Meet Dr. Abdullah

Dr. Aslam Abdullah was born in India—a land where the call to prayer mingles with the music of the monsoon, where centuries of faith and struggle have shaped the soul of a civilization. In that ancient land of saints and seekers, his earliest visions of justice, dignity, and humanity took root. Now a proud citizen of the United States, he carries within him a profound gratitude to the country that gave him voice, identity, and the freedom to serve. In his heart, he belongs to both nations: to India, which nurtured his spirit, and to America, which strengthened his resolve. His life’s work—teaching, writing, and service—is a lifelong act of thanksgiving, an offering of knowledge and compassion to the two worlds that define his being.

His journey began not in the lecture halls of academia, but in a humble home where values were not preached but practiced. His mother—an illiterate yet luminously wise woman—taught him the ethics of humility, compassion, and truth, lessons more enduring than any scripture he would later study. His father, a leading Muslim voice on justice and human dignity, shaped his conscience by example. From him, Dr. Abdullah learned that faith without conscience is hollow, and justice without empathy is blind. Between a mother’s moral grace and a father’s principled courage, he came to understand that knowledge, if not wedded to compassion, becomes sterile.

As a scholar of Islamic studies and history, Dr. Abdullah devoted his life to the pursuit of truth through faith and intellect. Fluent in Arabic, he immersed himself in the Qur’an, Hadith, and the methodologies of early Muslim scholars. His research spans the great hadith collections—Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Al-Muwatta—as well as rare works such as As-Sahifah al-Sahihah. In his scholarship, sacred tradition meets the demands of reason; revelation and intellect walk hand in hand, illuminating the path toward justice and peace.

A prolific writer, educator, and community leader, Dr. Abdullah’s words have guided generations toward reflection and reform. His widely read blog, aslamabdullah.blogspot.com, is not merely a journal but a space of moral dialogue—a gathering ground for those who seek Islam’s timeless call to mercy, equality, and intellectual honesty. His essays, lectures, and sermons reveal not a preacher of dogma but a seeker of meaning—one who believes that scholarship is a form of service, not a pursuit of prestige. To him, learning is worship, and writing is prayer.

Dr. Abdullah’s academic journey mirrors his spiritual one. He earned his Doctorate in Communications from the University of London in 1987, a Master’s in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and another Master’s in Islamic and Arabic Studies from Delhi University. His formative years were spent at Karimia School, Delhi, the Anglo-Arabic Higher Secondary School, and Delhi College, institutions that cultivated his lifelong passion for inquiry and reform.

In the United States, his pen and his presence became instruments of bridge-building. As Editor-in-Chief of the Muslim Media Network, which publishes The Muslim Observer, and Editor-in-Chief of Minaret Magazine since 1989, he has chronicled the moral pulse of Muslim America for over three decades. Earlier, he served as Associate Editor of The Arabia in the 1980s, giving voice to cross-cultural understanding long before “interfaith” became a common term.

He has led and served many institutions with quiet distinction: Director of the Islamic Society of Nevada and Masjid Ibrahim (Las Vegas); Vice Chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations (WCMIR); and Vice President of the American Islamic College (Chicago), the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), and the American Muslim Council (Los Angeles). His work with the Interfaith Council of Nevada placed him at the forefront of dialogue among faiths—Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam—where he has represented Muslims in numerous international gatherings.

A teacher at heart, he has taught at Jamia Millia Islamia (India), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and the Vegas Community College, blending classical Islamic thought with contemporary human challenges. His classes, much like his writings, weave together moral philosophy and modern experience, always returning to the same truth: that faith, to be real, must serve humanity.

Dr. Abdullah has authored several books and written more than six hundred essays and papers published across the world. His works explore the intersections of belief and reason, tradition and change, East and West. A frequent guest on radio and television, he is known for his calm insight, his gentle humor, and his unwavering belief that love, sincerity, and justice are the true marks of faith.

Residing today in Southern California, Dr. Aslam Abdullah continues to write, teach, and engage communities across continents. His life is a bridge—between past and future, between revelation and reason, between two nations and one humanity. His pen, guided by conscience, continues to echo a timeless truth: that faith without service is incomplete, and knowledge without compassion is barren.