Our Team
SHAYKH MUJAHID ALI
Director of Education and Principal Lecturer -
Arabic and Hadith
Shaykh Mujahid Ali came to England at a young age and initially resided in the North of England. He began his Islamic studies at the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury, where he studied the Islamic sciences according to the Dars-e Nizami curriculum. In 2002, he completed his Hadith studies under Shaykhul Hadith Mufti Muslihuddin (d. 2021/1442 AH), Mufti Musa Badat (d. 2025/1447 AH), and Shaykh Abul Qasim, and Shaykh Yusuf Darwan, from whom he received Ijazah. The Shaykh also holds Ijazah in the Seven Canonical Qira’at from the institute. He travelled to Syria for private studies in Hadith under several scholars, including Shaykh Muhammad As’ad Sa’id al-Sagharji al-Dimashqi (d. 2015/1436 AH), and also studied advanced Arabic at Ma’had al-Lugah, a branch of Damascus University.
IMAM KABIR UDDIN
Operations Manager
Imam Kabir Uddin is a born and bred Londoner who grew up in Westminster. He studied at North Westminster Secondary School before graduating with an Alimiyyah in Islamic Sciences and Theology (Alimiyyah) in West Yorkshire, where he was a cohort member of S. Mujahid Ali. For two decades, he has served as the Muslim Chaplain at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, working within a diverse chaplaincy team and carrying the responsibility of ensuring the delivery of faith-based and pastoral care to those in custody.
He is the Operations Manager at Hafs Institute and serves as a senior Imam at Hafs Academy, located in the ward of Church Street, Westminster. In addition, he supervises extensive youth support initiatives, including mentoring and educational programmes, and provided bereavement and serious illness support to the local community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Imam Kabir Uddin is the direct contact for any administrative and operational matters regarding the Hafs Alimiyyah programme.
SHAYKH FARHAN MAHMOOD
Senior Lecturer - Arabic Morphology & Grammar
S. Farhan completed Darul Iman to deliver effective and engaging lessons at Hafs Alimiyyahltancy in 2011. After practising in the law field, he chose the path of becoming a student of knowledge in 2013. He graduated from the Alimiyyah programme at Ebrahim College, London, where he studied various disciplines in the Islamic Sciences, before completing the Dawrah al-Hadith programme.
S. Farhan is the co-founder of Darul Iman (formerly Q-Iman), an Islamic studies organisation based in East London. S. Farhan brings his pedagogical expertise and experience from Darul Iman to deliver effective and engaging lessons at Hafs Alimiyyah.
SHAYKH ASHRAFUZ ZAMAN
Principal Lecturer -
Islamic Law & Legal Theory
Shaykh Ashraf Zaman was born in Bangladesh and raised in the UK. During his teens, he studies at the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury, where he completed the Islamic sciences according to the Dars-e Nizami system. He continued his studies in Pakistan at the renowned Darul Ulum Karachi, learning under world-leading scholars, including Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and Mufti Rafi Usmani (d. 2022/1444 AH). He graduated from Karachi in 1996.
Post-graduation, S. Ashraf dedicated himself to supporting the youth of East London by organising lectures, study circles, and youth activities. In 1999, he founded a media organisation named An-Najm to promote knowledge through the production and distribution of Islamic media. In 2003, he became an Islamic Law lecturer at Ebrahim College and went on to serve as the Head of the Fiqh Department, a position which he still holds.
SHAYKH SHAFI CHOWDHURY
Principal Lecturer - Hadith Commentary and Spirituality
S. Shafi Chowdhury graduated the Islamic Institute of Education on Dewsbury with distinction. After graduating, he embarked on a yearlong tour of South Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, where he was engaged extensively in da’wah work within a wide range of Muslim communities. He has been involved in extensive community work and teaching maintaining an open-minded approach and building bridges between communities. He is proactive at the grass-roots level.
Currently, S. Shafi is a Muslim Chaplain in the Prison Service and acts as a consultant to NOMS (National Offender Management Service) on developing programmes for Islamic spiritual learning. Shaykh has participated in many national conferences, radio shows, and university speaker tours, and he has a vast amount of mainstream media experience. S. Shafi has a track record of eloquent speech that captivates the hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
SHAYKH MOHAMMAD SBINI
Teacher of Seerah
(Islamic History)
S. Mohammad Sbini was born in Damascus, Syria. He studied Shariah for approximately 15 years under the Grand Mufti of Syria, Shaykh Ahmed Kuftaro (d. 2004/1425 AH), at the Shariah Institute for Dawah and Guidance (Abu An-Noor). After graduating, he continued his education at the International Faculty for Dawah in Damascus. He moved to England in 1992, where he became actively involved in various Islamic activities and taught a range of subjects including Arabic, Usul al-Fiqh, Shafi‘i Law, Theology, and Sirah.
In 2002, he was appointed as Lecturer at Ebrahim College, London, where he continues to teach Arabic and Theology. He currently teaches the Siah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), stories of the Prophets (Qasas al-Anbiya), Ulum al-Hadith (Sciences of Hadith), and Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence).
SHAYKH UWAIS NAMAZI
Senior Lecturer - Muslim Theology & Philosophy
Born and raised in Blackburn, S. Uwais began his formal studies at Jam’iat al-Ilm Wa al-Huda in Blackburn. He graduated from the ‘Alim and Fazil programs at Dar al-Ulum Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow, India. He continued his academic pursuits at the University of London obtaining an MA in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2008.
