Faculty

Dr. Tamara Gray is a founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. As executive director, faculty, and chief spirituality officer, she focuses on uplifting Muslim women within community and without. She has a special interest in digital spaces in faith communities.

Dr. Gray holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction from Temple University and spent twenty years in traditional learning spaces studying Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Gray is also an author and translator. Her publications range from several culturally appropriate English language curriculum programs to translations of sacred texts. She has authored two books: Joy Jots: Exercises for a happy heart & Project Lina: Bringing our whole selves to Islam and co-translated the Mukhtasir al-Jami’ fi al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya by Samīra Zayid [Compendium of the Collection of Sources on al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya]. Her third book – about theology and creed – is due out in 2024.

In addition to her work at Rabata, Dr. Gray also serves as both faculty and an academic council member for The Islamic Seminary of America, is a Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute and is a member of the Fiqh council of North America. She has recently taken on the position of Board Chair for the Minnesota Multifaith Network Council.

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.”

Anse Dr. Marah started teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013.

Anse Rydanah Dahman serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds an AS in Computer Programming and Applications and studied pharmacy in Syria for 3 years before moving to the United States. She now also holds a position as a certified IRS Enrolled Agent.

Anse Rydanah received traditional Islamic knowledge from her teachers in Syria and teaches a variety of subjects including usūl, tafsīr, hadīth, and fiqh, and is frequently invited as a guest speaker at local colleges and universities. She has dedicated her life to teaching Islam, leading weekly halaqas in her community in Tampa Bay, Florida for the past 30 years and has played a vital role as part of Ribaat’s teaching faculty. Anse Rydanah states about teaching at Ribaat, “I love the idea of providing a taste of what Allah (swt) allowed us to get from our teachers, and to be part of a safe, reliable, and effective teaching institution.”

Anse Rydanah comes from a large and loving family with many siblings, children of her own, one of whom she describes as “a true angel” due to being diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, and three grandchildren. With the little time she has left in between working, family, and teaching, she enjoys reading, writing, and needlework.

She has been teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013.

Anse Raghad Bushnaq serves as an Arabic and Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She studied Sharīʿa at Imam University in Saudi Arabia and Agricultural Engineering at Damascus University. In 2006, she returned to Imam University to study Islamic Economics.

Born and raised in Syria, Anse Raghad studied with some of the blessed city’s best teachers, including those who have published works in the subjects of fiqh, comparative fiqh, tawḥīd, sīra, fiqh, hadith, tafsīr, tajwīd, rijāl, and sciences of the Quran. She memorized the Quran in 1994 and later received ijāza to teach tajwīd in the recitation of Ḥafs. She is currently working on a ḥifẓ ijāza.

While in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, she taught English as a second language at Al Rowad International Schools and developed a curriculum for Jewels of Knowledge International Schools. Since coming to the United States, she has been an instructor and an active member in the Muslim community of the DC Metro area since 1989 and was an instructor at the Fawakih Institute.

She is the founder and Executive Director of Mozaic, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing refugees in the DMV area with the necessary support to settle, adjust, and adapt to their new lives. It is also an effort to provide women and children with educational and material support to motivate and empower them.

Anse Raghad teaches the Arabic language at Ribaat as well as courses taught completely in Arabic, such as Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. She is a mother of five and grandmother of four. She has been teaching Arabic and Islamic Sciences courses with Ribaat since 2015.

Ustadha Maha Hamoui serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute She holds a degree in Education and has studied Islam under many prominent scholars in the Middle East. 

Born and raised in the Middle East, Ustadha Maha has worked as an activist and lecturer for the last 35 years. After moving to the United States, Ustadha Maha taught throughout California and lectured on Islam at various conferences. Her classes are conducted in English and Arabic and include students of various ages and ethnicities. Many youth on the West Coast consider Ustadha Maha to be their teacher, Islamic role model, and inspiration to live as a devoted servant to Allah. She is the founder and president of the Islamic Outreach Foundation (IOF), which runs a weekly school.

Ustadha Maha has been teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013. She teaches the Level 1 Tafsīr course “Reflections from the Quran”, which takes an in-depth look at a different sura each term.

Anse Randa Mardini serves as an instructor in the field of Sīra at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She joins Ribaat with extensive studies in all of the fields of Islamic Studies and holds a degree in electronic engineering from Damascus University. Additionally, she holds ijāza (verified certifications) in Quran in the Hafs recitation and is an accredited and experienced educator.

Anse Randa has studied the full curriculum of Islamic sacred texts and subjects including Shāfiʿī jurisprudence (fiqh), Islamic theology (ʿaqīda), Quranic sciences (tafsīr and tajwīd), Arabic grammar (naḥū), geography of the Muslim world, Islamic civilization and culture, Islamic history and classical methods of spiritual growth (tazkiya). Her specialty area is the sīra of the Prophet ﷺ, in which she has done extensive research since the 1990’s.

