Kufah Institute brings together traditionally trained scholars and credentialed professionals to offer an immersive, rigorous Islamic education rooted in the classical tradition. Our faculty teach across the Diploma of Islamic Studies (DIS) and Advanced Islamic Studies (AIS) programs in Tampa, FL.
Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Omar Hussaini
Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Omar Hussaini memorized the Quran at Ma’had Ta’lim ul-Islam. He holds a BA in Psychology (2000) and MD degree. In 2006, he received degrees in both Shari’ah studies from Darul Uloom Zakariyyah, South Africa and Medicine from the University of Illinois. From 2007 to 2013, Shaykh Omar completed his medical residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and fellowships in Hematopathology and Molecular Genetic Pathology at Washington University in St. Louis. During this time, he also received formal authorization in the Islamic science of spiritual purification. Shaykh Omar is currently Director of Molecular Hematopathology at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Oncological Sciences at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He lectures at retreats, I’tikaaf programs, universities, conferences, and mosques worldwide and teaches weekly classes in Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence, and spirituality.
Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed
Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed was born and raised in Manhattan. While at college at the University of Chicago, he turned to religion, and in 1999, he left America to spend twenty years abroad. He pursued the classical disciplines of Islamic learning, becoming a traditionally trained Islamic scholar, receiving the ‘Ālimiyyah and Takhassus fi’l-Fiqh degrees. He then served as an instructor and guide to university students and professionals in Pakistan, England, and South Africa. From 2005–2013, he was a professor of Islamic Thought and Intellectual History at leading universities in Pakistan, including LUMS and AKU. In 2017, he returned to academia to pursue a PhD in Islamic Intellectual History at the University of Oxford. From 2020–2023, he held research fellowships in Islamic philosophy at Princeton University and Yale University. Since 2023, he has worked as a researcher and administrator at a nonprofit institute in the Princeton area. He also serves as an academic advisor and remote instructor at Kufah. His talks are available at: Islamic Spirituality YouTube Channel
Shaykh Ahyan Yoonas
Shaykh Mohammad Ahyan Yoonas is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where he began his Islamic education by completing Ḥifẓ at Masjid Omar bin Abdul Aziz. He pursued his ʿĀlimiyyah studies at Tibyan Seminary and later at DarusSalam Seminary, from which he graduated in 2023. He subsequently earned a Master’s degree in Islamic Texts with a concentration in Islamic Law from Zaytuna College, where he authored his thesis titled “Critically Speaking: Early Matn Criticism in the Ḥanafī Madhhab from Shaybānī to Ṭaḥāwī.” Deeply committed to community education, Ahyan has regularly delivered seminars, intensives, and lectures across the Metro Atlanta area. His intellectual interests center on Uṣūl al-Fiqh, Kalām, Philosophy, and the broader landscape of Islamic Intellectual History.
Shaykh Yousuf Ghouse
Shaykh Yousuf Ghouse was raised in Chicagoland. He memorized the Quran at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, IL. After earning a degree in Mathematics from UIC, he pursued Islamic studies full time at DarusSalam and then Darul Uloom Zakariyya in South Africa, where he completed the 7-year Alimiyyah program and a post-graduate specialization in hadith. He is the founder of Brighter Futures and teaches at DarusSalam Seminary in Lombard, IL.
Shaykh Raiyaan Atif
Shaykh Raiyaan Atif was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He completed the memorization of the Holy Qur’an at a young age. Thereafter, he began his ʿĀlimiyyah studies locally at Georgia Islamic Institute, continuing at Tibyaan Seminary, and finally completing the 7 year curriculum at DarusSalam Seminary. He subsequently pursued a Master’s Degree in Islamic Education at the University of Warwick while continuing classes in Hadith and Tafsir at his alma mater. Finally, he travelled to Istanbul, Türkiye where he spent two years pursuing specialized training in the field of Hadith and tahqiq (manuscript research and editing).
Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Ali Ismail
Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Ali Ismail was raised in Florida and studied at USF, where he served as MSA president. He began Islamic studies while pursuing medical school and radiology residency at Ohio State University. He studied the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum through multiple institutes and graduated from Jamia Falah Darayn in Dayton, OH in 2024. He is now an Assistant Professor at OSU and an Abdominal Radiologist.
Shaykh Abdullah Aljabban
Born and raised in Syria, Shaykh Abdullah Aljabban comes from the esteemed Aljabban family, whose lineage traces back to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). With a lifelong commitment to faith, education and service he has become a respected Islamic scholar, counselor and community leader. Shaykh Abdullah started his early life and education in Syria under some of Syria’s most renowned scholars, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Islamic and Arabic Studies from the University of Damascus. Seeking to expand his expertise, he moved to Kuwait, where he successfully earned both his Master’s and Ph.D. in Islamic and Arabic Studies. Shaykh Abdullah later relocated to Orlando, Florida, where his educational journey led him to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology, followed by a Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy. His academic journey reflects his commitment to integrating Islamic wisdom with modern therapeutic and psychological approaches to support the emotional and spiritual well being of his community.
ʿĀlimah Syeda Zeba
ʿĀlimah Syeda Zeba was raised in the UAE and the U.S. A mother of five, she studied Tajwīd in St. Louis and began Tazkiyah training in Chicago. She completed her Alimah/Shariah degree in Lusaka, Zambia at Jamia Zainab in 2015. She is co-founder of Makkiyyah Institute and teaches advanced hadīth and other sciences. She also has experience in community counseling and regularly teaches women and youth globally.
ʿĀlimah Dr. Ambareen Khan
Raised in Philadelphia, ʿĀlimah Dr. Ambareen Khan studied at Villanova University and completed medical school and anesthesiology residency at Drexel University. While balancing motherhood and medicine, she pursued tajwīd in 2015 and completed her Alimah degree from Zaynab Institute in 2024. She resides in Tampa, FL.
ʿĀlimah Amera Khanum
ʿĀlimah Amera Khanum was raised in India and moved to the U.S. 28 years ago. She holds a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and has studied Islamic sciences with institutions including Zaynab Institute, Makkiyyah Institute, Rabata, and Seekers Guidance. She recently completed a six-year Alimah program at Zaynab Institute and actively organizes Islamic programs and events.
ʿĀlimah Lubna Zaffer
ʿĀlimah Lubna Zaffer has lived in Louisiana, and now resides in Tampa, Florida. She is a proud mother of three. Having graduated from Zaynab Institute, she now teaches Purification of the Heart and Spiritual Parenting at the same institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. ʿĀlimah Lubna is an Islamic Studies teacher at Bayaan Academy, teaching a variety of Islamic sciences to Muslim children.
ʿĀlimah Dr. Farheen Parvez
ʿĀlimah Dr. Farheen Parvez was raised in Orlando, Florida, and has lived in Tampa for over a decade. She is a mother of three boys and enjoys staying active. She earned her medical degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale and completed her Family Medicine residency in Cleveland, Ohio. She currently practices as a telemedicine physician, specializing in Obesity Medicine and Addiction Medicine. Her formal journey of Islamic learning began in medical school, after realizing that professional and personal success alone did not bring true fulfillment. She completed the Ālimiyyah program through Zaynab Institute in 2024 and continues her studies in dīn, with a focus on tafsīr, sīrah, tajwīd, and tazkiyah. Ālimah Farheen is one of the founders of the ISONET Dar us Salaam Masjid Sunday School (Grades 1–12), where she serves as principal. She also mentors local outreach programs, teaches with Deen and Caffeine, and serves as a Kufah instructor. Having journeyed through medical school, residency, family life, and a demanding medical career while continuing her pursuit of Islamic knowledge, Ālimah Farheen hopes to serve as an example that seeking sacred knowledge is possible at any stage of life. She encourages young and old alike to make sincere intention, strive with dedication, and trust in Allah ﷻ — then watch Him open doors in ways they never imagined.
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, and tafsir with private teachers and Arabic at Damascus University. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences with local and travelling scholars. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.