Ahmed Hussain Islamic Library Inaugurated in Maryland
As a tribute in honor of the late Washington DC area activist and intellectual, Ahmed Hussain, a new Islamic library was opened to the public near his hometown in Hartford County, Maryland.
(LEFT) Maryland Muslim activist Ahmed Hussain passed awat in 2006 at theage of 31.
Ahmed Hussain passed away at the age of 31 on February 8, 2006, of what doctors suspect was a sudden heart attack at his parent's home in Bel Air, Maryland.
The grand opening of the Ahmed Hussain Islamic Library was held on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at the Hartford County Education Society, Masjid Al-Falaah in Abingdon, Maryland, in the memory of his commitment
to an Islamic renaissance through the revival of Islamic sciences. The community, interfaith visitors and friends and family of Ahmed Hussain attended the event.
He was great collector of books says his mother Mubasher Hussain. She donated her son's collection of 5000 books to start the Ahmed Hussain Islamic Library. Friends and family hope that this library will be the gift that keeps on giving, a continued blessing for years to come for those on the path to seeking the divine just like their dear friend Ahmed always was. They remember his affectionate hugs and reassuring smiles, his warm words and witty demeanor, his spiritual insights and deep thoughts.
Ahmed Hussain grew up in Baltimore and Bel Air and was very active in the DC and Northern Virginia Muslim communities. He graduated with a degree in religion and philosophy from George Washington University where he was the President of the Muslim Students Association and received his Master's Degree in Islamic Law from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
His collection of around 5,000 books is now available at Masjid Al-Falah as part of the Ahmed Hussain Library. (Photos courtest of the Hussain Family)
Hussain represented ADAMS interfaith committee while carrying on a tradition his parents started when they were invited to a local church to talk about Islam to the kids in the church's Sunday class. "He was happy to accompany and to demonstrate to them how we pray, the meaning and concept of the prayer, the prayer rug, the prayer beads (tasbeeh), the [names] of Allah and how we celebrate our festivals. He answered the questions kids had about Islam," shared his mother. One of his childhood friends was Jewish and according to Hussain's mother, he was inspired by Ahmed to become a champion for Palestinian rights and is an activist with Jewish Voices of Peace.
Hussain saw the need for a civil rights organization for Muslims and was one of CAIR's first volunteers. He helped write several of the Washington-based group's initial publications.
A few years ago, Mona Malik and Mirza Baig hosted a fundraiser at their home in Virginia for the library. Equipped with Internet access and a table, the small library space is lined with bookshelves. A librarian from the community is cataloging the books and they will be available for check out for the general public.
The majority of the books are in English with a few in Urdu and Arabic. "The books cover a whole range of interdisciplinary fields within Islam. Everything from Islamic Law, civilization, history, traditions and saying of Prophets Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and Adam (peace be upon them) among many others, Bible studies from an Islamic Perspective, Philosophy, Islamic Epistemology, ethics, and other topics. There will be free copies of an English translation of the Holy Quran for all guests that come in," said Dr Rehan Khan, the president of Masjid Falaah.
The space also has a kitchen with a microwave and game room so visitors can relax between reading and studying. "We hope to have many intellectual, religious, and interfaith discussions in this small but cozy room. This is a room from which no seeker will go empty handed," said the President of the center.
His mothers shared anecdotes of Ahmed with the Muslim Link. His volunteer work with the Fallston General Hospital emergency room and the local nursing home in their area made him a favorite of the elderly. They looked forward to his visits as he charmed them with stories about the Middle East and India.
A regular khateeb at the Jummah held at ADAMS in Tyson's Corner, he infused his lectures with references to the thousands of books he had read, inspiring his listeners to seek knowledge.
"Who was Ahmed Hussain? A friendly, loving and beautiful person- he was like the moon and when he would walk into the room he would light it up! He was a maven with a photographic memory. He introduced people to love and the beauty of our religion and touched the lives of so many people. He is forever with us in our hearts. All of the good that he ever did is always felt, as is his presence. All of the books which are in the library today are donated from Ahmed's personal collection," shared his friend, Pervaiz Bhatti.
"Through their deaths we live," Ahmed wrote in his commencement speech at Bel Air High School referring to the classmates who had passed away. "Spirituality is an essential nutrient when living a life to the fullest, without it death ensues." Through Ahmed's death and the legacy of the library, Ahmed's mother prays that his love of knowledge and books will live serving the spirit of the town for generations to come.
Ahmed Hussain Islamic Library is located at 3014 Philadelphia Rd, Abingdon, MD.
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