Shaykh Zakaria Abdelaziz is Canadian-born Somali. But those that know him say he lived in Tarim, Yemen for so long he is basically Yemeni.

He comes from a lineage of scholars. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were all graduates of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. His family are descendants of the Shaykh and historian Abdur Rahman al-Jabarti. With this legacy in mind, Shaykh Zakaria’s father took his family to Egypt when Shaykh Zakaria was just 11 years old to learn Arabic and memorize the Qur'an. In Egypt, Shaykh Zakaria’s father met Habib Ali al-Jifri who recommended Shaykh Zakaria study at Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

By the age of 13, Shaykh Zakaria began his studies in Tarim, Yemen at Dar al Mustafa. Starting at such a young age, he was often the youngest in the class. He fondly remembers his interactions with the Habaib at a young age and yearning to be like them. He completed the 10-year degree program, which requires memorization of both the Qur'an and Riyadh as-Saliheen.

After 17 years studying abroad, Shaykh Zakaria returned to Canada with his family in 2021. He now teaches locally across the GTHA.

In this episode, he talks about how his father’s encouragement and his teachers’ generosity helped him stay motivated during the rigorous 10 years of study. He speaks about what it really means for knowledge to be sacred and the beautiful wisdom behind what scholars call "a burning beginning" for students of knowledge.

His journey intersects with many familiar names: Habib Abdullah bin Ismail as-Saqqaf, Habib Omar, Habib Ali al-Mashur bin Hafidh, Syed Abdul al-Jifri, Shaykh Mokhtar Jamil, Shaykh Assad Ullah, and he also taught many of our other teachers in the West that studied in Tarim.

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

Shaykh C Hamzah Wald Maqbul shocked not only me, but also the barista when he ordered in fluent Uzbek at a coffee stand outside the Registan Square in Samarkand a few years ago. That’s when I knew we were in the best possible hands in Uzbekistan with Shaykh Hamzah leading our Muslim Legacy tour group.

Shaykh Hamzah learned Uzbek while doing a double major in Biochemistry and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Washington. While he initially intended to go to med school he was also drawn to his faith and was actively looking for a path to study Islam.

During his undergrad years, the doors opened for him when he was able to do a combined independent study and study abroad trip to Mauritania. He was able to study with scholars in Mauritania and the UAE. He then went to study for four years in Pakistan at Jamia al Madaniya.

Currently he works with Imam Ghazali Institute, teaching aqidah intensives across the country as well as organizing heritage trips to explore Muslim history in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sicily and Bosnia. He also founded Ribat and teaches locally in the Chicago area.

In this episode, he discusses the value of connecting with Muslim history and tradition in an immersive way, connecting with the layman as a scholar, and the importance of zuhd and detaching from one’s wealth.

His story intersects with many familiar names:

Murabit al-Hajj, Murabit Haddamin, Murabit Ahmad Fal, Mufti Abdul Wahid, Syed Nafees Hussaini, Mawlana Abdul Haleem Chishti, Dr. Imam Zijad Delic Delic; he has also worked closely with Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia's Darul Qasim College, Musa Sugapong, and HFSAA Midwest.

After over a year-long hiatus, I'm very excited to be posting this episode. Please note, it was recorded in May 2023.

Please note this episode was recorded in May 2023.

Assalamu alaykum,

As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey.

Ustadha Zaynab Mansour Ansari is the daughter of converts — an African American mother and a Lebanese American father. Her parents converted to Islam in the 1970s and met Imam Zaid Shakir during the latter part of the decade. The impact of Imam Zaid’s friendship with her parents was profound and their spiritual journeys became deeply intertwined.

When Ustadha Zaynab was in her late teens, her parents wanted her to study Islam so the family moved to Iran for a few years, and later, at the advice of Imam Zaid and his wife, Umm Hassan, Ustadha Zaynab and her sister were enrolled at Abu Noor College in Damascus, Syria.

She returned to the United States after over 4 years of study in Syria and enrolled at Georgia State University, where she earned degrees in history and Middle Eastern Studies. During this time, she started a family and was invited to volunteer for the pioneering SunniPath Answers Service.

Ustadha Zaynab describes herself as a late bloomer. She felt intellectually and academically stimulated as a student in Damascus, but it wasn’t until her late 30s that she had a spiritual awakening — what she refers to as a Ghazalian moment of realization that what she was teaching was not necessarily being translated into her own life.

Today Ustadha Zaynab is the women’s scholar-in-residence at Tayseer Seminary where she teaches and mentors students under the guidance of Shaykh Hassan Lachheb. She also offers presentations, workshops, and classes for a number of other organizations, including for the Ribaat program founded by her teacher, Anse Dr. Tamara Gray.

In this episode, she opens up about and reflects on the tragic death of her husband over five years ago. She also discusses the benefits of having female-only learning spaces and the importance of female role models and spiritual guides.

Her story intersects with many familiar names: Imam Zaid Shakir and his wife Umm Hassan, Zaheer (Sunni Path), Anse Dr. Tamara Gray, Shaykh Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar, Shaykha Houda al-Habash, Ustadh Dr. Nadeem Siddiqi, Shaykh Hassan Lachheb

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Also available on most other major podcast streaming services including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox and Podbay.

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Do you enjoy this podcast? Support the Patreon to ensure the best podcast quality possible. All funds go to equipment and editing software. May Allah reward you. https://www.patreon.com/thejourneypodcast

Assalamu alaykum,

As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey.

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!***

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Also available on most other major podcast streaming services including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox and Podbay.

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Do you enjoy this podcast? Support the Patreon to ensure the best podcast quality possible. All funds go to equipment and editing software. May Allah reward you. https://www.patreon.com/thejourneypodcast