Ustadh Leyaket Ali Bin Omer

Born in 1975 in Singapore, Ustadh Leyaket Ali studied through the primary and secondary school system in Singapore.  He then pursued an in-depth study of the Islamic sciences in the Islamic traditional city called Tarim, situated in the Hadramawt valley of eastern Yemen, widely acknowledged as a premier theological, juridical, and academic center. The city is distinguished for producing outstanding Islamic scholars, including the great Imam Abdullah al-Haddad and the famous jurist from Singapore, Sheikh Umar Al-Khatib, and many others throughout the world.  Ustaz Leyaket Ali studied in the institute called Rubat Tarim, an Islamic educational institution established in 1886 by a group of Tarim notables.  Many of its graduates, more than 15,000, have travelled to propagate Islam and establish religious institutions all over the world, including Singapore.

Ustaz Leyaket Ali spent six years studying at Rubat Tarim, where he learnt the Arabic language and various Islamic sciences like Qur’an Exegesis (Tafsir), Islamic law and jurisprudence (Fiqh & Shari’ah), Islamic History (Tarikh), Biography of Prophet Muhammad (Seerah), Islamic Spirituality (Tasawwuf), and so on.  He graduated in July 2003 with anIjazah equivalent to a Degree in Islamic Studies.

Upon his return, he worked at Al-Mukminin Mosque as its Executive Imam.  He was appointed in 2005 as an Assistant Registrar (Naib Qadi) with the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and regularly solemnise Muslim marriages.  He later pursued a Masters Degree of Social Science in Counselling by the University of South Australia, which he graduated in December 2008.  He then advanced his interest in interfaith dialogue, joining An-Nahdhah Mosque, known for its Harmony Centre.  He is also an active member of Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG).  He has produced two books: “Blessings of Time – Daily Practices of a Muslim” a 150-page book of do‘a (invocations), dhikr (remembrance of Allah), solat (prayers) and acts that a seeker can fulfill in seeking the Divine Pleasure, and a translation of a compilation of invocations entitled “Bintang Kejora”, written by a renowned scholar, Alhabib Zayn Bin Sumayt.

Ustaz Leyaket Ali is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Inter-Religious Studies at The Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies in Yogyakarta, a program jointly offered by three universities (Gadjah Mada, Duta Wacana & UIN Sunan Kalijaga).  He is knowledgeable in the sciences of Islam, and fluent in the languages of English, Malay and Arabic, and is married with three children.