Our Board comprises of three Sharia scholars and one Sharia compliance Advisor. The scholars are supported by two Sharia liaison officers and one legal counsel. The scholars’ profiles are given below. The support team’s profiles can be found after the scholars’ profile.
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Masood Al-Nadvi (Shariah Scholar & Board Chair)
Dr. Al-Nadvi is a well-known Muslim scholar in Canada, one of few who have the authority to give an Islamic legal ruling (fatwa). He is currently in the Imam of Al-Falah Islamic Centre (Oakville, Ontario) and is among the leadership of Islamic Circle of North America’s Canadian arm, ICNA Canada. Previously, he was an Imam in Calgary, Alberta.
He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Shariah (law), with specialization in jurisprudence (Fiqh) and taught the Islamic Shariah and Jurisprudence subject in King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, for six years and dealt with various subjects such as principles of jurisprudence (Usool Al-Fiqh), Islamic Culture, Islamic Political Thought, Islamic movements and Fiqh of Organization. He has memorized the whole Qur’an.
Dr. Al-Nadvi obtained his Oriental Degree in Islamic studies from Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow in 1967. He then completed higher secondary with merit in 1972, and in Arabic in 1969. Later he completed his BA from Bhopal University with majors in Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, English, and political sciences before moving to Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, he obtained his license in Shariah from Islamic University, Medina, Saudi Arabia in 1978 and his MA in Islamic law from Ummal Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia in 1983. He obtained his Ph.D. from the same university in 1991 after which he moved to the teaching position in Riyadh.
Dr. Hamid Slimi (Shariah Scholar)
Dr. Hamid Slimi is an Academic scholar, a spiritual leader, a teacher and a Community Developer. He is:
(1) The current chairman and professor at the Canadian Centre for Deen Studies as well as a visiting Professor of Islamic Studies at UIN University in Indonesia and a few other universities and colleges around the world.
(2) The Resident Scholar, Imam and Founder of Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. He has been serving as an Educator, Imam, Chaplain and Consultant in Canada since 1997 in different religious and educational institutions.
(3) The Founder and President of Faith of Life Network (A Charitable organization focused on providing spiritual and educational programs)
(4) The President and Head Coach at the International Academy For Human Resources & Community Development.
(5) The President of the Centre for Halal Accreditation, Research & Training (CHART)
He is also: (1) The Former Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams (2006-2013), (2) Lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto (2005 to 2015), (3) Consultant on National and International issues related to religion and spirituality, Islam and Islamic Law, religious dialogue and Social issues, (4) Board member of different Interfaith and Community bodies/groups, (5) TV Producer of Faith of Life TV Shows, videos and documentaries and (6) CEO of a Management and Marketing Solutions Business in Ontario.
Dr. Slimi’s traditional and academic speciality is in Islamic studies and Law as well as Comparative World Religions and Anthropology. In addition to the traditional degrees known as Ijazah, he holds two Masters degrees with High Honors in both disciplines from Morocco and the US and a PhD in Islamic Law from the U.K. He received both his traditional and academic learning in Morocco and attended other renowned institutions and universities in other parts of the world.
For more information about his work and publications, please visit his site: www.hamidslimi.com
Imam Nafis Bhayat (Shariah Scholar)
Imam Nafis Bhayat completed the memorization of the Quran at the tender age of 13. Thereafter, he continued his Islamic studies at Darul Uloom, Bury, the UK for the next six years in the field of Quranic exegesis, Hadeeth traditions, jurisprudence, theology and the Arabic language.
Since graduating with a degree in Islamic theology in 1992, Imam Nafis has been serving as the head imam and director of religious services at the Islamic Propagation Centre of Ontario, also known as Jame Masjid, Mississauga, Canada. His weekly Tafseerul Quran classes attract hundreds of participants.
Imam Nafis is an executive member of the Canadian Council of Imams, Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians, Shariah Advisor to many firms, Ontario registered Minister of Religion and a licensed Marriage Officer. He is also a teacher at Ad-Duha Institute of Islamic Sciences.
Dr. Azeemuddin Subhani (Shariah Compliance Advisor)
Dr. Azeemuddin Subhani currently functions as a Canadian Independent Financial Shari‘ah Advisor, with several professional affiliations, Shari’ah-compliance consulting assignments (frontier Alt), speaking engagements at international Islamic Finance conferences (Toronto 2007, IIR Dubai 2008, and Harvard 2008) and visiting teaching positions in Islamic Studies including Shari’ah at Canadian universities (Waterloo). His language proficiency includes Arabic and he is currently pursuing the prestigious new professional qualification of “Certified Shari‘a Adviser and Auditor” (CSAA) from the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) – the global standard-setting body on Islamic finance products and practices, thus positioning to be the first AAOIFI-certified Shari’a-compliance advisor and auditor in Canada.