She has been part of many efforts to teach and spread knowledge of the Prophet’s life and lessons learned from it, including curriculum programs, an Arabic and English software “Prophets & Messengers in the Shade of Islam”, and the translation of “A Compendium of the Sources on the Prophetic Narrative”. She has taught in schools and masjids in Damascus for many years.

Anse Randa has been teaching Sīra with Ribaat since 2018.

Ustadha Zaynab Ansari serves as an Islamic Studies instructor and curriculum contributor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University.

Blessed to have studied in the Middle East, Ustadha Zaynab spent 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, she enrolled in Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she focused on the humanities. In addition to her work in her local community, she spent many years in the pioneering field of online Islamic education as a consultant, writer, volunteer, and instructor.

A strong believer in women’s education and leadership training, Ustadha Zaynab also contributes to the social sciences curriculum at Ribaat in collaboration with Shaykha Dr. Tamara Gray. She was also honored to join the dynamic team at Jannah Institute under the leadership of Shaykha Haifaa Younis, where she contributes to the Year of Knowledge academic program.

Ustadha Zaynab currently serves as a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary and an adjunct instructor at Boston Islamic Seminary, where she teaches classes on Islamic law, Quran and Hadīth studies, Prophetic biography, American Muslim history, and women in Islam.

She began teaching with Ribaat in 2015.

Anse Dahlia Kasswani serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Dahlia earned her degree in English Literature and continued on to study Early Childhood Development in Chicago. She pursued her Islamic education in Damascus, which included in-depth studies of tafsīr, sīra, fiqh, and ʿaqīda. She is proficient in tajwīd and gained a certificate in recitation of 15 juz’ and is now working on gaining her ijāza in Quran recitation in the UAE.

Born in Egypt and raised in Syria, Anse Dahlia has also lived in the United States and Canada. As an English Literature graduate, Anse Dahlia pursued her passion for English through courses, communicating with native speakers, reading, and teaching

For the last 10 years she has taught English in schools, supervised youth groups, and has provided young adult programs for Muslim girls. She also works closely with young women at her local Masjid. She is currently married with three grown children and lives in Dubai, UAE.

Anse Dahlia has been teaching tafsīr with Ribaat since 2015.

Anse Leila Anwar Pačariz serves as a Sīra instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She graduated from First Bosniak High School and currently studies at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Sarajevo. Anse Leila holds an ijāza in Qur’an recitation Hafs ‘an ‘Asim and an ijaza in 40 hadith of Imam Nawawi. 

Anse Leila’s introduction to Rabata came during the Pilgrims at Home competition many years ago. Now, she runs Rabata’s affiliate in Bosnia, a women’s association named Halka – which means circle and is the name for the traditional Bosnian door opener. The word Halka signifies the importance of bringing people together and opening the door for everyone with good intentions. Since 2004, she has continuously run Quran classes in Bosnia, welcoming students who are tremendously passionate about learning the Quran. Together with fellow Rabata and Ribaat enthusiasts, she hosted Dr. Anse Tamara Gray and a few of her students in Sarajevo in 2018.

Anse Leila was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she still lives and works today. She is a single mother of two young women. Her eldest is studying to become an agricultural engineer and is planning to help build back the economy of Bosnia. Her younger daughter is in school, working hard and dreaming of becoming a doctor of Sharīʿa, to stand strong with Muslim women on the path of knowledge and independence. Anse Leila enjoys making colorful spreadsheets and reading reports. 

Anse Leila began teaching Sīra at Ribaat in 2023 along with leading a Rabata Halaqa. She also serves as the Operations Manager at Rabata, a role she took on after 15 years of work in the humanitarian field.

Anse Kiashe Pugh serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute and also teaches for the RabaTEENS and Dragonflies youth programs. She earned her degree in Psychology from Rutgers University. While living abroad in a number of countries, Anse Kiashe studied different fields within Islam and ultimately earned the high honor of accreditation in formal Quranic recitation from world renowned Quranic scholar, Shaykh Abu Hasan al Kurdi, in 2003.

A native of New Jersey, Anse Kiashe Pugh converted from Christianity to Islam in 1990. Soon after conversion, she spent 19 years abroad and returned to the United States in 2013, and her passion for service compelled her involvement with a multinational humanitarian organization. She also serves on the Board of Rabata as Vice Chair. 

Anse Kiashe also serves as an instructor with Hafsa Quran Society and Sakina Institute.

When not teaching, mentoring, or community leading, she most enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and hosting guests. She is a lifelong learner and teacher who encourages others to continually learn and reflect, especially on the Quran.

She started teaching with Ribaat in 2015.

Anse Sana Mohiuddin serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute.  She holds a History degree and a minor in Religious Studies from Texas A&M University and a graduate degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Northeastern Illinois University. In 2015 she graduated from Jamia Zainab lil Banaat, Lusaka Zambia, with a degree in Islamic Studies (ijāza in hadith, tafsīr, fiqh, and sīra).

