Our Teachers

Sheikh Shams Ad-Duha Muhammad
(Aqeedah, Ulumul Hadith, and Arabic Grammar)

Sheikh Shams Ad-Duha Muhammad was brought up in the in East London. He is hafiz of the Qur’an which he memorised partly in his own locality and then completed at the famous Darul Uloom in Dewsbury (Institute of Islamic Education). After memorising the Holy Quran, he continued at the same institute and studied Arabic language, Tajweed, Fiqh and other subjects in the early years of the Dars Nizami curriculum . He then moved to Al-Jamia al-Islamia in Nottingham to continue his studies and benefit from shuyukh like Sheikh Fazlur Raheem, Sheikh Abdul Haq and others, from whom he studied, advanced Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Ulumul hadith, Hadith and Tafsir. To complete his studies he travelled to Bangladesh in 1997 to study hadith texts and receive ijaza under the late Sheikh Abdul Aziz Doymiri and the late Sheikh Nuruddin Goharpuri (Allah have mercy them both) and other shuyukh, where he also came first in his graduation class.

Since graduation, the Sheikh has been a teacher and Senior Advisor of the London Islamic Cultural Centre Maktab (now known as Safar Academy) in North London. The Sheikh has also served as Imam and Khateeb of Burdett Estate masjid where he revolutionised the education system and held popular tafsir classes. In September 2000, the Sheikh helped found the Mazahirul Uloom Secondary school where he was appointed as the Vice-Principal. In December 2002, along with other respected Ulama Sheikh Shams founded Ebrahim College and is currently serving as the Director of Education and lecturing on various Islamic sciences.

He is a well known speaker in community gatherings, universities, colleges and masjids where he has spoken on a wide range of interesting topics. The Sheikh is also currently authoring 2 books on Arabic Grammar, 2 books on Islamic creed and theology, which will soon be published insha Allah. He has also edited the translation of Ibn Rajab Hanbali’s Jami’ al-Uloom wa al-Hikam, published by Turath Publishing, and is currently working on the translations of Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar of Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi, and the Qawaid fi Uloom al-Hadith and theQawaid fi Usul al-Fiqh, of Sheikh Zafar Ahmad Uthmani. These will also be published by Turath Publishing inshaAllah.

Sheikh Mujahid Ali
(Arabic Language, Tajweed, Tafsir)

Sheikh Mujahid Ali came to England at a young age and was brought up in the North of England. During his teens he started his Islamic studies at the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire where he studied the Islamic sciences according to the Dars Nizami curriculum.

In 2002 he completed his hadith studies under Sheikhul Hadith Mufti Muslihuddin, Sheikh Yusuf Darwan, Sheikh Mufti Musa Badat and Sheikh Abul Qasim, from whom he received ijazah. He then traveled to Syria for further studies in Hadith under several mashayikh (scholars) such as Sheikh Mohammad Asa’d Saeed As-Sagarji Ad- Dimashqi, and also studied advanced Arabic at Ma’had al-Lugah a branch of  Damascus University.

Since 2004 the sheikh has been an Arabic language and Tajweed teacher at Ebrahim College. Whilst teaching both these subjects he has compiles an anthology of Arabic literature as a literature textbook, and written a commentary on al-Muqaddamah al-Jazariyyah in tajweed, both of which will soon be published. He is currently the head of Arabic Language at EC. The sheikh also has ijaazah in al-Qira’aatal-Sab’ from the Institute of Islamic Education, Dewsbury and teaches this to advanced tajweed students at Ebrahim College.

Sheikh Ashraf Az-Zaman
(Fiqh)

Sheikh Ashraf Zaman was born in Bangladesh and brought up in the UK. During his teens Sheikh Ashraf went away to West Yorkshire to study at the Institute of Islamic Education, Dewsbury, where he studied the Islamic sciences according to the Dars Nizami system. He then traveled to Pakstan and continued his studies at the renowned Darul-Uloom Karachi under some of the greatest scholars of the world such as Mufti Muhammad Taqi and Rafi Usmani, may Allah swt protect them both.

He graduated from Darul-Uloom Karachi in 1996 with ijazah from his shuyukh. After graduation sheikh Ashraf was involved with youth in East London, organizing lectures, study circles and other youth activities.

