الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم:

Disclaimer: I will be mentioning lots of people and organisations by name; I have not been asked by anyone to mention themselves or talk about their organisations.

“We cannot go back the same.”

This was Imam Tom Facchine's message to us before the summit had started. Right after Salatul Fajr every morning, a different Imam would give a small reminder, and for the first reminder of the summit, Imam Tom’s message was simple; it took us this long to get the bright and active minds of the Dawah in the West together under one roof, we cannot waste this opportunity and take it for granted. We cannot go back the same. Things must change. We must change.

The Purpose of the Prophetic Strategy Summit

The Prophetic Strategy Summit (TPSS) in Malaysia was not your standard mega event where all your favourite speakers got together to give nice Imaan boosting speeches and you go home in a spiritual daze. It was not created with the intention to give the attendees temporary motivation, rather it was created to transform the thinking and behaviour of the attendees, so that once the summit ended, people weren’t just motivated, they were intrinsically driven to create change.

Ustadh Mazen Fahme, the 'big boss’ as everyone called him (presumably because of his big heart and his big vision for the Ummah) said in the opening speech of the summit, “If you believe, then truly believe.”

There are many different ways to understand this statement. I understood this to mean that if you believe in the Ummah’s ability to change, then you must commit to this belief by contributing whatever is in your capacity to do so to help bring change.

An Ummah Under One Roof

It is difficult to concisely capture the information espoused in the 40+ sessions we had in addition to the countless conversations we had outside of the sessions with other delegates. We met people from the UK, USA, Ghana, South Africa, Morrocco, Taiwan, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Pakistan, Sydney, and I can go on and on. All shades of the Ummah were present for the objective of, after obtaining the pleasure of Allah, how we can contribute to the revival and strengthening of this Ummah. I recall a hadith of the beloved ﷺ where he says:

 إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا وَشَبَّكَ أَصَابِعَهُ

“Verily, the believers are like bricks of a building, each part strengthening the other,” and the Prophet clasped his fingers together.

I felt this hadith come to life whilst I was at the summit as I saw people from very successful careers, showcase what they had given up or walked away from to follow the guidance Allah placed in their hearts in using their skills and resources to create something for the Ummah.

Examples of Purpose-Driven Work

Yusuf Omar – Media for the Oppressed

An example of this is founder of social media platform Seen.TV, Yusuf Omar. He mentioned in his presentation that his company was profiting and growing rapidly from when they started in the late 2010’s till 2023… then October 7 happened. Seen.TV began to showcase the stories of the victims of the genocide from themselves and soon after, his clients began to distance themselves with one emailing to say “We see a lot of Pro-Palestine content. We are not interested in supporting terrorism.”

He said he went from ‘0’ Muslims clients before October 7, to now 80% of his clients being Muslim as a result of different Muslim organisations partnering up with him. He had a platform, a successful and active one, that was not too focused on the stories of Muslims but Allah willed it to be such that he would use this platform to eventually amplify the voices of the oppressed to people that otherwise would be heedless of their reality. Yusuf is one of many people that I met (though not for the first time as he does live in Queensland!) that took the skills and experience they had and turned it into something they could use to benefit the Ummah with.

Dr Waleed Kaddous – Muslims and the AI Revolution

Another example was Dr Waleed Kaddous who presented a ‘Masterclass’ on how to utilise and maximise AI to our (Muslims) advantage. Dr Kaddous previously worked for Uber and Google as a senior engineer, so he’s well accomplished in his field. All throughout his talk, he pleaded with the Muslims to make sure we stay on top of AI developments. He shared a brief history Muslims have with technology over the past century (see figure below).

The general trend that he highlighted was that initially, Muslims would completely reject new technology, but years sometimes even decades after its peak, we would adopt and wholeheartedly accept the technology. By that time, we could be nothing but consumers as all the innovation and ownership was in the hands of everyone else. But with AI, it is a technology that is in its infancy and if we don’t move now to be the ones that shape AI’s future, then its future and how it interacts with Muslims will be shaped by others who do not have the interests of Muslims in mind. Dr Kaddous’ contribution to this was to build ‘Ansari Chat’, a Muslim AI chatbot that will answer most, if not all your Islamic related questions.

Furthermore, Dr Kaddous also mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ was not shy to use new technologies or ways of thinking. He mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ getting the companions to write down the Quran through the use of a “Qalam” was him embracing a ‘technology’ that was not widespread or commonly used (as the Arabs relied more on oral tradition as opposed to written records). By the companions using a ‘Qalam’ to write down the Quran either for their own copies or to distribute it, the outcome was that the Muslims were setting the trend for the use of this piece of 'technology’ in their society. He also mentioned the Prophet ﷺ using a seal to stamp letters that were written on his behalf, a practice once again not common amongst the Arabs of the time. Additionally, the use of the trench during the Battle of Ahzab in 5AH was another adoption of a ‘new way to think’, one which bewildered the attacking Arab tribes as they had no idea how to overcome it, leading to their eventual defeat. Dr Kaddous is yet another example of an expert in his field, using his talents to educate and empower the Ummah.

