Shaykh Suleiman Yaqub-Suleiman holds a Masters in Shariah from the renowned Al-Azhar University with intermediate specializations in Comparative Jurisprudence, Usool ul-Fiqh, Tafseer, the Seven Qira’at, Hadith Sciences and Modern Fiqh Issues and Rulings. Shaykh Suleiman has also studied at Damascus University (Syria), the Institute of Islamic Studies and Training of Islamic Preachers (Egypt), Sana’a Institute (Yemen), and the Higher Institute for Qur’anic and Shariah Sciences (Egypt). Alongside his academic studies, Shaykh Suleiman has studied the traditional Islamic sciences at the hands of senior scholars and specialists from across the Muslim world, including Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Al-Amrani, Shaykh (Dr) Abdul Kareem Sayyid Ahmad Sulaiman, Shaykh (Dr) Abdul Azeem Ibn Badawi, Shaykh Fauzi Abdul Khaliq, Shaykh (Dr) Ali Gomaa, Shaykh Subhi, Shaykh (Dr) Sabree Abdur Ra-oof, Shaykh (Dr) Mustafa Rif’at, amongst others.
Shaykh Suleiman is also a professional accountant (CPA). He is the founder of the Islamic Credit Union of Canada Project and has more than twenty-five years of experience in accounting and finance. He has worked as an auditor for over fifteen years for the Government of Canada & Ontario and has worked for over a decade at different chartered accounting firms in a supervisory role. Shaykh Suleiman is also the first-ever treasurer of the Canadian Council of Imams and currently teaches Fiqh, Usool ul-Fiqh, Tafseer, Tajweed and the Arabic language across the Greater Toronto Area. Shaykh Suleiman is a core scholar at the Centre for Islamic Knowledge (CIK) in Mississauga, Canada, an Imam and Director of Education at two Toronto Masajid and a visiting speaker at other centres.
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Masood Al-Nadvi is a well known Muslim scholar in North America, amongst the few who have the authority to confer an Islamic legal ruling. Dr. Nadvi has studied the Islamic sciences extensively at some of the world’s leading institutions of Islamic learning. He completed his Masters and Ph.D. in Shariah, with a specialization in Fiqh from Umm al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Prior to pursuing his graduate studies at Umm al-Qura, Dr. Nadvi studied various Islamic sciences for over a decade at the prestigious seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, India and also earned a degree from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia as well as receiving Ijaza (licenses) from many of the most renowned scholars of our time. To complement Dr. Nadvi’s comprehensive education in the Islamic sciences, he earned a degree in political science from Bhopal University, India.
Dr. Nadvi also has a rich experience in teaching. He was a professor at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he taught Shariah and Fiqh for over half a decade. While he was at King Saud, he dealt with topics such as Usool ul-Fiqh, Islamic culture, Islamic political thought, Islamic movements and the Fiqh of organization.
In addition to his teaching, Dr. Nadvi has been very active within the Muslim community in Canada since his arrival. He is the former President of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Director of Religious Affairs at Al Falah Islamic Centre and the Muslim Association of Calgary, during which he also served as a member of the University of Calgary chaplaincy team. He is currently the Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams and an advisory board member of various organizations.
Dr. Nadvi has memorized the entire Qur’an and currently lives with his family in Mississauga, Ontario.
Dr. Hamid Slimi is the Imam, Resident Scholar and Founder of Sayeda Khadija Centre. He has been serving as an Imam, Chaplain, Educator and Consultant in Canada for over 18 years in different religious and educational institutions.
He is the founder and president of Faith of Life Network, the founder and chairman of the Canadian Centre for Deen Studies, the former chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams (2006-2013), a lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto and the Centre for Islamic Knowledge, a consultant on national and international issues related to religion and spirituality, Islam and Islamic Law, religious dialogue and social issues, a board member of different Interfaith and community bodies/groups, and a TV host & producer of Faith of Life TV shows and documentaries.
