Zaid Shakir | |
|---|---|
 Zaid Shakir presides over "The People's Champ"Muhammad Ali memorial service in Louisville, KY., 2016. | |
| Title | Imam |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Ricky D. Mitchell (1956-05-24)May 24, 1956 (age 69)[1] |
| Era | Modern era |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Islamic Scholar, Author[4] |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni[5] |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi[6] |
| Creed | Ashari |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Subscribers | 11.3 thousand |
| Views | 401.4 thousand |
| Last updated: 26 October 2022[needs update] | |
| Website | newislamicdirections |
Zaid Shakir (Arabic:زيد شاكر; bornRicky Daryl Mitchell, May 24, 1956) is an American Muslim scholar and co-founder ofZaytuna College inBerkeley, California.[7][8] He teaches courses onArabic,law, history, and Islamicspirituality.
Shakir was born in 1956[9] inBerkeley, California as Ricky Daryl Mitchell to a family descended fromAfrican,Irish andNative American[10] roots. His formative years were spent in housing projects inNew Britain, Connecticut. He converted to Islam in 1977 while serving in theUnited States Air Force and shortly after changed his name to Zaid Salim Shakir.[10][11]
Shakir obtained a BA inInternational Relations atAmerican University in Washington, D.C., and later earned his MA inPolitical Science atRutgers University.[3] He then left forSyria to pursue his studies in traditionalIslamic Sciences.[3] For seven years inSyria, and briefly inMorocco, Shakir immersed himself in an intense study ofArabic,Islamic law,Quranic studies, andspirituality with Islamic scholars such as SheikhʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Shāghūrī[12] and Sheikh Mustafa Al-Turkmani. In 2001, he was the first American male graduate from Syria'sAbu Nour University[3] with a BA in Islamic Sciences.
Shakir is one of the signatories[13] ofA Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.
He assumed leadership of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) from 2020 until 2022.[14]
Shakir is co-founder and chairman of United For Change, whose stated goal is to leverage the diversity of the Muslim and interfaith community and address divisive obstacles.[15]
In 2020, Shakir partnered with Green Faith to develop programming with religious groups centered onsustainable development andclimate change.[16][17][18]
Shakir is one of many signatories to a statement prepared by religious leaders from around the world who presented theUN Secretary General with a declaration in support of theParis Climate Agreement.[19]
Zaytuna College
In 2003, as a scholar-in-residence atBerkeley, California basedZaytuna Institute, Shakir began to teachArabic, Law, and Islamicspirituality. In 2004, he initiated a pilot seminary program at Zaytuna Institute.
in the fall of 2010, Shakir and colleaguesHamza Yusuf, andHatem Bazian reorganized the institute intoZaytuna College, a four-year Muslim liberal arts college, the first of its kind in the United States, dedicated to "educate and prepare morally committed professional, intellectual, and spiritual leaders", who are grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition.[20] In 2015, he signed the official Memorandum of Understanding betweenZaytuna College andHartford Seminary inConnecticut.[21]
In 2016, Zaytuna College became the first accredited Muslim campus in the United States after it received approval from theWestern Association of Schools and Colleges.[22][23]
In 2010, Zaid Shakir appeared with nine other influential Muslim scholars in a YouTube video denouncing militant Islam.[24][25][26]
The 500 Most Influential Muslims of the world edition 2020 describes Zaid Shakir as "an influential Islamic scholar and a voice of conscience for American Muslims[27] and non-Muslims alike", edited byJohn Esposito andIbrahim Kalin[1]
Imam Zaid Shakir spoke the last words Ali heard on his deathbed. He leans over and with his mouth close to Ali's right ear, he sings, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." Shakir begins talking to Ali, entreating him, exhorting him, telling him, "Muhammad Ali, this is what it means, God is one; say it, repeat it, you've inspired so many, paradise is waiting -- ".[28] He was, in Shakir's description, "a praying man" who understood he belonged to Allah. But he also knew he was Muhammad Ali, and so belonged to the world".[28][citation needed]
— "The Greatest, At Rest", ESPN - The Magazine's June 12 World Fame Issue
Tikkun Daily states that he is "one of the most thoughtful and dynamic teachers about the true nature of Islam in America today".[29]
Zaid Shakir was named inCNN's 2018 list of "25 Influential American Muslims", where he was described as "one of the West's most respected Muslim scholars."[30]
| Title | Description | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where I'm Coming From: A Year In Review 2010. | Author | Books and Pamphlets | |
| Agenda To Change Our Condition 2007. | co-authored withHamza Yusuf | Books and Pamphlets | |
| Scattered Pictures: A Reflection of An American Muslim 2005. | Author | Translations | |
| Harith Al-Muhasibi,Treatise for The Seekers of Guidance (2008). | Translation, notes, and commentary ofRisala al-Mustarshidin, composed d.243/857 by anIraqi scholar. | Translations | |
| Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali,The Heirs of the Prophets (2000). | The translation and introduction ofAl-Ulama' Waratha Al-Anbiya, composed d.1375 by anIraqi scholar. | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Dawud Walid,Towards Sacred Activism (2018). | Books with a foreword or introduction | ||
| Arsalan Iftikhar and Reza Aslan,Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms (2016). | Endorsement | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Muslims and The Climate Crisis: Responding To A Higher Call | Available in
| Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Meraj Mohiuddin,Revelation: The Story of Muhammad (pbuh) 2015. | Endorsement | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Abdullah bin Hamid Ali,Tears Of The Yearners For The Meeting With God 2015. | Books with a foreword or introduction | ||
| Ibrahim Abdul-Matin,Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet 2010. | Editorial review | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Maraqi'L-Sadat,Ascent to Felicity 2010. | Editorial review | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Sa'ad Quadri,The War within Our Hearts: Struggles of the Muslim Youth 2010. | Introduction | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Abdul Azeez Ahmad,Living With Blindness: Lessons from the Life of Imran Sabir 2009. | Introduction | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Sierra Club,A Gathering of Voices on Caring For Creation 2008. | contributing articleThe Zaytuna Ruku Tree | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Richelene Mitchell,Dear Self: A Year In The Life of A Welfare Mother 2006 | Books with a foreword or introduction | ||
| Aftab A. Malik and Ibrahim M Abu'- Rabi,The Empire and The Crescent: Global Implications For a New American Century 2004. | contributing articleJehad as Perpetual War | Books with a foreword or introduction | |
| Joseph Lumbard,Submission, faith and beauty: the religion of Islam (2009). | Co-edited withHamza Yusuf. | Edited Books | |
| Papers |
Media related toZaid Shakir at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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| National | |
