Shaykh ul Aalam Khwaja Mohammad Alauddin Siddiqui’s tireless efforts to promote the true Way of Islam have been ongoing to this day, with significant impact. It was with this intention that the Shaykh first traveled to the UK in the early 70’s, where he quickly became established. He soon built much-needed masjids in various parts of the UK, including London, Birmingham, Peterborough and Oldham to name a few. During these early years of Islam in the West, the Shaykh fast became recognized as a leading figure, authority and inspiration to the minority Muslim community here at the time.
As a result, the Shaykh began to visit the UK regularly to oversee developing projects and to ensure that they were making consistent progress. As the Shaykh’s projects flourished, so too did his following. More and more people would visit the Shaykh each day and express their wish to take bayah at his hands, entering into the Naqshbandi tareeqa. And indeed, despite the Shaykh’s busy schedule and project plans, he would always dedicate time to counsel, advise and address the Muslim community, whether speaking to them individually or in a gathering. In the words of Shah Bahauddin Naqshband, may Allah’s Mercy be upon him: “Our Way is fellowship, and the goodness is in the gathering (sohbat).”
Today, by the Grace of Allah, the Shaykh is increasingly revered, loved and honoured by people from all over the world, and from all backgrounds, cultures and walks of life. Crowds of people visit him daily and attend his gatherings to benefit from his words, counsel and practical example, with the hope of rectifying their ways and strengthening their Love for Allah and the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
In recent years (2008 onwards), Shaykh ul Aalam has traveled to various lands to convey the message of Prophetic wisdom, love, peace and mercy. The list of countries visited by the Shaykh include Norway, Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Germany, India and Turkey. In this way, the Shaykh has touched thousands of hearts and delivered spiritual wealth to Muslims in many regions of the world.
In the UK alone, the Shaykh’s murideen amount to hundreds of thousands in number, a figure which increases significantly with each and every day. This reflects just a fraction of the total number of his murideen worldwide. It can be likened to a loving father overseeing his large family; his love, compassion and concern for each family member remains heartfelt and uncompromised. Additionally, one of the many extraordinary qualities of Shaykh ul Aalam is that he is known to make each person feel special and most favoured by him, a trait from the blessed shama’il of the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Today, Shaykh ul Aalam’s vision for the global Muslim community proceeds with incredible enthusiasm. The key objective is to enlighten the voids in our hearts and ultimately help us better our state as individuals and as a community, thereby strengthening the heart of every believer. Indeed, those who strive for the Sake of Allah are aided by Him!