In 1999 he founded a media organization named An-Najm which propagated knowledge through the production and distribution of Islamic media products.

In 2003 Sheikh Ashraf became a Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) teacher at Ebrahim College and the head of the Fiqh department. He has also compiled various resources on the subjects which he is continuing to develop for publication insha-Allah.

Sheikh Najmul Alam
(Advanced Nahw, Tajweed, Hadith)

Sheikh Najmul-Alam was born in Bangladesh and also received his early education in Bangladesh. He came to England at the age of 11. After a short time at secondary school, he started his Islamic studies at the institute of Islamic Education in West Yorkshire where he studied for 8 years. During this time he studied the Islamic sciences under many shuyukh such as Sheikh Mufti Yusuf Sacha, Sheikh Abul Qasim, Sheikh Muhammad Kamal, Sheikh Mufti Musa Badat, Sheikh Yusuf Darwan and others.

In 1992 he traveled to India to finish off his Aalimiyya course, there he joined the famous Madrasah Kashiful-Uloom in New Delhi where he studied hadith under many great shuyukh such as Sheikh Izhar al-Hasan, Sheikh Zubair Al-Hasan, Sheikh Ilyas Barabankwi and Sheikh Ya’qub Sahanpuri. As well as receiving ijazah from all of these shuyukh, he also has ijazah from Sheikh In’am al-Hasan, the amir of da’wah and tabligh at the time.

Sheikh Najm has always been active in youth and da’wah work and has also worked as an Imam of Plashet Road Masjid. Between 2001 and 2003 the Sheikh taught Arabic syntax, etymology and literature at the London Islamic School. In 2003 he became a teacher at the Ebrahim College where he currently teaches advanced Arabic grammar and Hadith. His active da’wah and youth work benefits EC students and instills in them the inspiration to work with and on fellow youth. He is also an advisor for an Islamic evening school at the Shahjalal masjid in Manor Park.

Sheikh Abdullah Abdulsamei
(Arabic Language)

Sheikh Abdullah memorised the Qur’an and studied Islamic texts at the holy city of Makkah al-Mukarramah under various teachers. He has an MA in Islamic Studies from The Muslim College and has a PGCE from the University of Greenwich. Sheikh Abdullah is currently developing curriculum resources for Arabic language which will, insha-Allah, be published in conjunction with the work on Arabic Grammar by Sheikh Shams. He currently teaches Arabic Language and classical Arabic poetry at Ebrahim College.

Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera has been studying the traditional Islamic sciences and writing scholarly works for most of his life. He completed the bulk of his studies at Darul Uloom Bury, North England, where he memorized the Qur’an by the age of fifteen and thereafter went on to complete a rigorous, six-year Shari‘a program. He graduated from this program with authentic certifications (ijaza) in numerous Islamic disciplines, including Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence, and hadith (with particular emphasis on the six canonical collections of hadith (Sihah Sitta) and the Muwattas of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad. His teachers at Darul Uloom Bury included Shaykh Yusuf Motala and other students of Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.

Upon graduation, he traveled to South Africa, where he attended Madrasah Zakariyyah part-time to gain specialized training in answering legal questions (ifta’) under Mufti Rada al-Haq. While in South Africa, he also completed a Bachelor or Arts (with honors) in Islamic Studies at Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, under the supervision of Professor Abdul Rahman I. Doi.

He then traveled to Syria, where he received a second certification in Qur’anic recitation and memorization, this time from Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, who possessed a short, unbroken chain of transmission (sanad) to the Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace). Additionally, he received a certification from Shaykh Adib Kallas after reading Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar and attending lectures on other classical texts of Islamic creed (‘aqida).

After his trip to Syria, he traveled to Saharanpur, India, where he received a formal authorization to issue legal rulings (fatawa), which required a close study of part or all of a number of classical jurisprudential texts, including, among others, Ibn Nujaym’s Al-Ashbah wa ’l-naza’ir and ‘Allama Haskafi’s Al-Durr al-mukhtar(along with its gloss, Radd al-muhtar, by ‘Allama Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami). During this time, Shaykh Abdur-Rahman also attended classes on the principles of hadith (usul al-hadith), studying ‘Allama Lakhnawi’s Al-Raf ‘ wa ’l-takmil fi ’l-jarh wa ’l-ta’dil and parts of Imam Suyuti’s Tadrib al-rawi.

