Faculty
Ustadha Sobia Ahmed
Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in a small town near Chicago, IL. She received her BA with Honors in Sociology from the University of Chicago and has a Master’s in Education from the University of Illinois. During her university days, she became interested in an in-depth study of Islam through classical texts but was frustrated by the limited opportunities at that time. She promised to help others like herself if she ever had the chance to learn. In 1999, ustadha traveled with her husband to Pakistan for formal Islamic education and received her Alimiyya degree from Wifaaqul Madaaris in Lahore, Pakistan. Ustadha founded Zaynab Academy with her husband in 2005 as a means for university students in Pakistan to study classical Islamic learning in an accessible manner. With time, Zaynab Academy grew into an online platform with a global reach. Over the past 15 years, ustadha has taught different subjects, conducted diverse workshops, and delivered motivational talks for women. She has been teaching the Quran class in CIL and the Quran Program for 7 years. She is the mother of four children.
Ustadha Amenah Patel
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She completed the 6-year Alimiyya degree at Zaynab Academy Online where she has taught tajweed and Hayatus Sahaba (an Arabic literary text on the lives of the Sahaba). For the past 12 years, Ustadha has also been teaching Quran and Islamic Studies to girls at her local masjid, and recently received ijaza in Hafs Recitation (tajweed) through a local institute. Currently, she conducts monthly programs for women in her community and is a married mother of three children.
Ustadha Farheen Farooq
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a BS degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics with a Didactics Certification, with a long career in health coaching and nutrition education. Ustadha recently completed the Alimiyya degree at Zaynab Academy Online where she has taught hadith for the past few years from Riyadh-us-Saliheen and has conducted workshops on topics like Ramadan and mindful parenting. While pursuing her connection with hadith, ustadha also received her ijazah in the Forty Hadith by Imam al-Nawawi under the tutelage of Shaykh Salman Nadwi. For more than a decade, she has also been conducting inspirational talks to women via online platforms and onsite in the hope of spreading the message of this Deen. She is a married mother of three children.
Ustadha Hafsa Teladia
Born and raised in Blackburn, UK and completed a National Diploma in Business Administration. She initially began her journey in Islamic knowledge at the age of 18 at Dar-ul Uloom, Jamiatul Imam Muhammad Zakariyya in Bradford (UK). After marriage and relocation, she had to leave her course but continued teaching Quran and Islamic studies to children. Ustadha resumed her studies locally where possible, then joined Zaynab Academy Online where she completed the Alimiyyah studies. With ZAO she has taught Riyadh Al Saliheen, Qasas-un-Nabiyeen and Purification of The Heart. She is passionate about reconnecting creation to the Creator and teaching self-improvement. Currently, she resides in East Midlands, UK with her husband and children, teaches at a local secondary school and runs an after-school program teaching women and children tajweed, Islamic studies, and Arabic.
Ustadha Mehreen Bawla
Raised in New York but has been living in Chicago for more than 2 decades where she is actively engaged in the work of the deen. She completed her professional degree at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and has been a pharmacist by profession since then. She is also the co-founder of Carriers of Light, a private Islamic school with a focus on hifdh of the Quran, in suburban Chicago. Ustadha completed her Alimiya degree at Zaynab Academy Online where she has taught advanced fiqh, inheritance law, and hadith. She is a married mother of 4 children.
Ustadha Sana’a Rana
Completed a BA Degree in Business Administration and holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (affiliated with FAST University) in Lahore, Pakistan. During her university years, she pursued her Islamic learning at Zaynab Academy and completed the Alimiyya degree in 2015. Ustadha has been teaching introductory fiqh for many years and enjoys incorporating her interest in self-development in her classes. Currently, she resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with her husband and young child.
Ustadha Somaiya Ansari
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, with a major in software engineering, and has worked as a software engineer in Telecom Projects. After moving abroad and becoming a mother, she underwent a career change and trained in early childhood education, computer education, and English as a second language. Ustadha studied Arabic, Quranic Arabic, tajweed, and fiqh at a local institute before joining Zaynab Academy Online where she completed her Alimiyya degree. She has been teaching tajweed, Arabic grammar, and Quranic Arabic in an accessible and easy manner. Ustadha aspires to learn and memorize more of the Quran and deepen her understanding of Arabic. Currently, she lives in Doha, Qatar with her husband and three children and likes to pursue her creative side as a home-based paper-crafter.