Dr. Subhani has the unique distinction of being well versed in Islamic Law as well as in both Western and Islamic Finance, with advanced degrees and long, varied experience. He holds a Ph.D. and an MA in Islamic Law/Islamic Finance (Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University: 2007, 2001), an MBA and Doctoral Studies in Finance (University of Southern California, 1965), and an MBA in Accounting (IBA Karachi, 1963). His PhD dissertation, “Divine Law of Riba [usury] and Bay‘ [exchange]: New Critical Theory,” has officially been recognized by McGill as a “seminal theorization on an important institution of Islamic law,” as it posits a pioneering interpretation of the rationale of the foundational prohibition of riba, with far-reaching conceptual and practical structural implications for the standardization of the emerging Islamic Finance industry.
He brings over four decades professional experience from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Canada, covering financial Shari‘a consulting in personal/housing finance, mutual funds, hedge funds, and Sukuk; university teaching/research; investment banking; project / infrastructure / corporate / government finance; and petrochemical / oil / gas financial advisory work, including 25 years as Financial Advisor to the Saudi Arabian Government on negotiation and implementation of a variety of ARAMCO and PETROMIN oil & gas agreements (including Concession, Government Participation, Nationalization, Exploration, Production, Pipeline, Refining, Infrastructure, Export, Net-back Pricing, Management Service, Processing, and Petroleum Exchange). His extensive written work on Petroleum Finance and Islamic Finance, including his Ph.D. dissertation, is currently under publication.
The Board is assisted by two liaison officers, Mr. Khan, and Ms. Qazi. The bios of the support staff are given below.
Rehan Khan (Liaison)
Mr. Khan has MBA in Islamic Banking and Finance from the well renowned International Islamic University of Malaysia and Bachelors in Information Technology from York University, Toronto, Canada.
He started his career in financial services industry with Edulinx, a subsidiary of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), dealing with government-sponsored student loans, where he worked as Interest Relief Analyst. He later joined hands with the principals of UM Financial, a firm providing Shariah-compliant mortgages in Ontario. He was responsible for marketing and later back-office operations at UM Financial. He was part of the team that was instrumental in the rapid growth of the firm from an upstart to a $110 million asset-based company in less than 2 years.
Subsequently, he left for Malaysia to pursue his MBA in Islamic Finance. While in Malaysia, he worked as a research analyst and trainer for Kuwait Finance House (KFH), one of the largest Islamic banks in the world. He developed KFH’s in-house training program in consultation with their Shariah Board. During that time he trained over 100 conventional bankers in Islamic Finance and Banking.
Currently, he is responsible for liaising with the Shariah scholars from writing the initial product papers & contracts till the final Shariah endorsement stage. He also acts as an advisor to various Credit Unions in Ontario in developing Shariah-compliant financial instruments on both sides of the balance sheet. He is also working with Centennial College in Toronto to offer the well renowned Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) from the UK and make it part of the business curriculum.
Since 2006, Mr. Khan has been regularly conducting seminars and certification courses on Islamic Finance especially in the areas of debt & equity-based instruments. He is frequently invited as a speaker at various conferences and by business schools at York University and the University of Toronto. His area of interest lies in training and product structuring especially in the re-engineering of conventional financial products into Shariah-compliant counterparts.
His formal education in Islamic finance and subsequent work experience in both conventional and Islamic financial institutions has given him unique exposure, both locally and abroad. He is passionate about developing the nascent Shariah-compliant financial services industry in Canada. Mr. Saeed has written many white papers, most notably an original research white paper on a Shariah-compliant Mortgage Investment Corporation (MIC) which was presented at a 4-day Islamic Banking & Finance Conference held in Toronto.
Tahmyna Qazi (Liaison)
Ms. Qazi has a Masters in Business from the well known Institute of Business Administration, the University of Karachi in Pakistan. She also has another Masters in Development Economics from Manchester University in the U.K. She is a seasoned banker with over 28 years of experience in the field of corporate finance, risk management, and financial systems development.
She started her career with Emirates Bank in the corporate finance department. After 2 years, she left for Banque Indosuez (presently Credit Agricole Indosuez) where she stayed for 7 years and worked at their Karachi and Bangkok branches in corporate finance as associate marketing manager and later as a risk analyst. Subsequently, she joined Faysal Islamic Bank as a senior vice president in Risk Management where she handled a portfolio of $800 Million, managing credit risk of 11 branches.
After arriving in Canada, she worked as Financial Administrator for the Noble Peace Laureate, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). She was responsible for setting up financial systems, reporting to the CEO and government and financial training of staff in 4 branches. After 3 years with MSF, she took a sabbatical of 2 years to study theology, shariah law, and Arabic language. Her background in finance led to an interest in Islamic Finance and after her sabbatical, she moved to the Islamic Finance field.
Ms. Qazi has a mix of banking, finance, administration, accounting and management experience, both in the corporate and the non-profit sectors. She has attended many conferences and seminars amassing a rich experience in financial & systems management. She is well-known in the community and is involved in many community-based, outreach and advocacy projects involving women and youth. She has been active in the Islamic Finance sector for the past decade and combines her interest in writing with her background in Finance to write a weekly blog on Islamic Finance. She has lived and worked in the U.K., Thailand, Pakistan, Canada and the U.S. and presently resides in Chicago.
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