Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqi
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Maulana Shah Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddique was born in the blessed month of Ramadhan, on 3 April 1892 (15 Ramadhan 1310), in Meerut, India and was raised in a family that was pious and devout. He is a descendant of Sayyidina Abu Bakar As-Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him), the first caliph of Islam. From a small age, his father, Muhammad Abdul Hakim and his mother were his inspiration and source of guidance and education in the teachings of Islam.
He was an exceptionally intelligent child and possessed an intellectual capacity beyond his years. He brilliantly committed the Holy Qur’an to his memory when he was only 4 years old. He also had a remarkable oratory skill and at the age of 9, he delivered his first public speech at the Jamma Mosque of Meerut, mesmerising the audience with his captivating eloquence.
He had a remarkable love and thirst for knowledge. At the age of 16, he graduated with a Degree and distinctions in Islamic Theology. He then pursued non-theological studies in modern sciences and Law. He also acquired advanced knowledge in Qur’anic science, Hadith, Sufism (Tassawuf) and Islamic jurisprudence of the four main madhhab. His teachers include Shaykh Ahmad al-Shams of Morocco, Shaykh Al-Sennousi of Libya, Maulana Abdul Bari of Farangi Mahal and Maulana Ahmad Mukhtar Siddique (his brother). He achieved great Islamic theological and spiritual development under the guidance of Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan, a revered Islamic scholar.
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[edit] Life work
Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique travelled continuously for 40 years to all parts of the globe until his labors of love for the spiritual reform and enlightenment of humanity covered a major part of the world. The countries he visited include the Hejaz, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Ceylon, China, Japan, Philippines, Mauritius, Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Belgium, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, France, England, West Indies, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, United States of America and Canada.
He was a great Sufi, writer, poet, orator and scholar of Islam and modern sciences, and was renowned the world over for his spiritual guidance and promulgation of the message of hope and peace. His contribution to literary and academic discourses was also astounding. In 1935, in Mombassa (Kenya), Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique met with the famous European intellectual, Sir George Bernard Shaw, and they enjoyed a wonderful exchange of thoughts in which Sir George Bernard Shaw called Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique “a learned sage”. He delivered hundreds of lectures and also found time to write several Islamic books and poetry in Urdu and English.
[edit] Singapore
He came to Singapore in 1930 to spread the message and beauty of Islam. He laboured intensively in the cause of Islam and delivered numerous lectures in Singapore and attracted many people to Islam. He pioneered the establishment of the All Malaya Muslim Missionary Society, now known as Jamiyah, in 1932.
In early 1949, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique, together with other religious leaders, met with Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, Singapore’s then Commissioner-General, to discuss issues of solidarity amongst religions, as suggested by Maulana. In another similar meeting, a decision was made to set up an organisation for inter-religious understanding, later called Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO). In March 1949, IRO was formed to foster greater understanding between the faiths in Singapore and to promote the spirit and message of peace amongst the citizens of Singapore. In IRO’s inauguration ceremony, on 18 March 1949 at Victoria Memorial Hall, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique gave an inspiring speech, in which he said,
- "As far as the common evils and accepted moral principles were concerned, no religion could have any difference, and in the spirit of tolerance and sympathy and the desire to establish peace, all of them were as one. The task of the religious leaders was to let the followers of each and every religion know the teachings of other religions, so that a spirit of fellowship could work together to spread the accepted moral principles and to fight the common evils."
[edit] Legacy
Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique worked with single-minded devotion for the cause of Islam and humanity. Hundreds of thousands of people belonging to diverse races and nationalities in Asia, Africa, Europe and America received spiritual blessings through his dynamic and refulgent personality. Numerous mosques, Islamic missionary societies, schools, hospitals, libraries, infirmaries, orphanages and Islamic periodicals sprang up in the wake of his immortal missionary work.
Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique was an extraordinary Sufi who personify in a distinguished manner the causes he cherish and uphold, and his labours for the cause form a landmark in human history. His noble soul soared beyond the limitations of territory and race. The most distinctive aspect of his personality was the spiritual magnetism that he radiated which captivated the minds and hearts of all who crossed his path.
On 22 August 1954 (22 Dhulhijjah), at the age of 63, after a last visit to the grave of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Maulana Shah Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddique left this world for the hereafter - his body rests peacefully at the Jannatul Baqqi in Madinah. May Allah bless be well pleased with His servant, Maulana Shah Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddique. Al-Fatiha.
[edit] Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque
In 1953, the land of Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque was conveyed to several trustees and office-bearers of the All-Malaya Muslim Missionary Society (now known as Jamiyah Singapore). Prior to this, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique had identified and chosen the land to be developed as a Mosque. In 1954, Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque was subsequently built on the land from donations collected through the society.
The Mosque was named after Maulana Shah Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddique, as recognition for his immense contribution to Islam and the social development of a plural society in Singapore. The contributions of Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique are in itself historic and seminal efforts that deserve to be carved in stone. Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque is a testimony and recognition of Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique’s immortal work of spreading the faith of Islam and the message of hope and peace.
