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Ustadh
OMAR POPAL
Ustadh Omar Popal was born and raised in Northern Virginia. He began studying the Islamic sciences at the age of 16, pursuing memorization of the Quran at Madrasah In‘aamiyyah in Durban, South Africa. His pursuit of knowledge led him to study at Madinatul Uloom in Virginia and Dar al-Qasim in Chicago where he graduated from. In a commitment to lifelong learning, he has continued his studies sitting at the feet of various scholars, most recently spending time in Istanbul for intensive studies. Ustadh Omar’s formative studies took place at Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. Ustadh Omar has taught Arabic and Islamic studies at several mosques and institutes in northern Virginia. In 2018, he founded Tanwir Institute, with the mission of serving the educational and spiritual needs of the large Muslim population in the DC metropolitan area. He teaches Arabic and Islamic studies at Al-Maqasid.
Ustadh
OMAR POPAL
Ustadh Omar Popal was born and raised in Northern Virginia. He began studying the Islamic sciences at the age of 16, pursuing memorization of the Quran at Madrasah In‘aamiyyah in Durban, South Africa. His pursuit of knowledge led him to study at Madinatul Uloom in Virginia and Dar al-Qasim in Chicago where he graduated from. In a commitment to lifelong learning, he has continued his studies sitting at the feet of various scholars, most recently spending time in Istanbul for intensive studies. Ustadh Omar’s formative studies took place at Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. Ustadh Omar has taught Arabic and Islamic studies at several mosques and institutes in northern Virginia. In 2018, he founded Tanwir Institute, with the mission of serving the educational and spiritual needs of the large Muslim population in the DC metropolitan area. He teaches Arabic and Islamic studies at Al-Maqasid.
Ustadh
HUMAYUN
Ustadh Humayun received a BS in Commerce and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Virginia. He then pursued Islamic Studies at various prestigious institutions such as Madrasah In‘aamiyyah in Durban, South Africa and Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. He received a formal Sanad (chain of transmission) in the books of Hadith and a certificate of being an Islamic Scholar from Madinatul Uloom in Virginia. He has been teaching basic to advanced levels of various Islamic disciplines for the past several years at multiple institutions and was the Imam of a local Northern Virginia masjid. Ustadh Humayun continues to teach and serve the DMV community through Tanwir Institute.
Ustadh
HUMAYUN
Ustadh Humayun received a BS in Commerce and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Virginia. He then pursued Islamic Studies at various prestigious institutions such as Madrasah In‘aamiyyah in Durban, South Africa and Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. He received a formal Sanad (chain of transmission) in the books of Hadith and a certificate of being an Islamic Scholar from Madinatul Uloom in Virginia. He has been teaching basic to advanced levels of various Islamic disciplines for the past several years at multiple institutions and was the Imam of a local Northern Virginia masjid. Ustadh Humayun continues to teach and serve the DMV community through Tanwir Institute.
Tanwir Institute makes it a priority to host Islamic scholars from around the world, removing all barriers to accessing Sacred Knowledge.
Shaykh
YAHYA RHODUS
Shaykh Yahya Rhodus is the Founding Director of Al-Maqasid, an Islamic seminary whose vision is to facilitate the realization of Islam, Iman and Ihsan through immersion in the Prophetic Inheritance. The concept of Al-Maqasid emerged from his own journey which began at the traditional school of Murabit al-Hajj in the desert of Mauritania shortly after his conversion. His path of learning then led him to the acclaimed school Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, where he received instruction from the renowned scholar and spiritual guide Habib Umar Bin Hafiz. After graduating from Dar al-Mustafa and returning to the United States, he studied in a number of academic institutions, culminating in a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, England.
