VIEW DATES & PRICES

FAQ

FAQadmin2025-02-28T16:22:22+00:00

FAQS

Where are the Nearest airports?

Istanbul has two Airports. The nearest to the retreat venue is Sabiha Gockcen ( SAW). Alternatively, Istanbul International Airport ( IST) may also be convenient depending on where your flying in from.

Are there transfers?

Retreat attendees can use public taxis to travel from the airport to the retreat. The journey time from Sabiha Gockcen Airport in Istanbul to the retreat location is normally 1 hour.

We intend to facilitate a ride share facility between attendees arriving at the same airport and further details will be given upon booking.

What are the timings for arrival at the venue on Friday?

Registration on the first day is expected to be between 3pm and 5pm on Friday 2nd May 2025. You may arrive later on Friday if your travel arrangements dictate.

We expect the retreat to finish about 1pm on Monday the 5th May 2025 Inshallah.

What’s the age ranges for attendees?

The retreat is suitable for men and adolescents from 14 years and above till any age.

WhatsApp Image 2025-12-18 at 5.43.29 AM

Mufti Abdullah

Mufti Abdullah, originally from Buffalo, NY, is a Hafidh of the Qur’an and a graduate of the Alimiyyah program at Darul Uloom, Buffalo, NY. He later specialized in Islamic legal studies (fiqh) through the Iftaa program at Jamia Binoria, Karachi, Pakistan.

He then furthered his studies by completing the Sab‘ah Asharah program (variant recitations of the Qur’an) from Canada.

From 2019 to 2024, he served as Imam of the Islamic Association of Long Island. He currently serves with MESBA, focusing on the development of high-quality after-school programs across America.

Sharifa-carlo1

Shariffa Carlo

Shariffa Carlo, also known as Shariffa Al Andalusia, is an American convert to Islam, a public speaker, writer, and teacher. She is noted for her journey from being recruited by an anti-Islamic organization to her eventual acceptance of the faith. As part of her anti-Islam mission, Carlo studied the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic history to learn how to manipulate the texts. However, she became intrigued by Islam and found that its message made sense to her. To test her new beliefs, she took a theology class with a Unitarian Christian professor who also believed Jesus was a prophet, which further strengthened her conviction.

WhatsApp Image 2025-09-05 at 20.45.15_e58ba046

Sister Naila Edwards

Victoria of Islam is the online persona and Muslim convert Nailah Edwards, a Canadian content creator and former journalist known for her YouTube channel where she shares her journey to Islam and other related content. Born into an atheist family, Edwards converted to Islam in 2011 after a spiritual experience, and now uses her platform to spread awareness about Islam through her videos and various charitable causes.

WhatsApp Image 2025-09-05 at 20.36.53_1156187d

Imam Faisal Latif

Faisal Latif is an internationally renowned student of knowledge & entrepreneur who aims to inspire people to get closer to Allah, through means of his creativity and various art forms. Known for not only his recitation and dawah, he is also a singer, poet, designer and cinematographer.

He studied briefly in Madinah before taking his studies to Cairo, Egypt where he developed a love for the Prophet PBUH and the Arabic language.

WhatsApp Image 2025-08-22 at 00.20.09_ac99247a

Mufti Tofael Nuruddin

Shaykh Tofael Nuruddin is a hafiz who pursued his Islamic education at Al-Rashid Islamic Institute in Cornwall, Canada. He continued his studies at the Dars-e-Nizāmī curriculum and graduated from Darul Uloom Azaadville in South Africa. Additionally, he holds ijāzāt in hadīth from several senior scholars of hadith. Shaykh Tofael later specialized in issuing legal responsa (fatāwā) at Jamiah Qasimul Uloom in Toronto.

Throughout his career, Shaykh Tofael has taught and served in various communities across Toronto, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York. He is currently a teacher at Baitul Hamd Institute in New York City. His passion lies in research, and he has authored numerous papers and books in both Arabic and English. Mufti Tofael also holds a degree in Columbia university at New York.