Born in Canada and raised in Texas, after undergraduate university, Anse Sana moved to Chicago, where she worked simultaneously on her Islamic studies degree and graduate school. Along with her educational pursuits, she volunteered from a young age with various local and national organizations. She worked closely with the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) during high school in both her hometown and on a national level, and chaired the national MYNA conference at ISNA at the age of 17.

In college, she worked with the Muslim Students Association (MSA) and was the sisters’ coordinator for her university in her final year of undergraduate studies, and volunteered with youth and adult programs after moving to Chicago. She currently works as a female religious scholar for the MCC community in Chicago and runs her own therapy practice, Sound Hearts Therapy.

Anse Sana has taught Arabic with Ribaat since 2015, along with the 99 Names of Allah ﷻ and Conversations with the Prophet ﷺ. She also teaches a Rabata halaqa.

Anse Najiyah Maxfield serves as an instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute in the areas of writing and public speaking. She holds a Ribaat Teaching Certificate and a Dare to Lead Certificate. Anse Najiyah brings with her the vast experience of teaching English and history in the US and the Middle East.

Anse Najiyah authored many articles, poems and short stories. Her young adult novel, “Sophia’s Journal”, is an award-winning, time-travel adventure, for which Daybreak Press also produced a companion curriculum.

Anse Najiyah also serves as the Head of Publishing of Daybreak Press, Rabata’s non-profit publishing company. She also leads workshops and seminars on writing and developing your craft, as well as running Project Lina workshops.

Anse Najiyah began teaching at Ribaat in 2016 and also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Ustadha Rukayat Yakub serves as an instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute.  She has expertise in educational theory, curriculum design, pedagogy, race studies, Islamic studies and ethical wealth flow. Ustadha Rukayat is an AMI certified Montessori elementary teacher and she studied Arabic and traditional Islamic sciences in the UK, Morocco, Spain, Mauritania and the United States.

An award winning children’s author, educator, trainer and professional coach, Ustadha Rukayat brings her diverse background experience to her teaching, expanding students’ horizons. 

She began teaching at Ribaat Academic Institute in 2019 and is currently working on her MA in Islamic Education from Bayan Graduate School. 

Anse Eamaan Rabbat currently serves as an Islamic Studies instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute as well as an instructor with RabaTEENS. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with concentrations in Advertising and Journalism and a master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration. For over twenty years, she has dedicated her time to the education and upbringing of children and adults.

Anse Eamaan was raised in the United States and Syria, where she benefited from renowned female teachers of the Islamic fields of study, including tajwīd, sīra, hadīth, fiqh, and ‘aqīda. She currently lives between Minnesota, USA and Dubai.

Over the years, Anse Eamaan held various positions in educational institutions and schools, both as a staff member and volunteer. When Anse Dr. Tamara Gray approached Eamaan about a developing mission to spread positive cultural change through promoting female scholarship, Anse Eamaan did not hesitate. From Rabata’s onset, Anse Eamaan contributed in any and every space to drive the mission forward, and now can be seen carrying it forward in each of the educational initiatives she leads to promote positive cultural change. 

Anse Eamaan presently serves as Rabata’s Education Director and has been honored to serve as Director of the Ribaat Academic Institute since its inception in Fall 2013. She also leads a Rabata halaqa, in addition to teaching local classes at Rabata Cultural Center.

Anse Eamaan began teaching at Ribaat in 2015, received the Ribaat Teacher Certification in 2022, and started teaching a Rabata halaqa in 2023.

Anse ‘Alimatunnisa Abdul Ghani serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She studied Arabic and Islamic sciences at Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah for 12 years. Afterwards, she traveled to Damascus, Syria once completing her GCE A-Level to pursue her bachelor’s degree from Abu Al Nour University in the Faculty of Islamic Da’wa. 

Born and raised in Singapore, she moved to Damascus for deeper Islamic learning. She spent four years in Damascus, Syria and one year in Beirut, Lebanon learning from various scholars, both male and female. She considers Damascus her hometown: a place where she found profound spirituality and amazing upbringing. She is now back in her home country of Singapore and enjoys sharing the gems she has gained from her teachers with her community.

In 2017, upon Anse Tamara’s visit to Singapore, Anse ‘Alimatunnisa met Anse Tamara and, soon after, started volunteering with Rabata and Ribaat. She found herself captivated by the supportive sisterhood, the access to female scholarship, and the beautiful Anisaat (teachers). She joined the Rabata staff in 2019. She now holds the position of Rabata’s Assistant to the Higher Education Administrator.

Anse ‘Alimatunnisa has experience in teaching Islam to students of various ages and backgrounds, including students with learning differences such as Autism, Down Syndrome and ADHD. She enjoys working with youth and adults alike – those who are new to Islam or learning more about the sacred sciences

Anse ‘Alimatunnisa started teaching with Ribaat in 2019 and also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Anse Dr. Farhana Yunus serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Farhana earned her Doctor of Optometry degree and works as an optometrist. As a lifelong student of sacred knowledge, she completed the Ribaat Teacher Certification through the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2020 and completed Bayyinah Access 1, 2, and 3. She also studied the Ajroomiyah with Qutoof Academy, completed tajwīd and studied the Jazariyyah with Rahman School of Orlando, and studied with Islamic Online Institute with the Islamic Circle of North America Sisters Wing.

