Shaykh Ammar AlShukry hails from Sudan via Queens New York. Dual Bachelors in Islamic Studies and Marketing. A Director at AlMaghrib and Imam at Clear Lake Islamic Center. He is the author of the poetry collection “What the Pen Wrote: The Collected Poems of Ammar AlShukry” and his upcoming course A Mindful Salah is scheduled for early 2022 in sha Allah.

Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans is ALIM’s first Scholar-in-Residence. He converted to Islam while in high school. Upon conversion, Ustadh Ubaydullah began studying some of the foundational books of Islam under the private tutelage of local scholars. Since then he has studied at Chicagoland’s Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), in Tarim, Yemen, and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he is the first African-American to graduate from its Shari’a program. Ustadh Ubaydullah also instructs with the Ta’leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).

Mufti Hussain Kamani was born and raised in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. His journey to pursue sacred Islamic knowledge began at age 6. By the age of 9, he completed the memorization of the Holy Quran. To further advance his studies in the Islamic Sciences, he traveled to the United Kingdom and pursued formal Islamic authorizations (ijazahs). For 7 years, Mufti Kamani studied a rigorous curriculum covering the Arabic language and literature, Islamic jurisprudence, Tafseer of the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, Islamic Philosophy, and Aqeedah. Afterwards, he was selected for a post-graduate level course in Islamic Law and Legal Verdicts, which he completed within two years. He later earned his graduate degree in Business Management from the University of Coventry in the UK.

Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed was born and raised in Lansing, MI. As a youth, he displayed zeal and enthusiasm to involve himself in the religious sciences. At just 9 years of age, Mufti Abdul Rahman went to Toronto, Canada to pursue his dreams of becoming a Hafidh of the Holy Qur'an. Thereafter, Mufti Abdul Rahman traveled to Pakistan to continue his passion to seek knowledge where he completed his 2 year Iftaa program which specializes in Islamic Jurisprudence and Law. Mufti Abdul Rahman is serving as a principal and is a full-time instructor at Michigan Islamic Institute, the brother organization of Miftaah Institute. He travels across North America as a khateeb and lecturer. He is well-known for his calm and down-to-Earth demeanor.

Shaykh Mohamed Almasmari, of Yemeni descent, was born and raised in Michigan. He memorized the Qur'an at a very early age and after high school, left to study at Sana'a University. Soon after, he obtained his Bachelor/Master Degrees in Islamic Law & Islamic Science from Yemen. During his studies, he was able to obtain ijaazas in recitation & teaching of Al-Qur'an, Qur'anic Exegesis (Tafseer-ul-Qur'an), Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Sahih Bukhari & Muslim and Imam Nawwawi's works such as the commentary to Sahih Muslim and Riyaad-us-Saliheen. In 2007, he became the Imam of a local masjid in California few miles down from Shaykh Zaid Shakir, where he left a very high standard and tough shoes to fill. Then, In 2009, he was called upon to serve in Brooklyn in a community that was desperately in need of an Ameer (leader). Within two years, Alhamdulillah Shaykh Almasmari, by the Will of Allah swt was able turn that community around for the better. He has lead taraweeh prayers during the month of Ramadan since the age of 18. Now Shaykh Mohamed Almasmari is the Imam and Khatib at UMMA.

Hafidh Hamzah is a University of Houston alumni with a Masters in Accounting. He has extensive experience as a teacher and youth director in the Muslim community. He served as an Imam and Quran teacher for over a decade right here in Houston. He memorized the Quran at the age of nine at Madresa Islamia under Qari Hashim and completed his ijaza with Sh. Uthman Khan and Sh. Syed El- Abdullah. Most recently he served as the Dean of Student Affairs at Brighter Horizons Academy and Imam at Klein Islamic Center. Along with being teacher, Hafidh Hamzah works with different MSA’s, communities, and is a motivational speaker. He also focuses on Tarbiyah with youth from all over the city

For a span exceeding 5 years, Mohammed ElFarooqui has been serving the Houston community as imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. A significant chapter in his journey commenced in July of 2022, when he assumed the esteemed mantle of Imam at the Maryam Islamic Center. His duties are directed towards the orchestration of education, youth, young professionals and programming pursuits within the precincts of this center.

Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. He began Islamic studies at Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah in Canada where he became a Hafiz at the age of 11. He started his 7-year Shariah program in Toronto, Canada, and went even further to pursue higher education of Hadith in Karachi, Pakistan. Throughout his travels, Mufti Abdul Wahab addresses communities across the United States on a wide range of Islamic topics and Inshallah, continues to do so with the Tawfiq of Allah SWT. Mufti Abdul Wahab is a Co-founder at Miftaah Institute and also is a Co-Founder and Director at Michigan Islamic Institute.

A native Houstonian and no stranger to the Houston community, Shaykh Tauqeer Shah, holds a Master’s Degree from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion. Along with a BA from the University of Houston and a Scholars Degree in Islamic Sciences, he has extensive experience in Interfaith and Outreach initiatives. He also served as an Imam at Maryam Islamic Center for over 7 years where he worked towards building community through spiritual fellowship and religious nourishment. He has actively led coalitions with several faith groups, colleges, and universities, and represented the Muslim community at city, county and law enforcement agencies. Shaykh Tauqeer believes that our civic and outreach responsibility should be a top priority for the Muslim community to secure the future of American Muslims. He is a proud resident of Sugar Land with his wife and two daughters.

Imam Nadim was born in Florida and moved to the DFW Metroplex at a very young age. In 1989 he traveled overseas where he memorized the entire Quran by the age of 11.He has earned a reputation for being a good reciter of the Quran from memory. He began the Alim Course at Jamia Madinatul-Uloom, New Orleans as a student of Shaykh Abdur Rahman Patel. He then went overseas to study at Jamia Taalimul-Islam, Dewsbury, U.K. for several years where he received Ijaazaat in various Islamic Sceinces, including Arabic, Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Hadith, Tafseer, Tajweed, and Qira’ah. He graduated in 2003 with a Masters in Islamic Studies and has been serving Deen in the U.S. till today.