The Search for a New Home

By Karima Alavi
In my last Abiquiu News article, In Search of a Different Path, I indicated that I’ll be writing a series of pieces about Dar al Islam, the mosque and madressah (retreat and educational facility) in Abiquiu, New Mexico. As we all know, a project of that scope has to begin with an idea and a dream. It also helps when different parts of a puzzle fall into place to create a finished picture of what was meant to be.

That takes us to a hot, sunny day in Saudi Arabia in 1979. Two men prayed next to each other at the holy mosque of Makkah before striking up a conversation. Stephen Durkee, who had taken the Islamic name, Nooruddeen, was in Makkah to study Islamic faith and practice. Accompanying him was his fellow student and wife, Noora Issa.

As it turned out, the man praying next to Nooruddeen was a Saudi industrialist by the name of Sahl Kabbani. Nooruddeen mentioned the American Muslims in Santa Fe who held a strong desire to have a mosque to pray in. At the time, local Muslims were holding their Friday prayers in a carpet store near the plaza. Kabbani wanted to offer something back to America in recognition of two things he had received here: a graduate degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and his American wife, a woman to whom he sent a bouquet of flowers every morning since their wedding day.

The conversation moved to the critical subjects of finding a site, and funding the purchase of land, at which point Mr. Kabbani offered to donate the down-payment for whatever property was selected. He would eventually succeed at obtaining enough donations to pay off the land of the first of two purchases, creating the beginning of a debt-free foundation for the many young, enthusiastic Muslims who saw the seeds of their dream taking hold in northern New Mexico. There would be a second purchase of land at a later date.

Nooruddeen was quite familiar with this area. He and his first wife, Barbara, co-founded and lived at the Lama Foundation, an educational and religious retreat center north of Taos, New Mexico. During that time, their friend, Ram Das, returned from his first journey to India where he studied eastern spiritual traditions with a Hindu guru. It was at Lama, that Ram Das wrote his book, eventually titled, Be Here Now. The book was published and distributed with the help of the Durkees, until it was picked up by Random House Publishing who turned it into a classic icon of 1970’s spiritual writing in America.
The Lama Foundation attracted seekers of many faiths. With time it also became a gathering place of newly converted American Muslims who traveled to the center to meet fellow Muslims and study their faith together. Several couples who spent time living at Lama were destined to be part of the force behind the founding and building of Dar al Islam.

By 1980, the time had come for Nooruddeen and his second wife, Noora Issa, to return from their studies in Saudi Arabia and find a site for the Dar al Islam mosque, along with input from other New Mexico Muslims. A realtor led the group to a cattle ranch called Rancho de Abiquiu. When the Muslims from Santa Fe and neighboring towns stood on the mesa overlooking the Chama River and Abiquiu Pueblo, they decided to look no further.  

It was important to the early group of Muslims that the mosque be built at the exact center of the ranch’s mesa. To that end, they divided into two small groups. One remained on the mesa. The other climbed to a ridge that overlooked the site. Through hand signals, flag waving and very loud voices, the sweet spot that seemed to mark the center was selected.

Amidst a gentle wind that carried the scents of chamisa and juniper, one of the men planted a green flag into the ground. Written against the green background were the white lines and curves of Arabic letters proclaiming the Islamic declaration of faith: There is no god but Allah (the One God,) and Muhammad is his prophet.

​The group lined up in a row before prostrating with their foreheads to the ground in gratitude to their Lord. Finally, they had found a new home for their prayers.