Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد

A scholar of Islam is a scholar of Islam — whether he is from here or from abroad. And it is important to acknowledge that Islamic studies has always included both Muslim and non‑Muslim scholars. So, the idea that we “reject foreign scholars” is simply untrue and, frankly, illogical. The real issue is not the nationality of a scholar. The issue is context.

When Islamic scholarship addresses matters that are uniquely American — and especially uniquely Black American Muslim — then contextualization becomes necessary. Our decades of lived experience have shown this repeatedly. The application of context is not a modern invention; it is part of traditional Islamic scholarship itself. From the time of the Prophet ﷺ and throughout the era of the Salaf, scholars applied the principles of the religion with an awareness of local realities.

So, rejecting foreign scholars is an error. But questioning rulings that originate from overseas when they concern issues specific to our community is not only reasonable — it is responsible. We have seen the harm that occurs when fatwas crafted for different societies, different histories, and different social conditions are applied here without adaptation. We have lived through the consequences.

What we must never do, however, is dismiss a scholarly opinion simply because it comes from a scholar, or because it comes from “over there.” Most scholars around the world issue their fatwas in their own language or in Arabic, and then someone translates them. The problem is not the scholar. The problem is when a ruling is lifted out of its context and applied to a situation it was never meant to address.

Our task is to honor scholarship wherever it comes from, while also ensuring that the rulings we follow are grounded in the realities of our own community. That balance — respect for global scholarship and commitment to local context — is the essence of sound Islamic methodology.

In the end, if we are to preserve our religion, the religion that we love so dearly, it is imperative that we develop our own qualified scholars and scholarly class, men and women, from within our communities. Islam cannot be preserved without scholarship. This is why learning your religion is incumbent upon every Muslim, and why the Prophet ﷺ said that the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. Our future depends on cultivating those inheritors here, in our own context, for the benefit of our own people. And Allah knows best- Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad

Shaykh Luqman Ahmad, born and raised in Philadelphia Pa, and son of American converts to Islam, is an American Muslim thinker, scholar, writer, educator, and community leader with more than four decades of service. A graduate of the Islamic University of Omdurman, with time spent at Umm al-Qura University, and in classes at the Haram in Mecca. Imam was first introduced to Islamic learning by his parents. He studied with numerous scholars, most notably the late “Sayyid Sabiq”, author of the book “Fiqh as-Sunnah”.  For a list of his teachers, consult his blog at imamluqman.wordpress.com. He served as the Imam of Masjid Ibrahim Islamic Center in California for 20 years, guiding one of the region’s most diverse Muslim communities with a blend of classical Sunni scholarship and deep awareness of American social realities. Over the course of his career, he has also served as an Imam and or resident scholar at several masaajid across the country, including in Philadelphia, Toledo, Sacramento, and Folsom, California.  

He is the author of several books, most notably The Devil’s Deception of the Modern-Day Salafi Sect, a widely discussed critique of contemporary Salafism, and Double Edged Slavery, an original work examining the mentality, history, and lived experience of Black Sunni Muslims in America. His writings, lectures, and community work continue to influence conversations on Islamic law, identity, leadership, and the future of American Muslim communities. Currently, he writes, conducts research, and serves as a guest khateeb at the Quba Institute in Philadelphia. He can be reached at: imamabulaith@yahoo.com