Teachers Bios

Shaikh Yusuf Mullan

Shaikh Yusuf Mullan began his studies at the Islamic Institute, Dewsbury, U.K at the age of thirteen, where he completed the memorization (hifz) of the Glorious Quran, while concurrently learning the Urdu language. He went on to complete the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum of Islamic studies under traditional scholars in Flintham, Nottinghamshire.

Upon the completion of his studies in the U.K, Shaikh Yusuf continued on to the Badral-Uloom Institute in Rahimyarkhan, Pakistan where he completed a detailed course on the Exegesis (tafsir) of the Holy Quran. He then proceeded to Dar-ul-Uloom Karachi [http://www.darululoomkhi.edu.pk/], one of the premier traditional institutions in the Muslim world. Here, after intense study, he attained his Masters Equivalent in Islamic Theology (Alamiyya Sannad) with the highest standing, finishing third out of 175 students.

Shaikh Yusuf continued in Karachi, where he did his specialization in Islamic Jurisprudence and Islamic Verdicts (Takhassus fil Fiqh wal Fatwa - Ifta') under, among others, Mufti Taqi Uthmani and Mufti Mahmood Ashraf Uthmani. In the final exams of the first year, he obtained a 96.66% average, the highest average in the entire institute of approximately 3000 students. Shaykh Yusuf has express permission to relate many books of hadith on the authority of his auspicious teachers.

Upon returning to Canada after over a decade of studying abroad, he founded and is now the director of the Toronto Shariah Program [http://www.shariahprogram.ca], an innovative North American initiative which attempts to cover all twelve of the sciences taught in the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum. Aware of the fact that few have the means and freedom from responsibilities to pursue full-time Islamic education in a Muslim country for a prolonged period, Shaykh Yusuf devised a 5 year curriculum to be taught just on weekends. The program has been in session since 2003. The online format has recently been restructured into a 3-year foundations program, enabling dozens of dedicated students to now study traditional Islamic education under qualified instructors and a classical methodology. Shaikh Yusuf lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

Sheikh Shams Ad-Duha Muhammad

Sheikh Shams Ad-Duha Muhammad was brought up 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 the Qawaid fi Usul al-Fiqh, of Sheikh Zafar Ahmad Uthmani. These will also be published by Turath Publishing inshaAllah.