Shaykh Abdur-Rahman attained additional certifications in hadith from such great scholars as Shaykh Muhaddith Habib al-Rahman al-A‘zami (through his student Shaykh Mufti Zayn al-‘Abidin), Shaykh Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi, and Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Awwama. May Allah continue to bless those of his teachers who are still alive and have mercy on those who have passed on to the next.

To date, Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has authored the highly popular Fiqh al-Imam: Key Proofs in Hanafi Fiqh(1996) and co-authored Reflections of Pearls (1995). He also published Provisions for the Seekers (1996), a translation and commentary of the Arabic work Zad al-Talibin, a collection of short hadiths compiled by Mawlana ‘Ashiq Ilahi from ‘Allama Tibrizi’s Mishkat al-Masabih. This work has recently been revised and republished in an extended edition. His latest published work is Prayers for Forgiveness: Seeking Spiritual Enlightenment through Sincere Supplication (2004), a translation of Al-Istighfarat al-Munqidha min al-Nar, a collection of seventy prayers for forgiveness of Imam Hasan al-Basri. Additionally, Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has completed an unpublished translation of Imam Abu Hanifa’s Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, along with its commentary, written by ‘Allama Maghnisawi, with notes from Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s larger commentary (now published).

Sheikh Mohammad Sbini
(Fiqh & Islamic History)

Sheikh Mohammad Sbini was born in 1967 in Damascus ( Syria). He studied Shariah under the Grand Mufti of Syria Sheikh Ahmad Keftaro(RA) for about 15 years, at the Shariah Institute for Dawah and Guidance (Abu An-noor).

After he graduated he continued his education in The International Faculty for Dawah ( Damascus). He came to England in 1992 and has been involved in different Islamic activities and taught several different Islamic subjects such as Arabic, Usul Al-Fiqh, Shafe’e Fiqh, Aqeedah, and Seerah.

In 2002 he began lecturing at Ebrahim College and he has taught Arabic and Aqeedah. He currently teaches Seerah of The Prophet Muhmmad (SAW), and the Stories of The Prophets(Qasas Al-Anbiya).

Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam Kawthari
(Fiqh)

Mufti [Abu Abdillah] Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari is a young, traditionally trained scholar who studied in different parts of the world. Born in Leicester, UK, and raised under the guidance of his illustrious father, Shaykh Mawlana Adam, he started learning about Islam from a very young age and memorized the entire Qur’an at a very tender age of nine. He initially studied the Arabic language and various other traditional Islamic sciences including Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), Hadith and Fiqh at Dar al-Uloom, Bury, UK, under many Shuyukh notably: Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf Motala and the late Shaykh al-Hadith Islam ul Haq, and thus received authorizations (ijazahs) in various books including the six major collections of Hadith. He also received Ijazah in Hadith from the late Grand Mufti of India, Shaykh Mahmud al-Hasan Gangohi, and underwent a one year course of specialization in the science of issuing religious verdicts (Fatwa).

After graduating from the Dar al-Uloom, he travelled to Karachi, Pakistan, where he studied under one of the greatest living scholars, Justice (Rtd) Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and others, and received authorizations. Later, he travelled to Damascus, Syria, where he increased in experience and knowledge by studying under the great Ulama there and received authorizations (ijazahs) from Shaykh Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Dr. Abd al-Latif Farfur al-Hasani and others.

His authored books include: Islamic Guide to Sexual Relations, Birth Control & Abortion in Islam, The Issue of Shares and Simplified Rules of Zakat. He has also published Shaykh Zakariyya Kandahlawi’s Wujub I’fa’ al-Lihya (The obligation of growing a beard) and Shaykh Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri’s Mabahith fi Aqa’id Ahl al-Sunna aka: Al-Muhannad ala‘l-Mufannad (Discussions in the beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna), both with critical analysis and footnotes in Arabic. He is also widely known for his detailed and well-researched fiqh related articles which can be found atwww.daruliftaa.com.

