Hisham Kabbani

1945–2024 · Lebanon and United States · Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi shaykh, author and chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America

Muhammad Hisham Kabbani was born in Beirut on 28 January 1945. He belonged to the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi order and married Hajjah Naziha, the eldest daughter of the order’s leader, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani of Cyprus. On Shaykh Nazim’s instruction he moved to the United States in 1990, where he became a prominent figure of the order in the West.

He led the Islamic Supreme Council of America and the associated As-Sunnah Foundation of America, and he and his wife directed relief and humanitarian projects in several countries. He sat on the board of a world religious leaders forum and was named in the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre’s list of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2012. Together with Homayra Ziad he issued a fatwa in 2011 stating that the Qur’an does not permit domestic violence.

Kabbani’s books, mostly issued by his own organisations, present Sunni belief and Naqshbandi devotional practice and include works on angels, the history of the order and a treatment of Sunni doctrine; he also co-published collections of Shaykh Nazim’s talks. He was a controversial figure: his 1999 statement at the US State Department that most American mosques were controlled by extremists drew a sharp rebuttal from Muslim organisations. He died in December 2024.

Photo: Wissam7007, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Archived 19 October 2026 · Biography sources: en.wikipedia.org · openlibrary.org

Works

Books 7

BOOK 1995 · English

Angels Unveiled: A Sufi Perspective

An exposition of the Islamic doctrine of angels from a Sufi perspective.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. Angels Unveiled: A Sufi Perspective. 1995. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-angels-unveiled-a-sufi-perspective

No free copy online

BOOK 1995 · English

The Naqshbandi Sufi Way

A history of the Naqshbandi Sufi order and its chain of masters, with a guide to its practices.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. The Naqshbandi Sufi Way. 1995. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-the-naqshbandi-sufi-way

No free copy online

BOOK 1998 · English

Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine

An exposition of Sunni doctrine and devotional practice from the author's Naqshbandi Sufi standpoint.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine. 1998. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-encyclopedia-of-islamic-doctrine

No free copy online

BOOK 1998 · English

Remembrance of Allah and Praising the Prophet

A work on dhikr (remembrance of God) and poetry in praise of the Prophet, including the Qasida al-Burda.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive (borrowable)

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. Remembrance of Allah and Praising the Prophet. 1998. Internet Archive (borrowable), https://archive.org/details/remembranceofall0000kabb. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-remembrance-of-allah-and-praising-the-prophet

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BOOK 2003 · English

Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition

A presentation of the Naqshbandi path as part of classical Sunni Islam, with its history and practices.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition. 2003. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-classical-islam-and-the-naqshbandi-sufi-tradition

No free copy online

BOOK 2003 · English

The Approach of Armageddon?

A study of Islamic teachings on the signs of the end of time.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. The Approach of Armageddon?. 2003. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-the-approach-of-armageddon

No free copy online

BOOK 2011 · English

The Prohibition of Domestic Violence in Islam with Homayra Ziad

A fatwa-style study arguing from the Qur'an and hadith that Islam forbids domestic violence.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive (borrowable)

Cite

Kabbani, Hisham. The Prohibition of Domestic Violence in Islam. 2011. Internet Archive (borrowable), https://archive.org/details/prohibitionofdom0000kabb. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/hisham-kabbani/#hisham-kabbani-the-prohibition-of-domestic-violence-in-islam

READ AT SOURCE ↗