The Journey

Welcome to the Journey Podcast - a podcast where we hear from our blessed teachers and community members about their spiritual journeys. My name is Hebah Masood. I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt, along that journey.Shaykh Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari visited Toronto a few weeks ago to give a series of lectures about the life of his teacher Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashur, his reflections on post-modernism and Islam, and to provide an educational framework for Muslim families. These are all components of his PhD thesis, which he just completed recently from the University of Birmingham.Dr. Ahmed Saad’s journey began in Egypt where he was born into a family of scholars who are descendants of the prophet muhammad pbuh. He memorized the Quran at the age of 10 and Riyadh as Salihin at the age of 15. In 2001 he graduated from Al-Azhar University with a bachelors in Islamic Sciences. He was mentored by Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashur and went on to to translate and teach his book Al Nubdha Al Sughra, which discusses the signs of the end of times. Shaykh Ahmed lives in the UK where he founded Ihsan Institute.In this episode he reflects on his early life and upbringing in Egypt, the teachers that influenced him and the value of a traditional lifestyle.His story intersects with many familiar names:Shaykh Mohamed Saad, Habib Dr. Abu Bakr al-‘Adni b. Ali al-Mashhūr, Shaykh Shibl Matar, Shaykh Dr. Ali Gomah, Shaykh Dr. Abdel-Hamīd Al-Mubarak, Shaykh Ahmad Mawlūd b. Muhammad al-Mustafa al-Yaqūbi al- Shinqīti, Shaykh Dr. Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Abdul-Fattah Madkour, Shaykh Ali Tawfīq al-Nahhas, Shaykh Abdul-Rahman al-Kittani, Habib Zayn b. Sumayt, Shaykh Abdel-Basit Hashim, Shaykh Yahya al-Ghawthani, Shaykh Ahmad al-Surti, Shaykh Yahya al-Mulla, Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Sharīf al-Manbiji, Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqqāli, Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim Abdel-Ba’ith Al-Kittani.Please view his full bio here: https://www.ihsaninstitute.sg/about-shaykh-ahmed-saad ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

At age 16, Ustadh Omar Popal was an extremely homesick madrasa student in Campertown, South Africa. He was far from home, his family and friends. He was struggling to adjust to life at Madrasa In’aamiyya, so different from his public high school and life as he knew it in Fairfax, Virginia. He found his way to the madrassa library, and there he found a mentor in Maulana Muhammad Abbas Omar, who befriended him and took him under his wing. In the same library he found three books which awoke a thirst for knowledge within him and were his introduction to tasawwuf: Protecting Yourself from Whisperings of the Devil, the Path to Perfection, Ma’arif Al Mathnawi. After completing two years in South Africa, Ustadh Omar returned to Virginia and continued studying the Islamic Sciences and completed high school as one of the first students at Mufti Yusuf bin Yaqub’s school, Madinatul Uloom. After high school, he was looking for the next opportunity when his father heard about Tarim, Yemen. He had met someone whose daughter was studying at Dar al Zahra, the girls madrassa in Tarim, and so he decided to send Ustadh Omar and his sister to Yemen as well. Ustadh Omar spent two years in Tarim at Dar al-Mustafa, the boys madrassa, including one year at a campus in Ai’nat. The Ai’nat campus was even more remote, academically rigorous and challenging, and he was the only Westerner there at the time. Despite the challenges, he grew fond of his unique time in Ai’nat and refers to it as the best year of his life. After returning home, he continued his studies at Darul Qasim in Chicago with Shaykh Amin Kholwadia and later with Dr. Recep Senturk in Turkey. Ustadh Omar is now the founder of the Tanwir Institute in Fairfax, VA. where he is attending to the educational and spiritual needs of Muslims in his hometown as well as the DMV area (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) at large. In this episode, he discusses both the struggle of adjusting while studying overseas as well as the many distractions and difficulties that come with seeking knowledge while staying in the West. He gives heartfelt advice to students of knowledge on humility and setting priorities. His story intersects with many familiar names: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Maulana Haroon Abbas Omar, Maulana Muhammad Abbas Omar, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Mufti Yusuf bin Yaqub, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Maulana Ibrahim Muhammad, Maulana Ridwaan Desi, Shaykh Amin Kholwadia, Dr Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Shaykh Khaled Al-Kharsa, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri Dr. Mahmoud al-Masri, Shaykh Faisal Matadar, Shaykh Hamzah Wald Maqbul, Shaykha Mariam Sheibani, Dr. Recep Senturk

