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Shaykh Yusuf Estes is one of the most well-known American Muslim speakers and educators in the world today. Born and raised in a Christian family in the United States, he was actively involved in Christian ministry and spent years working in the music industry before embracing Islam in 1991.
His journey to Islam began through interactions with a Muslim friend, which inspired him to study the faith more deeply and eventually accept Islam wholeheartedly. Since then, Shaykh Yusuf has dedicated his life to da’wah, Islamic education, and interfaith outreach, touching the hearts of audiences around the world with his sincerity, wisdom, and humor.
He also served as a Muslim chaplain for the United States Bureau of Prisons and later founded GuideUS TV, an Islamic educational media platform focused on spreading authentic Islamic knowledge.
In recognition of his global impact and service to Islam, he was honored as the Islamic Personality of the Year at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award in 2012. Known for his inspiring story of transformation and his relatable teaching style, Shaykh Yusuf Estes continues to inspire Muslims and non-Muslims alike through his lectures, outreach efforts, and lifelong commitment to faith and community.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, born Jeffrey Kearse on March 11, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, is a respected African-American Islamic scholar and community leader. Raised in a Christian household, he served as a Sunday school teacher before joining the Nation of Islam in 1969. After the passing of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, he embraced Sunni Islam under Warith Deen Mohammed and took the name Siraj Wahhaj, meaning “bright lantern.” In 1978, he studied at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca.
In 1981, Imam Wahhaj established Masjid Al-Taqwa in Brooklyn. He became known for his community work, including a 1988 anti-drug initiative in Bedford-Stuyvesant that helped close 15 drug houses and earned recognition from the New York City Police Department. In 1991, he became the first Muslim to deliver an invocation at the U.S. House of Representatives. He has also served nationally as vice president of the Islamic Society of North America and as a leader of The Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA).
Shaykh Hashim Ahmad is a former musician who grew up in Los Angeles, California. In his search for spiritual truth and purpose, he left America in 1970 and, after extensive travel, embraced Islam in Ethiopia in 1971.
He later studied at the Jami’ah Umm al-Qura, earning a degree from the Faculty of Da’wah wa Usul al-Din with specialization in the Sciences of Qur’an and Hadith. He was then deputed by Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Bin Baz to teach at Jami’at al-’Ulum al-Islamiyyah, where he served from 1985 to 1992. He subsequently taught at Madrasah ’A’ishah Siddiqah and later at Madrasah Maryam.
In 1997, he founded Al Khair Creative Quality Ware, which developed into the Ubudiyyah Business Model, an Islamic business framework emphasizing excellence, purpose, and a healthy meaningful lifestyle.
Today, Shaykh Hashim serves as Religious Director at Darul Falah, Seminary Instructor at Institute of Knowledge, and Senior Instructor at Darul Ulum al-Ashrafiyyah. He continues to deliver lectures, workshops, and consultation services on Islamic education, personal development, and promoting a healthy, meaningful lifestyle.
Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans is ALIM’s first Scholar-in-Residence and now is the Executive Director. He converted to Islam while in high school.
Upon conversion, Ustadh Ubaydullah began studying some of the foundational books of Islam under the private tutelage of local scholars. Since then he has studied at Chicagoland’s Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), in Tarim, Yemen, and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he is the first African-American to graduate from its Shari’a program. Ustadh Ubaydullah also instructs with the Ta’leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).
As the ALIM Scholar-in-Residence, Ustadh Ubaydullah is a core instructor at the ALIM Summer Program. He teaches History of Islamic Law, Shama’il, and Aphorisms of Ibn Ata’illah along with other courses.
Mawlana Abdul-Hakim Dickenson. Born in New Hampshire but raised in Philadelphia, PA, Mawlana Abdul Hakeem Dickenson accepted Islam at the age of 19. Since then he has travelled to many countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan and its neighboring countries. He completed his formal Alimiyyah Degree at the Institute of Islamic Education after 9 rigorous years and then after has served for more than 15 years as an imam in New York City, New Jersey and Chicago.
He has also served as an Instructor at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, IL and Darul-Qasim in Chicago. He currently teaches at the Qur’an Center, in Knoxville, TN. and delivers khutbahs in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dr. Mawlana Amir Toft is a respected scholar, imam, and educator who bridges traditional Islamic scholarship and higher education.
He completed his ‘Alimiyyah degree at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, Illinois, where he memorized the Qur’an and studied Arabic, fiqh, hadith, theology, and the core Islamic sciences. He later earned a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University, followed by a Master of Legal Studies and Ph.D. in Islamic Thought and History from the University of Chicago, specializing in Islamic jurisprudence and Ottoman legal history, His research has also been supported by Yale Law School’s Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization.
He currently serves as Associate Chaplain for the Muslim Community at Brown University, where he provides spiritual guidance, leads religious services, mentors students, and continues teaching on Islamic law, spirituality, history, and Muslim identity.
Shaykh Musa Sugapong embraced Islam at the age of 19 while studying at San Diego State University, where he earned a BA in Sociology with a minor in Religious Studies. He later studied Arabic in Damascus, Syria, completing advanced Arabic programs and receiving certificates of proficiency.
In 2006, he moved to Elgin, Illinois, where he studied Islamic sciences at the Institute of Islamic Education for two and a half years before completing his Islamic Studies degree in South Africa. He was granted authorizations in major Hadith collections, including the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah.
Shaykh Musa has served as faculty at Darul Qasim Institute, as an assistant Imam and youth coordinator, and currently serves as co-founder and President of Knowman Learning, as well as a Religious Consultant for the Khalil Center.
Mawlana Mikaeel Oliveri. Born in New York of Hispanic background he accepted Islam at the age of 19 years old. He then travelled to South Africa and studied there for 7 years at Jamia Arabia Islamiyah Azaadville. He was able to study under the great teachers there like Moulana Abdul Hameed Saab, Moulana Fadhlurrahman Saab and Mufti Saeed Motara Saab.
After graduating he served as a lecturer and Dean at Darul Uloom NY for 15 years. Presently he is residing in Pennsylvania and is a lecturer and Dean at Rihlatulilm Foundation in Lansdale PA.
Moulana gives Islamic lectures in many masaajid and is well known in many communities throughout the US.
He has more then 100 students who have studied by him and many of them are serving the deen of Allah in various great ways.
Shaykh Khalid Herrington embraced Islam in 1995 and went on to complete his formal education in 2012 after spending six years at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, IL.
Since 2009, he has been a student at Darul Qasim under the guidance of Sh. Amin Kholwadia. With over 16 years of experience in teaching and providing religious guidance to both adults and youth, Sh. Khalid holds formal qualifications to teach a range of subjects, including Aqidah (theology), Fiqh (jurisprudence), Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur’an), Hadith (prophetic tradition), Usul (underlying principles), and Classical Arabic (grammar & morphology).
He has served as an Imam and Resident Scholar in several communities, most recently at Masjid Al-Huda, Schaumburg, in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, from 2019 to 2021.
One of his specialties is to assist new Muslim converts in integrating into the existing Muslim community, taking into account its cultural differences.
He currently serves as the Executive Director of Islam of Mind, an organization primarily focused on assisting convert Muslims and second-generation Muslims raised in the United States.