Faculty
At Al Firdaus Foundation, we are blessed to have a team of dedicated Ulama, scholars, instructors and mentors who impart traditional Islamic knowledge to their students.
| Mufti AbdulHannan Nizami
Co-Founder, Principal, Lecturer, Instructor
Mufti AbdulHannan Nizami was raised in Chicago and blessed with the memorization of the Holy Qurān at the early age of 14 in 2004 from Darul Uloom Al-Madania in Buffalo, New York. He received formal authorizations in the sacred Islāmic sciences in the year 2011 at the culmination of a rigorous seven-year ʻĀlimiyyah program from Darul Uloom Canada in Chatham Ontario, Canada (a branch of Darul Uloom Al-Madania in Buffalo New York). There, he was blessed with the opportunity to study under one of the elite scholars of North America, Shaikh Ibrahim Memon Madani. The studies were based on the traditional Dars-e-Nizami curriculum of Islāmic education.
Following his graduation, Mufti AbdulHannan Nizami traveled to Durban, South Africa to pursue a two-year study of specialization in Iftaa (Islamic jurisdiction), Islamic Finance and marital issues under the world-renowned scholar Mufti Ebrahim Desai (founder of www.askimam.org website). He graduated from the Iftaa program in the year 2013. In 2015, he successfully earned his high school diploma from Penn Foster High School along with other trainings in teaching, psychology and business.
Mufti AbdulHannan previously served as an instructor for two years at DarusSalam Academy (Lombard, Illinois) for the Taḥfīẓ al-Qurān (memorization of the Qurān), ʻĀlimiyyah and Tafhīm programs.
During this period, he co-founded and established an organization with multiple programs for the youth known as “Fountain of Divine Knowledge” or “Al Firdaus Foundation” in Bridgeview, Illinois and currently serves as an instructor there. Simultaneously, he attended the college at Moraine Valley.
Mufti AbdulHannan regularly lectures at various mosques and events.
| Mufti AbdulMannan Nizami
Co-Founder, Lecturer, Youth Coordinator, Instructor
Mufti Abdulmannan Nizami was born and bred within the United States of America. From a very young and tender age, his zeal to memorize the Holy Qur’an led him to achieve this dream at the age of 14. Upon completion of his Qur’an memorization, he continued to further his studies and qualifications in the field of Islamic Theology and Divinity. He attended the prestigious school of Islamic Sacred Sciences at the Institute of Darul Uloom Al-Madania in Buffalo, New York for 6 years. Subsequently, he studied for another 2 years under the tutelage of various prominent scholars at the Institute of Darul Uloom Canada in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. After graduation, he travelled to the city of Durban, South Africa to specialize in Islamic jurisdiction, Islamic Finance, and marital issues. He was fortunate to issue more than 300 Islamic legal rulings approved by various scholars, mediate and arbitrate between various business schemes in accordance to Islamic Law, and counsel between marital and divorce disputes as well.
Along with these 11 long years of dorm and boarding at various institutions, Mufti Abdulmannan was also able to complete his high school diploma at Penn Foster High School. He also maintained a 4.0 GPA while attending college at Moraine Valley and shares a membership at the most reputed honors community nationwide, Phi Theta Kappa.
Currently, Mufti Abdulmannan serves the Bridgeview community instructing at Al Firdaus Foundation, an organization that he co-founded, along with teaching at Al Siddiq School at the Mosque Foundation. He correspondingly gives speeches and khutbahs and serves as a judge in competitions in various vicinities and States on a regular basis.
| Shaykh Waqar Tabraiz
Tahfeez Instructor, Imam, Mentor, Lecturer
Shaykh Waqar Tabraiz was born and raised in Mardan, Pakistan. From a very young age, he expressed his zeal for learning the Quran and the knowledge of Deen. He also displayed great concern for the well being of humanity. In the year 1994, he arrived in the USA at the age of 16 along with his mother and siblings to join his father.
He graduated from Carl Schurz High School, Chicago in 1999. He also studied computer information system in Northeastern University, Chicago from 1999 till 2002.
Shaykh Waqar memorized the Quran during his teenage and continued pursuing his studies at Jamia Suffah, Chicago for the next 10 years where he graduated with honors from the rigorous ʿAlimiyyah course. Later, he completed his specialization in Iftāʾ from an online program in Pakistan.
He became an Imam and lecturer at the age of 19. Ever since then, he has lead congregations and delivered speeches in different masajid throughout the Chicago land area. He has over 22 years of experience teaching Quran and Islamic Studies. He also specializes in offering tarbiyah lessons especially to the young generation in order for them to understand the teachings of the Quran and the life style of our beloved Nabi Muhammad ﷺ.
Shaykh Waqar regularly delivers lectures and khutbahs as well as serving as a judge in Quran and Islamic Studies competitions in various institutes.
He operated his own islamic institution from 2004 till 2022. Currently, he teaches online part-time Quran and Islamic studies classes along with tarbiyah and serves as a a full time instructor at Al Firdaus Foundation for the Tahfeez Al-Quran program.
| Hafiz Abduljabbar Vahora
After-School Foundations Instructor
Hafiz Abduljabbar Vahora was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Harvey, Illinois. He commenced his journey of the memorization of the Quran while in middle school. He was blessed to complete it at the age of 17 while in 10th grade. He also attended Universal School in Bridgeview from 2nd grade to 12th grade. During these years, he attended the after school program at South Suburban Islamic Center of Harvey where he initially started learning to read the Quran with fluency and eventually completed his memorization of the Quran.
Upon completion of the Tahfeez program, he also substituted in the same institution he graduated from.
Currently, Hafiz Abduljabbar is committed elsewhere during the day and serves as an instructor for the After School program at Al Firdaus Foundation during the evening.