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine

Imam Tom Facchine is the Research Director of Islam and Society at the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. He is also an instructor at Legacy International Online High School, where he teaches Tafseer and Islamic History. He holds a BA in Political Science from Vassar College (2011) and studied in Madinah from 2015-2020, where he obtained a BA from the Faculty of Shariah at the Islamic University. His work largely focuses on Islamic Political thought and deconstructing contemporary ideologies.

AAA

Ustadh Abdullah Al-Andalusi

Ustadh Abdullah Al-Andalusi is a prominent international speaker, thinker, and intellectual activist who is widely recognized for his work in promoting Islamic thought and engaging in discussions about Muslim affairs. His work focuses on presenting rational arguments that demonstrate the intellectual foundations of the Islamic belief system while advocating for the Islamic way of life and Islamic solutions to contemporary societal problems. Ustadh Abdullah’s approach is rooted in the classical Sunni schools of thought (Ahl ul-Sunnah wa Jama’ah), and he draws extensively from traditional Islamic scholarship in his public lectures, writings, and debates.

Of Portuguese and French/Colonial North African descent, Ustadh Abdullah embraced Islam at the age of 14 after a period of intense study that began when he was just 10 years old. Formerly a Christian, his journey to Islam was motivated by a deep exploration of theology and philosophy, leading him to continue his studies in Islamic thought, philosophy, and social sciences throughout his life.

shaykh-Yassir

Yasir Al-Hanafi

Shaykh Muhammad Yasir Al-Hanafi is a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher based in the UK, holding several key positions in Islamic education and community leadership. His journey in Islamic scholarship began with his dedication to memorizing the Qur’an and pursuing an intensive Alimiyyah program at the Islamic Institute of Dewsbury, where he studied for ten years. Completing his studies in 2011, Shaykh Yasir gained profound knowledge in various Islamic sciences, particularly excelling in Aqeedah (Islamic Creed) and related fields.

shaykh-Haitem

Shaykh Haitham Al-Haddad

Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad is a jurist and UK based Scholar who currently serves as the Chair of the Fatwa Committee for The Islamic Council of Europe. He has studied Islamic sciences for over 20 years under the tutelage of renowned scholars. He obtained his doctorate on the jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities from SOAS. He specialises in many of the Islamic sciences and, together with his academic background, has an ocean of experience in helping people use Islamic principles as solutions for their everyday lives. He has over the course of the past decade dealt with several hundred cases.

Umm-khalid

Umm Khalid

Umm Khalid was born in Egypt but moved to the US at a young age. She completed memorization of the Quran early in life and then attended Harvard University for her undergraduate studies. She studied Anthropology with a regional focus on the Middle East and graduated with honors. She has served as campus chaplain at a women’s college in New England while teaching Quranic recitation.

Umm Khalid is the mother of four children whom she home schools using a curriculum she personally developed, focusing on Islamic tarbiya and inculcating strong convictions for young children.

Umm Khalid offers courses on marriage, youth development, home schooling, tarbiya, and more.

naima-b-roberts

Na’ima B Robert

Na’ima B Robert is an African Muslim woman of mixed descent who grew up in Zimbabwe. She sees writing for children as ‘writing a love letter to the next generation’. She writes to reflect experiences that are often unspoken, unexplored and uncelebrated and to show ‘the complexity and beauty of our struggles and triumphs as nonmembers of the dominant culture’.

She wants to disrupt the narrative that paints people of colour and their experiences as ‘other’, instead placing children at the centre of stories that reflect their lived reality. Her work explores themes of identity, belonging, faith, respect for difference and, ultimately, pride in all that makes each of us unique. Na’ima has also published under the name Thando McLaren. She lives in Mirfield, West Yorkshire.

Ustādh-Muzzammil-Ahmad

Ustādh Muzzammil Ahmad

Muzzammil Ahmad has completed an MA in Islamic Law at SOAS, University of London. He’s also a graduate student at Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt where he’s completed postgraduate studies in Uṣūl al-Fiqh, and is currently working on his master’s dissertation. His previous studies include Dār al-ʿUlūm Nadwat al-ʿUlamā’, a traditional seminary in Lucknow, India where he graduated with an ʿĀlimiyyah in 2017 and before that the Qalam Seminary and Bayyinah Institute in Texas where he learned Arabic and studied other Islamic sciences.

