Funding for the translation of Islamic Heritage

Assalamu alaikum warahmtalluahi wabarakatu,

Allah, exalted and glorious is he says in his holy book:

" Yet it is not for the faithful to go forth en masse. But why should not there a group from each of their communities go forth to become learned in

religion, and to warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (Surat al-Tawba: 122)."

In another verse, he also instructs the believers,

"Oh, you who have faith! Take care of your souls. He who strays cannot hurt you if you are guided. To Allah will be the return of you all, whereat He will inform you concerning what you used to do. (Surat al-Mai'da : 105). "

Being a Muslim in the West is by no means easy. We have to juggle what our religion commands us to do within a social, legal, and political framework that wasn't designed to cater to our belief system. This poses many challenges for us which we are all in full awareness of and face struggles due to this every day in our lives.

Far are we from the Islamic academic institutions that are predominantly Arabic, not just in distance. But also in our difficulty to access and engage with scholars, the general Islamic scholarly culture, and the rich and extensive heritage preserved and composed by our scholars. The literacy rate for original Arabic (fus-ha) comprehension is ridiculously low in comparison to Muslim populations in Western societies. Also, comprehension of original Arabic does not necessitate the ability to comprehend the works that scholars put forth. Alhamdulilah, one can find many works for the average Muslim that discuss fundamental issues of religion. But we are heavily lacking in the resources that are deeper in analysis and comprehension, and that discuss the intricacies of Islamic thought. Such as works discussing polemics, theology, biographies of Prophets and the Imams, the various sciences such as principals of jurisprudence, Rijal, Hadith, and the list goes on and on!

Currently we as a Western community are still in the works of establishing scholarly circles in the West that can produce works fundamental to the preservation of Islam. But what we can do now is make the works of the Scholars who use Arabic as the language of discourse EASILY ACCESSIBLE and FREE to academics, the Muslim who is in pursuit of knowledge, and the non-Muslim.

My name is Ahmad Alghizi. I am 23 years old and am from Windsor Ontario, Canada. Having been taught original Arabic at a young age by my parents, been put in multiple Arabic and Islamic schools throughout elementary and high school, and with consistent practice and exposure to the Arabic language have been reading and writing in Arabic as far back as when I was running on little stubby legs. I am also a student of the Islamic Seminary of Najaf and have been studying there for the past 2 years with plans of spending many years there in the pursuit of knowledge Inshallah. I currently reside at the Al-Khoei Institute established by Grand Ayatollah Sayed Al-Khoei and have the proficiency and capability of translating into English Islamic works intended for the Arabic Muslim intellectual audience.

This is a lifetime project that I plan to pursue, starting with the 3 volume book of the polemical work written by Grand Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad Saeed Al-Hakim titled "fi rihab al-aqeeda (In the folds of religion)."

This book series finds its origin in a letter sent to the Grand Ayatollah by an anonymous Jordanian researcher who asked 10 polemical thought-provoking questions resonating with depth regarding the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims. The man asked the Ayatollah to answer each question with depth and requested him to be generous in referencing Sunni sources that aided the Ayatollah in clarifying the views of the Shia. The response to the 10 questions became a 3-volume series where the first volume (which answers the first 10 questions) is 280 pages. The second volume is a 322 page response to another series of 9 questions the researcher wrote in reply to the first book. Where the Ayatollah answered 7 of the 9 questions, and the third volume is a 373 page response to the final 2 questions of the second set of 9 questions (Insane right?!). This book series is a treasure trove of information and unlucky is the one who doesn't take the time to read it.

Currently, I have translated 90 out of the 280-page first volume of the book series and plan to release it for free to the public in about 5-6 months God-willing. Estimated costs for expenses, editing, and review as I work on this project are about $15000. But when the book is completed it will be freely accessible to the public online. Islamic knowledge and in particular information regarding absolute truth should be accessible to everyone.

The pursuit of knowledge is obligatory for everyone, we all have different roles in our society and the role I have chosen is the one that helps me bring correct information regarding our religion to our communities. Every sponsorship/fund ensures that this work will continue. Every contribution is a source of good deeds for anyone who contributes from the moment they help out till well past their deaths. Sadaqa jariya does not end for one when they die but continues till the trumpet is blown signaling the day of judgment.

This is a responsibility for us all. Every word read by a knowledge seeker equates good deeds to the one who helped make it possible. Without contributions, it will be impossible for me to complete these projects and benefit our communities. May Allah help us all in our path to reaching salvation, and guide us to do what pleases him. I swear by Allah and his holy book that I only wish to benefit the community by putting forth the best effort to make scholarly works accessible to all.

My LinkedIn account: LinkedIn

My Instagram account which I use to spread Islamic awareness/ knowledge: Instagram

Thank you for taking the time to read my message,

May Allah bless you all,

Ahmad Alghizi.

Please note: I have set up my long-time friend and close associate Kazim Hasan as the recipient of the contributions. It was logistically much more practical to have the contributions go through an American account vs A Canadian account for various reasons. 

Kazim, currently an engineer at Nissan and starting this upcoming fall will begin his masters in engineering. 

You can find his LinkedIn Here