Hassan al-Qazwini

Hassan al-Musawi al-Qazwini (Arabic: حسن الموسوي القزويني‎; born October 16, 1964) is an Iraqi-American Shia Imam.[1][2]

Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid

Hassan al-Qazwini
السيد حسن الموسوي القزويني
TitleHujjat al-Islam
Personal
Born (1964-10-16) 16 October 1964
Karbala, Iraq
ReligionIslam
NationalityIraqi
American
Children
  • Mohammed Baqer
  • Ahmed
ParentsMurtadha al-Qazwini (father)
DenominationTwelver Shīʿā
RelativesMoustafa al-Qazwini (brother) Mahdi al-Modarresi (first cousin, once removed)
Fadhil al-Milani (cousin)
InstituteIslamic Institute of America
Senior posting
Based inDearborn Heights, Michigan
Period in office2015 - Present
Previous postImam at the Islamic Center of America, 1997–2014
WebsiteOfficial Website

He built a branch the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

Early life and education

al-Qazwini was born in Karbala in 1964. His father is Murtadha al-Qazwini from the al-Qazwini family, and his mother is the daughter of Abd al-Amir Nasrallah, from the Nasrallah family. His family was exiled from Iraq whilst he was still young, and upon settling in Qom, in 1980, he joined the seminary and began his religious education.[3]

He completed his religious education in 1992 and managed to grasp an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of Islamic jurisprudence and Quranic commentary. During his studies, he administered a prominent Islamic journal called an-Nibras (The eternal light).[1]

Immigration to the United States

Los Angeles

al-Qazwini immigrated to the United States in late 1992 along with his family, six years after his father's immigration. He spent four years in Los Angeles, where he directed the Azzahra Islamic Center, which was founded by his father, and conducted several Fiqh and various other Islamic classes. He realized the importance of disseminating the message of Islam in North America in English, especially to the youth. While numerous scholars and religious leaders performed a good job reaching out to the Arabic speaking members of the community, the English-speaking generations needed someone who was capable of communicating with them, and so al-Qazwini devoted himself to learning and acquiring a fair grasp of the English language quickly.[1]

Dearborn

In early 1993, al-Qazwini was invited by the Islamic Center of America (ICA) in Dearborn; the oldest Shia mosque in the United States, as a guest speaker for the Arabic program during Ramadan, where the local community quickly found him responsive to their spiritual and religious needs. The ICA asked him to join them the following year as their guest speaker during Ramadan and then for the first ten nights of Muharram.[1]

In 1997, al-Qazwini established residence in Dearborn, at the behest of the Islamic Center of America. al-Qazwini conducted the Friday prayer every week, delivering the first sermon in Arabic and the second in English. He also performed an English presentation during the Sunday service, usually aimed at addressing of current issues affecting the local Muslim community as well as the global community at large.[1]

Whilst at the ICA, al-Qazwini established the sub-committee, Young Muslim Association (YMA) in 1998. The organization was aimed at educating Muslim-American youth, fostering leadership, and creating an environment in which they can actively and effectively channel their efforts in promoting Islam. In its first five years, the YMA grew to be one of the largest Muslim youth organizations in North America.[4]

Dearborn Heights

In 2015, al-Qazwini left the ICA and opened his own mosque, known as the Islamic Institute of America. He also established the Muslim Youth Connection (MYC) as the new youth organization.[5]

Public appearances

Since the September 11 attacks, al-Qazwini stepped up his efforts to act as an ambassador for Muslim Americans, speaking at numerous churches, colleges and universities, hoping to dispel what he sees as common misconceptions about them.

al-Qazwini had been invited to the White House on several occasions to represent the Shia-Muslim community.

He has met with Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as with then senator Barack Obama.[6][7]

He has also received invitations from the U.S. State and Defense Departments. He also made an appearance in the award-winning PBS-broadcast documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002), produced by Unity Productions Foundation.

al-Qazwini met Pope Francis during the Abrahamic Faiths Initiative on January 14, 2020 in Vatican City. The initiative brought leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Islam to work together to promote peaceful expression of faith and the renunciation of violence.[8]

al-Qazwini endorsed Bernie Sanders in March, 2020. He addressed a Dearborn rally in Arabic on Saturday, encouraging support for Sanders.[9]

Works

al-Qazwini authored two books:

  • Meditation on Sahihain: A Critique of Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
  • Prophet Mohammad: The Ethical Prospect

American Crescent

Al-Qazwini is the author of American Crescent: A Muslim Cleric on the Power of His Faith, the Struggle Against Prejudice, and the Future of Islam and America.

Rashid Khalidi of Columbia University wrote in The New York Times:

This book is many things. It is, first, a personal chronicle of Imam Hassan Qazwini's own trajectory from Karbala, Iraq, where he was born in 1964, to exile in Kuwait and Iran, to Dearborn, Mich., where he currently heads the Islamic Center of America. Second, it is an argument for Qazwini's variety of Shia Islam, rooted in Iraq and Iran and adapted for America. Finally, it is a political statement — in fact, two of them — a plea for Muslim Americans to immerse themselves in the life of the United States while simultaneously deepening their identification as Muslims, and also for a particular outcome in Iraq, where Qazwini's father, a leading ayatollah, is Imam of the mosque of Imam Hussein in Karbala.[10]

Personal life

al-Qazwini is married to the daughter of Muhammad al-Shirazi. He has four sons, including Muhammad Baqer and Ahmed.[11]

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See also

References
  1. "Biography". Website of Imam Qazwini. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  2. Qazwini, Hassan (2007). American Crescent: A Muslim Cleric on the Power of His Faith, the Struggle Against Prejudice, and the Future of Islam and America. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6454-0.
  3. Pat, Mr (2008). Fear God and the Shadow of the Muslim Sword. AuthorHouse. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4343-9461-3.
  4. The Straight Path. Young Muslim Association of the Islamic Center of America. 2001.
  5. Warikoo, Niraj. "Imam Al-Qazwini plans new mosque to educate about Islam". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  6. Ziegler, Laura. "Excerpt from Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini". www.kcur.org. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  7. "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2004-09-17. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  8. "Dearborn Heights Imam meets Pope Francis". www.downriversundaytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  9. "Bernie Sanders endorsed by Imam who said ISIS is 'arm of the Zionists'". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  10. Khalidi, Rashid (2008-01-06). "Red, White, Blue and Green". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  11. "Mu'asasat al-Imam al-Shirazi al-Alamiya Bi Washinton Tuhyyi Thikra al- Imam al-Sadiq" [Imam al-Shirazi Foundation in Washington revives the memory of Imam Sadiq]. alshirazionline.org (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-04-10.
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