Khadijah Shamsid-Deen

Hajja Khadijah Sheila Shamsid-Deen was born on November 7, 1953, to the late Ruth Wilson and Charles Wilson. She was the oldest of 11 children. She was educated by the Philadelphia Public School System. She met and married Leon Shamsid-Deen and through that union, they raised 8 wonderful children. Sheila received her Associate’s Degree from the Community College of Philadelphia and was very determined to do so.  She was known for taking her youngest daughter to class with her.  She was diagnosed with renal failure in 1991, but she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals. Upon receiving a kidney transplant on July 30, 1999, she continued to pursue her educational goals and received her Bachelor’s Degree from St. Joseph’s University in  May 2014.  One of her greatest life achievements, however, was when Allah invited her to make the Pilgrimage to Mecca in 2007.

Sheila spent most of her life raising her own children, but it was her many years of service in child welfare through ChildFirst Services, Inc. as an Engagement Opportunities Assistant that she truly loved. She often referred to the children she worked with at ChildFirst as “my babies” and it was through her association with ChildFirst that she was inspired to go back to get her Master’s Degree from Lincoln University and she was once again a proud graduate in May 2020.

Sister Khadijah, as she was affectionately known at the Philadelphia Masjid, where her children could always find her when she wasn’t at work, was often cooking in the kitchen and where she earned the name, “mother of the believers”.  If you knew Khadijah, you knew she was always feeding someone and providing charity in the community.

As a mother and grandmother, she was the rock and glue that held the family together. Her grandchildren were her world and she was theirs.  Every Friday, she was known for sending out her famous text message in the family group chat: “Good things always happen on Fridays”. 

She was preceded in death by her mother: Ruth Wilson, father: Charles Wilson, and brother: Dondi Wilson.  She leaves to mourn: her husband, Leon Shamsid-Deen, she leaves to continue to live out her legacy: 8 children: Radee, Raheemah, Jamal, Raushanah, Qadriyyah, Nadirah, Sophonisba, and Sheela, two sons in law: Donald Hampton and Larry Hargrove, 1 daughter in law: Shuvon Shamsid-Deen and twelve grandchildren: Radee, Kasim, Naseer, Jabril, Vincent, Kaleem, Safa, Chase, Kaleb, Kamora, Rasool and Priya. She also leaves 9 brothers and sisters: Charlotte (Sis), Charles, Jackie, Anthony, Kim, Trudy, Troy, Michael, and Shana, two nephews she raised: Jabril and Khalil, 4 sisters in law, 4 brothers in law and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, special friends, and her brothers and sisters in Islam.

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