Mr. Mateen Siddiqui, General Secretary of ASFA (far right). |
After this meeting and exchange of gifts, the ASFA delegation
was then hosted to a lovely Singaporean lunch at the Ministry.
After lunch, Dhuhr salat (noon prayer) was
observed in the mosque next door to the Ministry. This was
followed with a visit by the ASFA delegation to the Inter
Religious Organization of Singapore, which was conducting
its monthly meeting at the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura--the
Islamic Ministry of Singapore. There, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani was
introduced by Mr. Zainuddin Ismail and gave a lecture to the
audience of a good group of attendees. 
WARITA - newsletter of MUIS |
Members of the IRO, representing all the major religions in Singapore listened with great interest to Shaykh Hisham's talk on religious harmony. A lively discussion followed which could not be completed in the appointed time and had to be continued during the reception. Each of the religious leaders present spontaneously stood up and expressed their appreciation to the Shaykh. All were surprised to know that Islam is a religion of love and tolerance, as it was the first time that this aspect has been so eloquently presented to them by an Islamic scholar.
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His Eminence, the Mufti of
Singapore
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Shaykh Hisham
Kabbani addresses
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Shaykh Hisham
presents a book
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Among the officials representing various religions were the Mufti Shaykh Isa al-Semait, a couple of Bhuddist monks, a Sikh and a Hindu representative. Tokens from the IRO were presented to each of the guests. The Inter-Religious Organisation was founded in the '40s by Maulana Muhammad 'Abdul Aleem Siddique, a great wali, who also founded the All Malaya Muslim Missionary Society in 1931 and who was the first Muslim "missionary" to travel around the globe a number of times to spread the word of Allah. Thousands embraced Islam at his hands including the well known thinker Maria Levinskya and her husband the nuclear scientist Dr.Antonoff. It was of him that George Bernard Shaw said "You are truly a sage" (Ref: "Shavian and Theologian " published by Genuine Islam and World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi). An interesting account of Maulana Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddique's great work for Islam is found in the account of his world tour written by Dr. Tahir's bin Ahmad's father - Professor Dr.Ahmad bin Ibrahim presently at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
This visit was followed by a visit to the Singaporean Shariah High Court's President, Hajji Sallim Jasman. The group sat in briefly to attend a short judgment, visited the High Court offices and then left the Ministry to return for an afternoon's rest at the guest home.
Shaykh Hisham and
ASFA delegation visit
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That evening, a huge dinner was hosted in the home of Mr. Ibrahim Abdur Rahman, CEO of Bakery Junction, Ltd. There Shaykh Hisham Kabbani gave a talk on spirituality and Islam and then led the group in dhikrullah.
Men gather for a
group photo after
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The next day was busy as well from morning prayers, followed by a number of important business appointments during the daytime between the ASFA delegation and some Singaporean entrepreneurs. That afternoon the group visited with a very active da`ee Tawfiq Khan. Though extremely disabled due to a stroke, and walking with great difficulty, Tawfiq has done pioneering work in the far distant villages of Indonesia, far from settled areas and "civilization". His tremendous efforts have brought about the conversion of hundreds from animism to Islam. Tawfiq was very happy to spend time with Shaykh Hisham and to learn about the methods of da`wah used in America.
Also that morning, Shaykh Hisham and other members of the ASFA delegation were interviewed by the premier Malay/Muslim newspaper 'Berita Harian' The reporter had intended to write a short story about the visiting scholar but was so impressed with the Shaykh's answers to his many probing questions that the interview resulted in an extensive two-page feature (soon to be translated into English) with a whopping 100 column inches of write-up. Rarely has the newspaper given such a huge play up to a visiting religious personality.
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Sitting to a traditional Islamic Singaporean meal. |
That night, the delegation attended a group dinner for the Naqshbandi tariqat hosted at the lovely home of Dr. Tahir bin Ahmad. There many people from all levels of Singaporean society were introduced to Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and the ASFA delegation, including Shaykh Abdul Maqsud, a well-known Egyptian scholar graduated from Azhar and who acts as the Representative of the University of Azhar in Singapore.
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Shaykh Abdul
Maqsud al-Azhari ash-Shafi`i al-`Ashari, representative of al-Azhar University of Egypt, discusses with Shaykh Hisham Kabbani the state of the Muslim community in Singapore |
Friday was another busy day from the outset, beginning with tahajjud prayers. Breakfast at the guest home was followed by a visit (ziarah) to the maqam (final resting place) of the great majdhub As-Syed Noh bin Muhammad Al-Habashi fondly referred to by Singaporeans simply as Habib Noh 'The Saint of Singapore'.
Situated on a low hill, sandwiched between the sea and Singapore's downtown business district, this shrine--clad in moss-green mosaic and topped with a majestic dome--stands out like a beacon beaming its baraka on Singapore and neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.
