Ustadh Abdul Hakim (Steven Leveille), a much loved and respected Quran teacher in Maryland, passed away. His body was found in his apartment on the morning of March 5, 2018.
Br. Abdul Hakim was a long-term Hifzh teacher at Prince George's Muslim Association (PGMA) and then moved to M&M Learning Center in College Park, where he was in charge of the Quran and Islamic Studies program. He was also a part of the Masjid Ibn Taymiyyah community. Ustadh Hakim taught students from several families privately as well, and leaves a large vacuum in the absence of his jovial personality.
Ustadh Leveille was 40 years old and left behind a wife and two daughters. In mourning are many family members, including his mother and sister, friends and students.
Danish Ahmed, a former student and collegue at the PGMA Sunday School, shared his thoughts about his teacher and friend with the Muslim Link. "Abdul Hakim was one of the best mentors anybody can ask for. He was my inspiration and he always pushed me to do better. He was there for me through the good and the bad. He was a friend first before a teacher. He's been a part of many of our lives and will be missed a lot. May Allah grant him Jannatil Firdaus and forgive him, Aameen."
"You have died as a person who is memorizing the Quran. May the Creator raise you as a Hafiz," posted Zahid Husain in the DMV Janazah Group.
Hafiz Abdullah Ahmad started his memorization of the Quran with Ustadh Hakim. "I remember how impressed he was when I was able to recite all of Surah al-Naba without mistakes around 11 years ago, telling me I was on the way to becoming a Hafizh, in sha Allah. I remember how he would compete with us students, claiming that nobody could recite Surah Nuh without mistakes as well as he did. He was a strict but gentle teacher. Looking back, I realize that his pronounciation and recitation of the Quran was exceptional for one who converted to Islam. He chose a line of work that inshaAllah will benefit him until the Day of Judgement.
I remember going to him during the jumuah khutbah once asking if I could use the bathroom. He signaled me to keep quiet and motioned for me to go with a stern look on his face. I was confused at his stern look wondering what could be so wrong about going to the bathroom. After the jumuah prayer was over, he called for all the students and addressed everyone, telling us that the jumuah khutba is a time of silence and that speaking during it would invalidate the prayer. He told us if we had to use the bathroom to simply go and return as soon as possible. I remember feeling embarrassed at not knowing this information but feeling extremely grateful for him not pointing me out to the class. This anecdote shows his character and methods of tarbiyyah when it came to teaching us youngsters. I am now 20 years old in my second year at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA and am saddened I cannot be there for the janaza. May his memory live on in our hearts," he said in a note to the Muslim Link.
Bashir AbuKar was the last student who completed the memorization of the Quran with Ustadh Abdul Hakim, in August 2016. "The most important time with him was the day I finished the Quran. I recited my last page of Surah Al-Araaf and was I finished he gave me the biggest hug and I was so relieved to have finished a goal that both of us had," he shared.
"Hakim Leveille, I only knew you to be A Pure Soul. A stranger in this world, you were striving to hang around your Muslim family (the Muslim Community). The Quran, the book of Allah, the words of Allah, you were in love with it since the first day I met you. You helped so many of our children to fall in love with it too. My hope and yours in Allah alone to unite us again in Jannah........ till then I will miss you my brother," stated Imam Karim AbuZaid, the past imam of PGMA.
"There are not enough words to express the goodness, the good work and the amazing heart of this brother. Truly one of kind. More than 40 youth have completed Qur'an under his tutelage. His legacy is built on a the foundation of practically EVERY African American brother or sister in this area being able to read, write and understand Qur'an because Allah blessed him with a gift for teaching in a way that connected individually with every person sitting before him. Even native Arabs were amazed with the way he taught and the success rate of his students. What he had and was able to do as a teacher with Qur'an and Arabic studies isn't something one can go somewhere and learn, what Br. Hakim had can only be considered a gift from Allah Subhana' wa 'Tala. His contentment in this world was to teach others the beautiful language of Qur'an and he was never, ever to busy or considered it a bother to invest whatever time it took to make sure your pronuniciation was exactly correct," said Romana Kerns Muhammad, a collegue who worked with Ustadh Hakim at PGMA. " I miss my brother, but I thank Allah for the comfort of knowing he lived a life that we are taught gives us a secure hereafter. May his grave be filled with light and journey easy - and may I never, ever be foolish enough to let go of what he gave so freely, and with such determination, in helping me learn to read Qur'an Al-Kareem - ameen. Gone, but inshaa Allah, he will never be forgotten." she added.
“I never saw Br. Hakim without a smile. We used to talk about the plight of young people and the many challenges they face. I always appreciated his insights on difficult topics and admired how relatable he was to our youth! The kids loved him and he made learning fun. My daughter loves learning about Islam because he peaked her interest to want to learn more!" said parent Nadia Hassan of the Young Leaders Institute.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the janazah (funeral) services.
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