Sheikh Bassam Obeid and the Islamic Center of Charlotte has prominent place in the Muslim communities in Charlotte, NC. I know the Sheikh from the time I moved to Charlotte more than a decade ago. I have had wonderful experience working with the Sheikh on many programs that spans my entire life in Charlotte. He is full of energy when it comes to taking part in anything that is good.
His moderate approach to matters of Fiqh and the method of delivery has attracted a significant following. When answering to questions on matters of deen you could see him providing the opinions of the Imams of various schools and most often aligning his opinion with that which is practical in this day and age. At the same time one could easily find him strict when it comes to matters that Allah and his messenger has ordained.
It was a privilege for me to interview the Sheikh. I had to wait till he returned from an overseas trip last week. I met him at the Charlotte Islamic Academy on Wednesday 28th May and expressed my desire to sit down and go over his life experiences. He accepted with a smile and we scheduled to meet at ICC after Isha.
I arrived at the masjid when the rows were being formed for the Isha prayer. After the prayer I stepped in to his office and pulled my note book and camera getting ready for the interview. Meanwhile a would-be couple drops in at his office asking the Sheikh to conduct their marriage. Even though they were late by 30 minutes from their appointed time, Sheikh had to take care of their business. Once everyone has left by 11 pm we were able to get to the real business – the interview.
Sheikh, tell me about your birth, your parents and siblings.
I was born in 1964 in the city of Tripoli, Lebanon and was raised in Kalamun. I was the youngest of the 14 children my parents had. My father was a knowledge seeker and memorized lot of Quran. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 90. My mother passed away in 2005 at the age of 80.
What led you to the path of religious education?
My mother and father were religious. My father would regularly assemble his children and grandchildren and told us stories from the Quran. Those fascinating stories made a remarkable impression in my heart and engrained love for Allah, his Rasul (saw) and his deen. I was also blessed to learn the basics of deen from the many honorable shuyukh at the masjid of Kalamun. One of my teachers Shaikh Ali Musbah is still alive.
Among the entire Shuyukh one that I learned the most was Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Hayy. He was a remarkable individual. He was an ocean of knowledge. I learned from him Fiqh, Arabic grammar, Tajweed and Suluk among many other things. He had a fishing boat for his living and would spend a lot of the rest of his time teaching us and in worship. He inspired me the most and I feel fortunate to have spent over a decade with the sheikh. He was a true Zahid. He died at age 90.
After my high school education in Kalamun, I went to France and stayed with my sister for 2 years while studying the French language. This was the time I was still trying to figure out which path to follow. I applied for Sharia course in the University of Madina and to Medical school in the then Soviet Union. Alhamdulillah I got selected for both. Now the dilemma was which one to pick. I was more inclined towards going for education in medical science. I did a lot of Isthiqara seeking divine guidance with help in making the right decision. At this time something strange happened.
I received a mysterious hand written letter which I still have with me. To this day I have not been able to figure out who wrote that or where it came from? This letter addressed my situation and paused a question from the Ayat in the Quran; Are you going to choose something lowly against what is high?
This anonymous letter made such an impact on me that I immediately decided to go to Madina. Alhamdulillah I am glad I did that. I completed four year BA in the Madina University. During this time I studied the curriculum at the university during day time. In the evenings I would attend the many halaqa conducted by the great scholars inside the masjid of the prophet.
What was your first job and where was it?
Towards the end of my course in Madina, Deen of the student matters called about 50 of us to attend an interview for a teaching position in Pakistan. I was among the 18 or 19 students who were shortlisted after a written exam. After that came the verbal exam. We were called one by one in to a room where our Deen was sitting with a visiting Sheikh, the head of the school that was hiring. I was asked questions from both the shariah and also on practical leadership skills. Alhamdulillah I was selected and I arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan to take this position.
I spent three years in Pakistan at the Mahath Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib College. I consider these three years of my life to be filled with hasanat. I would teach the students during the school hours and help those needing extra assistance afterschool hours. In a short period of three years I became the principal of a new division created for the foreign students. By the time I left Pakistan this prestigious school had 500 students from all over the world. This school was named Mahat Salman Al Farisi.
When did you come to USA?
During my second year in Pakistan I married. My wife was an American citizen. After three years in Pakistan we moved to Qatar and lived there for three years. By that time I have two kids also. Upon insistence of my wife we came to Huntington Beach, CA for a two week visit in 1997. During this time I came to see my nephews in Charlotte NC. One of the members of Charlotte community introduced me to the masjid in Tucson AZ and I was hired there. I spent three years with them before joining the ICC Charlotte.
What was your priority when you came to Charlotte? And now?
At the time I came to Charlotte, the communities were divided along ethnic lines. My priority at that time was to unify them. By the grace of Allah we were able to form inter masajid committees for Ramadan, Eid etc.. That opened doors for more interactions. Now our kids have grown up. They can get along with any ethnicities unlike the immigrants. So at this time unifying is less of a priority. Biggest priority now is the youth. If we cannot inspire our youth to think and act like Muslims then we cannot claim any achievements.
Sheikh, what consumes most of your time ?
60% of my time is consumed in resolving social issues. This contains divorce cases, family issues, issues between parents and kids and also issues with business. This has put breaks on my ability to work on other important goals.
How can the Charlotte Muslim Communities help you achieve your goals ?
There are many areas that we all – the masajids in charlotte – need to work together. We have to have a unified front for the media, for da’wah, for youth activities. I also like the idea suggested by MAS that we should have a unified approach to charity distribution. This will prevent any one taking unfair advantage of the generosity and will guarantee that the eligible ones will not be deprived.
What is your advice to the Muslims in Charlotte ?
My advice is to fear Allah, be far from racism, be straight and clear in matters, work together to achieve common goals, increase inter masajid activities programs.
How do you vision working with other Imams in the city ?
I always suggested and think the best way is to form Imam committees so we can work together. Collective decision will be better than individual decisions.
What national organizations are you affiliated to? And what is your role with them?
I am in the board of AMJA. My role is “khabeer” i.e. searcher. I am a treasurer at NAIF and I am the president of Council of Lebanese American Imams – CLAI.
How do you keep up with the changing world and the application of deen in it ?
I believe that many of the matters in dealing with the changing world should be handled by committees and not by individuals because these are important matters.
Sheikh, tell me how much time do you spent regularly in reading and writing.
I love reading. But I do not get time to read consistently. Still I read whenever I can. I have written on many things that sometime soon I would like to finalize and publish. I have just completed a text book of summary of fiqh for grades 9 to 12. A student helped me type it and it is about to be published In Sha Allah.
What is your goal for the next five years?
At this time my energy and time is drained in resolving social issues. I wish I can step back from these matters and dedicate my time to writing. I am strongly suggesting that the Charlotte masajids should hire one Imam who is trained to handle counselling to take care of issues related to social matters. That way we imams can concentrate better in our core responsibilities and contribute more in the realm of knowledge. I have a lot of things I would like to write about. In Sha Allah I hope I will be able to do that soon.
By the time I was able to finalize my notes and snap some pictures of the sheikh it was past midnight. Carolina Muslims wishes good for the sheikh and pray to Allah that his goals and ambitions are fulfilled. We thank our beloved Sheikh Bassam for the time he gave us for the interview. May Allah shower his mercy on him, his family, his parents and his teachers.
