Our Speakers
SH. Ibraheem menk
Ibraheem Menk, born in Zimbabwe, began his first Islamic studies with his grandfather Sh. Musa Menk. He completed his hifdh under his grandfather and went on to study Arabic and other Islamic sciences with him.
He then furthered his studies at the Islamic University of Madinah where he obtained a bachelors degree in the Shariah. He currently resides in Harare where he is Imaam and teacher. He has spoken widely on the international circuit.
Ust. Yusha evans
He was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina in a very conservative Christian home. In his early teens he became heavily involved in the church near his home and in Young Life, a non-denominational youth oriented organization with the intention of becoming involved in the ministry of teaching and preaching.
He intended to enroll in Bob Jones University, a world-renowned Bible College in his hometown upon graduating high school, but in the summer of 1996 his life changed. Upon studying the bible from cover to cover and realizing many things were askew, and a lot of what he believed his entire life was not in line with what his research found, he left Christianity and went in search of the truth. After many twists and turns, ups and downs and after looking at the many world religions searching for the tangible proof of the right way of life he encountered a Muslim and was given a Qur’an. After reading the Qur’an cover to cover, he accepted Islam in the winter of 1998.
He currently works as the Director of Education & Community Outreach at Masjid Salahadeen in Plano Texas
He has studied under numerous teachers and scholars in the various sciences of Islam and is a Psychology major. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the field of Islamic sciences with specialty in Da’wah (Islamic propagation) He is currently pursuing his doctorate under the tutelage of Shaykh Waleed Al-Menesse, one of the world’s foremost Scholars in the Qur’an and its various sciences.
Sh. jamal-udeen hysaw
Shaykh Jamal Ud-Deen Hysaw originally from Chicago, Illinois obtained his Bachelors degree in Political Science from Southern Illinois University. In the summer of 1992, he accepted Islam and subsequently travelled to Damascus, Syria where he studied Arabic and Islamic Studies at Abu Nur and the University of Damascus for three years.
He continued his studies in Tarim, Yemen where he studied at Dar al-Mustafa for another five years. Prominent among his teachers were Habib Umar Bin Hafidh, Habib Abdur-Rahman bin Hafidh, Shiekh Umar Al Khatib, and Habib Ali Al-Jifri. During his studies Shaykh Jamal ud-Deen received permission from his teachers to teach and comment on books of Shafi Fiqh, Aqida, Hadith, Tafsir, and the Sciences of the Heart.
Ustadh Jamal was in the Dominican Republic, where he was working in the dawah and helping to develop the Muslim community in Santo Domingo. He was the Imam of Masjid Al-Hidayyah and lectured widely in Spanish too.
Shaykh Jamal ud-Deen presently resides in Atlanta and conducts regular learning programs, study circles, seminars, retreats and programs in the arts.
SH. Hasan Ali
Shaykh Hasan Ali graduated in 1997 as an ālim in Islamic Education from traditional boarding schools in the United Kingdom and abroad. He then founded Safar Academy in 1998, a pioneering institute shaping the islamic supplementary school with high quality teaching and resources including Safar Academy Trust publishes textbooks. Today the resources are used in over 60 countries and 1000’s of institutes around the world.
Shaykh has also gained a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology at the Institute of Education (University of London) and worked at the Brondesbury College for Boys as the Head of Islamic Studies and Imam.
After a number of flourishing years there, he joined Ebrahim College where he taught a number of subjects, after which he devoted all his time to the development of Safar Academy and Safar Publications.
Shaykh’s lifetime service (khidmah) is improving and developing the education standards in our institutes and travels the UK and rest of the world to empower teachers, management and students to support those serving their communities. He has been speaking with Al Hikma since its inceptions and has led many of Al hikma’s umrah trips.
Khalila Lister
Khalila is a convert to Islam from Jewish heritage. Before becoming Muslim she was a public speaker, radio host and actress. Speaking on stage at concerts and performing regularly in front of thousands. She was working with many celebrities and creating a name within their circles. Yet, something was missing. She noticed that when the lights and cameras turned off, many of these celebrities and ‘successful’ individuals were noticeably empty. They realised all the glitters and golds didn’t really mean much and often numbed the sting of loneliness in intoxicants and drugs.
Khalila embraced Islam and ended her dream career due to being unsure how to navigate both worlds. Fifteen years later she started her first business with a friend and grew it to a thriving community of over 8000 in under a year. It was here she discovered herself again. As an entrepreneur she had a voice, a story to tell and could impact lives without sacrificing any values.
She is a business life coach and trains some of the best public speakers in the world. She opened up her academy.
As a fully covered woman she was the first to speak on TEDx Santa's Barbera, a platform with billions of viewers, representing our truth on a topic entitled 'fighting cultural misconceptions against Islam'. Since this she has spoken on many platforms
Dr. Shahrul hussain
Dr. Shahrul Hussain graduated in classical Islamic Studies and Arabic at a British Islamic seminary. He also possesses a BA in Islamic Studies accredited by Rabiytah Madaris al—Islamiyaah. After obtaining a scholarship to study at the prestigious Islamic University of Al-Azhar in Egypt he graduated from the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence and Law.
He holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen. Dr Shahrul has held various positions in the field of Education. He was a lecturer at Masters level at the Markfield Institute (affiliated with Gloucestershire and Newman University) and is currently a visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University. He is the founder of Ibn Rush Centre of Islamic Excellence and has a great passion of for research. He has authored numerous books and journal articles.
Omar Esa
Omar Esa is an award-winning, chart topping International nasheed artist who uses only his voice in all his nasheeds. His nasheeds are very versatile as he can write both contemporary and traditional sounding nasheeds Alhamdullilah.
Omar Esa was previously an RnB/Pop singer in 2011 and was guided by Allah to leave that world and start recording nasheeds. His new journey began with a simple dream, to show the world the beauty of Islam through his nasheeds.
His album ‘My Muslim Family’ charted no.1 on the iTunes world album charts, with a further 2 nasheeds singles ‘Tera Pyaar – Your Love’ (2018) and ‘Nikah’ (2019) both hitting the number 1 spot on the iTunes world chart Alhamdullilah.
He strongly believes that Muslims and especially the youth need an alternative to mainstream music and the combination of art and Islam is a powerful dawah tool for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He regards his voice as a blessing from Allah and aims to use his nasheeds to forward the wonderful messages of peace, love and unity of Islam throughout the whole world In’shaa’Allah
Qari Ziyaad Patel
Qari Ziyaad Patel was born South Africa. His early education spanned across various schools where he took up many leadership roles and was instrumental in initiating many structures for learners at schools in the region.
His Islamic path started at a young age. He completed his Hifz under the tutelage and guidance of his illustrious teacher, Mufti Goolam Hassan Saib in 1994 at the age of 14. He then returned to his hometown of Ladysmith to continue perfecting his Tajweed under the supervision of Hafiz Dr. Abdul Qadir Hansa. Thereafter Ziyaad proceeded to Cairo, Egypt to study Tajweed Al-Makharej at the Al-Azhar University under the tutelage and guidance of Sheikh Abdullah Attiya Bayomi, where he further underwent Qirah training.
He holds a degree in the field of Information Science from the University of Johannesburg, a Diploma in the field of Humanitarian Assistance from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and an Advanced Diploma in Humanitarian Interventions from the Institute for International Political Studies (IPS), Milan, Italy.
Qari Ziyaad is also a renowned nasheed artist and has also released a few albums of nasheeds and many recordings of recitations from the Glorious Quran. Many of his recitations are available on the Internet, especially on You Tube. These recitations have been uploaded by the many listeners who have been touched by his melodious and heart rendering recitations of the Noble Quran.
Muslim belal
Muslim Belal is a renowned spoken word artist, public speaker, and community mentor known for his powerful storytelling and transformative journey from street life to Islam. Formerly a grime artist in London’s underground scene, Muslim Belal embraced Islam in his early 20s and has since used his voice and platform to inspire others, especially youth navigating similar paths.
With raw honesty and emotional depth, Muslim Belal combines poetry, faith, and real-life experiences to speak on topics such as identity, repentance, purpose, and the challenges faced by young Muslims today. His work has taken him across the UK and internationally, performing and speaking at mosques, universities, conferences, prisons, and schools.
Beyond the stage, Muslim Belal is actively involved in community projects, prison outreach, and youth mentoring. His message resonates across generations, offering a bridge between the streets and spirituality, and reminding audiences of the redemptive power of faith.
SH. Shady Alsuleiman
Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman was born in Sydney, Australia to an Arab-Palestinian family that migrated to Australia in the late 1960’s. He completed his school certificate in Sydney before embarking on an eight year journey to seek knowledge in the Islamic world.
He initially obtained an Ijaza with Sanad (complete chain back to the Prophet S.A.W.) in complete and sound memorisation of the Qur’an in Sind, Pakistan. He then travelled to Damascus, Syria, where he spent six years studying Islam and Arabic studies at numerous Islamic institutions and was under the mentorship of many well-recognised scholars. His studies resulted in specialisation of Arabic and Comparative Fiqh (Islamic Law/Jurisprudence), as well as receiving numerous Ijazas in Fiqh, Usul Al Fiqh, Hadith and other Islamic sciences. He also holds Masters in Sharia’a Islamic Studies.
Sheikh Shady currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two sons and is heavily involved with the Muslim community. He is the founder of the United Muslims of Australia (UMA), Australian New Muslims Association (ANMA), Sydney Islamic College, Islamic Media International and other active Dawah organisations and initiatives.