Religious Affiliations

A number of people question us about the religious affiliations of Mr. Zaid. As a true muslim, ofcourse, the ideal role model of us all is the Prophet(sm).

After him, in order to understand Zaid Hamid's religious view points, if there is any other person about whom we can say that Mr. Zaid believes and follows his ideology, then it is Hz. Allama Iqbal. Mr. Zaid has extensively read the revolutionary philosophy of Iqbal and his message of Islamic unity and Muslim renaissance, and strongly believes in practically following Iqbals message of Ishq-e-Rasool and Khudi. Like Iqbal, Mr. Zaid, dismisses the factional and sectarian divions among Muslims, and advocates for the Ummah to rise above its differences and meet the bigger challenges that we collectively face.

Butaan-e-rang o khoon koe tore kar millat mein gum hoe ja
Na toorani rahe baqi, na irani, na afghani

Other than following the pristine message of Islam as brought by the Prophet (sm), Mr. Zaid has absolutely no affiliations with any political, sectarian or religious group or party.

Education & Training

With his backpack full of books even in the barren hills of Afghanistan, Mr. Zaid has always lived by the Prophet’s saying to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. Even today he considers himself a student, and is ever willing to learn from others, as much as he is willing to teach of what he has learnt and experienced. As you converse with him (in your choice of five languages that he speaks), you can quickly realize the depth and breadth of his knowledge on topics related to religion, philosophy, world history and military subjects. In particular, he is passionate about Islam, and possesses in-depth knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah, as well as extensive study of Islamic political history, Islamic social and economic history, the mechanisms and foundations of Muslim’s economic and social achievements, as well as topics on contemporary issues of the Muslim world and the practical steps to reclaim our lost glory.

In his quest for learning from his elders, Mr. Zaid has had personal acquaintances with many eminent authors, thinkers and scholars of our time, and is strongly inspired by the thoughts of Wasif Ali Wasif and Ashfaq Ahmad. He has also travelled to many countries and places, including numerous visits to Hjiaz-e-muqaddas, turkey, and other friendly Muslim countries.

Mr. Zaid is himself a prolific writer and author of dozens of published articles and handbooks on various defense and security related issues and appears regularly on mainstream media as Analyst on various security and defense matters. His views on security issues especially are taken as authority by clients including multinationals, Government of Pakistan and embassies of friendly countries.

Professional Profile

After the war, Mr. Zaid started his career as a security professional covering subjects like electronic security solutions, security systems design, and training of security personnel. His years in the war significantly contributed in sharpening his expertise of perceiving security threats and developing successful counter measures. After a successful stint as area head of Security Alarms Systems Division of an eminent security company, he launched his own private consulting company in the late 1990s, called BrassTacks Security. This company specializes in corporate security systems design, security systems audit, and security intelligence reporting.

Early Life & Afghan War

Early in his youth, when Mr. Zaid started his graduate degree, the muslim ummah got challenged by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – a landmark event that started Mr. Zaid’s career as a soldier and a mujahid. Staking his life and career, he signed up as a volunteer in the Afghan war, and actively participated in the jihad right up to the liberation of Kabul. Over all, Mr. Zaid has spent more than six years of active participation in the jihad. Being a black belt second dan of Shotokan martial art, coupled with his charismatic leadership qualities and in-depth familiarity with modern weapons, (which he inherited from his father, a distinguished veteran of the ‘65 war), Mr. Zaid quickly became a notable contributor in the Afghan jihad.

It was through this first hand participation in the finest guerilla operations of their time that he gained his valuable insights and expertise in Irregular Warfare, counter Insurgency, Low and High Intensity Conflicts and strategic war planning. His travels in Afghanistan allowed him to network with a number of key figures of the jihad from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and gave him his unique insights into the psyche of the Afghan people, the political undercurrents of the region, the inside story of the whole operation, as well as the role of the CIA and other clandestine agencies in the great game.

To top all of that, he still managed to visit the university campus every now and then, and finished off on his Computer Systems Engineering degree.