Bilal Philips
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is a well known Muslim teacher and da'ee of Salafi persuasion.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Education
He was born in 1947 in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada, where he converted to Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usûl ad-Dîn) at the Islamic University of al-Madînah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985, and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, he completed his Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. Philips taught Islamic Education and Arabic in private schools in Riyadh for over ten years. Because of his opposition to the Saudi position in the Gulf War of 1990-1991, he had to leave Saudi Arabia and for three years he lectured M.Ed. students in the Islamic Studies department of Shariff Kabunsuan Islamic University in Cotobato City, Mindanao, the Philippines.
[edit] Islamic Information Center
Since 1994, he has founded and directed the Islamic Information Center (which is now known as Discover Islam) in Dubayy, UAE, and is known for his many contributions in the field of da‘wah, including audio lectures and books on Islam. Presently, he is a lecturer of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Dubayy and ‘Ajman University in ‘Ajmân, UAE. He frequently appears at the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai, India, on lecture tours. Philips has also founded the Distance Learning Program called Islamic Online University, which offers a 4 year degree in Islamic Studies plus a variety of short courses. Philips is something of a pioneer as a person of western origin achieving the status of a scholar of Islam inside the tradition. He has also been a major voice of a kind of Salafism, though splits among Salafîs mean that he is not popular with all of them.
[edit] Works
Among Philips's widely-read published works are:
- Fundamentals of Tawheed.
- Tafseer Soorah al-Hujuraat: A Commentary on the 49th Chapter of the Qur’aan. Riyadh: Tawheed Publications, 1411/1990
- Usool at-Tafseer: The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation. Sharjah, UAE: Dar al-Fatah, 1997
- The Evolution of Fiqh (Islamic Law & The Madh-habs. 3rd revised edition Riyadh: Tawheed Publications, 1990).
[edit] Controversy
Philips was featured in the Channel 4 documentary Undercover Mosque. In a speech at Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham, he said that marriage to prepubescent girls is acceptable:
The Prophet Mohammed practically outlined the rules regarding marriage prior to puberty, with his practice he clarified what is permissible and that is why we shouldn't have any issues about an older man marrying a younger woman, which is looked down upon by this society today, but we know that Prophet Mohammed practised it, it wasn't abuse or exploitation, it was marriage.
In a video reply on youtube he responded to the documentary in general, and clarified that Islam does not legitimize sexual intercourse, including the consummation of marriage, before puberty. [1]
[edit] External links
- Bilal Philips Official Page
- Bilal Philips Videos (online)
- Islamic Online University
- Bilal Philips Internationl Tours
- Comprehensive collection of Bilal Philips Articles and Audio, Video
- Interview with Bilal Philips on Famous Muslims
- Hardening of the Heart
