Assim al-Hakeem
Sheikh
عاصم بن لقمان الحكيم
A still of Al-Hakeem from a 2017 video
Personal
Born
Assim bin Luqman al-Hakeem

(1962-11-23) November 23, 1962
Khobar, Saudi Arabia
ReligionSunni Islam
Alma materUniversity of Petroleum and Minerals (dropped out)
King Abdulaziz University
Umm al-Qura University
OccupationIslamic preacher
Senior posting
Influenced by
Websitewww.assimalhakeem.net

Assim bin Luqman al-Hakeem (Arabic: عاصم بن لقمان الحكيم; born 23 November 1962) is a Saudi Arabian Islamic preacher and a social media personality of Indonesian descent. He mostly preaches in English[1][2] and is known for his fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic texts.[3][4][5] His ideas have been described to be in line with the Madkhali brand of Salafism.[6]

Early life and education

Al-Hakeem, was born on 23 November 1962 in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Al-Hakeem, was raised in a religious family of Indonesian descent. At the age of 12, he and his family moved to Jeddah. From a young age, he was interested in Islamic studies. He finished high school in 1980 and continued his higher education at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He dropped out of KFPUM and moved to Jeddah. Later he continued studying at King Abdulaziz University, majoring in English literature, and graduated in 1987 with a BA in linguistics.[1] He then continued a higher degree in Islamic studies at Umm al-Qura University in 1998. Al-Hakeem also studied books by Sheikh ibn al-Uthaymin for several years.[2]

Activities

Al-Hakeem began his career as a high school English teacher in 1988. He has been an imam of a mosque in Jeddah for the last 20 years, where he delivers Friday prayer weekly sermons and lectures on various Islamic sciences.[1]

He preaches in English and regularly delivers Islamic English programs on social media channels, such as Questions and Answers (ASK HUDA), Umdatul Ahkaam, Youth Talk, and Mercy to the Worlds. He also preaches on TV and radio channels such as Huda TV, Zad TV, Peace TV, Iqraa, and Saudi 2.[1]

Views

On Islamic practices

Islamic recitation as therapy

Al-Hakeem has said of the Islamic practice of ruqyah, a form of incantation associated with the exorcism of evil spirits in Islam, that "it is the recitation of the Qur'an, seeking of refuge in Allah, remembrance and supplications that are used as a means of treating sicknesses and other problems, as the Qur'an is a source of healing".[7] He has also advocated reciting the Qur'an over water and then drinking and washing with it as a means of healing.[7]

Limitations of prayer exemptions due to travel

Al-Hakeem has said that, with regards to the Islamic practice of shortening or combining prayer during travel, a person who travels daily or frequently "will not be considered a traveller for the purpose of shortening of Salah and combining them unless a valid reason exists."[8]

Pilgrimage selfies

Al-Hakeem has critiqued Islamic pilgrims taking pictures of themselves while on the hajj, stating: "Taking such selfies and videos defy the wish of our prophet. It is as though the only purpose of this trip is to take pictures and not worship."[9]

On social issues

Political views

In 2013, Al-Hakeem said democracy is "a big lie and it is against Islam".[10] In 2016, the then opposition Maldivian Democratic Party called Al-Hakeem a "fundamentalist preacher" who has used Islam to "justify hatred, excuse the government’s crackdown on dissent, and legitimize authoritarianism".[10]

Al-Hakeem has claimed that all forms of protest are prohibited in Islam.[6]

He does not believe women are allowed to lead.[11]

Women

While acknowledging that disagreement exists among Muslim scholars, Al-Hakeem considers female circumcision recommended and not forbidden or mandatory.[12] He holds that women are not allowed to work in mixed-gender environments.[13]

When asked about the legality of concubinage in Islam Al-Hakeem considered the enslavement of prisoners of war humane, iterated the rights afforded to slaves in Islam, and affirmed the legality of concubinage.[14]

Antisemitism

Al-Hakeem has been known for making antisemitic statements. When discussing the religious status of Ruhollah Khomeini, he said that Iran is "backed by lobbies of the Jews" and "never had any beef with the Jews".[15] When discussing Muhammad's interactions with the Jews, he started off by saying, "the Jews whom we all hate".[16] He has also spread theological disinformation, saying "all the Jews say anyone else who is not a Jew is in Hell".[17]

When asked about differentiating between Jews and Zionists, he responded:[18]

"Well, such a difference has only surfaced lately. Zionism is a racist movement...so it's not related to a religion, (to my own humble understanding,)...but to try to polish the image of the Jews and say that they're not Zionists, this most likely won't work. The Jews are the People of the Book, they're all not the same shade: there are of the who are Zionist, there are of them who are open enemies of Islam, and there are those who are not fighting us, not forcing the Muslims out of their homes, so we can try to get closer to those. But in general, the majority of them are against Islam and the Muslims, therefore this is the default until proven otherwise, not the other way around. Allah mentioned the Jews in the Quran and described them to us, so do you think we are going to believe what the media is trying to polish nowadays, and neglect our Quran and the Sunnah? No matter who comes...If they come and say '...the Jews are fine. The Holocaust was a horrible thing,...we have to teach it to the Muslim children in schools, we have to omit and remove verses of Jihad, verses that describe the Jews in the Quran,' ...don't say that this is Islam. This is all part of the global movement to change Islam..."