S. Uwais is a full-time instructor, researcher, and curriculum advisor at Hafs Institute, where he teaches Arabic Poetry and Literature and Islamic Law. S. Uwais has worked as a translator and editor with various publishers. He has taught Arabic and the Islamic sciences in various capacities for over a decade.
USTADHA NILOFER
Teacher of Tajweed
(Females / Online)
Ustadha Nilofer graduated from Ebrahim College in 2018 after completing the full-time Alimiyyah programme. She also received Ijazah in the seven Qira’at at Ebrahim College under the tutelage of qualified teachers. Following her Alimiyyah studies, she pursued advanced Hadith studies at Ebrahim College under a number of prominent scholars, including S. Akram Nadwi, S. Mujahid Ali, S. Shams Adduha, S. Muhammad Bhuta, S. Muhammad Sbini, Mufti Barakatullah, Mufti Khalid, and S. Ashraf, receiving Ijazah for the six major books of Hadith.
She later recited the entire Qur’an in the riwayah of Imam Hafs, Imam Shu‘bah, Imam Qaloon, and Imam Warsh under S. Bashir Siddiq (d. 2025/1447 AH). She is among the very few female reciters to have received Ijazah from S. Bashir.
SHAYKH DR MOHAMMED AKRAM MADWI
Visiting Lecturer and Hadith Expert
Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a world-renowned scholar of Indian origin, who has now resided in England for many years. He is recipient of the Allama Iqbal prize for contribution to Islamic thought and is the Principal and co-founder of Al-Salam Institute.
After receiving advanced in-depth training in the traditional Islamic disciplines at Nadwat al-Ulama (Lucknow, India) and receiving a PhD in Arabic literature from Lucknow University, he became a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies where he conducted research for a number of years (including on the topics of hadith and Sufi orders in India). He has published widely in Urdu, Persian, Arabic and English. This includes translations (such as his work on Shah Wali Allah), editions of Arabic texts (such as a renowned critical edition of Usul al-Shashi in Hanafi jurisprudence), and original monographs (on Islamic law, hadith sciences and figures such as Imam Abu Hanifah and Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi). As co-founder of Al-Salam Institute, he continues to teach short courses and Advanced Level modules on the Islamic Scholarship Programme.
SHAYKH DR ABDULLAH AL JUDAI'
Visiting Lecturer and Hadith Expert
Sheikh Dr Abdullah Al Judai' is one of the leading scholars of our time and a key reference point for scholars in the West and beyond. He pursued traditional studies and received ijaza (permission to teach) from prominent scholars in Iraq. He is one of the founding members of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, an organization that brings together leading scholars in Europe to unify jurisprudential views on key fiqh (Islamic law) issues relevant to Muslim minorities living in the West. He also provides fatwa services to members of the Leeds community, offers fiqh courses, and conducts a weekly Quran Tafseer (exegesis) class titled "How to Understand the Quran" at LGM, which is delivered in Arabic. This weekly Quran class has been running for the past 20 years. Shaykh Abdullah Al Judai' is widely published, with numerous books, research papers, and valuable publications that are renowned worldwide.
MUFTI ABDUL QADIR BARKATULLA
Visiting Lecturer and Hadith Expert
Mufti Abdul Qadir Barkatulla is one of the UK’s foremost scholars of Sharia, whose expertise also extends to Islamic economics and finance. The Mufti is also one of the Sharia Judges at the Islamic Sharia Council.
At the age of 10, the Mufti was enrolled as an ‘Alim at his boarding school, and thus began his journey dedicating his life to Islamic studies, law, finance and more. Years later, after graduating from the prestigious Darul Uloom in Deoband, India, Abdul Qadir Barkatulla trained as a Mufti before moving to London in 1979.
Before going on to teach, the Mufti pursued his role as a researcher, compiling Shariah databases for Qur’an, Hadith, Islamic law, and the Sirah (biography) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the English language.
Having had training in both Arabic and English, the Mufti is uniquely qualified to teach in both languages, and has invited a range of audiences to enjoy his work, which he does at the renowned Ebrahim College as a member of the faculty. There he taught higher Islamic studies and more.
Today, Mufti Barkatulla has a successful reputation as an advisor to several financial institutions and has garnered over 10 years of experience in the field. He is most notably a member of the Sharia Supervisory Committees of several Islamic financial institutions including Lloyds TSB, Alburaq of Arab Banking Corporation London and United National Bank.
SHAYKH ISMAIL PATEL
Guest Lecturer
Qur’an and Hadith Sciences
Ismail Patel is based in West Yorkshire. He is a Hafiz of the Qur’an and has studied the 14 Qira’at, with Ijazah in the canonical recitations of Asim al-Kufi and Nafi’ al-Madani. He studied for six years at the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury and graduated for a Bachelors in Islamic law from the Islamic University in Madinah in 2007. He went on to read Comparative Commercial Law and Islamic Succession Law for a Masters at the University of London, which he completed in 2008.
S. Ismail has authored a number of books: on Arabic morphology, and a translation of the Hanafi law primer, the Mukhtasar of Imam al-Quduri. He has been invited to lecture in North America and Europe. S. Ismail's research interests include the reconstruction of various aspects of advanced Islamic sciences, including Hanafi jurisprudence, Ijtihad & Taqlid, weak Hadith, and the Qur’anic recitations.