Sidi Mustafa Davis’ timeline follows many in the ‘90s who took their shahada and travelled overseas seeking knowledge. He converted as an atheistic college student after finding clarity in Surah Mariam. Soon after, he met Shaykh Hamza Yousuf and his teachers in California. That led him on a journey to Mauritania, Spain, the UK, Syria, and eventually Yemen with his friend and travel companion Shaykh Yahya Rhodus. While in Tarim, Yemen, his path took a different direction. Habib Omar advised him that media production would be his path to Allah swt. And so he began his work with Habib Ali Al-Jiffri at Guidance Media and Tahbah Foundation. After returning to the U.S. in 2008 he started his own production agency called Mustafa Davis Studios, which he hopes to use to tell stories that would otherwise go untold. Today he is in Turkey studying with Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui, running his production studio and teaching a full-time film training program. In this episode, he takes us on a journey around the world, sharing advice from his experience as a student and an artist and how his work has become a means for him to seek nearness to Allah. He’s met many beautiful teachers and befriended many familiar names along his journey: Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj and his son Shaykh Abdur-Rahman, Shaykh Murabit Ahmad Fal and his son Shaykh Abdullah, Shaykh Khatri, Habib Omar, Habib Ali al-Jifri, Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, Shaykh Jamal Ud-deen Hysaw, Hassan Siddqui, Khalil Moore, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Shaykh Walead Mosaad, Shaykh Musa Furber, Imam Dawood Yasin, Tariq Suwaidan and Dr. Jonathan Brown. Photos courtesy of Sidi Mustafa: https://www.facebook.com/hebahpotamus88/videos/10208380184459931

Imam Dawud Walid grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was commonplace to see Confederate flags and signs like “The South will rise again.” Like others of his generation, listening to hip hop, watching Spike Lee’s “X,” and the protests following the brutal beating of Rodney King and murder of Amadou Diallo played a huge role. They awakened in him not only an interest in social justice but also Islam. He wanted to learn Classical Arabic to better understand the Quran. At that time, the best place to learn Arabic in the U.S. was in Detroit, Michigan, and so he moved to the Midwest. His spiritual journey would take him from learning in Detroit to eventually traveling to Ghana, Mali and Senegal. Today, Dawud Walid heads Cair-Michigan. He has authored four books. Two titled “Centering Black Narratives,” a third titled "Towards Sacred Activism," and a fourth, coming out this February InshaAllah titled “Blackness in Islam.” In this episode, he sheds light on the importance of learning Black Muslim history and the relationship of tasawwuf with sacred activism and anti-racism work within our communities. His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Ali Suleiman Ali, Imam Salim Abdulrahman, Dr. Sherman Jackson, Shaykh Abdullah Bin Hamid Ali, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Sidi Ahmad Mubarak, Chris Abdur-Rahman Blauvelt. ***Pre-order his new book "Blackness in Islam" here: https://shop.ihrc.org/blackness-and-islam-dawud-walid***

Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra prefaced his interview by saying he had nothing great to share. But as you’ll soon see, he has a heartwarming and inspiring story. He was born and raised Hindu. At the age of 18, he took his shahada and entered Islam. At the time, he was a student at the University of Toronto, and it was a combination of meeting his future wife, his circle of friends and reading books like “Islam in Focus” that led him to explore Islam and convert. After finishing his undergrad and unexpectedly being invited to perform Hajj, he knew deep down that what he really wanted was to study sacred knowledge. So he embarked on a journey to Tarim, Yemen or as he calls it, “the desert of love,” to learn Arabic. He then went on to study the Islamic sciences as well as spirituality with Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller in Jordan. After 12 years there, he travelled to Trinidad and studied the books of Hadith at Darul Uloom and is currently in their iftah program. Because he's travelled all over the world he has an interesting insight into the different places of Islamic learning that exist today. His story has many lessons for converts and aspiring students of knowledge about the intellectual and emotional journey through the deen. His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Shaykh Ashraf Muneeb, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Nader Khan, Dawud Wharnsby.