This maqam is famous for the events surrounding the attempts to remove it. Tales from WWII have it that the Japanese used to bomb any part of Singapore which contained any man-made structures. In order to pinpoint targest, they would send planes to take aerial reconnaissance photos. However, never during the war did they bomb the tomb or near it. Later they were questioned on this. They replied: "our photos never showed anything in the location of what you say is a tomb--they only showed jungle!"
More recently plans were made to build a superhighway in the area. The most direct route for the highway lay across the location of the tomb, so the Singaporean government made plans to move the tomb. However, after consulting the Muslim community, the government showed their extreme sensitivity to its concerns and decided not to remove the maqam. Instead, they went to great expense to make an elongated detour in the highway in order to avoid the high maqam perched on a tall hill overlooking downtown.
At the
top of the steps of the maqam of
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At the blessed site the ASFA delegation was led by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani in prayers for the soul of the deceased saint--a clear sign from Allah that "My Friends are they on whom is no fear nor shall they grieve." (Yunus, 62).
Shaykh
Hisham Kabbani and the Imam of
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After the ziarah, the group headed to the tallest building in Singapore--the UOB Plaza Building. There in the basement is a large mosque for the office-workers in the area. Shaykh Hisham Kabbani was introduced to the Imam, Dr. Abdur Rahman of the Moulana Mohammed Ali Mosque by MP Zainul Abideen Rasheed. He then gave the pre-khutba talk and the Jumu`ah sermon to a capacity crowd that overflowed the mosque's auditorium and spilled into the passageways leading to the underground mosque. People were jostling and peering over shoulders to catch a view of Shaykh Hisham. Muslims of every colour and national origin listened as Shaykh Hisham expounded on their favourite subject - Mahabatur Rasul - love of the Prophet (s). Muslims in Southeast Asia are known for their great love for the Prophet and this subject rang a happy chord in their hearts. After the sermon, the Shaykh spent time meeting the members of the masjid's congregation and making du`a and prayers for shif`a (healing).
Shaykh
Kabbani delivers a stirring Jumu'ah sermon
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Saturday was another very busy day. Again beginning with the usual tahajjud and Fajr prayers, breakfast was held in the home of Shaykh Zakariya Bagharib, one of the Naqshbandi representatives in Singapore. Breakfast was followed by a visit to the home of Shaykh `Umar al-Khatib, aged 91. A master of Shafi`i fiqh, Shaykh `Umar is consulted for fatwas from around the world, and is considered the highest authority in Shafi`i fiqh in all of Southeast Asia (the majority of whose 250 million Muslims follow the Shafi`i school of jurisprudence). Shaykh `Umar al-Khatib was very pleased to meet with ASFA Chairman Shaykh Kabbani and to be presented by him with the books he has written about Ahl as-Sunna wal-Jama`at beliefs and practice..
Shaykh
Hisham Kabbani discusses a
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Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and some of the delegation then left for the Singapore Airport to greet Malaysian prince HRH Raja Ashman bin Azlan Shah, who had come to Singapore to visit some friends.
HRH
Raja Ashman Shah
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Shaykh
Hisham Kabbani and
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Lunch was held at the home of MuhammadYusoff. Then Shaykh Hisham Kabbani returned to the Naqshbandi Center to provide consultation with families and individuals, requests for du`a and his special prayers.
The evening found the group at the private residence of MP Zaynul Abideen Rasheed. In attendance were HRH Raja Ashman bin Azlan Shah, His Eminence Isa al-Semait, mufti of Singapore, as-Sayyid Shaykh Hassan `Umar al-`Attas, Imam of one of the largest Singaporean mosques--Masjid Ba-alawi and its madrasa.
MP
Zainul Abideen Rasheed and
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Group
photo at the home of
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The next day, though the last of the visit was no less hectic than former ones. Again beginning with tahajjud and Fajr, the day began with dhikrullah, prayer and du'a. This was followed by the usual excellent repast provided by the generous murids. The entire group then set off for the Qubur Kassim Zawiya. Shaykh Hisham was greeted by Shaykh Ghani of the Chisti-Qadiri order. Shaykh Hisham gave a talk on the purpose of tasawwuf/Sufism--the station of Ihsan and tazkiyyat an-nafs (purification of the soul). There in a beautiful jungle setting, dhikr was held in the small, crowded but spiritually blessed center of the Chisti-Qadiri Order. A wonderful and delicious lunch was then served by the zawiya staff.
Shaykh Hisham leads invocation for a Naqshbandi Qadiri Chisti shaykh at the Qubur Kassim maqam |
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Shaykh Hisham leads dhikrullah at the Qubur Kassim zawiya. On the shaykh's left is HRH Raja Ashaman bin Azlan Shah and on his right is Chisti-Qadiri Shaykh Abdul Ghani |
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| Group photo at the Qubur Kassim zawiya |  |
It was then off for a last visit to Tawfiq Khan's home and from there to the airport as the group departed Singapore, leaving behind many happy hearts, saddened only to see the Shaykh and his entourage leave after such a blessed visit.
Singapore Newspaper 'Berita Harian'
Reports on Shaykh Hisham
ASFA Delegation's Indonesia
Tour