Shaykh
YAHYA RHODUS
Shaykh Yahya Rhodus is the Founding Director of Al-Maqasid, an Islamic seminary whose vision is to facilitate the realization of Islam, Iman and Ihsan through immersion in the Prophetic Inheritance. The concept of Al-Maqasid emerged from his own journey which began at the traditional school of Murabit al-Hajj in the desert of Mauritania shortly after his conversion. His path of learning then led him to the acclaimed school Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, where he received instruction from the renowned scholar and spiritual guide Habib Umar Bin Hafiz. After graduating from Dar al-Mustafa and returning to the United States, he studied in a number of academic institutions, culminating in a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, England..
Ustadh
AMJAD TARSIN
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ustadh Amjad obtained his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Michigan in English Literature and Islamic Studies. He then spent an intensive year studying at Dar al-Mustafa for Islamic Sciences in Tarim, Yemen. There he studied under such luminaries as Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Ali Abu Bakr, Habib Muhammad al-‘Aydarus, Sayyid Salim Bin Hafiz, Sh. Munir Ba-Zhayr, and others. Following his studies in Tarim, he enrolled at Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program where he completed his Master of Arts in June of 2012. He then served as Muslim Chaplain at the University of Toronto for seven years before joining the faculty at Al-Maqasid in June 2019.
Ustadh
AMJAD TARSIN
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ustadh Amjad obtained his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Michigan in English Literature and Islamic Studies. He then spent an intensive year studying at Dar al-Mustafa for Islamic Sciences in Tarim, Yemen. There he studied under such luminaries as Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Ali Abu Bakr, Habib Muhammad al-‘Aydarus, Sayyid Salim Bin Hafiz, Sh. Munir Ba-Zhayr, and others. Following his studies in Tarim, he enrolled at Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program where he completed his Master of Arts in June of 2012. He then served as Muslim Chaplain at the University of Toronto for seven years before joining the faculty at Al-Maqasid in June 2019.
Shaykh
AMIN KHOLWADIA
Shaykh Mohammed Amin is a Muslim scholar, mentor, and the founder of Darul Qasim, an institute of traditional Islamic higher learning headquartered in the Glendale Heights suburb of Chicago. Shaykh Amin is an active advocate of the classical Sunni tradition of Islamic scholarship and a passionate promoter of traditional Islamic sciences and methodologies of teaching and learning. He is regarded internationally as an expert theologian and an authority in the fields of Islamic philosophy and theosophy. Shaykh Amin is continually engaged with a diverse following of mentees. His deep knowledge in the Islamic tradition and his aggressive engagement with contemporary issues facing everyday Muslims in the West has endeared him to young Islamic scholars and professionals all over.
Shaykh
AMIN KHOLWADIA
Shaykh Mohammed Amin is a Muslim scholar, mentor, and the founder of Darul Qasim, an institute of traditional Islamic higher learning headquartered in the Glendale Heights suburb of Chicago. Shaykh Amin is an active advocate of the classical Sunni tradition of Islamic scholarship and a passionate promoter of traditional Islamic sciences and methodologies of teaching and learning. He is regarded internationally as an expert theologian and an authority in the fields of Islamic philosophy and theosophy. Shaykh Amin is continually engaged with a diverse following of mentees. His deep knowledge in the Islamic tradition and his aggressive engagement with contemporary issues facing everyday Muslims in the West has endeared him to young Islamic scholars and professionals all over.
Shaykh
SAMER AL-NASS
Shaykh Samer Al-Nass was born in Damascus, Syria, where he studied at the College of Medicine of the University of Damascus. He went on to study in the United States where he qualified in internal medicine. The Shaykh has studied under some of the great ‘ulama of the Levant (Shaam) and the Arabian peninsula. He has a traditional licenses to teach (ijazah) in the ten styles of recitation of the narration of the Shatibiyyah and the Durra from the world-renowned Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar. He received an ijazah in the ten styles of recitation of the narration of Tayyibah from the Egyptian Shaykh Ahmad Mustafa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, himself a student of Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Zayyat of Egypt. Shaykh Samer has a traditional license to teach (ijazah) in Islamic law (fiqh) and theology and creed (‘aqida) from Shaykh Lutfi al-Fayumi and the late Hanafi Mufti, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas.