The daughter of Caribbean Immigrants who converted to Islam, Ustadha Nuriddeen Knight , began her own journey to seek knowledge at the Muslim Education and Converts Center of America in NYC. She completed classes at the Center offered to beginners by Imam Amin Muhammad. She went on to study privately with him along with other sisters. She then began supplementing these in-person classes with online courses from SeekersGuidance: The Global Islamic Seminary and Kiflayn. But she wanted more — she craved a deeper understanding of prophetic character and knew she needed to live in a place where Islam was not just studied but lived. So, she left to study in Jordan with Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Shaykha Umm Sahl and other scholars. In this episode, Ustadha Nuriddeen discusses the importance of seeking knowledge as a woman and the value of having female teachers. She also talks about the beauty of the community in Jordan and how impactful suhba is when studying. She returned to the United States where her bold, and outspoken blog, "By the Fig and the Olive,” has become a must-read for many women of our generation. She has also authored "40 Hadith Of 'Aisha," a collection of Hadiths narrated by Sayyida Aisha that showcase her close relationship with the Prophet PBUH.

Like many Afghans, Imam Yama Niazi's family left Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. By the '90s, he was an 18 year old aspiring rapper in Santa Barbara, California, a typical American teen who knew little about the religion but made a dua that changed the course of his life. One day, perhaps in answer to that dua, a mysterious visitor stopped by the family business. The visitor, a convert and former rapper, befriended him. He taught him how to pray, the basic tenets of the religion and mentored him. Imam Yama gave up rapping, began practicing Islam and eventually sought sacred knowledge. Through an ISNA catalogue, he learned about Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and started driving five hours weekly to the take classes with Shaykh Hamza in the Bay area. The classes introduced him to other scholars including Shaykh Salek ibn Siddina and Shaykh Muhammad Yaqoubi and a whole new world. In this episode, Imam Yama narrates an emotional story of how Allah SWT guided him. He gives important and nuanced advice about dawah, the limits of interfaith work and the challenges of being an American Imam. He now lives in Vancouver, B.C., teaches youth classes at SeekersGuidance: The Global Islamic Seminary and runs the The Blessed Tree Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on spreading the beauty of Islam. His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Salek ibn Siddina, Shaykh Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi الشيخ محمد اليعقوبي,,الحبيب عمر بن حفيظ - Habib Omar, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Rami Nsour, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, Ustadh Feraidoon Mojadedi, Shaykh Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera , Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Tameem Ahmadi

