Musa Y. Abdul’Ali born November 7, 1968 to the late Douglas E. Robinson Sr and Armertine Robinson in Harlem New York. He is the oldest of two to this union and the fourth to Douglas E. Robinson Sr. raise in the Bronx New York. Musa loved sports and the art of Boxing at a young age.

Musa Y. Abdul’Ali became the resident Imam of the Historical Masjid Yusuf Shah (formerly Jihad Dawah Center) in early February of 2011, after the former leader and founder of the Masjid Imam John Nashid retired after years of valuable service to the community.

 

Imam Musa converted to Al-Islam at the age of fifteen after being introduced to the religion by a school counselor name Hassan J. Abdul’Ali. Upon graduating as the Valedictorian (in 1988) at West Side High School in New York City, he became further acquainted with the teachings of Al-Islam by his then advisor Ben Bilal currently resident Imam of Masjid Taqwa of Trenton, New Jersey.

 

In his early years, Imam Musa attended Masjid Malcolm Shabazz under the amazing leadership of the late Imam Ali Rashid (RA); this is where his love for security protection services grew earning him a career in the Security field. He later became the third in command of the security team at Masjid Taqwa Wa Jihad (formerly Woodycrest) under the leadership of Imam Farooq Abdul’ Wali.

 

Under the leadership of Imam Wali, Musa developed a greater appreciation for studying the Qur’an and the rich traditions of Muhammad the Prophet (PBUH) as taught by his leader the late Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (RA).  Musa also volunteered at the  Bronx Juvenile Detention Center for two years where he helped inspire and guide the young at- risk youth.

 

It’s during this time Imam Musa became married; this marriage produced four wonderful daughters and he proceeded to move his family to Houston, Texas for a fresh start.  This new beginning consisted of studying Arabic at the Islamic Learning Institute under then resident Imam Qasim Ahmed.  Musa knew he wanted to share this good news with the neighborhoods and communities that were inflicted with social ills. 

 

Upon his return to New York City, Imam Musa continued to pursue his two passions: Security protection and Da’wah (invitation to Islam). He became one of the assistants of Masjid Taqwa Wa Jihad and learned the value of community involvement.  Musa was placed in the position to represent Imam Wali and the members of the Masjid at several community meetings. 

 

Imam Musa wanted to further assist the community, after hearing Imam Warith Deen Mohammed stating we need more young people to get a quality education. It was at this time he decided to continue his education.  Imam Musa attended one year at West Virginia State College with an interest in Social Work, transferring his credits to the College of New Rochelle and graduating in May of 2008 with a Bachelors of Arts degree. Currently, Imam Musa is schedule to graduate from the College of New Rochelle in the Spring of 2016 with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. 

Imam Musa was voted in as the Imam of Masjid Iman in Parkchester, New York in 2004 – 2006. It was here where he honed his skills working with government agencies and local community organizations.

 

Musa organized and led a “Stop the Violence Rally” that brought out many City officials and local community leaders and their organizations that supported the rally.

 

Currently as the resident Imam of Masjid Yusuf Shah, Imam Musa has developed an interfaith council group in the city of Mount Vernon and with the assistance of the Masjid members other initiatives have continued to evolve; a Youth group, Community feedings, Annual Honoring our Women Event, Recognizing Our Pioneers and a Breakfast Club. 

 

Imam Musa has also received an award from Dr. Imam Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan from New Haven, Connecticut for leadership in 2012.

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