Dar al-Islam (organisation)
Encyclopedia
Dar al-Islam is a Muslim
organization based in Abiquiú
, New Mexico
, USA.
, an American convert to Islam, Sahl Kabbani, a Saudi businessman, and Dr. Abdullah Naseef, the former secretary-general of the World Muslim League. Kabbani reportedly contributed $125,000 to the non-profit Lama Foundation
that was formed to create the community, while the bulk of the start up funds were said to have came from the Riyadh Ladies’ Benevolent Association of Saudi Arabia, the late King Khalid, and two of his daughters. The idea was to establish a community where Muslims who came to the U.S. could engage in life's daily transactions according to their beliefs: the deen, or code of Islam, and where they would be able to comply with their religious duty to bear witness to Islam: the da'wa, or calling. At the same time the community hoped to become a teaching facility for Americans who wished to know something about Islam.
The foundation purchased its first 1000 acres (4 km²) site from Alva Simpson, a well-established rancher along the Chama, for $1,372,000. The land included the 400 acres (1.6 km²) mesa top, plus 600 acres (2.4 km²) below the mesa – a lush, fertile tract along the Chama River. The masjid (mosque
) and madrassa (religious school) were designed by the Egypt
ian architect Hassan Fathy
and were constructed of mud bricks (adobe
). The main buildings were completed in 1981, and Dar al-Islam opened in 1982. At its height, the community served some 60 students, employed seven full-time teachers, and partially supported itself through resident entrepreneurial efforts. By 1990, however, the project was suffering from attrition because of a general downturn in the economy and the difficulty of recruiting families to the remote and rigorous lifestyle that Dar al-Islam offered. Although it never fully achieved its original intent as a residential community for American Muslims, it did succeed in remaining viable as an educational facility. Today it provides religious instruction, retreats and camps for its residents and other Muslims, as well as teaching workshops on Islam for public and private institutions.
work. Notable speakers who have presented at Dar al-Islam include Hamza Yusuf
and Seyyed Hossein Nasr
.
Dar al-Islam in The Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organization based in Abiquiú
Abiquiú, New Mexico
Abiquiú, or Abiquiu is a small unincorporated town located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States, about 53 miles north of Santa Fe. In the 1730s, it was the third largest settlement in the New Mexico Territory...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, USA.
History
Dar al-Islam in Abiquiu, New Mexico was the first planned Islamic community in the United States. It was originally co-founded in 1979 by Nooruddeen DurkeeNooruddeen Durkee
Shaykh Abdullah Nooruddeen Durkee is a Muslim scholar, thinker, author, translator and the khalifah for North America of the Shadhdhuli School for Tranquility of Being and the Illumination of Hearts, Green Mountain Branch. Nooruddeen Durkee became a Muslim in his early thirties in al-Quds,...
, an American convert to Islam, Sahl Kabbani, a Saudi businessman, and Dr. Abdullah Naseef, the former secretary-general of the World Muslim League. Kabbani reportedly contributed $125,000 to the non-profit Lama Foundation
Lama Foundation
The Lama Foundation is a community in the mountains of New Mexico, seventeen miles north of Taos.-History:The Lama Foundation was founded in 1967 by Barbara Durkee and Stephen Durkee . It began with the purchase of of land adjacent to federal forested land, and continues today as a place for...
that was formed to create the community, while the bulk of the start up funds were said to have came from the Riyadh Ladies’ Benevolent Association of Saudi Arabia, the late King Khalid, and two of his daughters. The idea was to establish a community where Muslims who came to the U.S. could engage in life's daily transactions according to their beliefs: the deen, or code of Islam, and where they would be able to comply with their religious duty to bear witness to Islam: the da'wa, or calling. At the same time the community hoped to become a teaching facility for Americans who wished to know something about Islam.
The foundation purchased its first 1000 acres (4 km²) site from Alva Simpson, a well-established rancher along the Chama, for $1,372,000. The land included the 400 acres (1.6 km²) mesa top, plus 600 acres (2.4 km²) below the mesa – a lush, fertile tract along the Chama River. The masjid (mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
) and madrassa (religious school) were designed by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian architect Hassan Fathy
Hassan Fathy
Hassan Fathy was a noted Egyptian architect who pioneered appropriate technology for building in Egypt, especially by working to re-establish the use of mud brick and traditional as opposed to western building designs and lay-outs...
and were constructed of mud bricks (adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
). The main buildings were completed in 1981, and Dar al-Islam opened in 1982. At its height, the community served some 60 students, employed seven full-time teachers, and partially supported itself through resident entrepreneurial efforts. By 1990, however, the project was suffering from attrition because of a general downturn in the economy and the difficulty of recruiting families to the remote and rigorous lifestyle that Dar al-Islam offered. Although it never fully achieved its original intent as a residential community for American Muslims, it did succeed in remaining viable as an educational facility. Today it provides religious instruction, retreats and camps for its residents and other Muslims, as well as teaching workshops on Islam for public and private institutions.
Current
The organization (now a nonprofit educational organization) with the goal of facilitating the growth of accurate and authentic knowledge of Islam among the American people with a commitment to build bridges among the Muslims and non-Muslims of America. It hosts Muslim Youth Camps and works to continue outreach and interfaithInterfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
work. Notable speakers who have presented at Dar al-Islam include Hamza Yusuf
Hamza Yusuf
Hamza Yusuf Hanson is an Islamic scholar of the Sunni tradition, and co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, United States. He is an American convert to Islam, and is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders,...
and Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...
.
External links
www.daralislam.orgDar al-Islam in The Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History