About the author

Suhaib Webb

Suhaib Webb

Suhaib Webb is a contemporary American-Muslim educator, activist, and lecturer. His work bridges classical and contemporary Islamic thought, addressing issues of cultural, social and political relevance to Muslims in the West. After converting to Islam in 1992, Webb left his career in the music industry to pursue his passion in education. He earned a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and received intensive private training in the Islamic Sciences under a renowned Muslim Scholar of Senegalese descent. Webb was hired as the Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, where he gave khutbas (sermons), taught religious classes, and provided counselling to families and young people; he also served as an Imam and resident scholar in communities across the U.S.

From 2004-2010, Suhaib Webb studied at the world’s preeminent Islamic institution of learning, Al-Azhar University, in the College of Shari`ah. During this time, after several years of studying the Arabic Language and the Islamic legal tradition, he also served as the head of the English Translation Department at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah.

Outside of his studies at Al-Azhar, Suhaib Webb completed the memorization of the Quran in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He has been granted numerous traditional teaching licenses (ijazat), adhering to centuries-old Islamic scholarly practice of ensuring the highest standards of scholarship. Webb was named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in 2010.

11 Comments

  • JAK for another wonderful speech. Totally agree about Muslims today wanting the dumb way of learning Islam. Its not like they cant understand the more detailed things, its just that they dont like putting the energy into such things, thinking that the dumb approach is sufficient… Very sad. Keep pounding them Imam Suhaib

    Wsalams

  • Thanks ya Sheikhana.

    On a different matter, I know of a Muslim man who hates his non-Muslim family/people and community. He lives in a Muslim majority country and therefore always humiliates and insults his people. It has become a pattern. This has created a lot of enmity between him and his people and they loathe him, very much. I think Islam does not encourage such behaviour. I would like to advise him through a letter, however, I need some examples (past and present) of Muslim men/women from non-Muslim families/people/states who were kind to their people and helped them either convert to Islam or at least understand it and thus became friends.

    Thank you.

    • Salaam alaikm

      An example in the past is Abu Hurayra (ra). His mother even cursed the Prophet (pbuh) but he never mistreated her. He instead asked the Prophet (pbuh) to pray for her, and alhamdillah she accepted Islam. [story narrated in Muslim] But the point to take is that he never mistreated her.

      A modern example is sister Aminah Assilmi (may Allah have mercy on her):
      http://www.famousmuslims.com/Aminah%20Assilmi.htm
      “By accepting Islam, she became a changed person, and a much better person. So much so that her family, relatives, and people around her started appreciating her mannerism and the faith that brought about such changes in her. Despite her family’s initial reaction, she remained in touch with them and addressed them with respect and humility, just as the Qur’an enjoins the Muslims to do. She would send cards to her parents on different occasions, but she would always write down a verse from the Qur’an or the Hadith without mentioning the source of such beautiful words of wisdom. It was not long before she started making a positive influence among her family members.

      The first to become Muslim was her grand mother. She was over 100 years old….”

  • i enjoyed and benefitted from the lecture, as much as I used to back from the small pulput in edmond mosque. just curious to know who was the sheikh that was present duing the conversion of Brother Suhaib?

  • SubhanAllah – excellent advice in this speech! definitely something to remember:

    Again and again and again, the scholars, regardless of time or place have concluded a simple message: the goal of Islam is to bring what benefits humanity and what prevents harm. (~15:00)

    “As a young Muslim, living in America, that has a profound set of overtones for you, that your JOB is to bring benefit to EVERYONE, indiscriminately of who they are.” (19:27)

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