Imam Siraj Wahaj

The Muslim Student Association(MSA) used to be an

umbrella organization for the Muslims residing in America and
Canada. Siraj Wahaj and I had the privilege and honor to be
members of the Majlis Shura(Advisory Council) and the
Executive Council of MSA. Over several years many Muslim
students became citizens of the United States and made this
country their future home. To serve the needs of these citizens
a new umbrella organization came into being. It was named
the Islamic Society of North America or ISNA. We were also
members of the first Majlis Shura and the Executive Council of
ISNA.

We had to meet often at the ISNA headquarters in Indiana. Our

meetings used to be very long and extremely tiring. There was
rarely any chance to talk freely with each other. The agenda
was a very long one. Only a few members had a chance to
express their opinion on various issues. In this way I felt a
vacuum between these national Muslim leaders.

Luckily, one day brother Siraj Wahaj and I got together during
the brief lunch break from the Executive Council meeting at
ISNA. I was curious to know how he accepted Islam. He
narrated his experience as follows:

“I used to be a member of the so-called Black Muslim

movement, which was quite different from traditional Muslim
beliefs and practices. MSA held a summer training camp for
community workers. I happened to attend this camp. The
camp started with a recitation from the Holy Quran by a
Sudanese brother. I did not know Arabic at that time. This

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recitation from the Quran affected me deeply. I started crying
profusely. The more recitation I heard, the more tears gushed
out from my eyes, flowing down my cheeks continuously and
falling on my clothes. I did not understand a word of Arabic. I
said to myself, “Whatever it is, it seems real.” I, therefore,
became a traditional Sunni Muslim.”

Brother Siraj learned Arabic very diligently and mastered the

recitation of the Quran and Hadith in due course of time. Soon
he became the Imam(leader of prayer) at Masjid Al-Taqwa in
New York. His Friday address used to be very effective.
Many men and women accepted Islam through him.

The Muslim community around his mosque grew larger and

larger. He surfaced as a Muslim leader of the North American
Muslims.

I asked him how he viewed the activities of ISNA and other

similar Muslim communities. He said loudly, “All of you are
very lazy and your output in most activities is minimal. For
example, when I used to be in the Black Muslim Movement, I
had to sell a lot of newspapers. I used to stand on my feet for
hours to ensure the sale of all the newspapers. Sometimes my
legs used to tremble despite my youth. You guys talk too
much and do very little.” There was no more time left in this
lunch break to ask any more questions.

His mosque is located in the inner part of New York City

where drug trafficking was conducted day and night. The drug
dealers were very rich and extremely dangerous. To eradicate
drugs from this community was a very uphill and risky task.
Dealers would kill anybody interfering in their activities.
These drug dealers were thriving around the Al-Taqwa
Mosque. Imam Siraj did not like this. He obtained knowledge
about these dealers from some of the new Muslims who used to

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wheel and deal with them in the past. Then, he gathered a few
hundred Muslims from his community and went to the drug
lords one by one. He said to them, “Get out of this community
by tomorrow or we will get rid of you all.” Many said to him,
“Why do you want to rob us of our daily living?” Siraj told
them that there was no room for drugs in this Muslim
community. Siraj repeated these visits of warning with his
followers the next day. All of the drug lords left their
locations. As a result, the vicinity of Al-Taqwa Mosque
became safe from the drug dealers for a five-mile radius. The
American Government was surprised because they could not
succeed, even after spending a lot of money and applying
different tactics using skilful manpower. Brother Siraj was
interviewed on national television for his remarkable
achievement. The TV Anchorman asked, “How and why did
you do it?” Siraj replied, “Islam and the drug business cannot
go together. I did not want to see the poor public ruined in the
hands of these drug dealers. Sincerity of purpose and strong
will helped to achieve the noble goal.”

Siraj is now working closely with other Muslim communities

in America and in Canada. He is very successful in inspiring
the youth and raising funds for Islamic schools and mosques.
It is common for him to have an open book of Hadith or the
Holy Quran in his hand, even in airports. He is highly
respected internationally. During my last visit to Makkah from
the USA I met a few American Muslims. I asked them who
else is here in Makkah. They told me that Imam Siraj Wahaj
was present. The local leaders of the Haram Mosque were
looking for him, so that he could participate in the ceremony of
changing the cover of the Ka‟bah(House of Allah).

The last speech I heard of his was at the Annual ISNA

Convention in Chicago. It was the time of the American
Presidential campaign. It was in full swing. George Bush, Bill

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Clinton and Ross Perot were throwing as much dirt on each
other as the law permitted. Muslims residing in America
expected to gain some sense of direction concerning their
voting in the forthcoming election. Any word from the local
American Muslim leaders like Siraj Wahaj would have been
highly valued. Siraj started his speech like this. “I was reading
the Quran last night. I was surprised to read about George
Bush in it. Yes, you heard me right. I read about George Bush
in the Quran last night. In fact, I also read about Bill Clinton
and Ross Perot too. All were mentioned in the Quran in the
same place. You may be wondering where it is. It is in the
second chapter of the Quran. I can even give you the exact
verse.” Then, he recited the verse:

‫صم" بكم" عمى" فهم ال يرجعىن‬

They are deaf, dumb and blind. They will not return to the
truth. (2:18)

He added, “Their ears are not fit to hear the truth, their tongues
are not ready to talk truth and their eyes are not capable of
seeing the truth. How can there be any hope for their leaning
towards or reverting to the truth?”

Siraj has his own original style. There is a need for a book to
be written about him. I hope somebody will do so one day.

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