HIS speech and his hearing are clear as a bell despite his 84 years of age. Kiai Haji (KH) Ali Yafie is one among a few of the remaining ulama (Islamic leaders) who can be called an expert in Islamic fikih (the study of Islamic laws relating to ritual obligations). Not surprisingly, he is seen to have contributed significantly to the development of Islamic thought in Indonesia.

Kiai Ali, as he is known, was once the top man in the Indonesian Ula