The Shaykh has taught many courses and lectured extensively on a range of topics, and continues to travel regularly teaching and lecturing both in the UK and abroad. Many of his lessons and lectures are available free in the Audio Visual section of the Darul Iftaa website, including the 22 part series on Islamic Manners conducted from Shaykh Abdul-Fattah Abu Ghudda’sMin Adab al-Islam, 18 part series on the Virtues & Fiqh of Ramadan and the 8 part series on the 10 Things of Natural Disposition (fitra). He has also released a 19 CD audio set titled: The Fiqh of Marriage, which is widely available.

Presently, he resides in Leicester, UK, where he is a teacher of various traditional Islamic sciences at Jamiah Uloom al-Qur’an, and Director and researcher at the Institute of Islamic Jurisprudence (Darul Iftaa,www.daruliftaa.com).  He is a Board Member of the Al-Qalam Shari’ah Scholars Panel, established to meet the growing demand from Muslim consumers and businesses for authentic, professional, Shari’ah based guidance, and an Advisory Member of the Islamic Medical Ethics Forum (IMEF). He is also a Shari’ah Advisor for Habib Bank AG Zurich, UK – Islamic Banking department.

Mufti Abdul Qadir Barkatullah
(Lecturer of Advanced Fiqh and Hadith)

Mufti Barkatullah is senior imam of Finchley mosque in London and prominent Islamic Shariah law scholar with a strong background in economics and finance. He received an MPhil in Informatics from the University of Wales (UK). He acquired a Mufti (diploma) in Islamic law and Fazil (Bachelor of Islamic Studies) from the world famous Islamic Seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband, India. He is a member of the Shariah supervisory boards for several UK financial institutions. He is also a member of the Islamic Shari’ah Council where he deals with the Islamic legal problems of the Muslim community. He has now brought his wealth of knowledge and experience to Ebrahim College where he is teaching advanced Fiqh and Hadith to undergraduate level students studying at the 4 th, 5 th, and 6 th levels of the Alim course.

Maulana Ali Amjad

Shaikh Ali Amjad studied the islamic sciences programme at Ebrahim College for six years. Having completed his studies at EC he went on to complete his studies in hadith (dawrah) at The Institue of Islamic Education, Dewsbury, under the tutelage of Mufti Sayed Muslih al-Deen, Maulana Yusuf Darwan, Mufti Badat and many others receiving ijazahs for the 6 major hadith texts and more. He is also fortunate enough to have received ijazah in sab’ah qira’at from Maulana Mujahid at EC and Maulana Imtiyaz and also completed ‘asharah under the latter in Dewsbury.

He is currently a lecturer at EC, teaching in the ‘Alimiyyah Course during the day time, and likewise a teacher of the Part-time Adult courses in the evenings. In the weekends he teaches in North London, at a weekend Maktab called Safar Academy.

Maulana Mohibur Rahman

Maulana Mohibur Rahman born in the UK and brought up in the East of London began his Islamic studies in his teens. After being inspired by his teachers at his secondary school he decided to take up studies at Ebrahim College in 2003, where he studied his A-levels along with his Alimiyyah. He successfully completed his A-Levels attaining A-C in the all the subjects. Thereafter, he continued his studies at EC for another 3 years, completing the Alimiyyah Programme at EC. For his final year (in Had?th) in 2009, he travelled to Bangladesh and graduated from the famous Madrasah Q?sim Al-Ul?m, in Sylhet, Bangladesh (Dargah Shah Jal?l Madrasah).

Maulana Mohib was also fortunate enough to have studied a dying science known as Sab’ Qir?`ah at Ebrahim College under his Tajweed teacher Shaykh Muj?hid Ali. After completing the seven styles of recitals, he received Ij?zah for it from Shaykh Muj?hid Ali in 2009.

After his graduation in 2010, Maulana Mohib took up teaching again at Safar Academy in North London. He is also part of the Syllabus Development Team at Safar Academy, where he and a group of scholars under the guidance of Maulana Hasan Ali are developing a curriculum for young children who study at Maktab level.

Maulana Mohib is also currently serving as the Adult Learning Co-ordinator at Ebrahim College, as well as a lecturer in the Adult Learning department.