Sayyid Abdal Fattah Ba Alawi was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. His ancestors hail from Tarim, in the Hadramawt Valley of Yemen. He began memorizing the Quran with his mother at the age of five, committing two-thirds to memory before completing his memorization with Shaykh Abd al-Qadir at the Madrasa of Shaykh Ali Sufi. He subsequently relocated to the land of his ancestors in Tarim, where, for a number of years, he continued his studies at Dar al-Mustafa.

As part of his specialization in Quranic Studies, Sayyid Abdal Fattah has numerous formal authorizations (Ijaza) in different modes of Quranic recitation. He has taught the Quran in many places during his stay in Yemen and the United States. He serves as the Resident Imam at Al-Maqasid.

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 believes in the necessity of building sound educational institutions that effectively nurture the realities of Islam in the lives of believers so that they can reach their full potential as human beings. He has dedicated his life to teaching and helping others put their knowledge into practice in order to benefit themselves and humanity. In the spirit of what he has learned from his teachers, Shaykh Yahya is committed to a holistic approach to religious life that considers the various dimensions of health and is embedded in love, mercy, knowledge, purity of heart, remembrance of God, good companionship, and concern for all of creation.

He hopes his work through Al-Maqasid will help transfer the beautiful religious heritage of Islam to the upcoming generations.

Shaykh Auzair Khilwati was born and raised in the United States. Having a passion for studying the sacred sciences from a young age, he spent some time studying under scholars locally, before traveling to Tarim, Hadhramout, where he enrolled in the seminary Dar Al-Mustafa, and extensively studied under world-renowned scholars like Habib Umar bin Hafiz and Shaykh Umar Husayn al-Khatib. After almost a decade, Auzair Khilwati graduated from Dar Al-Mustafa with certification in various sciences, specifically a specialty in fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) according to the Shafi’i madhab (school of law), with training to give fatwa. Shaykh Auzair Khilwati currently serves Islam and the ummah through giving fatwa, research, and teaching in his capacity as Seminary Director / Fatwa & Research Department Director at Al-Maqasid.

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.

He is the host of SoulFood FM, a podcast about practical ways of achieving spiritual refinement. Additionally, he has translated Sufism: Its Essence & the Traits of Its People, Sacred Knowledge: Aims & Objectives, and The Islamic Discourse: Its Current State & Future Development, all of which were authored by al-Habib ‘Umar Bin Hafiz.

Ustadh Hasan was born and raised north of the border in Montreal, Canada. His pursuit of sacred Islamic knowledge has taken him to two continents to sit at the feet of those who still carry unbroken chains of sacred learning. During his stay in South Africa, Ustadh Hasan focused primarily on Quranic Studies. He subsequently moved to Tarim, Yemen, to study at Dar al-Mustafa. During his time there, he was able to study various Islamic sciences, benefiting directly from Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Aydarus, Habib Hashim bin Aqil, Shaykh Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

He returned from Tarim in 2015 to become a faculty member at Al-Maqasid, where he leads the Classical Arabic Program.

By the grace of Allah the Exalted, Ustadh Yusuf Weltch embraced Islam in September of 2008 at the hands of his older brother. Shortly after converting, he was afforded an opportunity to go abroad and learn about the principles of inviting others to Allah (Da'wa), traveling to the blessed lands of Mecca and Medina, as well as Bangladesh and India.

Upon returning to the United States, Ustadh Yusuf was accepted by Darul Uloom New York, where he continued studying the sacred sciences for four more years. He then traveled to the blessed city of Tarim, Yemen, spending three especially formative years at the acclaimed school Dar al-Mustafa established by renowned scholar Habib Umar Bin Hafiz. During this time, he completed the memorization of the Quran, the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi, while also studying several manuals of Fiqh, as well as numerous books of the Islamic spiritual tradition.

He returned to North America in 2019 to begin teaching with SeekersGuidance in Toronto, and in July 2021 he joined the faculty at Al-Maqasid.

Ust. Omar Popal 2.jpg — USTADH

OMAR POPAL

Ustadh Omar Popal was born and raised in northern Virginia. He began studying the Islamic sciences at the age of 16, devoting himself to 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. 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 to advanced students online at Al-Maqasid.