Shaykh Ahmed Billoo was born and raised in Southern California, and by God’s grace, he memorized the Qur’an at a young age. He has been active with various organizations and Islamic Centers for several years, delivering sermons, lectures, and leading prayers. He studied in Cairo, Egypt in 2006, and in 2007 was granted a scholarship to study at the Islamic University of Madinah. He completed an associate’s degree in the Arabic language and then went on to graduate from the College of Sharia (Islamic Jurisprudence). He currently resides in Southern California with his wife and daughters, serves as the Religious Director of the Islamic Center of Cypress, and is an instructor at the Institute of Knowledge Seminary in Diamond Bar, California.
Shaykh Umer Khan graduated as an Islamic scholar with an ʻālim degree from Al-Salam Institute, authorized by Dar al-ʻUlūm Nadwat al-ʻUlamā', Lucknow, India. He also completed a traditional Dars-e-Niẓāmī dawrah of the six canonical books of ḥadīth. Shaykh Umer completed his iftā' (License to Give Islamic Legal Verdicts) from Darulifta Birmingham, granting him the traditional title of 'mufti'. He was also authorized by Shaykh Mohammad Akram Nadwi to give fatwā. He has a Master's in Finance (from Wharton, UPenn) and another Master's in Islamic Finance and he holds several professional certifications and qualifications in Islamic Finance. Shaykh Umer teaches the Islamic sciences at seminaries (Institute of Knowledge and Al-Salam Institute), researches and writes fatwās (legal verdicts) for various institutions, and serves as a sharīʻah advisor to a number of companies. He is also an executive member of the Fiqh Council of North America.
Shaykh Tarik Ata was born and raised in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. During his childhood, he attended conventions and learned the basics of Islam through formal and non-formal means. Shaykh Tarik pursued his higher education at Northern Illinois University where he attained a BA in psychology.
After graduating from NIU, Shaykh Tarik went to Jordan in pursuit of Islamic knowledge. While in Jordan, Tarik studied at the World Islamic Science and Education University (also called the Islamic University) where he achieved a BA in Islamic jurisprudence and its foundations as well as an MA in Islamic jurisprudence with a specialty in Islamic commerce and finance. While working on his degrees, Shaykh Tarik 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.
Upon returning to America, Shaykh Tarik continued his academic career at Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School and attained a Masters degree in Islamic Studies. He now serves as the Imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation and a full-time Seminary Instructor with the IOK Seminary.
Shaykha Ayesha Hussain is a graduate of the ʿĀlimiyyah Degree program offered at the Institute of Knowledge Seminary and completed her memorization of the Qurʾān at the same institution. She holds various Ijāzāt to teach numerous books of Ḥadīth. She is now an instructor in IOK’s Seminary programs and is a regular speaker for various Muslim organizations in Southern California. Aside from her work in the field of Islamic Studies, Shaykha Ayesha is a criminal defense attorney.
Zaid Khan was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He memorized the Qur’an at an early age and studied in Darul Uloom NY for a year before traveling to South Africa for further studies. He graduated from the six-year Alimiyyah program at Darul Uloom Azaadville in South Africa in 2007, specializing in Fiqh in 2008 and also receiving Ijazah in Qira’at Sab’ah and Tajweed. He has a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago.
Since 2009, he served as Brooklyn coordinator and NY Shura member for Young Muslims of NY, organizer for MIST-NY (Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament), intern at CAIR-NY, instructor at the Islamic Center at NYU, Islamic Studies teacher at Northstar School in Hayward, CA, and religious director at the Al-Aqsa Community Center in Plainfield, IL. He also leads Hajj groups for Dar El Salam Travel.
Shaykh Zaid Khan joined IOK in 2021 and serves as an instructor at both the Full-time and Part-time Seminaries as well as in the IOK Schools High School program. Additionally, he serves as an IOK Chaplain and delivers lectures and Khutbahs across the greater Los Angeles area.
Shaykh Mudassir Mayet started his journey as a student of knowledge in his high school days. He attended weekly classes at his local masajid, and continued on at UCI. He then moved on to IOK Seminary for their 5 Year Masters & 'Alimiyyah Degree. He received his bachelor's degree in Software Engineering at UCI, and started working full-time at IBM. In his 4th year at IOK, he completed the memorization of the entire Qur'an, earned his bachelor's degree from IOK, along with his Ijazah to teach Jami' al-Tirmidhi. In his 5th year, he was granted his Master's degree in Arabic, Islamic Law, and Tradition, receiving Ijazah in Sahih al-Bukhari, Ijazah to teach Sahih Muslim, and also receiving Ijazah 'Ammah, spanning all books of Hadith, along with special courses in Islamic Counseling and Pastoral Care. He excelled in his studies of Arabic, Fiqh, and Tafsir as well, with his Master's thesis focused on the rhetoric and linguistics found in al-Kashshaf 'an Haqa'iq al-Tanzil of al-Zamakhshari (rhA). He is now working in Santa Monica. He and his wife are still at IOK, but are now teaching Arabic in IOK's Part Time Seminary.