When discussing conspiracy theories and movements associated with them (such as the Freemasons and the Illuminati), Al-Hakeem explained that despite the fact that knowing about such things is not fundamentally useful in Islam and could even be potentially harmful since attributing inordinate power to such groups makes Muslims feel weak, "We acknowledge that through history the Jews collaborating with the hypocrites had many conspiracies against Islam...the collaboration and the fingerprints of the Jews, the hypocrites, and the Rafidah is evident. And this does not prevent them from collaborating over the centuries to continue their dirty work.[19]"

On contemporary themes

Cryptocurrency

Al-Hakeem considers bitcoin haram since it is anonymous, which can be used for money laundering and drug money,[20][21] and has warned against people using such transactions as the nature of seeking to gain money quickly in such a manner (via a means akin to gambling) is fundamentally un-Islamic.[22]

Personal life

Al-Hakeem said he had Indonesian descent because his grandfather was a native of Medan who worked as a judge in the sultanate at that time. Al-Hakeem's grandfather sent Luqman (Al-Hakeem's father) to Saudi Arabia to study religion, and later he obtained Saudi citizenship; thus, Al-Hakeem was born in and grew up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Biography of Sheikh Assim al-Hakeem (Interview 2010)". 2017-04-23. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  2. 1 2 "Assim Al Hakeem". 2018-07-26. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  3. ↑ "Scholars Argue Prosecutions Against Muslim Liberals Don't Follow Islamic Teachings". NPR. Assim Al-Hakeem is a hard-line Saudi sheikh...
  4. ↑ "Kamer wil opheldering over moslimbijeenkomst Utrecht" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. Hij staat bekend als een fundamentalist
  5. ↑ "2016 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives". to a visiting fundamentalist preacher, Assim al-Hakeem
  6. 1 2 Ahmed, Omar (June 2020). "Saudi cleric: 'It is prohibited to protest in Islam'". middleeastmonitor.com. Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 Rassool, G. H. (2021), "Re-examining the anatomy of Islamic psychotherapy and counselling: Envisioned and enacted practices", Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 4 (2): 133–143, doi:10.25217/igcj.v4i2.1840, S2CID 247654590
  8. ↑ Musharraf, M. N. (2016), "Shortening and combining of Salah during travel" (PDF), Australian Journal of Humanities and Islamic Studies Research, 2 (1): 53–63
  9. ↑ "Hajj 'selfie craze' bemuses Islamic clerics". BBC. 30 September 2014.
  10. 1 2 Maldives Independent, Maldives Independent (9 March 2016). "Government accused of using radical preachers 'to justify injustice'". maldivesindependent.com. Maldives Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "Can a woman lead for example like the Saudi women who are struggling to become political leaders?". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "If female circumcision is sunnah can you tell me if one of the wifes or daughter of the prophet was made it?". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "What about a sister who works in a mixed environment in the West". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "The subject of the women captives of war has come up in discussion with a Christian". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  15. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_ZfWg20Lk&t=309s
  16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooO1SsHtK2s&t=15s
  17. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jksWajDvbYE&t=37s
  18. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmDapksIZU
  19. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QiGkSekPp8
  20. ↑ Alam, Nafis; Gupta, Lokesh; Zameni, Abdolhossein (2019). Fintech and Islamic Finance: Digitalization, Development and Disruption. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 109.
  21. ↑ Hasbi, A. H.; Mahzam, R. (30 April 2018). "Cryptocurrencies: potential for terror financing" (PDF). RSIS Commentary. 75.
  22. ↑ Mujani, W. K.; Mazuki, A. A. M.; Hirwani, W. M.; Hussain, W.; Alias, M. N.; Salleh, A. D.; et al. (2022). "Bitcoin: The Extent of its Usability from the Perspective of Islamic Scholars". ResearchGate.
  23. ↑ 'Savage Syeikh': Syaikh Assim Al-Hakim, Jawaban Unik buat Pertanyaan Nyeleneh (in Indonesian), retrieved 2023-06-14
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