The Green Islamic Foundation

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين, و صلى الله على سيدنا محمد, امام المرسلين,خاتم النبين و على اله و سلم

The Cow (2:153-157)

2:153
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ١٥٣

O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

2:154
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتٌۢ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌۭ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ ١٥٤

Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead—in fact, they are alive! But you do not perceive it.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

2:155
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ١٥٥

We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure—
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

2:156
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ١٥٦

who say, when struck by a disaster, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

2:157
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ ١٥٧

They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

https://quran.com/2/153-157

The news came on Saturday, on the 23rd day of the month of Jumada Al Awwal 1447 AH (corresponding with November 15th, 2025) that Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid passed away. Imam Talib, may Allah have mercy on him, was the long-standing Imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood (MIB) in Harlem, NY. He was an Imam of the people, from the people.

The Imam’s janazah took place on Monday, the 25th of Jumada Al Awwal 1447 AH (corresponding with November 17th, 2025) at the Malcolm Shabazz Masjid. Hundreds of Muslims from around the country gathered in the New York masjid and school, formerly known as Muhammad University, to give Imam Talib his last rites.

Imam Talib was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1951. He became a Muslim as a young adult and studied directly under the founder of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Shaykh Allama Al-Hajj Ahmad Tawfiq and Imam Sayed Abdus-Salaam. Shaykh Allama Al Hajj Ahmad Tawfiq was a student of El Hajj Malik Shabazz and member of the Muslim Mosque Incorporated. Shaykh Tawfiq was also an Azhari student who was granted a scholarship to the prestigious university. In 1967, he incorporated the Harlem Mosque and organization as a bridge of eastern and western Muslim communities, providing a moral center of traditional Sunni Islam for indigenous and immigrant Muslims in the United States. In 1975, Imam Talib Abdur Rashid began his tenure as the assistant Imam of MIB and the editor of its newspaper “The Western Sunrise”. After the passing of Shaykh Allama Al Hajj Ahmad Tawfiq in the winter of 1988, Imam Talib ascended as the senior Imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood. He held this station providing orthodox Islamic guidance, support, protection and structure to the Muslim community in Harlem and the greater New York City. He also served the imprisoned Muslim population of New York as a chaplain at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and other New York prisons.

The Imam was also the President emeritus of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York. He was also a founding member and vice president of the Muslim Alliance in North America. In 2019, he also served on the advisory board of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). As a well versed and well-read historian of both American and Global history, the Imam also played an active role in the Pan African Unity Dialogue (PAUD) strengthening social, economic and political ties with members of the African Diaspora. The Imam worked tirelessly for over 50 years for Islam and the Muslim community. He passed away at the age of 74 years old.

On Sunday, the 2nd day of Jumada Ath-Thaani 1447 AH (corresponding with the 23rd of November 2025 CE), it was reported that the beloved Imam Jamil Al Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, may Allah have mercy on him, passed away.

Imam Jamil Al Amin was a celebrated activist and fifth chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Born Hubert Gerold Brown in 1943 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he spent his life striving and fighting for civil and human rights for African Americans in the United States of America. While serving a five-year term in prison, he embraced Islam and changed his name to Jamil Abdullah Al Amin. Upon release, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and became an Imam within the national Dar ul-Islam movement.

The Dar ul-Islam movement, known affectionately by its members as “The Dar”, was established in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1960s. The start of this movement began under the tutelage of Shaykh Imam Daoud Faisal of State Street masjid in Brooklyn, New York. A group of his African American students and community members established their own mosque, newspaper, incense factory and dojo under the leadership of Imam Yahya Abdul Karim. After a fracturing of the movement, several communities of the Dar ul-Islam movement around the nation regrouped and formed their Jama’aat under the name “Al Ummah” under the leadership of Imam Jamil Al Amin. Imam Jamil worked tirelessly through his tenure as an Imam, just as he did prior to his embracing Islam, to protect and guide the African American community on a national scale.

Unfortunately, in the 2000s, the Imam was arrested and convicted of criminal charges in which he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It is clear to anyone who studied the case of the Imam’s arrest, that what he was convicted of was false. In fact, two years before Imam Al Amin’s conviction, another man confessed to the crime. As a political prisoner, Imam Jamil upheld his dignity and continued to fight for his freedom and the liberation of his people. After several appeals, Imam Al Amin’s conviction was upheld. While in prison, the Imam was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Struggling to get medical help from the authorities for years, the Imam passed away at the age of 82. Imam Jamil’s janazah is expected to take place on the 5th of Jumada Ath-Thaani, 1447 AH (corresponding with the 26th of November, 2025 CE) in Florida.

These two Imams, represent a great deal of the legacy of Islam in the Americas. They worked unendingly, through sickness and imprisonment, providing leadership and support to people of all races and religions. Particularly, they were the stalwarts of the Black and Black Muslim communities. May Allah have mercy on them both and grant them Jannatul Firdaus with no account.