Rawda Cemetery

Rawda Cemetery Born out the desire for our community to share a resting place as we have shared our lives together.

Funerary services are available through an independent local vendor

PASSING OF SHAYKH AHMAD OMAR JAMA SOMALI (1955 - 2026)إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ{To Allah we belong and...
07/08/2026

PASSING OF SHAYKH AHMAD OMAR JAMA SOMALI (1955 - 2026)
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
{To Allah we belong and unto Him do we return} (2:156).
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي
{O serene, tranquil soul, return to your Lord — well-pleased and well-pleasing — then enter among My servants and enter My Garden of Paradise} (89:27–30).
Our condolences to the family of our beloved elder brother Shaykh Ahmed Omar Jama of Somalia, one of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim and Mawlana Shaykh Hisham's murids since the early 1990s, who returned to the presence of his Almighty Lord this morning. Shaykh Ahmed had come back from Hajj with his wife after he had become quite ill. He was treated on return but did not recover. He passed away surrounded by family and loved ones.
Born in Erigaavo, Somalia, Shaykh Ahmed came to the US to study agriculture. He completed his PhD at Michigan State University in 1999. He was a beloved murid and gave much of his time to teaching Sunni Aqida and Naqshbandi Tariqa in the Somali diaspora. He fought the bankrupt wahhabi ideology and spread love and honor of the Prophet ﷺ relentlessly. He was kind and gentle with everyone. He was a bedrock of our community and will be missed dearly.
One of his close friends relates:
"Whenever I saw him in the East Lansing masjid I felt a fervor of the religion of Islam as he always had his tasbih and sunnah dress. I found out by sitting with him on many occasions that he was well versed in hadith Shareef and Quranul Kareem and our bond grew stronger. Undoubtedly, He was a truthful man and was looking for the truth. With the turn of Destiny, we met a brother named Abdelkrim in the masjid who in turn told us about a place in Fenton where people do zikr and practice Tarikah."
Shaykh Ahmed is survived by wife Kalthum bint Mohamed Saleh, daughters Fatima, Asma and Safiyah and a grandson, Ilyas. May Allah grant his family and fellow lovers of Mawlana reward, consolation and solace.
Janaza was held after Salat al-Zhuhr on Tuesday, 7 July, 2026 at the Fenton Zawiya, Michigan, followed by Shaykh Ahmed's burial at the Rawda Cemetery.
May Allah ﷻreceive Shaykh Ahmed's soul in the oceans of His Mercy and grant him to be with the Holy Prophet among those whom Allah has favored of the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous servants of Allah ﷻ. May He ﷻ make his grave a garden of paradise and his abode Jannat al‑Firdaws. May his journey be filled with light and may Allah bless him for his devotion as a lover and servant of Awliya and their Sultan.
Please pray for Shaykh Ahmad's forgiveness and recite Surah Yasin or other parts of Quran for his soul. 🌹
Blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, his Companions, his Awliya and all his Umma. 🕋

BURIAL OF SHAYKH ABDUL HAQQ SAZONOFF13 January 2026Innā li’Llāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūnTo Allah we belong, and to Him is...
04/14/2026

BURIAL OF SHAYKH ABDUL HAQQ SAZONOFF
13 January 2026

Innā li’Llāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn
To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return (Qur’an 2:156).

One of the Awliyā’ Allah, Shaykh Abdul Haqq an-Naqshbandi (q), returned to his Lord on 21 Rajab 1447 AH (January 10, 2026).

Nee Peter Sazonoff in 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, as a young man, Peter embraced Islam at the hands of the fortieth Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandi ṭarīqah, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim ʿAdil al-Haqqani (q). He first met Mawlana Shaykh Nazim in 1978; a meeting he described as profoundly transformative and uplifting beyond measure. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim bestowed upon him the name “ʿAbdul Haqq,” meaning 'servant of the Divine Truth.'

In 1990, Shaykh Abdul-Haqq was directed by Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) to undergo further spiritual training in the higher sciences of tasawwuf under Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (q). Under Shaykh Hisham's guidance, he completed the traditional forty-day khalwah (spiritual seclusion). As a senior murīd of Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim (q), Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (q), and Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad ʿAdil, he was granted authorization to teach tasawwuf and to guide and uplift seekers of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order from an early stage.

He dedicated his life to spreading the traditional and balanced teachings of Islam and Sufism, guiding people towards the inner tranquility (ṭuma’nīnah), which every human being seeks.

Shaykh Abdul Haqq was featured on platforms such as CNN and participated in programs including Oprah Winfrey’s Islam 101, along with numerous other radio and media outlets. He was regularly invited to lecture at universities across North America, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, institutions in Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Montreal (Dawson College), San Diego (UC San Diego), Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Vancouver, and many others.

He actively engaged with people of all faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, speaking in churches, synagogues, and temples. He consistently advocated for the traditional understanding of Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and passed on through generations of spiritual masters and scholars up to the present day.

His reach extended to people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Many learned from him not only the elevated teachings of the ṭarīqah, but also how to be approachable, helpful, and balanced in daily life, along with maintaining a sense of humor. He often conveyed profound spiritual realities in simple, accessible ways, describing this as the method of the Awliyā’ Allah of the Naqshbandi Order.

Shaykh Abdul Haqq was, and remains, beloved by all who knew him, even briefly. He will be deeply missed. His intercession is hoped for, as he is now in the noble company of the Mashāyikh of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order.

His constant advice was to adhere firmly to the noble Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to move forward with strong intention and faith, especially in difficult times, and to strive toward the ultimate goal of the seeker: the meeting with the Lord of the Heavens.

Adapted from a post by Medina Munawara Masjid, Houston, Texas

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7155 Denton Hill Rd
Fenton, MI
48430

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