Anse Dr. Farhana has been teaching Tafsīr of the Quran for over 10 years and currently runs a study circle for women of Qur’an Tafsīr and Sīra. She also organizes the women’s Annual Spirit Retreat, has served on the Muslim Women’s Organization Board, and is a Girl Scout Troop leader.

She is a mother of five children, who loves to travel, hike, kayak, run Disney marathons, and spend time with her family.

She joined Ribaat as an instructor in 2021, and also teaches for both Rabata youth programs, RabaTEENS and Dragonflies. Anse Dr. Farhana also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Dr. Zainab Alwani serves as a Tafsīr Instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. 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 serves as 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. Over the years, 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, and the relationship between civil and religious law in the area of women and family.

Dr. Alwani is the first female jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America and currently serves as the Council’s Vice-Chair. Currently, Dr. Alwani is working on a groundbreaking project regarding orphan care titled “The Orphan Care Project”.

She is a mother of four, and a grandmother of six. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, reading, writing and traveling.

She began teaching Tadabbur of the Quran at Ribaat in 2021.

Anse Nawar Taleb-Agha serves as Tajwīd Coordinator for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a bachelor’s in Linguistics from University of California at Berkeley and a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from San Francisco State University. She has been teaching ESL at local language centers and community colleges since 2013. She also holds multiple certifications in tajwīd.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, California, Anse Nawar was introduced to a tajwīd teacher during her first visit to Syria. She worked swiftly through to receive an ijāza in the Hafs recitation from the late Shaykh Abu Al-Hassan Al-Kurdi (may Allah have mercy on him). While studying tajwīd, she fell in love with Damascus and began to visit more frequently until she moved there for three years to study Arabic, tafsīr, fiqh, hadith sciences, and more.

During her time in Damascus, Anse Nawar also memorized the Quran and received an ijāza from Shaykh Muhammad Nizar al-Kurdi. Anse Nawar has been teaching tajwīd since her first ijāza in 2003. She currently lives in California with her husband and enjoys indoor gardening and crochet.

Anse Nawar started teaching with Ribaat in 2015 as a Tajwīd instructor. 

Anse Nisreen Al Jallad serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. In 1995, Anse Nisreen received her ijāza in the Ḥafṣ ‘an ‘Asim recitation and has been teaching Quran and tajwīd since. She is licensed to teach Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt in the Shāfiʿī school and is licensed by the Ministry of Awqāf in Damascus, Syria to teach Quran and Islamic studies.

Anse Nisreen was a member of the Ministry of Awqaf’s Board for Review (sabr) of the Holy Quran, which tests students in tajwīd and ḥifẓ. In addition, she participated in developing the curriculum for fiqh and tajwīd that is taught in mosques throughout Syria. In 2014 she was certified to teach al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya. She has spent the past ten years in the United States, teaching Quran, al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya and assisting in the ḥifẓ programs at various Islamic schools.

Anse Nisreen works full-time as an Assistant Professor of Dentistry at the School of Medicine and Dentistry in the University of Rochester, NY. She also authored “Zīnat al-Tilāwa fī ʿIlm al-Tajwīd” (“The Beauty of Recitation in the Science of Tajwīd”), which was published in 2010. 

Anse Nisreen has been teaching tajwīd at the Ribaat Academic Institute since 2014 and serves as the lead of the Ribaat Tajwīd Committee.

Anse Nahal Dahman serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Nahal studied Library and Information Sciences at Damascus University and received an ijāza in tajwīd of the Holy Quran in the Hafs recitation.

Born in Syria, Anse Nahal spent her youth studying the sacred sciences. These studies traversed many topics including fiqh, tafsīr, ‘aqīda, and hadīth. Additionally, she was honored and blessed to take the sīra of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with Shaykha Anse Samirah al-Zayed (may Allah grant her the highest of ranks in Paradise).

Anse Nahal later studied Early Childhood Education and has spent the past two decades teaching Quran, Islamic studies, and Arabic. Since leaving Syria, she has lived in Canada and now resides in California with her family where she continues to teach and serve the community.

Anse Nahal began teaching tajwid with Ribaat in 2019 and currently teaches Level 1 Quran fluency.

Anse Ola Habbab serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute.  She holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Syrian Virtual University in Damascus and a Web Development Certificate from a graduate program completed at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Over the years, she also acquired her certifications in Quran and tajwīd, through which she serves and teaches women around the world.

Syrian-born, Anse Ola spent her childhood and adolescence between the US, Lebanon, and Syria. She spent 10 years under the teaching and guidance of her teachers, with whom she learned tajwīd, fiqh, ‘aqīda, and hadīth, and earned an ijāza in both Quran and al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya. Anse Ola studied She currently resides in Connecticut.