Imam Abdullah Cheng – Reviving the Chinese Muslim Community

I also met people doing incredible work from places we would not expect much to be happening. I would go as far as saying they are engaging in the tajdid (revival) of Islam in their respective places. Take Abdullah Cheng for example. A young Taiwanese (ethnically Chinese) Muslim, someone who through pure Qadr I saw a brief video of a week or so before the summit. In it he discussed his goal to bring the aging and distant Chinese Muslim community in Taiwan back to their deen. The Muslim community in Taiwan is growing, but not natively, rather through immigration, alhamdulillah. However Abdullah remembers how active the Chinese Muslims were back in his childhood, only for them to slowly disappear over the years. When he mentioned this to me, it clicked in my mind that I had seen him in a video a few days previously.

My appreciation for him grew tenfold as his modest demeanor and humble character did not fully reveal the mountainous responsibility and vision he shouldered. A lesson that can be extracted from this is that Allah chooses whom He wills to support His deen, and for Abdullah, he could not have perceived that he would be in the position that he is currently in, which is being one of the Imams in Taipei Grand Mosque. It also shows that when you see a problem in your community, and you approach it with sincerity, Allah will elevate you and support you in confronting that issue.

Sheikh Mohammad Idrissi – The Islamic University in Spain

Another person who is reviving a community, a historical community, is Sheikh Mohammad Idrissi. Hailing from Cordoba (Qurtuba), Spain, Sheikh Mohammad is the founder of the Islamic University of Spain, the first Islamic university in Spain in almost 700 years! Me being in my Andalusian history era, could not emotionally process this news. In his poem reflecting on Muslim Spain, Allamah Muhammad Iqbal writes:

پوشیدہ تری خاک میں سجدوں کے نشاں ہیں
خاموش اذانیں ہیں تری بادِ سحَر میں

Prints of prostration lie hidden in your dust,
Silent calls to prayers in your morning air.

Upon meeting Sheikh Mohammad and hearing about his endeavours, I saw the prints of prostration renewed in the Masjid of Cordoba, I heard the morning air of Granada once again be filled with loud calls to prayer. The tragedy that was Muslim Spain no longer remained a tragedy, for the story was not over. A new chapter was being written. I was ready to help out in any way, just as Iqbal lamented 90 years ago:

پھر تیرے حسینوں کو ضرورت ہے حِنا کی؟
باقی ہے ابھی رنگ مرے خُونِ جگر میں!

Is more henna needed by your pretties? ¹
My lifeblood can give them some colour!

Dramatisation aside, it was warming and awe-inspiring to see such monumental work being helmed by simple, down-to-earth people. They don’t have any need for theatrics, or virality, just them, their teams and their trust in Allah.

Dr Tareq Al-Suwaidan – The Butterfly Effect

On Friday, the second last day of the Summit, Dr Tareq Al-Suwaidan presented the second half of his Prophetic Strategic Thinking lecture where he mentioned six tools regarding decision making and related it to incidents in the Seerah.One of these tools was what he called the ‘Butterfly Effect’. He defined it as “a small decision that can trigger large long-term effects, due to complex interactions.” The example from the Seerah he used was the Prophet ﷺ sending Mus'ab ibn Umair RA to Medina to teach the people Islam and build their community, ensuring it was ready for when the Prophet ﷺ would eventually migrate there. Dr Tareq said, “If there is a butterfly, take it immediately.”

Later in the same day, Sh Mohammad Idrissi gave his presentation on his Islamic University, what they had accomplished and how much more they had left to do. At the end of his presentation, he presented that they had purchased a property, but there was still some money left to complete the payment. Once he finished, a brother from Sydney, staunched up to the stage and asked for the mic. This came as a surprise to everyone as it came out of no-where. Upon taking the mic the first thing he said was that when someone yells takbir, why are the walls not shaking with our voices yelling “Allahuakbar”. So we all made the walls shake at his behest. Then, he restated Dr Tareq’s butterfly effect concept and said that upon seeing the mission of Sh Mohammad, he will pledge $20,000 of his savings to assist the development of the University. The room erupted in takbeer. Hollywood couldn’t recreate this moment. Al-Mutanabbi could not express the emotion that was present in the room at that time through his poetry. You just had to be there to know how it felt. So, when you see your butterfly, don’t let it fly away. 

Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad – Living for the Meeting of Allah

I want to finally mention Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad, may Allah preserve him. Sheikh Haitham is behind some of the great work being done in the UK Dawah scene, yet most people unfortunately are not aware of him. Sheikh Haitham carries the soul of a generation that appears foreign to us.

He has high aspirations; I do not know the details of these aspirations, but you can tell a lot about someone through the way they conduct themselves, and what I can tell you about Sheikh Haitham is that he lives his life with the constant thought that he will be meeting Allah one day. For him this meeting is not just a mere concept found in the Quran and Sunnah, nor is it just a comforting idea he heard a speaker say to him, rather this meeting with his Lord was a living reality. The evidence for me was how much he exerted himself in his worship, his constant advice to the youth to take care of their prayers, to not neglect the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, to have high expectations and hopes in Allah SWT, to always love Allah and so on. When you live your life with this reality in mind, then you will strive relentlessly to do as much good as possible. 

But it was not just his belief in meeting Allah that he strives for, he also believes in the greatness of this Ummah and its ability to change the world. He was particularly fond of youth that showed initiative and would always take them to the side to encourage them to stay steadfast and make dua for them. Sheikh Haitham walked with intent wherever he went; a man on a mission. If he was physically fatigued, it was his spiritual strength that kept him active. Spiritual strength can only be cultivated when you work for it, as Imam ash-Shaafi RH says in a line of poetry,

من طلب العلا سهر الليالي

Whoever desires greatness, must stay up at night

In other words, whoever seeks closeness to Allah, must burn the midnight oil and exert himself. I asked the Sheikh, what gives you strength? What pushes you to keep striving? His response was simple. To paraphrase:

1)     You must love Allah. If you cannot love Allah, then you must force yourself to love Allah. And this comes by trying to remember Him as much as you can, whether you ‘feel it’ or not, through dhikr or salah. Love Him and know that you will stand before Him one day. This leads us to…

2)     Remember the akhirah all the time. As much as you can for that will be your final abode. You do not want to stand before Allah being bankrupt of good deeds. You want to make sure you stand before Him doing everything of goodness that you possibly could have done.

This advice applies to everyone, but even more so to those that are involved in ‘Dawah’. Sheikh Haitham emphasised heavily how important our personal worship was to our work, regardless of the field. Engaging in dawah requires a high output of spiritual energy, and if you are not replenishing it frequently, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to those you are responsible over. So be mindful of Allah so that He may protect you.

Other Powerful Contributions

I’d like to include a few honourable mentions of people and ideas, starting with Sheikh Sohail Hanif, the Hanafi extraordinaire (emphasis on Hanafi), CEO of NZF UK, who set the scene for the summit on the first day with his talk on ‘Finding yourself in the Prophet’s Medina ﷺ.’ In essence, he said that Medina is more than just a place, it is also an idea that should be the goal of every Muslim to recreate wherever they are for Medina is the standard of civilisation; it is the standard regarding morals, ethics, and way of life. He has a longer talk on this available online.2

Another person I’d like to mention is Mohammed Hassan from ‘Water Creative’, a company specialising in branding and design. His presentation was on ‘The Ummah’s Brand Strategy’ where he presented how we can incorporate modern branding ideas and designing styles underpinned with Islamic Thought to create visual imagery that is more than mere aesthetics, but something that will inspire meaningful and impactful contemplation. “Your brand is the Ummah’s brand,” he said, encouraging us to represent ourselves meaningfully and with style in professional settings as the impression of others extends to beyond our individual selves.

Finally, I’d like to mention the eccentric and vibrant Sheikh Bilal Ismail who did two things to almost every person he met: he either spoke to them about his Imam Development Program (IDP) or he asked them, “Doktoor, what is your project for the Ummah,” and then spoke to them about IDP anyway. What struck me was the passion that he conversated with. Once you sit down and speak to him, you will understand the passion that drives him. He will tell you story after story of Imams in Africa that are supported by the IDP. The hardships, daily challenges and worries of life regarding basic necessities these Imams face all push Sheikh Bilal to inform as many people as he can about the harsh realities the Imams face so that people can potentially support him in supporting them. He showed me one video of an Imam in South Africa who had a madrassa the size of a small room, that he fit 90-odd students in. The madrassa had steel or tin walls, an old rug placed on top of sand and dirt, and a single toilet that was made by digging a hole in the ground, two wood planks for the kids to stabilise themselves on as they squat and a tarp wrapped around a tree to cover them for privacy. This is one of stories of Imams in Africa, and through the IDP many of them are getting help to ensure they are able to support their families as well as effectively develop and contribute to their communities. There were many more incredible people that I met with and presentations that I was affected by; perhaps they may be written about more in another time. 

