The Journey

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. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 ★

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.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Assalamu alaykum,As I pursue 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.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-Also available on most other major podcast streaming services including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox and Podbay.-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 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Assalamu alaykum,As I pursue 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 Ahmad Deeb's grandfather Dr. Sheikh Ramadan Deeb, one of the oldest living scholars in Damascus, is a renowned Syrian scholar who built important bridges between western and eastern scholarship. Imam Deeb grew up watching his father Shaykh Abdallah Deeb lead a Muslim community in Orlando, Florida.But, even though he was born into a family of Muslim scholars, Imam Deeb struggled as a teenager seeking answers to fundamental questions about religion.It wasn’t until university when he began attending a local halaqa and listening online to Shaykh Hamza Yusuf that Imam Deeb felt his mind and his heart begin to find a connection to Islam. Upon graduation he turned his focus to seeking knowledge at a higher level. Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni al-Ninowy, a family friend, invited him to join a Madina Institute pilot program he was starting in South Africa. Imam Ahmad Deeb spent a year at the Madina Institute in Cape Town. When he returned he continued studying with local scholars, including his father, and began a Masters in Islamic Studies at Bayan Islamic Graduate School in Claremont, California.Today, Imam Ahmad Deeb is the imam at Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, located in one of the oldest muslim communities in North America. He is the co-founder of Pillars Seminary alongside Shaykh Ismail Bowers, which focuses on teaching the foundational Islamic sciences to busy professionals, as well as the co-founder of Itqaan Institute, dedicated to developing love of God through a relationship and mastery of reciting Qur’an, with his father as the primary teacher and leader.In this episode he talks about Muslims who are seeking answers to fundamental questions about their religion. He advises them to seek out reliable teachers of Islamic knowledge and spend time reflecting on any potential barriers they may have to a relationship with Allah SWT.His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Ramadan Deeb, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy, Shaykh Abdallah Deeb, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Sherman Jackson, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad / Timothy J. Winter, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Shaykh Ismail Bowers, Ustadh Arthur Richards Jr., Dr. Ali Shahata, Imam Mohamed Masri.-Also available on most other major podcast streaming services including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox and Podbay.-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 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★