Anse Ola has been teaching tajwid with Ribaat since 2015 and also works with tajwīd students one-on-one as part of the Quran Program.

Anse Dr. Saadia Mian serves as a Tajwīd instructor for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She is board-certified in internal medicine and endocrinology. After completing an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Michigan, she went to medical school at Michigan State University. She works full-time at Metro Detroit Endocrinology Center in Dearborn, Michigan. While in medical school, Anse Saadia traveled to Syria to study Arabic, Quran, and sacred knowledge. 

She received her ijāza in the Hafs recitation from Shaykh Abu al-Hassan Al-Kurdi (May Allah ﷻ be pleased with him) and also from Shaykh Krayem ar-Raji. She completed the memorization of the Qur’an and is currently working on obtaining an ijāza al-ghaib (ijāza in memorization). She also holds an ijāza in the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi (may Allah ﷻ be pleased with him). Not only does she teach tajwīd, but she helped to launch the Ribaat Qur’an program and also authored the book, “The Crowning Venture: Inspiration from Women Who Have Memorized the Quran” along with a companion journal. 

She held a position on the founding board of Rabata and graduated as part of the first cohort receiving the Ribaat Teacher Certification in 2020. She is a certified life coach and has a special interest in transformational leadership to support women to bring their own visions to life.

Anse Saadia started teaching tajwīd with Ribaat in 2017 and also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Anse Maryam Salman serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In the late nineties, she spent an initial period of three years in Damascus, Syria, where she studied Arabic and Shāfiʿī fiqh. She completed the memorization of the Qur’an and received an ijāza in Quran recitation from the late Syrian scholar, Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Kurdi.

Since returning to the United States, Anse Maryam has been actively involved in teaching both privately and in classroom settings to women, teenagers and children. She continues her Islamic Studies at the Ribaat Academic Institute and currently resides in Chicago with her husband and four children.

Anse Maryam has been teaching Tajwīd with Ribaat since 2015.

Anse Hafsa Abdul-Hakeem serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She earned the Ribaat Teacher Certification in 2020 and holds certifications (ijāza) in topics such as tajwīd, fiqh, and Arabic grammar.

Born and raised in Georgia and now living in New Jersey, Anse Hafsa has been a lifelong seeker of Sacred Knowledge. She began her studies in her youth with local scholars and later traveled overseas to pursue deeper studies in Tarim, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt.

Her hopes to pursue Islamic scholarship continued when she heard about Rabata and was recommended to jump on the wave by her community teachers. Ribaat connected her to the legacy of Muslim women’s scholarship and leadership. She graduated with the first Ribaat cohort and is still studying but also enjoying family life, teaching and working in the non-profit sector in social services.

Anse Hafsa has been a Ribaat Tajwīd teacher since 2020 and also teaches with Dragonflies, Rabata’s youth program.

Ustadha Samia Mubarak serves as a Quran instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She completed her memorization of the Quran at age of 23, shortly after attaining her Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Psychology from Florida State University. Since then, she has formally studied with a number of scholars and religious seminaries.

Ustadha Samia has a love for Quran recitation and is currently working on an ijāza (Quranic memorization certification) in Hafs recitation with Kiflayn in Amman, Jordan. Samia is also currently a student of the Muddakir Quran Tafseer and Memorization program under the guidance of Ustadha Huda Ghadban (may Allah reward her), and is also a student of Al-Madina Suhba Seminary under the guidance of Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui (may Allah reward him), where she is studying a variety of courses, including tazkiya, usul al-fiqh, aqeeda, and al-haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya ﷺ, among others.

She has studied Quranic Sciences extensively under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Shaykha Zainab Alwani (may Allah reward her). Ustadha Samia has also taken classes with Anse Dr. Tamara Gray through Rabata and is a graduate of the Fawakih Quranic-Arabic summer program.

Ustadha Samia is also the founder of Quranic Ocean, a guided platform dedicated to building personal and emotional connections with Allah’s words. Ustadha Samia spent most of her childhood and teen summers in Amman, Jordan, where she first began her journey in Quranic memorization, tawjeed and Arabic grammar.

Much of Ustadha Samia’s inspiration comes from her grandfathers, Sheikh Ibrahim Zaid Al-Kilani and Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak, who were scholars of their time, dedicating their lives to teaching Allah’s words and reviving the sunnah of RasulAllah ﷺ, with each of them having a direct lineage to our Beloved Prophet and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ. May Allah have mercy on them both and make Ustadha Samia’s continuous efforts in sharing love of the Quran a sadaqa jāriya (ongoing charity) for them 🤲🏼.

Ustadha Samia is a single mom to two girls, one of which was born with a very rare syndrome called CHILD and has special medical needs, alhamdulillah. She is a home barista and loves pouring latte art! She hopes to help people dive deep into the Quranic ocean so they can find comfort and reassurance through Allah’s words amidst the varying circumstances of life. She has a unique ability of helping people tap into their emotions through the words of Allah ﷻ.

