Ustadh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali
Ustadh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali took his post as resident scholar at Zaytuna Institute in 2007 to instruct students of Zaytuna’s pilot program in some of the rational sciences (theology, legal theory, and hadith science). Although born in Philadelphia, Ustadh Abdullah spent most of his childhood in Chicago and at eleven returned to the town of his birth. Prior to coming to Zaytuna, he served as assistant head chaplain for 5 years at the Chester State Correctional Institution. He is the translator and annotator of the Attributes of God (Amalpress), a work by the great Hanbali polymath, ‘Abd Al-Rahman b. al-Jawzi, and the translator of A Return to Purity in Creed (Lamppost Productions), the last work of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali’s originally entitled Iljam al-‘Awamm ‘an ‘Ilm al-Kalam (Steering Commoners Away from the Study of Dialectical Theology). Ustadh Abdullah is the only Western graduate of the Shariah Faculty of the University of al-Qarawiyin located in Fes, Morocco.
He specializes in Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh), dialectical theology (‘ilm al-kalam/tawhid), and Maliki jurisprudence (al-fiqh). He regular delivers the Friday sermon n the Bay Area, and occasionally conducts and takes part in workshops and seminars in the US and Canada. Ustadh Abdullah also serves as a member of the Academic Affairs committee of Zaytuna College. He is currently completing an MA in the study of Ethics & Social Theory at the Graduate Theological Union, and he teaches regularly online via his website: www.lamppostproductions.com, where he also posts a number of his articles and legal responsa related to current affairs and Maliki jurisprudence.
Upcoming Courses
Recent Articles
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Abu Hanifa, Salafis, Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar, and the Truth
One must first understand that by virtue of the fact that the book – Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar - is considered to be the first book written in the time of the Taabi’een on the topic of Tawheed in an organized and methodical fashion during an age of great controversy when Sunnis were attempting to codify the orthodox creed of Muslims that there will be statements found in it that may be problematic. -
PRESERVING THE FREEDOM FOR FAITH
Both the First Amendment of the US Constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights acknowledge that the freedom of religion and conscience are fundamental civil and human rights due to all persons. A similar declaration was made in the Qur’an over 1400 years ago in Arabia, “There can be no compulsion in religion. Right action is clear from error” (Q 2:256). -
Fighting the Ills of the Heart
The well-being of the heart and intentions has to be the most important aim of all Muslims. Allah says, "The day that neither wealth no sons will be of any benefit except for he who comes to Allah with a pure heart." [Shu'ara 26:89]
