Our Team

Meet the Imam

Sheikh Zahaib Sayeed

Sheikh Zahaib, a native of Edmonton, began his studies at the tender age of 16 in Whitby, Ontario. He began his journey in Islamic Sciences under the supervision of Maulana Nooruddin as a part-time student. Upon completion of high school, he enrolled as a full-time student at Darul Uloom Canada. At the Academy, the next 6 years of his education included: Hanafi Fiqh, Tafseer, the six books of Hadith, Aqida, and Islamic History. During his time as a student, Sheikh Zahaib also conducted Jumah Salah at various masjids not only in the the city of Edmonton, but in Toronto, and New Jersey. He assisted Mufti Imran with Ramadan programs at Masjid Quba in Edmonton. Upon graduation from Darul Uloom Canada as an Alim in 2019, Sheikh Zahaib became the Imam of Masjid Ayesha in Southwest Edmonton. His role includes: leading daily salah, delivering Jumah lectures and weekly programs, teaching Maktab classes to children, and providing religious counseling.

Sheikh Zahaib’s passions include: conducting programs and seminars for adults and youth. He is the founder of the Young Muslims of Edmonton (YME) organization. An organization that provides a wide range and variety of programs for youth.

He can be contacted at imam@masjidayesha.ca

Other IMA Scholars

Maulana Zafar Abid

Principal – Darul Quran Academy

Maulana Zafar Abid was born and raised in Hyderabad, India.

He was sent to a Hifz institution in Hyderabad where he completed his Hifz (memorization of the Holy Quran) at the age of 10. Going on to study Islam further, he travelled across the country to a renowned institution, Jamiah Islamiah Talimuddin Dabhel in Gujrat, India where he spend the next several years studying Islamic Sciences, Tafseer ul Quran, Hadith, Aqeedah, Islamic Law (Fiqh) and Islamic history.

Succeeding his graduation in 1980, he went on to serve as an Imam in Hyderabad, along with teaching Quran and Islamic studies. Maulana Zafar successfully became the headmaster of a massive institution in Hyderabad, Jamia Islamia Tajweedul Quran overlooking various Islamic subjects.

In 1997 at the age of 28, Maulana was sponsored by Darul Uloom al Islamiyyah (Islamic Academy of Canada) to Edmonton, Alberta to serve as the head-teacher. He successfully moved the academy to Surrey, BC and became the principal until 2012. After a treacherous event, he was forced to resign and start a new academy by the name of Darul Quran. Since then, he has been the founder and principal and Alhumdulillah has a record of over 60 graduated Huffaz under his supervision serving all parts of North America.

Maulana Zafar Abid has also been an integral part of Falcon Travel’ religious Team by providing guidance catering predominantly in the Urdu and Hindi language to Hujaj through falcon travel for over 15 years.

A selfless individual who has dedicated his life to the Muslim community in Canada. A Scholar, Preacher, Teacher/Professor with years of vast experience in teaching Quran for the past 30 years.

Muftī Imran Farooq

Imam- Masjid Quba

Mufti Imran began his studies at Darul Uloom Rahmania, a school renowned throughout southern India with a focus on Qur’anic recitation and memorization, where he was blessed to memorize the Qur’an.

Muftī Imran Farooq then transferred to Darul Uloom Hyderabad India, where he dedicated six years to studying the Islamic sciences. He completed this initial phase at the internationally acclaimed seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband, where, over the next two years, he engaged in an in-depth study of the major compilations of hadith under the greatest luminaries of the past century. Following his graduation, at the same institution, he devoted an additional three years to specializing in Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr), Arabic literature (adab), and issuing legal verdicts (iftāʾ). Muftī Imran then dedicated a year travelling throughout India, gaining practical exposure serving communities in need and calling to Allah. After six years as an imam and education director in India, in 2006, he came to Masjid Quba in Edmonton, where he currently serves as an imam, counsellor, and teacher of Full time Quran memorization and the Islamic sciences.

Hafiz Zubair Abid

Hafiz Zubair a graduate of the Darul Quran Academy in 2019, having successfully completed his memorization in Quran under the guidance and supervision of Maulana Zafar Abid. He began as an assistant teacher in 2018 and is now one of our primary Quran & Islamic Studies instructor. Hafiz Zubair is currently pursuing basic Islamic Studies at the Miftaah Institution, and completing his post-secondary education at the University of British Columbia.

Sheikh Abdi Hersy

Imam – Abubakr Islamic Centre

Sheikh Abdi finished his advanced Islamic studies in 1993. He went further on to memorize the Quran with the various forms of Qira’aat.

In 2001, he moved to the USA and started pursuing a degree in Respiratory Therapy and graduated with a Bachelors degree from the University of Minnesota. In 2013, he graduated with an MBA in IT Management from WGU. He is currently finishing his PHD in Graduate Theological Foundation with Shariah and Fiqh.

Sheikh Abdi has played various roles in many masjids across the USA and Canada. He was the Imam at Darul Hijrah Islamic Centre in Toronto, and the Imam at MCC in Calgary. His current role is serving as an Imam at Abubakr Islamic Centre in Calgary. He conducts various programs in the English, Arabic, and Somali languages.

Aalima Umme Osairam

Umme Osairam completed the equivalent of her Masters in Islamic Studies from Al Jamia-tul-Islamia Libanat-il-islam Gujarat, Pakistan. Prior to that she completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan. Her focus was on Persian, Arabic and Islamic Studies. Her work history includes being the Aalimah for noted universities such as Jamia Islamia Al-Khobar, Saudia Arabia and Jamia Qasim-Ul-Uloom, Multan, Pakistan. She is an accomplished Aalima and Hafiza with over 11 years of experience teaching numerous courses from basic to advance level across all ages and groups. She is also well versed in providing counseling services and responding to the spiritual needs of female congregation members.