Safeeullah Saifuddin grew up in Stockton, California. He started his Arabic journey at the age of 10, when he began memorization of the Quran. Safeeullah completed his memorization at Masjid Umar Farooq. He then continued to study the fundamentals of the Islamic Sciences for 4 years. Once Safeeullah started college, he decided to take a gap year before applying to university. In that time, he found himself in Amman, Jordan. Safeeullah studied at Qasid Arabic Institute as well as with renowned local scholars such as Shaihk Anas As Sibaa’i and Sheihk Muhammad Noor. Currently, Safeeullah works as a Software Engineer after completing his Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

Basil grew up in the UAE and the Bay Area. He completed his memorization of the Quran at the age of 14. Later, he completed his study of the ten canonical qirā’āt of the Quran and received authorization (ijāza) to transmit and teach them at Recite with Love. He completed BAs in Economics and Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 2019 and works full-time as an economist in the antitrust litigation industry. He has been pursuing higher Islamic education for over 5 years and is currently a ‘Alimiyyah student at Qalam Institute in Dallas. He has studied Tafsīr, Hadith, Fiqh (Shāfi’ī and Hanafī), Usul al-Fiqh, ‘Aqīda, Tajwīd, ‘Ulum al-Qur’an and Arabic Literature. He is also currently involved in conducting research and writing on various topics within Quranic Studies and Tafsīr under the guidance of his teachers. He most recently published a short book titled “Within its Depths: How the Canonical Recitations Affect the Meaning of the Qur’an”

Muhammad Elmarouk was born and raised in the Bay Area. At the age of 14, he moved overseas to Mauritania where he memorized the Holy Quran. From Mauritania he traveled to Jordan where he studied for four years the Islamic sciences and traditional Islamic calligraphy. He studied under the likes of Shiekh Ali Hani and Sheikh Hamza Karamali and completed the 4th and 5th level of classical Arabic at Qasid Arabic Institute. Muhammad has been teaching the Islamic sciences for the past 4 years and has received his Ijaza in tajweed and memorization of the Holy Quran. He now resides in Toronto, Canada where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Islamic Theology.

Umayma Al-Shammari holds a degree in English Translation from Yarmouk University in Jordan and possesses a decade of experience in instructing the Arabic language. Her teaching journey includes significant roles at the Peace Corps organization and Qasid Institute. Throughout her tenure, she has instructed in diverse Arabic genres, spanning Classical, Standard, Media, Literature, and Diplomatic courses. Furthermore, she is accredited as an Oral Proficiency Interview Tester by the American Council for Teaching Foreign Language. Umayma is deeply dedicated to assisting students at Kitaab Academy in achieving their language objectives.

Umar Patel grew up in Orange County, California. During high school, he moved to Canada where he completed the memorization of the Noble Quran at Al-Rashid Islamic Institute. His experiences in Canada inspired him to serve his local community. Upon returning to Southern California in 2016, he started teaching Quran classes, leading Taraweeh in local masjids, and directing youth group programs. From 2017-2020, he taught Quran under the leadership and supervision of Ustadha Badia Khazaal at the Islamic Institute of Orange County. There, he completed a teacher’s training course and developed a passion for teaching. In 2022, Umar completed his undergraduate degree At UC Irvine in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently an Arabic student at Kitaab Academy, and is studying the Islamic sciences in Jordan.