Ustadha Samia began teaching with Ribaat in 2023.

Anse Farah Malas serves as a Tajwīd instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute and at Rabata Cultural Center. She received her Islamic education in a range of Islamic Sciences including tajwīd, sīra, fiqh, and ‘aqīda. She received an ijāza in the Holy Quran in the Hafs recitation as well as a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Damascus University. 

Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Anse Farah later moved to the United States where she has been teaching Arabic, Quran, and Islamic education to Muslim youth and adults both in person and online.

Anse Farah currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two kids. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and enjoys coffee, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Anse Farah joined the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2021.

Anse Tasneem Naji serves as a Tajwīd instructor with Rabata Cultural Center. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Special Education and then completed her graduate studies in School Psychology.

Syrian-American, growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Anse Tasneem spent many of her childhood summers in Syria. She found great benefit in visiting her family, reconnecting with her culture, and building up her deen during these times with the guidance of wonderful female teachers. 

Anse Tasneem has been blessed to attend Islamic schools for her K-12 schooling in the US, and has always made an effort to continue her Islamic and Arabic studies. Anse Tasneem earned an ijāza in al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya.

During the school year, Anse Tasneem works as a school psychologist. She currently lives with her husband in Minnesota and enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and hiking.

Anse Tasneem began teaching with Rabata in the summer of 2023.

Anse Shaimaa Zayan serves as a Tajwīd instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and taught for 3 semesters at Cairo University. She moved to Texas in 2007, where she earned her masters in Special Education and Diversity from UT Austin and taught Math to middle/high school students. Anse Shaimaa holds a tajwīd ijāza and completed her thesis on teaching Arabic Early Literacy for non-Arabic speakers.

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, as a child, Anse Shaimaa was blessed with an exceptionally loving and caring Islamic environment where she memorized the Quran, learned basic Islamic studies, and developed her love and appreciation for the Arabic language. 

During the pandemic, Anse Shaimaa discovered her passion for community work and social justice serving unprivileged families through humanitarian assistance programs at the local Islamic center. Currently working as the Community Relations Coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relation (CAIR), Shaimaa enjoys building bridges and enhancing the understanding of Islam through outreach and educational programs.

She feels honored to be part of the Ribaat community. Outside of work, Shaimaa enjoys the company of her three children, walking in nature, painting, and writing Arabic poetry.

She joined Ribaat in 2023.

Anse Miski Dayib serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute and also teaches in the RabaTEENS program. She graduated with a degree in Nutrition Studies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2021.

A Somali-American, Minnesota-born-and-bred, life-long learner, Anse Miski worked as a public health nutritionist and health disparities researcher. She has extensive experience in type 2 diabetes research with a particular focus on the development of culturally-competent interventions for patients with limited English proficiency. Her other academic interests include nutritional biochemistry, public health, and community medicine.

Anse Miski began her Islamic Studies education through Abubakar As-Siddique Islamic Center (AAIC) Dugsi based in Minneapolis, where she was a student of Quran memorization and tajwīd. She then went on to graduate from AAIC Institute with a two-year degree program in the foundational Islamic Sciences in 2016. Currently, Anse Miski continues her studies with local teachers and is an incoming student of Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui’s Suhba Seminary program as well as Ribaat Academic Institute with a focus on tajwīd. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, running, and sampling good-quality matcha.

She began teaching at Rabata in the summer of 2023. 

Anse Lolo Aboufoul serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She received certification in teaching al-Nūrāniyya principles as well as an Ijāza ‘An Hadir (a reading certification) to teach tajwīd. Anse Lolo additionally earned her undergraduate degree in computer science with a minor in biology from UNC Charlotte. Subsequently, she pursued her master’s degree in computer science at UNC Charlotte, specializing in data science.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina with heritage from the blessed lands of Palestine, Anse Lolo considers herself a forever student of Islamic knowledge.She is a student in the Muddakir Quran Memorization program and is working towards completing the memorization of the Quran as well as a memorization Ijaza (may Allah ta’ala grant her success). 

Anse Lolo is currently a Computer Science instructor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as well as a high school calculus teacher. She loves to read, hike, and be with her friends and family.

She has been a Ribaat Tajwid teacher since 2021 and has worked with various students in teaching principles of tajwid.

Dr. Anna-Maria Ramezanzadeh serves as Consultant for Arabic Language Instruction within the Ribaat Academic Institute, with the aim of producing an engaging, effective, and accessible curriculum for those wishing to use the language to access sacred sources. Dr. Anna-Maria is a language researcher and curriculum developer with a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of Arabic language studies. She received her doctorate in Education, specializing in Arabic Applied Linguistics, from the University of Oxford, along with her MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, and a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Persian.

Dr. Anna-Maria currently works in the University of Oxford’s Department of Education. She conducts a review of existing research on the teaching and learning of the Arabic language. She also produced research for the British Council and the AHRC Creative Multilingualism project.

