Assim Al-Hakeem

Sheikh Assim bin Luqman al-Hakeem (Arabic: عاصم بن لقمان الحكيم; born 23 November 1962) is a Saudi Arabian Islamic preacher and a social media personality of Indonesian descent. He mostly preaches in English[1][2] and is known for his fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic texts.[3][4][5]

Assim al-Hakeem
Sheikh
عاصم بن لقمان الحكيم
A still of Al-Hakeem from a 2017 video
Personal
Born
Assim bin Luqman al-Hakeem

(1962-11-23) November 23, 1962
Khobar, Saudi Arabia
ReligionIslam
Alma materUniversity of Petroleum and Minerals (dropped out)
King Abdulaziz University
Umm al-Qura University
OccupationIslamic preacher
Websitewww.assimalhakeem.net

Early life and education

Al-Hakeem was born on 23 November 1962 in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Al-Hakeem was raised in a religious family of Indonesian descent. At the age of 12, he and his family moved to Jeddah. From a young age, he was interested in Islamic studies. He finished high school in 1980 and continued his higher education at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. However, he dropped out of KFPUM and moved to Jeddah. In Jeddah, he found a job. Later, he continued studying at King Abdulaziz University, majoring in English literature, and graduated in 1987 with a BA in linguistics.[1] He then continued a higher degree in Islamic studies at Umm al-Qura University in 1998. Al-Hakeem also studied books by Sheikh ibn al-Uthaymin for several years.[2]

Activities

Al-Hakeem began his career as a high school English teacher in 1988. He has been an imam of a mosque in Jeddah for the last 20 years, where he delivers Friday prayer weekly sermons and lectures on various Islamic sciences.[1]

Assim al-Hakeem preaches in English and regularly delivers Islamic English programs on social media channels, such as Questions and Answers (ASK HUDA), Umdatul Ahkaam, Youth Talk, and Mercy to the Worlds. He also preaches on TV and radio channels such as Huda TV, Zad TV, Peace TV, Iqraa, and Saudi 2.[1]

Views

Islamic recitation as therapy

Al-Hakeem has said of the Islamic practice of ruqyah, a form of incantation associated with the exorcism of evil spirits in Islam, that "it is the recitation of the Qur'an, seeking of refuge in Allah, remembrance and supplications that are used as a means of treating sicknesses and other problems, as the Qur'an is a source of healing".[6] He has also advocated reciting the Qur'an over water and then drinking and washing with it as a means of healing.[6]

Limitations of prayer exemptions due to travel

Al-Hakeem has said that, with regards to the Islamic practice of shortening or combining prayer during travel, a person who travels daily or frequently "will not be considered a traveller for the purpose of shortening of Salah and combining them unless a valid reason exists."[7]

Pilgrimage selfies

Al-Hakeem has critiqued Islamic pilgrims taking pictures of themselves while on the hajj, stating: "Taking such selfies and videos defy the wish of our prophet. It is as though the only purpose of this trip is to take pictures and not worship."[8]

Political views

In 2013, Al-Hakeem said democracy is "a big lie".[9] In 2016, the then opposition Maldivian Democratic Party called Al-Hakeem a "fundamentalist preacher" who has used Islam to "justify hatred, excuse the government’s crackdown on dissent, and legitimize authoritarianism".[9]

Al-Hakeem has claimed that all forms of protest are prohibited in Islam.[10]

He does not believe women are allowed to lead.[11]

Women

He holds that women are not allowed to work in mixed-gender environments.[12]

Cryptocurrency

Al-Hakeem considers bitcoin haram since it is anonymous, which can be used for money laundering and drug money,[13][14] and has warned against people using such transactions as the nature of seeking to gain money quickly in such a manner (via a means akin to gambling) is fundamentally un-Islamic.[15]

Personal life

Al-Hakeem said he had Indonesian descent because his grandfather was a native of Medan who worked as a judge in the sultanate at that time. Al-Hakeem's grandfather sent Luqman (Al-Hakeem's father) to Saudi Arabia to study religion, and later he obtained Saudi citizenship; thus, Al-Hakeem was born in and grew up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[16]

References
  1. "Biography of Sheikh Assim al-Hakeem (Interview 2010)". 2017-04-23. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  2. "Assim Al Hakeem". 2018-07-26. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  3. "Scholars Argue Prosecutions Against Muslim Liberals Don't Follow Islamic Teachings". NPR. Assim Al-Hakeem is a hard-line Saudi sheikh...
  4. "Kamer wil opheldering over moslimbijeenkomst Utrecht" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. Hij staat bekend als een fundamentalist
  5. "2016 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives". to a visiting fundamentalist preacher, Assim al-Hakeem
  6. Rassool, G. H. (2021), "Re-examining the anatomy of Islamic psychotherapy and counselling: Envisioned and enacted practices" (PDF), Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 4 (2): 133–143, doi:10.25217/igcj.v4i2.1840, S2CID 247654590
  7. Musharraf, M. N. (2016), "Shortening and combining of Salah during travel" (PDF), Australian Journal of Humanities and Islamic Studies Research, 2 (1): 53–63
  8. "Hajj 'selfie craze' bemuses Islamic clerics". BBC. 30 September 2014.
  9. Maldives Independent, Maldives Independent (9 March 2016). "Government accused of using radical preachers 'to justify injustice'". maldivesindependent.com. Maldives Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. Ahmed, Omar (June 2020). "Saudi cleric: 'It is prohibited to protest in Islam'". middleeastmonitor.com. Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. "Can a woman lead for example like the Saudi women who are struggling to become political leaders?". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  12. "What about a sister who works in a mixed environment in the West". assimalhakeem.net. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013.
  13. Alam, Nafis; Gupta, Lokesh; Zameni, Abdolhossein (2019). Fintech and Islamic Finance: Digitalization, Development and Disruption. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 109.
  14. Hasbi, A. H.; Mahzam, R. (30 April 2018). "Cryptocurrencies: potential for terror financing" (PDF). RSIS Commentary. 75.
  15. Mujani, W. K.; Mazuki, A. A. M.; Hirwani, W. M.; Hussain, W.; Alias, M. N.; Salleh, A. D.; et al. (2022). "Bitcoin: The Extent of its Usability from the Perspective of Islamic Scholars". ResearchGate.
  16. 'Savage Syeikh': Syaikh Assim Al-Hakim, Jawaban Unik buat Pertanyaan Nyeleneh (in Indonesian), retrieved 2023-06-14
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