GUEST SPEAKERS

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[accordion-item title="▽ Mufti Mudassir Owais (Fremont, CA)"]

Mufti Mudassir Owais (may Allah preserve him) is the teacher and resident scholar at ICF. He has been at ICF since 1999 and has been instrumental in launching, guiding and running several programs at ICF. He runs the Iqra Hifz program and also teaches several other courses on a daily basis.

Mufti Mudassir completed the Hifz (memorization) of the Holy Quran at Madrasa Taleemul Quran, Banglore. He then studied at Sabeelur Rashad, Bangalore for 8 years and completed the highly regarded dars nizami curriculum along with Daur-e-Hadith. Thereafter, he studied at the famous Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband for 1 year and completed Daur-e-Hadith.He then pursued higher studies and specialization at Darul Uloom Hyderabad where he studied for 1 year to complete the course Takhassus fil Ifta and was granted the degree of Mufti.

He has Ijazah in Hadith from Mufti Ashraf Ali sb.

After completing his studies he started teaching at Darul Uloom Shah Waliullah, Bangalore in 1995. Here he taught several courses including Tafseer, Hadith and Fiqah.

Mufti Mudassir currently heads many scholastic efforts and is a counselor and mentor for religious seekers of all ages, teaching both the dedicated student of knowledge and the casual learner. He currently resides in Fremont, CA with his family.

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[accordion-item title="▽ Mufti Sohail Bengali"]

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[accordion-item title="▽ Mawlana Mazhar Mahmood(Peoria, IL)"]

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Imām Mazhar always had a strong passion for learning and teaching about Islam. Imām Mazhar started studying the sciences of Al-Qur’ān under the esteemed guidance of his late father, Al-Qāri’ Maḥmood bin Aḥmad Sa’īd (may Allāh be pleased with them). After completing the memorization of Al-Qur’ān and mastering various forms of recitations (Qirā’at) in the companionship of his father, the Imām enrolled into a four year ‘Ālimiyyah program taught by Muftī Ādam Koya ( in 2005.

It was always the Imām’s passion to obtain the knowledge of Islamic Sciences wherever he found reliable Scholars. Aside from dedicating four solid years in the auspicious company of Muftī Ādam Koya studying Islamic studies, the Imām would dedicate a portion of his time to memorizing and understanding other classical religious texts. This motivated him to enrol in other extracurricular activities, such as travelling to various cities/countries and receiving professional experience in religious fields under prominent scholars, such as, Shaykh Hamzah Wald Maqbul,
Imām S’ad Baig, Shaykh Yusuf Badat and Shaykh Habīb ‘Alī. After graduating with honours in his secondary education Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) in Toronto, Canada and completing his Bachelors in Islamic Studies in 2009, Imām Mazhar travelled to Dārul ‘Uloom Zakariyya, South Africa, where he graduated with honours and achieved his Masters in Islamic Studies. Aside from his Islamic degrees, Imām Mazhar also holds diplomas in Astronomy and Counselling.

After returning to Canada from South Africa in 2012, Imām served as a teacher for Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Quranic Studies in various schools in Toronto. Two years later in 2014, Imām Mazhar was motivated to leave the big city life, and move to Western Canada to dedicate his services for the Muslim and the greater community there.

He is currently the imam of Islamic Foundation of Peoria.

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[accordion-item title="▽ Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed"]
Minhajuddin Ahmed serves as the Principal of the Academy as well as one of the institute’s directors. Born and raised in Illinois, he memorized the entire Qurʾān at a young age. Later in life, when he reached college age, he opted to dedicate his life to Islāmic Studies and traveled to South Africa.He studied the eight-year ʿālimiyyah and iftāʾ program graduating with teaching licenses and the permission to issue fatwā in the Ḥanafī School.

Upon returning to the United States, he served as the director of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis for several years before becoming involved at Masjid DarusSalam. He oversees the administration of the institute. His passion for knowledge and dedication to providing a high-quality institute to serve the North-American Muslim community is phenomenal. Along with imparting knowledge to students in the classroom, he envisages creating a brilliant beacon of knowledge that will inspire future generations by offering an opportunity to study Islām in a way that is relevant in contemporary contexts while holding fast to tradition. Along with teaching and overseeing the institute’s administration, he serves as the imām at Masjid DarusSalam.
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[accordion-item title="▽ Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed"]
Azeemuddin Ahmed serves as director of Masjid DarusSalam. He was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. At a tender age, he memorized the Holy Qurʾān. Thereafter, he traveled to South Africa where he studied a rigorous eight-year ʿālimiyyah and iftāʾ course. During his studies, he was blessed with the opportunity to spend extensive time in the company of one of the world’s elite jurists and scholars. After graduating with top honors from South Africa, he went on to earn a BA in Psychology from Elmhurst College. He served as the director of AIA Masjid in Frankfort, Illinois from 2006 to 2012.

