Basirah

Syed Ayleya has been the resident aalim of the Zainab Center in Seattle, Washington for the last 26 years.

Shaykh Usama Abdulghani has studied for more than 20 years at the Islamic Seminary in Qum, focusing on Islamic Law and Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence.

Syed Ali Jafri was born in New York and raised in Michigan. He earned his degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Texas School of Law. After practicing law for four years, he moved with his family to Qom in 2013 to pursue advanced studies in the ḥawzah. He currently serves as the resident alim at the Zainabia Center of Michigan and directs Dar al-Dhikr, an initiative dedicated to sharing Islam’s spiritual and intellectual heritage.

Shaykh Navid is a scholar with over a decade of study in the Hawzah of Qom, specializing in Islamic philosophy, ethics, and law. Born and raised in the DC area, he also holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, and is finalizing a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy.

He currently serves as a scholar in Maryland, contributing to English programming at the Islamic Education Center of Maryland and speaking at communities across North America.

Born and raised in Maryland, Sayyid Ali Tofigh is a hawza-trained scholar and attorney. He pursued Islamic Seminary studies in Qom, Iran for six years. He later returned to the United States to attend law school at George Washington Law School in Washington, D.C. He currently serves the ummah as both an Islamic scholar and an attorney via his private practice, Tofigh Law, and the Islamic Law Institute.

Sheikh Hashim Ali Al-Askari became Muslim at 20 years of age by His Grace. He has multiple degree from UC Berkeley, a BA and MA in Islamic Studies which he studied under the esteemed Dr. Hamid Algar and included time in Qom Iran, he also has MA in Islamic and Urban Education.

Hashim was involved in MSA-PSG since the late 80’s and participated at Masjid Al Islam under the leadership of Imam Abdul Alim Musa. He has been an educator and community activist for over 35 years and his focus is working in the inner cities of America.

Alimah Eman Shaiwani earned a Bachelor’s in Microbiology and a Master’s in Public Health. Between 2013 and 2025 she pursued traditional hawza studies in the holy city of Qom, completing coursework in subjects such as jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, ethics, theology, philosophy, Arabic grammar and the Qur’anic sciences. Alimah Eman also partook in coursework outside of the official curriculum with particular emphasis on the Tafsir al-Mizan of Allamah Tabatabai and the science of Qur’anic recitation.

Zainab Rights is a Muslim American Journalist and Editor in Chief at TMJ News Network. She holds a double degree in Political Science and Homeland Security and a Masters in Journalism. She has over 14 years of experience in political commentary, writing and video production.

Fatima El-Zein is Lead Producer at TMJ News where she aims to bring more awareness about her community through storytelling. El-Zein grew up in Toronto, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Journalism at the University of Toronto and also received a diploma in Journalism from Centennial College. She has worked extensively for CBC News before moving to the United States.