She served as an Arabic instructor at undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Oxford, as well as the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and the Department for Continuing Education.

She started leading the Arabic program restructuring at Ribaat in 2022.

Anse Raghad Alsayd oversees the Ribaat Arabic Conversation department and serves as Rabata’s current Administrative Director. She received her bachelor’s in Arabic Literature and an ijāza (certification) in the 40 Hadith of Imam an-Nawawi and the 40 Hadith of Palestine. She has been a dedicated student of Islamic knowledge and Arabic throughout the years, sharing her knowledge with children, youth, and young women.

Born in Damascus, Syria, Anse Raghad spent 17 years of her youth there and worked as an early years ESL teacher. Her spontaneous move to Minnesota in 2014, led her to Daybreak Bookstore, where she became a loyal volunteer. After two years, she moved to Winnipeg, Canada, where she worked in social programming for 6 years serving newcomer children and families in schools, while maintaining her diligent involvement with Rabata.

Her journey with Rabata started in the Fall of 2012 after she joined the pilot Ribaat Academic Institute class, Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, as a student. She later joined Ribaat’s Arabic program as an Arabic conversation teacher in the Fall of 2013 until the launch of the new Arabic program in 2022. Since 2021 she has been working in partnership with the new Arabic program team to support the development and launch of the revamped program.

She currently splits her time between Winnipeg, Minnesota, and places around the world that her work and family call her to. She loves starting her day off with a doughnut and a coffee, and keeps a busy social calendar connecting with family and friends. 

She began teaching at Ribaat in its first year in 2013, and started teaching a Rabata halaqa in 2023.

Anse Nishat Aisha Lal serves as an Arabic instructor with Ribaat Academic Institute.  Anse Nishat received her bachelor’s degrees in Arabic and History from the University of London. She then traveled to Syria for her third year of study, where she met Anse Tamara Gray, earned her ijāza in tajwīd and studied at the University of Damascus. After, Anse Nishat earned a master’s degree in Arabic Translation from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London

A born Muslim of Indian descent, raised in Cardiff, Wales, Anse Nishat began studying Arabic at the young age of 14. After her studies in Damascus, Anse Nishat returned to England to pursue her master’s and soon after, married.

Anse Nishat has taught both Arabic and tajwīd online extensively as well as in person. “Learning Arabic is the key to the vast treasures of Islam, and I’m excited to help students begin their journey into the Qur’an and other Islamic texts with confident foundations.”

Anse Nishat has been teaching Arabic with Ribaat since 2014. She also works with tajwīd students one-on-one as part of the Ribaat Tajwīd Program and teaches Sīra in her local community. She assisted in building the RabaTEENS Program and began teaching a Rabata halaqa in 2023.

Ustadha Nadia S. Ahmed serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She completed her studies at Jaamia Ayesha Siddiqua, covering all the areas of Islamic Studies, Quran, and Arabic.  She spent six years studying both classical and modern literary Arabic, in addition to classical texts in other fields, including tafsīr, ‘aqīda, tajwīd, hadīth, fiqh, sīra, and Islamic history.

Born and raised in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Ustadha Nadia joined Jaamia Ayesha Siddiqua in Karachi in 1996 after completing high school. After graduating in 2002, she taught tafsīr, usūl al-tafsīr, fiqh, conversational Arabic (al-Hiwār), Arabic grammar, poetry, literature, and calligraphy at the same institute.

She moved to the United States in 2010 and co-founded Nakhlah Institute with the goal of providing higher Islamic education. Through Nakhlah, she taught Arabic language and Tafsīr to women and girls in the community. In her local community, she runs a hifdh program and is also actively involved with the Islamic Center of New England, Sharon. 

In the US, she continues to deepen her knowledge by studying with local teachers, including Shaykh Jihad Brown, Anse Tamara Gray, and Shaykh Khalil Abdur-Rashid. Ustadha Nadia strongly believes that learning Arabic with the intention of preserving the language of the Quran is a profound spiritual journey in which every single letter or a new vocabulary word or a new grammatical concept that we learn and apply takes us one step closer to Allah Most High.

In order to contextualize her classical training, she attends seminars on modernity, feminism, liberalism, atheism, and other relevant topics. Ustadha Nadia Salma currently resides in Sharon, MA with her husband and kids.

Ustadha Nadia began teaching Arabic grammar with Ribaat in 2020.

Ustadha Samah Atef serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She graduated from the renowned Al-Azhar University and is a hafidhah, having completed memorization of the Quran at a young age. She also holds a Tajwīd ijāza from Jadeer Academy in Egypt.

She has a strong foundation in the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences from her 17 years of education at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, where she studied topics such as fiqh, ‘aqīda, sīra, hadīth, tafsīr, Quran, and more. Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to teaching Arabic and Islamic studies to non-Arabs. She loves to share her passion for the Arabic language and heritage and works hard to provide students a safe and encouraging learning environment.  As an online Arabic teacher for 7 years, Ustadha Samah excels in creating engaging and interactive classes. She utilizes the active learning approach, to ensure students actively participate in the learning process. 

In 2020, as recognition for her expertise in her field, she was awarded a Fulbright grant and taught Arabic Language and Culture to the faculty and staff at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, USA, as a professional development program.In addition, she was an active member of the Muslim community there and taught children at the Islamic school at Al-Iman Mosque in Iowa City.

She now resides in Egypt and plans to pursue a master’s degree in Language Teaching and Pedagogy.

Ustadha Samah started teaching with Ribaat in 2022.

Anse Dr. Samar Chmseddin serves as a Tajwīd and Arabic instructor for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She commenced her education and teaching career in her native homeland of Lebanon, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Arabic Literature and started her teaching career. After relocating to the US, she earned a master’s degree in Arabic Literature and Teaching. To expand her knowledge base and expertise, she successfully pursued her PhD in Leadership and Management in Education.

For the past 25 years, Anse Dr. Samar has taught Arabic in a variety of settings, including weekend programs, summer programs, full time private schools, and full-time charter schools. She also served as an instructor at Henry Ford Community College and Johns Hopkins University. Her teaching career extended to teaching Arabic language to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults in Lebanon and the US.

Anse Samar has also served on curriculum boards, creating and implementing Arabic curriculum materials designed for students learning Arabic as a second language. Dr. Samar studied a variety of Islamic Science subjects and holds an ijāza in tajwīd of the Holy Qur’an. Along with teaching tajwīid and Arabic online with Ribaat, she teaches in her local community as well.

She started working with Ribaat in 2020.

Anse Dr. Basma Alwani serves as an Advanced Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. In 2010, she received her degree in Applied Linguistics from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, where she then continued her studies to complete her Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature. Her degrees provided her with the necessary background and experience leading her to specialization in instruction of Arabic as a foreign language. Her current role as Lecturer at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul, Turkey, in the field of Arabic Language and Literature speaks to this extensive experience.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Alwani served for over a decade as a faculty member at the Dokuz Eylül University in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature. Dr. Alwani is also a published professor and distinguished in her field.

Dr. Basma Alwani’s publications include:
– “تطوّر النثر العربيّ في القرن التّاسع عشر”

“The development of Arabic prose in the nineteenth century”

– أحمد فارس الشدياق وإسهاماته في حركة النهضة العربيّة في القرن التاسع عشر من خلال صحيفة الجوائب
“Ahmed Faris Al-Shidyaq and his contributions to the Arab Renaissance movement in the nineteenth century through Al-Jawa’ib newspaper”

– “Writing Skill in the field of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers”, Journal of the University Dokuz Eylül University, 2020

Dr. Basma started teaching Advanced Arabic with Ribaat in 2023.

Ustadha Sadaf Syed (Um Talhah) serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds certification in teaching Tajwīd and Arabic grammar from Saudi Arabia, an ijāza in the Asharah Qira’aat (10 Recitations) from Shaykh Uthman Khan. Ustadha Sadaf is also on the path toward graduation from Mishkah University with a degree in Islamic Sharīʿa.

Pakistani-American Ustadha Sadaf holds the many titles of writer, speaker, teacher, mosque tour guide, Hajj & Umrah guide, motivational speaker but none that she holds as dear as mama to 4 amazing Muslim youths. She has spent the last 30 years studying and teaching Arabic, Quran, and Islamic sciences in the US and overseas. She specializes in helping people connect back to the basics of Islam, specifically with their relationship with Allah.

She joined Ribaat as an instructor in 2023.

Ustadha Alia Selim serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Liverpool and a certificate in teaching Arabic to non-speakers from the American University in Cairo.

Raised in Egypt, an Egyptian-French with a background deeply rooted in Arabic, quran, fiqh, sīra, and hadīth, dedicated herself to these teachings. For over 20 years, Ustadha Alia volunteered in Quran and Sīra programs for children and teens.

Living a multifaceted life, Ustadha Alia seamlessly navigates between Switzerland, France, and Egypt. Through her travels, she quickly recognized the need for Western Muslims to learn Arabic and Islam and began teaching to fulfill this need.

Beyond her role as an educator, Ustadha Alia is a mother of five and engages in artistic pursuits as a designer. Her green thumb is evident as she enjoys gardening.

She started teaching Arabic at Ribaat in Spring 2024.

Anse Saimah Asghar serves as an Arabic instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a certificate in Islamic Counselling, accredited by the  Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB), as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She received a Master’s degree in Arabic Translation and a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Development Studies from SOAS, University of London.

Anse Saimah is an educator and personality coach who has taught and delivered workshops in London, Kuwait, Bosnia and the United States. She also has produced programs for British Muslim TV and Maslaha’s ‘Muslim Girls Fence’ film, which premiered at the Tate Modern.

Saimah has been teaching Arabic with Ribaat since 2015.