Azeemuddin’s dedication and passion for Islāmic education is unparalleled. He is continuously in the service of both scholars and students. An individual with sincere love for scholarship, he strives to ensure that everyone at the institute is well and benefiting from the program. His love and enthusiasm bring the classes he teaches to life, every class conveys priceless points that enrich and benefit those in attendance. As well, he serves as an associate Imām at Masjid DarusSalam.
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[accordion-item title="▽ Ml Ahteramul Haque"]
Ahteramul Haque grew up in Hamtramck, Michigan. From a young age, he was passionate about Islām and earnestly desired to sit with the scholars and study. He embarked on this mission by enrolling at Dār al-ʿUlūm Detroit. With Detroit’s skyline in the background, he memorized the entire Qurʾān at the age of eleven.

Thereafter, he traveled to the distant land of South Africa in pursuit of sacred knowledge. There, he enrolled in an eminent institute of higher learning. He meticulously studied the full seven-year ʿālimiyyah program. During his studies, he sat under the expert scholar al-Qārī Ayyūb b. Ibrāhīm Iṣḥāq from whom he received authorizations in the Holy Qurʾān and its modes of recitation. After graduating, he returned home and took a teaching position at Dār al-ʿUlūm Detroit while also serving as the Imām of the Canton Islamic Center.

He moved to Chicago when the Takmīl Institute requested him to join the team of instructors. He brings an incredible amount of talent and knowledge to the program. His love, passion, and dedication to scholarship are witnessed by all those attending his lectures and his thoughtfulness and excellent etiquette are inspirational for all those who sit with him.

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[accordion-item title="▽ Sh. Akef Habbal"]

Shaykh Akef Habbal was born in Montreal, Canada. He graduated from a six-year program at Madrasah Khusrufiyyah in Aleppo, Syria. Thereafter he earned his bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Damascus, where he then continued to study master's level courses in theological and religious studies. Shaykh Akef then went on to study various subjects including tafsir, fiqh, nahw, and usool under various scholars in Aleppo. Upon returning to North America, Shaykh Akef began teaching Arabic and Islamic studies at various institutions. He currently serves as an Arabic instructor at DarusSalam Seminary.

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[accordion-item title="▽ Mufti Mohammed Pasha"]

Mohammed Pasha was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He completed his memorization of the Quran at his local Masjid in Brooklyn. Thereafter, in pursuit of a higher education in Islamic studies, he traveled toSouth Africa where he completed the Alimiyyah program in 2017.

After completing the Alimiyyah program, Mohammed Pasha enrolled in the Iftaa program (Specialization in Islamic Jurisprudence) at the same institute, and completed the program in 2019.

During his studies in South Africa, Mohammed Pasha had the great fortune of studying under renowned scholars such as Shaykhul Hadith Moulāna Fadhlur Rahman Sahib and Mufti Sa'eed Motara Sahib amongst many other esteemed scholars.

Upon returning home, he served as an after-school teacher at Masjid Quba in Brooklyn for a few months, before relocating to Lombard, Illinois as an instructor at DarusSalam Seminary.

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[accordion-item title="▽ Ml Usman Akhtar"]
Usman Akhtar completed the memorization of the Quran at Darul Uloom New York and then went on to study in South Africa. He completed the six-year curriculum under the guidance of world renowned scholars and earned authorizations in Hadith from many scholars. Upon graduation he traveled to Egypt to further his studies and received authorizations while studying privately under many Ulama.

Upon return from Egypt, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Psychological Sciences and served as the Imam & Director of Religious Affairs of the Danbury Masjid|ISWC in Connecticut from 2013 to 2018. He was also a weekend academy instructor at Darul Uloom New York where he taught Arabic and other subjects. He is certified in mental health first aid and is a certified crisis counselor.
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[accordion-item title="▽ Ml Ahsan Syed"]

Ahsan Syed was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. At the age of 12, he enrolled at the Institute of Islamic Education for the memorization of the Quran. After completing his memorization, he went on to complete high school. While studying at the College of DuPage, he began taking part-time Arabic classes with his teachers at IIE. His desire for Islamic knowledge compelled him to join the full-time ʿālimiyyah program. After a rigorous six years, he graduated with honors. His studies included Arabic grammar, Islamic jurisprudence, theology, ḥadīth sciences and methodology, and Qur’anic tafsīr. Ahsan has been teaching the ʿalim course for the past six years teaching an array of subjects including Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith studies, and Qur’anic tafsir. He taught for two years on Darul Uloom Online, and taught as a full-time instructor at his alma mater for four years

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