He has memorized the Qur’ān, and is traditionally licensed in the major works of Ḥadīth, Fiqh (with a focus on the Ḥanbalī and Ḥanafī schools), ʿAqīda, Uṣūl, Tafsīr, Arabic, and more. He is able to research and communicate in numerous languages including English, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and (intermediate) French. He currently works as an Imam at the East London Mosque in London, England while teaching at several institutions locally and online, along with pursuing various research and translation projects.

bok

Coach Salman

Coach Salman hails from Houston, Texas. He is a specialist MMA coach and has trained many hundereds of students privately and through his MMA Gyms “ Izza MMA”.

Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

Hamza Andreas Tzortzis is the founder and CEO of Sapience Institute. He is the author of the best-selling book: ‘The Divine Reality: God, Islam and The Mirage of Atheism’. It has been translated into over 10 languages. He has an MRes, MA and a PgCert in Philosophy from the University of London. He is currently pursuing his PhD on the Qur’ān and its verses pertaining to nature. He has studied Islamic Thought and Theology under qualified scholars.

Hamza has a professional background in project and programme management, charity governance and operations, and has worked as a consultant for the public and private sector. He was the CEO of iERA from April 2017 until February 2020, where he and his team developed sector-leading robust systems, processes and procedures. He grew the organisation by over 500%, with an international operational growth of over 1000%.

Dr Asif Munaf

Dr Asif (as seen on BBC’s The Apprentice and BBC’s Dragons Den) is a former NHS doctor who creates content around Muslim masculinity and healthy living. He is a wellness entrepreneur who runs a mindset coaching business for Muslim men post divorce.

Ustadh Najib Ayoubi

Lebanese/Australian Teacher and student of knowledge of various Islamic sciences who conducts private classes for those who are looking to improve their tajweed and general understanding of Islam. Currently preparing to continue studies by method of PHD thesis writing in the field of Quranic tafsir at the Al-Madinah International University.

Credentials; B.A (Hons) Islamic Sciences in Fiqh & Usul Fiqh MA (Masters degree) in Fiqh

Current running programs:
Recite & Reflect: A program that aims to improve tajweed of the student through practical recitation of the Quran from Surah Al-Fatihah to Surah Al-Nas while at the same time reflecting (tadabbur) on some of the verses.

40 Hadith: A concise explanation of each hadith in Imam Al-Nawawi’s compilation which helps to nurture the Iman of the student alongside improve his knowledge of Islam.

Arabic for beginners: This program is suitable for those who want to build a foundation in the Arabic language with the long term objective of understanding the Quran in its original language.

Arabic reading: A more advanced reading class going through stories such as the lives of the prophets and other arabic literature in order to further expand understanding of the language.

Gabriel Al Romaani

Gabriel Keresztes Al Romaani is a seasoned Positive Islamic Psychology Coach, Educational Consultant, and Media Presenter, recognized for his contributions on platforms like Peace TV, Huda TV, and Iqraa TV. His journey into Islam began in 2003 after years of dedicated study.
A graduate of Mishkah University (USA), Gabriel holds an Associate’s Degree and a Bachelor’s in Islamic Studies. His educational background includes a double major in Biology and Psychology Neuroscience and Cognition, along with graduation from the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor, Canada.
Gabriel’s commitment to well-being is evident in his certification in Existential Well-being Counselling from the University of KU Leuven, Belgium. Further, he holds a certification specializing in Children and Family Achievers from the Positive Islamic Psychology Center and Khalifa Education Foundation, Malaysia. Currently, he is pursuing a Masters in Islamic Education and Counselling from the University Malaya, Malaysia.
With over 20 years of experience in the educational field, Gabriel has played a significant role in working with students, families, and counseling. His extensive expertise adds depth to his coaching and consulting roles, promoting positive psychology principles rooted in Islamic teachings.

Daniel Haqiqatjou

Daniel Haqiqatjou (pronounced: Ha-qee-qat-joo) was born in Houston, Texas. He attended Harvard University where he majored in Physics and minored in Philosophy. He completed a Masters degree in Philosophy at Tufts University.