EXEMPLARS for our TIME: A Ground-Breaking Publication & Unprecedented Collaboration, Needs Your Help

We need your support for EXEMPLARS for our TIME, a ground-breaking mini-book series led by internationally acclaimed British photographer Peter Sanders (Meetings with Mountains, In the Shade of a Tree, The Art of Integration) and American author Michael Sugich (Signs on the Horizons, Hearts Turn).

The goal of EXEMPLARS for our TIME is to restore awareness of living saints and sages within our tradition through the publication of a series of concise, beautifully illustrated, engaging and easy to read pictorial biographies (around 40 pages each) written by some of our most distinguished scholars and authors, including:

• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
• Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi
• Dr. Karim Lahham
• Dr. Samer Dajani
• Dr. Hisham Hellyer
• Shems Friedlander 
• Michael Sugich
• Peter Sanders (photography)
• Mustafa Davis (photography)

Reviving A Tradition & Providing Teaching Tools For Our Community: A Mini-Series of Stories

Since time immemorial, humans have learned through stories. Books of revelation are filled with stories, and we know about our sages of the past through a rich tradition of spiritual biography. This tradition flourished until the 19th century but, gradually faded, leaving the impression that these people no longer exist; that they are idealized, mythological figures from a distant past and have no relevance to the times we live in. But nothing could be further from the truth. 

In every generation, Allah creates men and women of knowledge, illumination and beautiful character to teach us the sacred sciences and guide us on the Straight Path through wise counsel and an excellent example. These are the sages of Islam. 

Although some of the sages we will profile are widely known and revered by many, we realized that little is actually known about their inspiring and fascinating lives. And, as far as we know, this will be the first time something like this has been attempted. 

We believe EXEMPLARS for our TIME can become a teaching tool for Muslim educational institutions and home-schooling programs from North America and Europe to Africa and the Far East and form the foundation for a web-based learning resource.

The Sages

Each book in the series will be professionally written, designed, edited and published. For anyone who has read Meeting With Mountains, Signs On The Horizons, or Hearts Turn, will know how the ihsan of these sages must be reflected in the ihsan of the books. We estimate each book will cost around $10,000 USD to produce, and be around 40 pages long (or about $250 to produce each page).

To start, we will focus on 6 sages:

• Sidi Muhammad ibn Al-Habib (1872-1972) by Dr. Karim Lahham
• Habib Ahmad Mashhur Al-Haddad (1907-1995) by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi 
• Shaykh Murabit Al-Hajj (1913-2018) by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
• Sayyid 'Umar Abdallah (1918-1988) by Michael Sugich
• Shaykh Salih Al-Ja'fari (1910-1979) by Dr. Samer Dajani
• Shaykha Fatima Yashrutia (1891-1979) by Dr. Karim Lahham

If God wills, and we have the support, we hope to produce up to 15 books total. Additional sages to possibly include:

• Habib 'Abdul Qadir Al-Saqqaf - $70,000 stretch goal
• Sayyid Muhammad 'Alawi Al-Maliki (1944-2004) - $80,000 stretch goal
• Muzaffer Ozak Effendi (1916-1985) by Shems Friendlander - $90,000 stretch goal
• Sidi Muhammad Bi'l Kurshi
• Shaykh Abdul-Rahman Shaghouri
• Habib 'Umar Bin Sumayt
• Hajja Zakia

Your Help Really Matters

Please donate and share to bring this project to life. With COVID-19, we know these are difficult times for many so whatever you're able to spare is greatly appreciated.

But coming together in times of difficulty is what distinguishes a successful community, and we owe it to ourselves to capture these incredible stories and pass them on to our children and generations to come.

A Note From MeccaBooks, Our Publishing Partner 

More than a bookstore, Mecca Books (meccabooks.com) is a specialized book curator with more than ten years of experience in the market. Our greatest efforts are aimed at spreading the knowledge of Islam by the hand of authors who offer a faithful representation of religion without losing sight of its deep, vast and universal essence. 

It is an honor for us to join the EXEMPLARS for our TIME project as a co-publisher and distributor. The precious opportunity to celebrate the life of noble sages of the spiritual world whose purity of heart has turned and continues to turn so many souls towards the love of the Divine blesses us and fills us with joy and enthusiasm.

The creators of this project, Michael Sugich, and Peter Sanders, are also two luminaries of our time - both in mind and spirit - and by the fortune of God, true friends of ours. We are filled with excitement to undertake a new journey along with two beings who, by having their hearts in the right place, illuminate everything they touch and leave large trails of hope in their wake.