Shaykh Jamal Ud-deen Hysaw describes his childhood as nomadic. He moved across the United States, living in suburban communities where he often felt the effects of racism and isolation, and found it difficult fitting in with both his Black and white classmates. His journey to Islam began in college as he started exploring Black history and reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X. A few years after he converted, he was introduced to then translator Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller who was visiting Atlanta at the time. He got his phone number and after months of almost daily phone calls, Shaykh Nuh and his wife Shaykha Umm Sahl suggested that he come to Damascus and study Islamic sciences full-time. He was in Syria for three years before becoming one of the first foreigners to be invited to Tarim by Habib Omar. He eventually settled there for five years to finish his studies. Shaykh Jamal is a natural storyteller. This is a four hour interview, but he keeps the listener engaged from beginning to end with stories from his life and beautiful descriptions of his time in Hadhramaut. He talks about what it was like seeking knowledge in the '90s with scholars like Habib Omar and Shaykh Nuh. There's also great advice here about the importance of humility throughout one's spiritual journey. While Shaykh Jamal may not be a household name, he was instrumental in guiding many on their path to knowledge. Shaykh Jamal Ud-Deen Hysaw describes his childhood as nomadic. He moved across the United States, living in suburban communities where he often felt the effects of racism and isolation, and found it difficult fitting in with both his Black and white classmates. His journey to Islam began in college when he started exploring Black history and read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. A few years after he converted, he was introduced to then translator Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller who was visiting Atlanta at the time. He got his phone number and after months of almost daily phone calls, Shaykh Nuh and his wife Shaykha Umm Sahl suggested that he come to Damascus to study the Islamic sciences full-time. He lived in Syria for three years before becoming one of the first foreigners to be invited to Tarim by Habib Omar. He would stay there for five years while he completed his studies. Shaykh Jamal is a natural storyteller. This is a four hour interview, but he keeps the listener engaged from beginning to end with stories from his life and beautiful descriptions of his time in Hadramawt. He talks about what it was like seeking knowledge in the '90s with scholars like Habib Omar and Shaykh Nuh. There's great advice here about the importance of humility throughout one's spiritual journey. While Shaykh Jamal may not be a household name, he was instrumental in guiding many on their path to knowledge. His story intersects with many familiar names: الحبيب عمر بن حفيظ - Habib Omar,Habib Ali Al-Mashhur and his son Habib Abdur Rahman bin Hafid, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf English, Habib Ali al-Jifri English, Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri, Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Shaykha Umm Sahl, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi الشيخ محمد اليعقوبي, Habib Ali Abu Bakr bin Shaikh, Habib Salim Al-Shatiri, Habib Hashim bin Aqil, Habib Shahabideen, Habib Tahir Al Attas, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni al-Ninowy الشيخ د. محمد النينوي, Shaykh Umar Hussein Al-Khatib, Musa Furber, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Imam Zaid Shakir, Abu Munir, Ali Keeler, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Ibrahim Osi Effa, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, Ustadh Tariq Ameer, Imam Abdul Huqq, Dr. Amin Best, Mustafa Davis, Omar Daytona, Usama Canon

Reflecting on the order and harmony within nature, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya knew at a young age that God existed. He embraced Islam in his junior year of high school in Berkeley, California. A translation of Imam Ghazali's renowned "Ihya Uloom al-Deen" ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences") inspired him to seek out teachers who embodied those characteristics. His journey took him to Syria where he studied Arabic and Tajweed. And then onto Tarim, Yemen, where he was one of the first American students to enroll in the newly opened Dar al Mustafa. That became his base for 13 years, and he became a translator for Habib Omar and the other habaib all over the world. After returning to the U.S. he would eventually establish Dar Al-Rahma in 2017 to serve and teach the Muslims of the Detroit area. In this episode he talks about serving and learning with people of knowledge over the last 23 years. He also discusses the inner-city community in Detroit where he teaches, and how it's been impacted by COVID-19 and ongoing police brutality against the Black community. His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller and his wife Shaykha Umm Sahl, Habib Ali al-Mashhur bin Hafiz, الحبيب عمر بن حفيظ - Habib Omar, Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Habib Ali al-Jifri English, Habib Abdurrahman bin Hafiz, Shaykh Umar Hussein Al Khatib, Habib Abdullah bin Muhammed bin Alawi bin Shihab, Habib Salim al Shatiriy, Shaykh Muhammed Ali al Khatib, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Abdullah Alkadi, Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa, Shaykh Jamal Ud-Deen Hysaw, Shaykh Abu Muneer al-Sha’ar, Abu Anas, Dr. Omar Mahmood عمر محمود, Imam Dawud Walid, Imam Abdullah El-Amin, Imam Saleem Khalid and Shaykh Ali Sulaiman Ali.

