Dr. Sh. Haifaa Younis

Instructor, Year 1 and 2 

Dr. Sh. Haifaa Younis is an American Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with roots from Iraq. She is the founder and Chairman at Jannah Institute, and a resident scholar at Jannah institute and the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI). Dr. Younis graduated from the Mecca Institute of Islamic Studies and Al-Huda Qur’an Memorization School (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) where she completed the memorization of the Qur’an. Currently, she lives and works in the United States, and teaches various Islamic studies courses with a focus on purification of the heart (Tazkiyah).

Shaykha Dr. Zainab Alwani

Instructor, Year 2

Dr. Zainab Alwani is the Founding Director and the first Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD). She is also the chair of the Master of Arts (Religious Studies) program at HUSD. Dr. Alwani received her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences and Islamic Jurisprudence from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on the implementation of the higher aims of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al Shariah) within the domain of the American Muslim family. She has authored and co-authored a wide variety of publications ranging from books, textbooks and book chapters, to scholarly articles. She is particularly interested in deriving methodologies for approaching the Qur’an, Sunna and Islamic jurisprudence in the area of women and family relations.

Dr. Alwani is currently serving as the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, a scholarly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Islamic Seminary Foundation in partnership with IUPUI University Library. Her research focuses on Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, the relationship between civil and religious law in the area of women and family.

Sh. Zaynab Ansari

Instructor, Year 1

Zaynab Ansari serves as an adjunct instructor at Boston Islamic Seminary and a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary, where she teaches classes on Islamic law, Qur’anic studies, Prophetic biography, American Muslim history, and women in Islam. She also serves on the boards of Tayseer Foundation and the Muslim Community of Knoxville.

Prior to joining the latter, Zaynab Ansari was based in Atlanta where she was active in interfaith dialogue and bridge-building through the award-winning Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta. A strong believer in women’s education and leadership training, Zaynab Ansari is a regular contributor to the Rabata curriculum, a pioneering online resource for women’s theological training. She studied in the Middle East, spending her formative years in Damascus, Syria, where she was introduced to the foundations of traditional Islam and the etiquette of seeking knowledge. Upon her return from the Middle East, she enrolled in Georgia State University where she focused on interdisciplinary studies in the humanities.

Dr. Sh. Aysha Wazwaz

Instructor, Year 1

Dr. Sh. Ayshah Wazwaz has studied the Islamic sciences for nearly two decades and specializes in Fiqh. She has studied at Dar al-Hadith and Dar al-Quran, in Masjid al-Aqsa. Shaykha Ayshah went on to complete a Bachelors in Islamic Jurisprudence and Masters in Contemporary Islamic Science from al-Quds University, Palestine, and a PhD in Islamic Studies from Jinan University. Shaykha has been a Lecturer at various Masajid and organizations for 17 years, and has been a lecturer at Islamic University of Minnesota for 4 years. She is the founder and CEO of Gems of Light.

Sh. Zehra Hazratji

Instructor, Year 1

Shaykha Zehra Hazratji was born and raised in Western Massachusetts. She graduated  from Mount Holyoke College with a self-designed major in Islamic Studies. Her studies  took her abroad to Syria and Egypt, focusing on Arabic language and literature, before returning to complete her bachelor’s degree. She then traveled again to Egypt, where she  earned a second bachelor’s degree in Sharia from the renowned Al-Azhar University. She  spent several years in Egypt studying advanced Arabic, Qur’anic and Hadith sciences, 

logic, and other Islamic disciplines. She also participated in the “Future Scholars  Program” hosted by the International Union of Muslim Scholars. Shaykha Zehra is a hafidha of the Qur’an and earned an ijaza in the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim from the  esteemed Shaykh Al-Kurdi in Damascus, Syria. She later pursued further education in  Qatar, obtaining a master’s degree in Islamic Studies with a specialization in  Contemporary Fiqh from Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Currently, she is enrolled in a  mufti training program with Dar Al-Ifta Al-Missriyya.

Since 2014, Shaykha Zehra has been an instructor at Mishkah University, teaching  various courses including the History of Legislation, Introduction to the Islamic Sciences, Introduction to Islamic Culture, and Family Law. She is also an instructor for Mishkah’s  recently launched High School certificate program. She has taught and developed courses  in Arabic, Qur’an, and Islamic Studies for both youth and women in Western  Massachusetts and has delivered weekend seminars elsewhere. She has conducted bi weekly halaqas at the University of Massachusetts with the MSA sisters. She is also an  instructor at the Institute of Noble Knowledge Baltimore, MD, where her focus includes Qur’anic recitation, tajwid, and Islamic Studies.  

Shaykha Zehra’s research interests include Islamic legal theory, contemporary Fiqh issues, and matters related to women in Islam. Her contributions to these fields include a  few articles as well as her undergraduate and postgraduate theses. 

Ustadha Fatima Kalla

Instructor, Year 2

Ustadha Fatima Kalla is a dedicated student of Islamic knowledge who completed Qalam Institute’s Alimiyyah program in Dallas, TX. Originally from South Africa, she spent 20 years in Atlanta, GA serving the community and building successful Muslim youth programs before moving to Dallas to pursue her own Islamic Education. She has a strong passion for Islamic Studies and has devoted much of her time to furthering her understanding of the deen.

Since completing the Alimiyyah program, Sister Fatima spent the last three years continuing her studies under the tutelage of Shaykh Mokhtar, a renowned Islamic scholar and founder of Medina Institute. Under his guidance, she has delved deeper into the various branches of Islamic knowledge and learned to apply the principles of Islam to her daily life.

Sister Fatima’s experiences and journey with Islamic knowledge has also led her to actively engage with the broader community. She currently teaches part-time at Jannah Institute, a female-led women’s institute that she helped found in 2012. Additionally, she teaches at her local masjid in Plano, Texas, where she can make a positive impact by sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to grow in their faith.