Kufah Winter Retreat 2025

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 Musa Sugapong is the co-founder and president of Knowman Learning, an organization established in the Greater Cleveland area to provide education and services based on Islamic knowledge and values, rooted in sound traditions from those with an uninterrupted link back to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Along with his commitment to Knowman Learning, Shaykh Musa also serves as a Religious Consultant for the Khalil Center, a psychological and spiritual community wellness center advancing the professional practice of psychology rooted in Islamic theology. Shaykh Musa worked as a faculty member for Darul Qasim College for over 10 years. He also served as an assistant Imam and youth coordinator for the West Cleveland Muslim Association and the Islamic Center of Cleveland.

Dr. Ahmed Howeedy is a Family Medicine physician in Boca Raton, Florida, where he serves as Chief Medical Officer for FHE Health, a Substance Use and Mental Health facility treating psychiatric and addiction disorders. He also serves as a Medical Review Officer and USCIS Civil Surgeon. Dr. Howeedy obtained his medical degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and his undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Miami. During his medical studies he pursued his studies in the Islamic sciences. Dr. Howeedy is also Managing Director for Sagetree Foundation. He is currently completing his degree in Islamic Jurisprudence from Jamiat al-Ulum Islamiyya al-Alamiyya in Amman, Jordan. He currently resides in Boca Raton with his family, serving as board member, teacher, and youth instructor at the Islamic Center of Boca Raton.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Shaykh Zaib Talat completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2008 and a Masters in Analytics in 2022 from Georgia Institute of Technology. After completing hifz of the Holy Quran (2011) and studying the Islamic sciences part time for seven years with local scholars, Shaykh Zaib went on to complete a rigorous alimiyya degree with a post doctoral focus in Hadith sciences in 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia. During this time, he also received formal authorization in the Islamic science of spiritual purification. Shaykh Zaib currently serves as a Senior Data Scientist for Shopify. During his free time, he teaches and lectures on various subjects of Islamic knowledge and serves as an instructor in Sacred Learning’s Individual Study program. Shaykh Zaib currently resides in suburban Atlanta with his wife and children, where he oversees Seeking Perfection.

Anse Dr. Marah Dahman serves as an Islamic Studies teacher for the Ribaat Academic Institute, namely in the areas of Purification and History. Dr. Marah received her dentistry degree and currently works as a dentist. She also has extensive education in studying tafsīr, hadīth, tajwīd, and other fields. Born and raised in Syria, Anse Marah now lives in Tampa, Florida, where aside from dentistry and her Ribaat teaching, she also teaches at her local masjid. Anse Marah was greatly influenced by her teachers in Syria, who she remembers as open, kind, patient and wise. “My teacher made things easy on us and put the world into perspective,” she said. “All our teachers spent so much time bringing us up. I am excited to be able to pay that debt forward by teaching at Ribaat.”

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 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.