Conclusion

To conclude, there is no doubt that this Ummah is roaring. This Ummah is great and is slowly realising the potential it has. TPSS brought together some of the great minds of this Ummah to help them connect and ideate regarding the issues of the Ummah. Everyone came with an intention to obtain something that they can use to contribute to the revival of the Ummah with. We have the people, we have the brains, we have the resources too (or at least the capability of gathering resources), all that is left is to combine our efforts and unify our vision.

This Ummah has a power that no one else has. We have Allah. Our greatness as an Ummah lies in us acting upon our belief in Allah, yet we are heedless of this and the rest of the world takes advantage of it. Islam does not require all of us to be scholars, or memorisers of the Quran, or warriors or ascetics, rather it requires us to excel in the skills Allah has blessed us with and use those skills to aid His deen. This is what I saw at TPSS, Muslims from various different disciplines coming together to cooperate with each other in goodness, and strengthening each other by sharing their knowledge and experience, all for the purpose of helping this Ummah reach its full potential. This is something that echoes the precedence of the sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all.

The time to move is now ya ibaadallah. Do not wait till the curtains close and the chairs have been stacked to arrive and ask ‘is there anything more that needs to be done?’. No! Instrospect, look for what you are good at and think how you can use that skill, that blessing Allah has given you, to benefit the Ummah. Don’t worry too much about how things will play out, just move! Allah will put barakah in your efforts. When you support the cause of Allah, Allah will support you, for He says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ ٧

O believers! If you stand up for Allah, He will help you and make your steps firm. [Surah Muhammad 47:7]

I will end with one final couplet from Allamah Iqbal, which illuminates the path ahead:

وقت فرصت ہے کہاں کام ابھی باقی ہے
نور   توحید  کا   اتمام   ابھی  باقی  ہے

This is no time for idle rest, Much work yet remains undone;
The light of monotheism needs your touch to make it shame the sun!

May Allah bless and accept from the organisers of TPSS, the speakers and the attendees. May He put barakah in all everyone’s efforts and grant us sincerity in everything we do. 

May Allah shower His peace and blessings upon Muhammad ﷺ, his family, his companions, and all those that follow him in goodness.

Saarim

_________________

¹ “Pretties” refers to architectural masterpieces in Andalusia like Cordoba Mosque, AlHambra Palace etc. Iqbal is saying that ‘if you need colour to restore the beauty of these places, then take my blood if you must.’ 

² How to Build Islamic Civilisation with Dr Sohail Hanif, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ded1pdfpiOw

Reflections from Brother Abbed:

Alhamdulillah I was grateful for being able to attend with brother Saarim, I will share my own experience as I think we each had unique takeaways.

1. The Summit was defined by what you wanted to take from it, not by what it wanted from you. It was packed with intensive topics and a huge amount of information. When I spoke to the organiser afterwards, I mentioned that if I had attended without already having thoughts about my own projects, I would have struggled to understand what it was trying to get out of me. However, I realised that it's not what the summit is getting out of you, but what you are trying to get out of it. Because of the scale and calibre of people attending, anyone who came with a project in mind, whether for the dunya or for the deen, could leave with clarity and direction. I was able to have one-on-one with Dr Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Sheikh Yaser Qadhi, Sheikh Shady and Sami Hamdi among others which shows how much benefit there was to gain.

2. For me, the Summit didn’t truly feel “over” when I returned home. In fact, it felt like it only began at that point. What defines the Summit is not the experience itself, but what you do with it afterwards, and you feel invigorated in doing so. Seeing people working in completely different fields, who would've never met outside of this was a powerful reminder and inspiring. 

3. The sessions themselves were informative, but the defining moments came in more personal interactions with high-level individuals outside of the formal program. We had a lot of time with people like Sheikh Haitham and Dr Sohail Hanif. Even without having questions prepared, just observing their conduct was valuable. In a lot of cases, I didn’t even know the work of the people I was sitting with and speaking to until four or five days later — only to realise they were quite senior and influential, and some of them are in sha Allah life-long friends and mentors for myself. 

4. Some of the takeaways from the sessions that stuck with me were:

• “We may not be united in practice, but we are united in purpose.” This emphasised the importance of supporting projects that you or your group may not be directly involved in.

• The Prophetic Lens applied to every topic. For example, in the session on AI, the discussion linked its modern development to the advancements in writing and poetry during the Prophet ﷺ’s time — something I had never heard of before, it was presented beautifully.

• “Your purpose is always greater than you as a person. And this applies to the greatest person and the greatest purpose”. This emphasised the importance of having a vision which can continue without you. 

Video Recap

Jazakallah Khair to Sister Sumayya for her efforts in putting together a compilation of some of the highlights of our trip!