Sister Zainab Ismail is known by many for her popular Instagram page @zainab_fitforallah. Prior to taking her shahada, she worked as a fitness trainer and nutritionist with the “one percent” — hopping between Las Vegas, Miami, the Hamptons and Hollywood for work. A life threatening car accident and deeper reflections on faith led her to Islam and a new lifestyle. She began taking classes for new Muslims at the New York City Muslim Education and Converts Center of America, where Fit for Allah was born. After studying further at MECCA Center, Al-Maqasid, and SeekersGuidance: The Global Islamic Seminary she embarked on a da'wah opportunity to Chiapas, Mexico. That led to more da'wah trips in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Panama. She also sparked the idea to translate Dr. Asad Tarsin’s “Being Muslim” to serve the Spanish speaking world and would later help it be translated into Portuguese as well. In this episode she reflects on how influential it was to learn about tasawwuf and meet scholars like Habib Omar in her early years as a Muslim. She also talks about how important it is for new converts to be in spaces where they feel mercy, care and compassion. Her story intersects with many beautiful teachers: Habib Omar, Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Amin Muhammad, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Dr. Asad Tarsin, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Samir al-Nass, Ustadha Wajiha Khalil, Ustadh Khalid Abdu, Shaykh Imadudeen Abu Hijleh, Shaykh Walid al-Rifa’i, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, Mustafa Davis, Usama Canon, Shaykh Hamdi Ben Aissa.

Ustadh Tariq Ameer grew up in a family that was part of the Nation of Islam and then made the transition to Sunni Islam with WD Muhammed. His own journey began with the Muslim Student’s Association at Morehouse, a historically black men’s college, in Atlanta. Once he started on his path he was able to learn how to read Arabic in one week and began studying part time. He would eventually follow the path of his teacher Ustadh Jamal Hysaw to Tarim, Yemen. He is currently a prison chaplain with the New Jersey Department of Corrections and a student at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He also teaches at New Brunswick Islamic Center with Safina Society in NJ, the Muslim Education and Converts Center of America in NYC and his own institute based out of Newark, Al-Muwatta. Listen as he gives a rich and detailed description about living and studying in Hadhramaut, Yemen and learning from teachers who exemplify Prophetic character. He also talks about his important work as a prison chaplain and giving dawah to those who are incarcerated a segment of society many of us rarely think about. My sincere apologies for the poor sound quality for the first half hour. Ustadh Tariq’s story intersects with many familiar names: Habib Omar, Habib Hashim bin Sahl, Habib Tahir Al Attas, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Siraj Wahaj, Shaykh Suhaib Webb, Ustadh Jamal Hysaw, Imam Adeyinka 'Muhammad' Mendes, Shaykh Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Imam Abdul Malik, Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Shaykh Amin Buxton, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Dr. Shadee Elmasry, Shaykh Yusuf Weltch, Shaykh Zane Abdo, Imam Rasul Suluki and Atiba Jones.

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch has a fascinating family history. He is part African American, British and Costa Rican, but he has Inca, Cherokee, Nicaraguan and Irish blood too. His journey begins in Trenton, New Jersey where he was a young pianist and professional pool player before being introduced to Islam by his brother. His pursuit of Islamic knowledge took him from the Darul Uloom madrassah in Queens, NY to Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen and, finally, to Canada. I first met Shaykh Yusuf while he was teaching a summer intensive program at Seekers Guidance in Toronto. Who knew his journey would intersect with so many of my own teachers in New Jersey. It’s truly amazing to see how Allah swt weaves these journeys together. In this episode, Shaykh Yusuf discusses the lack of community and classes as a new convert and how this struggle impacted him — something familiar for many of our new Muslim brothers and sisters. He also talks about teaching in Mexico and the need for Spanish speakers in dawaa work. Listen in, to all the beautiful stories within his story. His story intersects with many familiar names: Habib Omar, Shaykh Luqman Abdul Ghani, Shaykh Suhel Teli, Hazrat Maulana Ijaz Sahib, Shaykh Mikaeel Abdur Rahman, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Ahmad, Shaykh Umar bin Hussein al-Khatib, Habib Khadim al-Saqqaf, Habib Ali Abu Bakr, Habib Muhammad Aydarus, Habib Hashim bin Aqil bin Yahya, Habib Hussain al Haddad, Habib Abdullah Al-Mehdar, Abdul Qadir Wiswall, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Imam Tahir Anwar, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Imam Adeyinka 'Muhammad' Mendes, Shaykh Hasan Abunar, Shaykh Amin Buxton, Ustadh Hasan Petrus, Shaykh Musab Penfound, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani