Dr. Hatem al-Haj (Hanbali) was born in Cairo, Egypt and currently resides in the United States of America. He was granted his PhD in Comparative Fiqh from al-Jinan University, Tripoli, Lebanon and his Master’s Degree in Islamic law from the American Open University. He graduated top of his class with a summa cum laude grade. He is also a board certificated in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics. He has a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B., CH.B.). He graduated with honors from Alexandria University Medical School, Alexandria, Egypt.

Dr. Hatem is a permanent member of the Fatwa Committee of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), the Dean of the School of Islamic Studies – Mishkah University. He is also the President of  “Building Blocks of Islam”.

Dr. Yasir Qadhi (Hanbali) completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. There, he completed a second Bachelors degree, specializing in Hadith studies, and then went on to complete M.A. in in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to the United States, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University.

Dr. Yasir Qadhi has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are some of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English

Dr. Yasir Qadhi is a member of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), a Member of the Fiqh Council of America, and a resident scholar at the East Plano Islamic Center in Dallas, TX.

Shaykh Mustafa Umar (Hanafi) completed a B.S. in Information and Computer Science from UC Irvine, a B.A. in Theology & Islamic Law from the European Institute of Islamic Sciences in France, and an M.A. in Islamic Studies from the University of Gloucestershire in the UK. He also studied the Islamic sciences for a year at Nadwatul ʿUlamā’ in Lucknow, India and spent another year studying in Cairo, Egypt. Mustafa later completed the traditional iftaa program at Darul Ifta Birmingham, UK, granting him the traditional title of ‘Mufti’, or specialist in Islamic Law. He has authored several books, served the Muslim community of Southern California as an Imam and activist for over a decade, and is currently the president of California Islamic University, the Director of Education and Outreach at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, and an executive member of the Fiqh council of North America.

Shaykh Furhan Zubairi (Hanafi) was born in 1983 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly thereafter, he moved and spent most of his youth in Southern California, graduating from high school in Irvine in 2001. He began his pursuit of Islamic knowledge and spirituality at the Institute of Knowledge (IOK) in 1998, where he started the memorization of the Qur’an and studied the primary books in the Islamic Sciences and Arabic language. After starting college, he took a break and went to Karachi, Pakistan, for 9 months to complete the memorization of the Qur’an at Jami’ah Binoria. He returned home and completed his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine in 2005. He then traveled to Egypt to further his studies of the Arabic language. Thereafter, his pursuit of Islamic knowledge led him back to Pakistan, where he completed a formal ‘Alamiyyah degree (Masters in Arabic and Islamic Studies) at the famous Jami’ah Dar Al-‘Ulum in Karachi. He has obtained numerous ijazat (traditional licenses) in the six canonical books of hadith, as well as the Muwata of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad, and has also received certification in the field of Islamic Finance. Shaykh Furhan Zubairi serves as the Dean of the Seminary and Extension Programs at the Institute of Knowledge in Diamond Bar, CA. He regularly delivers sermons and lectures at various Islamic Centers and events in southern California.

Shaykh Tarik Ata (Hanbali) was born and raised in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. He pursued his higher education at Northern Illinois University where he attained a BA in psychology. After graduating, Tarik studied at the World Islamic and Science Education University (also called the Islamic University) in Jordan. He received a BA in Islamic Jurisprudence and its foundations, as well as an MA in Islamic Jurisprudence with a specialty in Islamic commerce and finance. Tarik also studied with scholars and achieved various certifications (ijazat) in Islamic Jurisprudence, the foundations of Jurisprudence, the science of Hadith, the Arabic language, Quranic recitation, and Islamic creed/theology. After returning to America, he earned an MA in Islamic Studies from Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He is currently the Imam at the Orange County Islamic Foundation.

Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali (Maliki) holds a Ph.D. in Cultural and Historical Studies in Religion (2016) and an M.A. in Ethics and Social Theory (2012) from the Graduate Theological Union. He obtained his B.A. (ijaza ‘ulya) in Islamic Law (Shariah) from the prestigious Al-Qarawiyin University of Fes, Morocco in 2001. He also served as full-time Islamic chaplain at the State Correctional Institute of Chester, PA from 2002-2007. His research interests include the interconnection between law and identity formation, comparative Islamic law, and Islam’s role in the modern world.

Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali is the Founding Director of the Lamppost Education Initiative. He serves as an assistant professor of Islamic law and Prophetic Tradition at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California (2007-present). His course teachings include Prophetic Tradition, Commercial Law, Family Law, Inheritance Law, Jurisprudential Principles, Islamic Virtue Ethics.

Shaykh Joe Bradford (Hanbali) is an entrepreneur and an American scholar of Islam. He holds a Master of Islamic Law from the University of Medina, and has studied traditionally in the Muslim world for the past 20+ years. He was a VP and Senior Shariah Consultant for AlRajhi Bank, the largest Islamic Bank in the Middle East. Joe is sought after as an Ethical Finance Advisor to individuals and institutions at home and abroad.

Joe is one of the few experts on issues involving Muslims and Finance in North America. While his expertise spans many areas, he has focused his efforts on creating companies that allow people of faith and conviction to align their values with their finances.