Shaykh Haroon Firdausi

Shaykh Haroon Firdausi was one of the first American-born, Chicago-based scholars to travel abroad to study the Islamic sciences. Having attained a bachelor’s degree in the field of electrical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign, Shaykh Haroon travelled to Pakistan to pursue advanced Islamic sciences.

He first took an intensive course in Arabic and Qur’anic philosophy at the Quran College in Lahore. After devoting months of his time to the work of da’wah and tabligh, he enrolled in Madrasah ‘Arabiyya in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and completed studies in Arabic, fiqh, adab, balaghah, tafsir, and hadith. Shaykh Haroon later traveled to Multan and completed ifta’ at one of the top Islamic jurisprudence programs in the country, Khayr al-Madaris, under Mufti ‘Abd al-Sattar al-Multani (may Allah lengthen his life).

Mufti Haroon is currently a teacher at Darul Uloom Chicago and is also a licensed funeral director. Along with his academic commitments, he is administering a funeral services institution called Muslim Funeral Services.

Shaykh Bilal Ali Ansari

Shaykh Bilal Ali Ansari was born and raised in Chicago, IL. After studying two years of computer engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL, his desire for Islamic knowledge drove him to the Indian subcontinent, where he decided to pursue an education in Islamic studies.

Shaykh Bilal started his Islamic studies at Jami‘a al-Hasanayn in Faisalabad, Pakistan under the auspices of the famous orator and da‘i of Islam, Mawlana Tariq Jameel. There, he spent nearly four years in the company and service of his beloved and talented teacher, Shaykh Ramzi al-Habib al-Tunisi al-Maliki.

Later, he traveled to Karachi and enrolled at the famous Jami‘ah Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi where he completed his hadith studies under prominent scholars of fiqh and hadith, such as Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani, Mufti Mahmud Ashraf Usmani, Mufti ‘Abd al-Ra‘uf al-Sikharwi, Mawlana ‘Abdullah al-Burmi, Mawlana Iftikhar Ahmad al-A‘zami, among others.

Afterwards, Shaykh Bilal enrolled in a specialization course in hadith and studied under Allamah Dr. Muhammad ‘Abd al-Halim al-Nu’mani (al-Chishti), the brother of the famous hadith researcher, Allamah Muhammad Abd al-Rashid al-Nu’mani.

Shaykh Bilal Ali also has ijazahs in hadith from some of the most senior ‘ulama’ of Pakistan, namely Mawlana Salimullah Khan, Mawlana Sarfaraz Khan Safdar, Mawlana ‘Abd al-Halim al-Nu’mani, and Mawlana Khan Muhammad, all direct students of Shaykh al-Islam Husayn Ahmad al-Madani. Currently, Mawlana Bilal Ali Ansari is teaching Islamic studies full-time at the Ma‘had Ta‘lim al-Islam (Institute of Islamic Education, Elgin IL) and resides with his wife near Chicago, IL.

Shaykh Azeemuddin Ahmed

Shaykh Azeemuddin Ahmed was born and raised in the Chicago-land area. At a very early age, he was blessed with the honor of having completed the memorization of the Holy Qur’an. Afterwards, inspired by the motivating words of a great disseminator of the faith, Mawlana Tariq Jameel, Shaykh Azeemuddin set out for South Africa to begin a rigorous eight-year ‘alim and ‘ifta course at Darul Uloom Zakariyya in Johannesburg. There, he was blessed with the opportunity to study under one of the world’s elite jurists and scholars of hadith, Shaykh Mufti Rada al-Haq, amongst many other notable erudite scholars of Islam.

Shaykh Azeemuddin also traveled to Pakistan where he studied in-depth Arabic under the renowned teacher of rhetoric, Shaykh Ramzi al-Habib al-Tunisi al-Maliki of Tunisia whilst also enjoying the company of some of Pakistan’s best ‘ulama, amongst them Mawlana Tariq Jameel (may Allah preserve him).

Following his graduation with top honors from South Africa, Shaykh Azeemuddin earned authorizations in the Islamic sciences, which included but was not limited to, Arabic language, exegesis (tafsir), hadith, and jurisprudence (fiqh).

He is currently Imam at the AIA Masjid in Frankfort, IL and also holds private Islamic studies classes at his newly established masjid and institute of learning, Darus Salam, located in Lombard, IL. (www.masjiddarussalam.org)

Shaykh Nabeel Ahmed Khan

Shaykh Nabeel Ahmed Khan was raised in the Bay Area of northern California. At the tender age of 12, he went to Pakistan to memorize the Quran. By the grace of Allah, he completed the memorization of the Qur’an at the age of 13 at the famous Qur’an school of the great Shaykh and scholar, Shah Hakeem Akhtar (may Allah lengthen his life), Ashraf al-Madaris, whereupon he returned to the United States and went on to complete his high school education.

Shaykh Nabeel later attended San Jose State University, majoring in computer science. Afterwards, he traveled to South Africa, where he studied Islamic studies at the famous Islamic seminary, Dar al-‘Ulum Azaadville, for four years. He also studied at Dar al-‘Ulum London in the U.K.

Shaykh Nabeel studied privately for three years under the tutelage of his teacher, Shaykh Mumtaz ul-Haq Nazir, a prominent student of the great muhaddith, Allamah Yusuf al-Binnori. He is also a deputy (khalifah) of the great spiritual master and guide, Shaykh Shah Hakeem Akhtar (may Allah lengthen his life) and is experienced in the field of tazkiyah (purification of the soul).

He is currently an Islamic studies teacher at the College Preparatory School of America in Lombard, IL and an instructor with Darul Qasim, a traditional learning institute located in the suburbs of Chicago.

Shaykh Hussain Kamani

Shaykh Hussain Kamani was born and raised in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. After completing the memorization of the Qur’an in Buffalo, New York, he went on to complete a rigorous eight year ‘alim and ‘ifta course at Darul Uloom Bury, located in the United Kingdom. His studies were based on the traditional Darse-Nizami curriculum of Islamic education and under some of the world’s greatest scholars such as Shaykh Yusuf Motala and Shaykh Bilal Bawa.

Following his graduation with top honors, Shaykh Hussain went on to earn his post-graduate degree in Business Management & Strategy at the University of Coventry (RDI).

Aside from being a teacher at Darul Hikmah, Shaykh Hussain holds various programs around the city of Chicago and beyond for Muslim youth. He is also currently serving as the Imam of the ICC Masjid in Chicago and teaches for the Sacred Learning educational institute (www.sacredlearning.org).