Shaykh Zakaria Abdelaziz is Canadian-born Somali. But those that know him say he lived in Tarim, Yemen for so long he is basically Yemeni. He comes from a lineage of scholars. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were all graduates of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. His family are descendants of the Shaykh and historian Abdur Rahman al-Jabarti. With this legacy in mind, Shaykh Zakaria’s father took his family to Egypt when Shaykh Zakaria was just 11 years old to learn Arabic and me...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 33
Welcome to the Journey Podcast - a podcast where we hear from our blessed teachers and community members about their spiritual journeys. My name is Hebah Masood. I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt, along that journey. Shaykh Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari visited Toronto a few weeks ago to give a series of lectures about the life of his teacher Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashur, his reflections on post-modernism and Islam, and to provide...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 32
Shaykh C Hamzah Wald Maqbul shocked not only me, but also the barista when he ordered in fluent Uzbek at a coffee stand outside the Registan Square in Samarkand a few years ago. That’s when I knew we were in the best possible hands in Uzbekistan with Shaykh Hamzah leading our Muslim Legacy tour group. Shaykh Hamzah learned Uzbek while doing a double major in Biochemistry and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Washington. While he initially intended to go to med school ...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 31
Assalamu alaykum, As I pursue my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. At age 16, Ustadh Omar Popal was an extremely homesick madrasa student in Campertown, South Africa. He was far from home, his family and friends...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 30
Assalamu alaykum, As I pursue my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Imam Ahmad Deeb 's grandfather Dr. Sheikh Ramadan Deeb , one of the oldest living scholars in Damascus, is a renowned Syrian scholar who built i...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 29
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Sidi Mustafa Davis ’ timeline follows many in the ‘90s who took their shahada and travelled overseas seeking knowledge. He converted as an atheis...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 28
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Ustadha Zaynab Mansour Ansari is the daughter of converts — an African American mother and a Lebanese American father. Her parents converted to I...
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 27
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Imam Dawud Walid grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was commonplace to see Confederate flags and signs li...
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 26
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Shaykh Zane Abdo was born and raised in Liverpool, UK. From a young age, he was inspired by lectures from scholars like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shayk...
Jan 01, 2021•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 25
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra prefaced his interview by saying he had nothing great to share. But as you’ll soon see, he has a heartwarming and insp...
Dec 05, 2020•52 min•Ep. 24
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. JazakAllah khayr and special thanks to Sister Mozynah Nofal and The Women's Circle at the University of Toronto for the opportunity to host this ...
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 23
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. The daughter of Caribbean Immigrants who converted to Islam, Ustadha Nuriddeen Knight , began her own journey to seek knowledge at the Muslim Edu...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 22
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah SWT along that journey. Shaykh Nuh Lavotte Saunders grew up in Philadelphia, a place he describes as having a lot of Muslims but very little Islam. As a teenager, he lac...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 21
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah SWT along that journey. Like many Afghans, Imam Yama Niazi's family left Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. By the '90s, he was an 18 year old aspiring rapper in Sa...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 20
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Sidi Saleh Clemons ’ journey starts with the adhan. He first saw the word in a novel, then listened to a recitation on YouTube. He was struck by ...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 19
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Shaykh Jamal Ud-deen Hysaw describes his childhood as nomadic. He moved across the United States, living in suburban communities where he often f...
Jul 16, 2020•3 hr 50 min•Ep. 18
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. I first met Imam Sohaib Sultan at a weekend retreat organized by the Princeton MLP. Imam Sohaib and his wife Arshe Ahmed welcomed me to the Centr...
Jun 25, 2020•42 min•Ep. 17
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Reflecting on the order and harmony within nature, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya knew at a young age that God existed. He embraced Islam in his junior ...
Jun 04, 2020•58 min•Ep. 16
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Sidi Wendell Uthman Ames ’ story begins at a hip hop store in Southern California where he worked during high school. He watched his manager take...
May 14, 2020•56 min•Ep. 15
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Sister Zainab Ismail is known by many for her popular Instagram page @zainab_fitforallah . Prior to taking her shahada, she worked as a fitness t...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 14
Assalamu alaykum As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. This special quarantine episode features my mom, my very first teacher and biggest inspiration. Those of you who know my mom and me, know that she...
Apr 02, 2020•3 hr 3 min•Ep. 13
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Ustadh Tariq Ameer grew up in a family that was part of the Nation of Islam and then made the transition to Sunni Islam with WD Muhammed. His own...
Mar 12, 2020•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 12
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Sister Pari Ansary is a key part of what makes Al-Maqasid in Allentown, Pennsylvania a special and welcoming place. She is a humble and gentle so...
Feb 20, 2020•40 min•Ep. 11
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Shaykh Yusuf Weltch has a fascinating family history. He is part African American, British and Costa Rican, but he has Inca, Cherokee, Nicaraguan...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 10
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Granddaughter of a well-known community member in New Jersey, Mohammad Yousseff, Sr. Tammy Elmansoury knew from a young age that Islam would play...
Jan 09, 2020•32 min•Ep. 9
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Listening to Shaykh Amin Kholwadia ’s voice takes me back to high school, when I used to attend his Sunday tafsir classes. His classes were not j...
Dec 19, 2019•49 min•Ep. 8
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Every Sunday, Mufti Niaz Hannan patiently guides us through Hanafi fiqh for the Safina Society Uwaylim classes at NBIC. Beyond that, he is the fu...
Nov 28, 2019•2 hr 14 min•Ep. 7
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Before moving to New Jersey, I looked into the Muslim community here and the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU). Long story sh...
Nov 07, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 6
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey. Where do I begin to describe the impact Ustadh Amjad Tarsin has had on my own journey? If this podcast had followed a chronological path, his int...
Oct 17, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 5
Assalamu alaykum, As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories - uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood. I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt, along that journey. Before I started at Rutgers last year, my teacher in Toronto, told me his friend taught at a nearby masjid, the New Brunswick Islamic Center. NBIC ...
Oct 03, 2019•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 4