Shaykh
SAMER AL-NASS
Shaykh Samer Al-Nass was born in Damascus, Syria, where he studied at the College of Medicine of the University of Damascus. He went on to study in the United States where he qualified in internal medicine. The Shaykh has studied under some of the great ‘ulama of the Levant (Shaam) and the Arabian peninsula. He has a traditional licenses to teach (ijazah) in the ten styles of recitation of the narration of the Shatibiyyah and the Durra from the world-renowned Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar. He received an ijazah in the ten styles of recitation of the narration of Tayyibah from the Egyptian Shaykh Ahmad Mustafa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, himself a student of Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Zayyat of Egypt. Shaykh Samer has a traditional license to teach (ijazah) in Islamic law (fiqh) and theology and creed (‘aqida) from Shaykh Lutfi al-Fayumi and the late Hanafi Mufti, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas.
Shaykh
JIHAD BROWN
Shaykh Jihad Brown is the Resident Scholar at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He is a classically-trained Muslim scholar of the traditional Islamic disciplines, with a focus on theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and legal theory. An American scholar who has lived, studied, and worked throughout Europe and the Arab world. Shaykh Jihad completed his degree in Psychology at Rutgers; & attained post-graduate degrees in Philosophical Theology and Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He would further pursue a rigorous, classical curriculum with prominent Shariah authorities in Syria and Morocco; at whose hands he became authorized—with advanced licenses (ijazat khassah)—to teach and pass on these sacred disciplines.
Shaykh
JIHAD BROWN
Shaykh Jihad Brown is the Resident Scholar at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He is a classically-trained Muslim scholar of the traditional Islamic disciplines, with a focus on theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and legal theory. An American scholar who has lived, studied, and worked throughout Europe and the Arab world. Shaykh Jihad completed his degree in Psychology at Rutgers; & attained post-graduate degrees in Philosophical Theology and Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He would further pursue a rigorous, classical curriculum with prominent Shariah authorities in Syria and Morocco; at whose hands he became authorized—with advanced licenses (ijazat khassah)—to teach and pass on these sacred disciplines.
Shaykh
ABDULKARIM YAHYA
AbdulKarim Yahya is a core instructor of the Sunday Ribat and an interpreter for Habib Umar bin Hafiz. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, AbdulKarim embraced Islam in the late 1980s. In the mid-1990s, AbdulKarim traveled to the Middle East to seek Sacred Knowledge. His study pursuits brought him to blessed places such as Damascus, Syria, and Tarim, Yemen. Under the tutelage of Habib Umar bin Hafiz and the teachers of Dar al-Mustafa, AbdulKarim primarily trained in Prophetic biography, the sciences of Islamic spirituality, and law (fiqh) according to the Shafi’i school of thought. He has been permitted to teach these disciplines, among others, as well as to answer questions in Sacred Law.
Shaykh
ABDULKARIM YAHYA
AbdulKarim Yahya is Beacon Foundation (Michigan)’s Scholar-in-Residence Beacon foundation and an interpreter for Habib Umar bin Hafiz. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, AbdulKarim embraced Islam in the late 1980s. In the mid-1990s, AbdulKarim had traveled to the Middle East to seek Sacred Knowledge. His study pursuits have brought him to blessed places such as Damascus, Syria, and Tarim, Yemen. Under the tutelage of Habib Umar bin Hafiz and the teachers of Dar al-Mustafa, AbdulKarim has primarily been trained in Prophetic biography, the sciences of Islamic spirituality, and law (fiqh) according to the Shafi’i school of thought. He has been permitted to teach these disciplines, among others, as well as answer questions in Sacred Law.
Tanwir Institute’s mission is to serve the DMV Muslim community with an environment of sacred knowledge, devotion, and service by providing a prayer space and educational institute which includes full-time, part-time, youth, and community programming.