IN MEMORIAM
AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Thinker, Scholar, Educator
AN ORIGINAL THINKER
1936-2021
D
r. AbdulHamid Ahmad AbuSulayman, 85, co-founder of International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), and former rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), passed away on Aug. 18, 2021, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was laid to rest in his birthplace, Makkah al Mukarramah. He was also a founding member of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS, 1972); secretary-general of World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY, 1973-82); and chairperson, department of political science at King Saud University (1982–84). AbuSulayman obtained his college degrees in commerce and political science from Cairo University. Later, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1973 with a Ph.D. in international relations, writing his thesis on “Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Islamic Methodology and Thought.” Following a tenure at King Saud University, AbuSulayman moved to the U.S., where he led IIIT until his departure in 1989 to Malaysia to head IIUM as its second rector. He returned to IIIT in 1999. Condolences and remembrances poured in from close colleagues and friends, near and far, professional and personal. Several memorial events and reflections captured the essence of his accomplishments and the quality of his character.
A PIONEER OF INSTITUTIONS
Dr. Hisham Altalib, a fellow co-founder of IIIT and a longtime friend, remembers his initial meetings with AbuSulayman in 1969 and 971 where the latter “crystallized the need for reformation of Islamic thought, which sowed the seeds for the formation of IIIT.” AbuSulayman was always intent on analyzing the ills of the Muslim ummah and searching for a diagnosis and solutions. He was the “intellectual dynamo” behind AMSS and IIIT, focusing on renewal of Islamic thought, with acquired knowledge and wisdom, as Hisham Altalib saw it.
of humor and gives a feeling of present comfort.”
Dr. Ahmad Totonji, another co-founder of IIIT, and also co-founder of MSA that graduated to ISNA, traces his relationship with AbuSulayman to a 1964 meeting in Philadelphia, which transformed their
thinking from “proclaiming Islam is good to … why Islam is good and what is next.” Totonji credits AbuSulayman for transforming IIUM from a small college of some 600 students to an international university of some 15,000 students. AbuSulayman, says Totonji, was a man of principle, and one hundred percent of his commitment was non-partisan. He was exceptionally persuasive, cordial and generous, even putting his salary in an endowment for student scholarship. “I am proud,” says Ahmed Totonji, “to be associated with him” According to Dr. Fathi Malkawi (Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics), a colleague and friend, AbuSulayman believed in the integration of effort, and that belief enabled him to “contribute to the establishment of many institutions in many countries over half a century.” Malkawi also remembers that, despite his high prestige, AbuSulayman displayed “extreme humility and a present intuition, which is accompanied by a sense
60 ISLAMIC HORIZONS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
Dr. M. Yaqub Mirza, a colleague and friend, remembers him as “a unique person who believes in original thinking and creates new knowledge. He is a contemporary intellectual/thinker who focuses on Quran and Hadith and tries to interpret and understand the deeper meaning rather than just the literal or superficial. Most of the time he is contrarian with solid evidence. His views and understanding are often ahead of the time. and his opinions often take time to become the norm.” Mirza lauds AbuSulayman’s attention to the design of the unique mosque centered Gombak campus of IIUM. Mirza admires AbuSulayman’s belief in “good governance and strong institutions as the foundation of free speech and creativity leading to a strong civilization.” Dr. John Esposito, founding director of Alwaleed Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, met AbuSylayman in 1979 during an event for the book “Voices of Resurgent Islam” (1983), then stayed in touch with him at the University of Pennsylvania, where AbuSulayman was doing “original and sophisticated piece of work.” Esposito met him often during AbuSulayman’s tenure at IIUM and remembers him as “very calm and centered and very relaxed.” He was “clearly intimately involved in developing campus plans,” while continuing to write on religious issues and reform. “I was honored to know him,” adds Esposito.
A RATIONAL THINKER
Dr. Omar Kasule, secretary general of IIIT, remembers AbuSulayman as being generous with his time. “He expanded my intellectual horizons,” Kasule says, “Consistency in principle guided his thinking. He looked for Islamic solutions based on Qur’an and Sunnah, guided by his analysis and rational thinking, but dealing with modern realities. He was a rational thinker.” In personal affairs, he was flexible and easy going and when judging a person, he judged them as a whole person. “I have lost my teacher of 45 years,” says Kasule. Dr. Ahmad Alwani, vice president of IIIT, reminisces about his interaction with
