IN THE WORLD OF MUSLIM CHAPLAINCY
Sohaib’s associates acknowledged an irreplaceable loss and celebrated a life well lived. “I am afraid to think of the world without Sohaib,” said Dr. Timur Yuskaev (co-director, Islamic Chaplaincy Program; associate professor, Contemporary Islam). “Thank God I do not have to. Thank you, Sohaib, for helping Sohaib and Arshe with daughter Radiyya so many of us lower our voices in the Nusayba Ahmed-Sultan presence of the Creator. Thank you, Sohaib, for balancing us as we walk through this world. We love you. As one of our teachers would say, see you on the other side of forever.” “When the elect of Muslim chaplains in the field close their eyes and say ‘chaplain,’ Sohaib Sultan immediately comes to mind,” said Dr. Bilal Ansari (co-director, Islamic Chaplaincy Program; faculty associate, Muslim Pastoral Theology). “If your eyes never met him or ears have yet to hear his words, then know he was a gentle and kind chaplain. It was love at first sight 16 years ago for me, and I long to see him in the highest company, God willing.” “Sohaib was my companion and kindred spirit,” said his close friend Chaplain Khalil Abdullah (Muslim advisor, Dartmouth College). “During the past few months, we spoke often. He always listened deeply and gently guided me, and so many others, with sage wisdom and compassion. He cared about human beings and their happiness, no matter who or where they were on their spiritual journey. He wanted nothing more than to serve his family, friends and community with humility and a joyful heart.” “Sohaib is one of the most gentle people I’ve ever met, and it truly is a privilege to be able to call him a friend,” said Chaplain Khalid Latif (university chaplain, NYU; executive director, ICNYU). “He possessed a character rooted in compassion and was a trailblazer for so many of us who followed in his footsteps as Muslim chaplains. He built a remarkable community and has benefited thousands ma sha’ Allah. He also was just a really kind person — just a real sincere brother who was so genuine and full of a light that illuminated so many of us.” Sohaib once stated that 40 years was a lifetime when well lived. In a YouTube conversation he said there was rahmat (grace or mercy) in accepting death, “Nobody wants to leave this world, there are too many attachments. … Whether you’re 40, or 80, or 120, you never want to leave, but at some point, you’ve to leave. … That is the way God has decreed the world to be.” Chaplain Sohaib Nazeer Sultan was an outstanding chaplain by any standard. The lives he touched and transformed testify to his unique place in Divine Purpose. His grace in living life was matched only by his grace in meeting death.
THE FAMILY
His father Dr. Talat Sultan, who had served as ISNA director of education, is founder-president of ICNA (1968-75, 2003-05), and a former president of AMSS (1979-81). Sohaib is survived by his wife Arshe Ahmed and daughter Radiyya Nusayba Ahmed-Sultan (4): parents Talat and Amra; his sister Sohaira and her children, Ayyoob Saeed and Rumaysa Saeed; and his brother-in-law Ahmed Elaswad. Sohaib’s friends have set up The Imam Sohaib Sultan Family Trust for his family (LaunchGood.com/Imam-Sohaib-Sultan-Family-Trust), and The Imam Sohaib Sultan Charitable Fund to build upon his work and further his vision to support Muslim chaplaincy programs and students (LaunchGood.com/ Imam-Sohaib-Sultan-Charitable-Fund). ih Contributed by Iqbal J. Unus (board chair, TISA; board member, ISNA), is a 50-year friend of the Sultan family.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan A Scholar and Seeker of Peace 1925–2021
M
aulana Wahidduddin Khan, an Indiabased Islamic scholar and peace activist, passed away in New Delhi from Covid-19 complications on April 21. He was well known for his exhaustive scholastic Islamic work that rendered the Quran’s meaning in simple English. His writings also explored the Quran and the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) life. In 1976 he established an Islamic publication house in New Delhi and launched his famous Al Risala monthly magazine. However, what most attracted me was his unique — and sometimes controversial, but nevertheless very popular — philosophy about God, humanity and this world. His first Al Risala article was so thought provoking that I couldn’t believe he was an Islamic scholar with his own convincing philosophy. It was about his journey from Istanbul to Mumbai. As far as I remember, one could summarize his philosophy as follows. “I was flying from Istanbul to Mumbai and looking out the window. I wondered how the aircraft was flying. I knew the mechanical theory of propeller jet engines, and yet I was having second thoughts. Surely, a force behind those engines was pushing the aircraft. That force had been created by God Almighty. God states in the Quran that He created humanity and jinn, assigned duties to them and kept a veil between the two creations. So, might the jinn have been assigned to carry out such a hidden task?” His words were striking jewels in each narration enriched with guidance from the Quran and Hadith. A few of his quotes are worth remembering, among them “Knowledge (education) makes a human, and knowledge is the only authentic way to develop humanity.” In 1993 he asked Muslims to relinquish their claim to the site of the 600-year-old Babri Masjid, which was demolished by Hindu mobs led by many of those now heading the fascist Bharatiya Janata Party government. He wrote, “On Dec. 6, 1992, in India, a group of Hindu zealots demolished the Babri Masjid. If the Muslims at the time had thought that Sultan [Mahmud of Ghazni] had demolished Somnath’s Hindu temple in 1001 and that this was an act of revenge, it would JULY/AUGUST 2021 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 59
