Ustaz Zhulkeflee Hj Ismail al-Ba'Alawi ق of Singapore (D.2017)
Almarhum Ustaz Zhulkeflee Hj Ismail was born on 10 September 1953 /1 Muharram 1373H.
Affectionately known as Ustaz Zhul, he was raised in a household which greatly emphasized knowledge in both Islamic and secular education; whether through traditional or conventional methods.
His family follows the way of the Ba-Alawi which emphasized on adab and akhlaq, maintaining good relations and camaraderie with one another, to love Rasulullah ﷺ and his family, and to be in the company of the ulama' and the righteous.
His family often attended and hosted various majlis 'ilm, such as classes, tahlil, maulid, weekly recitations of ratib and Yasin etc. These aspects instilled into the family members the importance of seeking lifelong education and learning.
His Studies
He attended Guillemard English School and St Patrick's secondary school for his secular education. It was not the norm of the malay Muslim community back then to send their children to study in Christian or Catholic schools.
As for his Islamic education, he began his learning at home; in which the firm and stable upbringing in upholding the traditional ways and norms moulded and strengthened him, and the combined exposure to both systems was what developed his character.
Ustaz Zhulkeflee first learnt muqaddam with a teacher named Kak Ijum at Minto Road. He then proceeded to learn Qur'anic recitation with Sheikh Abu Bakar Bahaswan, and was also guided in talaqi by a number of Madrasah Aljunied students that were conducting classes at the family's premises.
He also had the opportunity to be under the guidance of Ustaz Muhammad bin Haji Mohd. Sai'd Semarang, the son of Madrasah As-Sibyan's founder.
He then furthered his islamic studies by attending night classes organized by PERDAUS, and was under the guidance of various asatizahs, including Ustaz Osman bin Jantan and Ustaz Muhammad Hafi bin Abdul Hakim.
In his teenage days, he often attended various halaqah sessions held in mosques.
Amongst his teachers were:
Ustaz Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Salim bin Diab
Kiyai Haji Shukur
Habib Muhammad bin Salim Al-Attas (ilm Tasawuf)
His teachers in 'ilm fiqh, tauheed, da'wah and Islamic governance, include:
Ustaz Wan Salleh (student of Ustaz Yaacob bin Elias)
Ustaz Maktoom (murid Buya Malik Ahmad)
Ustaz Ismail Bahrum (murid Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy)
He also participated in various usrah sessions which discussed on Tafsir Al-Quran and Da'wah Islamiah. He also attended sessions of the various Islamic movements, in order to broaden his understanding of each of them. (May Allah shower his blessings and mercy upon all of them).
His Teaching
He first worked full time at HDB for 17 years. He was a perpetual student of Islam, and would continue to attend his classes after office hours. He was an active member of Darul Arqam, and helped with mentoring Islam in English. He also helped run courses and da'wah programs for a number of organizations, such as Pertapis, permusi, Muhammadiyah, etc.
In 1982, he was interviewed by MUIS Fatwa Committee, and was conferred the permission to teach Islam by Mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait and Almarhum Ustaz Syed Abdillah Al-Jufri. Since then, he began teaching at Darul Arqam and took over Cikgu Haji Zaini Haji Ahmad who retired due to old age and ailment.
In 1991, he left his career at HDB and pursued to teach Islam full time. He was the Executive Education and Da'wah Officer in Darul Arqam, and whilst in service there, he conducted and oversaw various programs and modules in English. He had the opportunity to meet and learn from many international scholars. Amongst them were:
Sheikh Ahmad Deedat
Dr Jamal Badawi
Dr Gary Miller
Ahmad von Defner
Moulana Imran Hossein
Dr Bilal Phillips
Dr Maurice Buccaile
Ahmad Sakar
Haji Abdul Karim Gerald D'Cruz
Kiyai Dr. Muchtar Adam
Ustaz Hussein Shahab from Palembang And many more.
In 1997, he left Darul Arqam and joined PERGAS as an executive officer, and subsequently in 1999 he became the manager.
Whilst in service in PERGAS for 7 years, he assisted in spearheading various initiatives and programs. He also initiated on a collaborative effort with ISTAC to conduct a seminar in hopes of improving and honing English as a medium for the asatizahs and da'i, and to provide greater exposure in the academic arena. Needless to say, he benefitted greatly from meeting with scholars such as Prof Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, Prof Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud, Prof Malik Badri, and many more.
A number of his da'wah efforts whilst in PERGAS include:
Set curriculum for the non-malay community, to know about islam
Taught Islam to the Catholic seminarians at St. Francis Xavier Seminary as well as at Trinity College.
Invited to do da'wah locally as well as overseas such as in Brunei, Malaysia and Australia.
Prepared PERGAS's response to the Parliamentary Select Committee regarding proposed Amendment Bill on AMLA, alongside Mufti Dr Mohd Fatris Bakaram, Ustaz Abu Bakar Hashim and Ustaz Hanan Hassan; as well as preparing PERGAS's research paper and response on the Madrasah issue.
Served as hakam in Syariah Court and helped with the development of marriage guidance course
Delivered Friday sermons in English
Taught in PERGAS weekend madrasahs (DPI and SPI)
In 2004 he left PERGAS and continued to teach Islam as a freelance, and continued sharing the Deen where he was invited to.
If anyone were to ask any of his students what was Ustaz Zhul's main concern, they would reply, "He always showed deep concern and worry with regards to the ummah." And this was true.
Serving the Ummah while sick
In mid Dec 2006, he sustained a left-side hemiplegia (stroke), and reclused from the public to focus on recovery.
During this time though, he busied himself working on his laptop, and writing blogs as suggested by one of his students. In this way, he was able to archive his past works as well as to keep his mind active as he tried to stay informed regarding the affairs of the ummah, and worked on da'wah materials. He would type his notes only with the aid of his right hand; and was determined to still strive in any way possible. Although severely limited by his physical ability, his mental capabilities were still as astute. Students who came by to visit him would testify to that. His speech was slurred, his walk was a slow gait yet his passion was not dampened. He was still as fervent if not more than before.
After a number of encouragements from his students, he resumed his teaching role prior to his stroke. From 2009 to 2017, he conducted various classes and was once again invited for lectures in various tertiaries and organizations. He delivered his presentations with the aid of PowerPoint, and would upload them online in hopes for others to benefit.
With his ailment, he realised even more than before how pertinent it was for everyone to learn and strive in the Deen, and took it in his stride to try his best in the way of Allah.
On 6 March 2017, he unexpectedly sustained another stroke and passed away peacefully on 9 March 2017.
May Allah SWT accept his efforts and place him amongst the righteous people alongside Rasulullah ﷺ. Aamiin.
Source: Nurul Iiman Zhulkeflee (daughter)
