Dr. Mohammad Khair Naser Al Ali Momani (Shaykh Abu Islam)

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. إِنَّا ِلِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ,

“Verily we belong to Allah and verily to him do we return.” [سورة البقرة:155- 157]

Death is an inevitability which each one of us will experience, Allah (Ta’ala) mentions in the Quran: كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ 

“Every soul will taste death and you will be paid in full only on the Day of Resurrection…” (Quran, 3:185)

Bio:

Shaykh Abu Islam Biography - written by his eldest son, Islam Momani

It was 1959. A baby boy was born in a small village named Ibbin, in the Ajloun district in the north part of Jordan. His mother wanted to name him ‘Riyadh’. However, by the time his father reached the registration office, he had forgotten the mothers wishes, and instead decided on the name ‘Mohammad’.

Dr Mohammad Momani, more known in the community as Shaykh Abu Islam, passed away in the summer of 2022. At the time, he left behind his wife, three sons, five daughters and ten grandchildren. Although he left us in this temporary world, part of him always remains with us through his offspring.

Abu Islam’s mother passed away when he was just 8 years old, and due to complicated circumstances, was left as a father figure to his four young sisters. He was someone who had to grow and take responsibility very quickly. A childhood that was robbed from him, but he withstood the challenges and showed resilience to progress and develop into a man at an early age.

He was a person who excelled both academically and non-academically within the community. In fact, he was ranked as the 6th best student within the Kingdom of Jordan in his graduation year. Given his achievements, he was offered a scholarship by both the communist parties outside of the country and also Jordan government to study in Europe. These offers came to him on the basis of joining their ranks and promoting their own narrative. At the time and of course, both of these offers would mean he would have to compromise somewhat on his religious belief.

In the end, he chose neither and followed his heart and soul in aligning himself with Islam and promoting its values. He continued to play a key role within Islamic movements up and down Jordan reminding people of Allah and challenging the growing anti-Islamic narrative in the form of secularism and capitalism.

At this point, he had studied various degrees in Mathematics and Sharia Law at the Islamic University of Jordan. He quickly demonstrated the ability to bring people together, connect with them and warm their hearts to Islam and its values. His strong political activism and eagerness for social change within Jordan meant the government would always keep a close eye on him. The authorities eventually imprisoned him, making life difficult and restricting his options in the area. He eventually chose to migrate to another land.

In 1992, he arrived to England with his wife and 6 children at the time, and was assigned as the Imam and Headteacher of the Manchester Islamic Centre – better known as Disbury Mosque. He did not speak a word of English but showed incredible adaptability to continue his life in a new environment. Alongside working seven-day weeks, morning and evenings, he decided to complete his Master's degree in Theology at the University of Manchester.

A few years later in 1994, he took up a new role at Abu Bakr Masjid located in Middlesbrough, where his wife gave birth to their last two children. In that time, he also completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh.

Although Abu Islam’s main profession in the UK was an Imam. The reality was so much more. He was offering counselling and developing the communities he worked with tirelessly. He was offering wisdom in advising couples on marriage, raising children and general life challenges and by the will of Allah, with great affect.

In 2002 and after committing himself to many years within the Mosques and Muslim community, Abu Islam decided to start a new venture to teach the Arabic language. He moved back to the Greater Manchester area, this time in Cheadle where he would fulfil his final passion. There was to be 20 years from this moment, until his passing. And in that period, thousands of his students, who started as amateurs are able to read, write or speak Arabic, the language of the Qur’an.

In the meantime, whilst he was teaching, he was always volunteering his services to the Mosques to deliver the Friday sermon and much more, in particular at his local mosque – The CMA Welfare Trust – better known as Cheadle Masjid.

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