Dr. Slimi’s traditional and academic specialty is in Islamic studies and Law as well as Comparative World Religions. In addition to the traditional degrees known as Ijazah, he holds two Masters degrees with High Honors in both disciplines from Morocco and the US and a PhD in Islamic Law from the U.K. He received both his traditional and academic learning in Morocco and attended other renowned institutions and universities in other parts of the world.
Dr. Slimi has been educated in Arabic, French and English since his early age as a little child. He received intensive training and learning in many Islamic disciplines including Aqeedah, Fiqh, Usul-ul-Fiqh, Maqasid, Tafseer, Seerah, Qur’an and Hadith Sciences and ‘Ulum al-Lughah. Both His Ijazah and Graduate Shahadat are in Fiqh – Islamic Jurisprudence – and Usul-ul-Fiqh – Fundamentals of Jurisprudence. His extensive research has been in the field of Jurisprudential Rules, the Science of Maqasid (Objectives of Law) as well as al-Fiqh al-Muqaaran (Comparative Jurisprudence) in the Four Madhabs.
Dr. Slimi has been representing the Muslim community at many Multi-Faith Councils and in the continuous Interfaith Dialogues. He is also an adviser and consultant for a good number of different local and national institutions.
He has authored a few books and articles in Arabic and English specifically in Usul-al-Fiqh and Muslim Outreach and he wrote a few papers in French mainly in Islamic Jurisprudence. His book published in 2001 and 2002 “Terrorism: An Islamic Perspective” has been widely distributed among thousands of readers in North America and did receive very positive responses and encouragement. To this date, Dr. Slimi has hosted and produced over 200 TV Shows and over 200 DVDs and hundreds of CDs on different subjects related to faith and life matters.
Dr. Slimi lectures mainly in English, French and Arabic. He can also speak and lecture in a few other languages. He appears occasionally as a guest and consultant on local and national TV networks both in English and French and had his own weekly TV Show which he has been airing all over Canada and other countries continuously for more than four years now.
Imam Nafis Bhayat was born in India and moved to England in his early childhood. His quest for Islamic knowledge began at a very young age. He completed the memorization of the Quran at the tender age of 13. Thereafter, he continued his Islamic studies at Darul Uloom Bury, UK, for the next six years in the field of Tafseer, Hadeeth, Fiqh, Aqida and the Arabic language.
Since graduating with a degree in Islamic theology in 1992, Imam Nafis has been serving as the head imam and director of religious services at the Islamic propagation centre of Ontario, also known as Jame Masjid Mississauga, Canada, until this present day. His weekly Tafseerul Quran class attracts the attendance of over 200 participants.
Imam Nafis is an executive member of the Canadian Council of Imams, Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians, teacher at Alfajr Institute and a member of Islamic finance advisory board. He is frequently invited to deliver khutbahs and lectures at various Masajids and religious institutions.
Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali served as imam and director, and founded the first full-time Islamic school in Toronto, Canada. He served as the principal of ISNA Islamic Community School for 17 years. He also served on ISNA’s Executive Council, Majlis Ash-Shura, Youth and Education Committee and as president of ISNA for two terms. He is the chair of the Islamic Media Foundation, a member of NAIT Board, a founding member of CISNA, and chair of ISNA Education Forum. Sheikh Abdalla was appointed director for CIENA in Kansas City, Missouri. He served on the board of trustees of IBERR, which serves minority communities. He is currently working as the executive director of ISNA Canada.
Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali is a well-known North American Muslim public speaker, Imam, and leader in the community. Shaykh Abdalla has a background of International Relations from the University of Toronto as well his religious knowledge in the areas of tafseer, shariah, and counselling. As a community leader. He is also a board member on the Board of Trustees for the Islamic Teaching Center and North American Islamic Trust. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Advisors of the American Muslim Council and was a past-Board member of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America.
Imam Dr. Wael Shehab has studied, throughout all his educational stages, all Islamic the sciences. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University. Currently, Dr. Shehab is the resident Imam of Masjid Toronto.