While Europe lay dormant in the Dark Age, the Nizam-al-Mulk established the Nizamiyyah institutes, lighting a torch of knowledge that spread throughout the Empire, from Baghdad to Isfahan. The Nizamiyyah became renowned as the premier academic centers of the time, hosting professors like Imam al-Ghazzali.
The Nizami Order seeks to revive the tradition of Islam’s rich intellectual past. The word Nizami is a reference to the Nizamiyyah institutions of higher learning, founded by the famous Vizier of the Seljuk Empire, Nizam-al-Mulk.
Many Nizami students went on to be the greatest minds of their time, including the Persian poet Sa’di. The Nizami Order at Tarbiya Institute seeks to reconnect modern young Muslims with their intellectual legacy, thereby enabling them to fulfill their spiritual and intellectual potential through education and service to the community.
The #NizamiOrder was created to address the lack of structured Islamic education and support beyond the “Sunday school years,” for the youth and young adults. Though the Nizami Majlis-ul-Ilm, or Majlis for short, began as just one Majlis in 2017, it is now comprised of eight youth groups, and three groups for young professionals and adults. It is at the heart of our efforts to assist the community in finding harmony between one’s divine obligations and worldly responsibilities. Through seminar based learning, the Nizami Majlis fosters high-level Islamic education, discourse, and positive social activism.
Vision
Graduates of the Nizami Majlis-ul-Ilm will, God willing, be well prepared to serve as leaders, teachers, mentors, Imams, Chaplains and Ustadh/Ustadha in the community. Our hope is that our students will be accomplished in matters of deen and dunya, and choose to serve their Creator in the manner that best befits them.
Mission
The Nizami Order at Tarbiya Institute provides a rigorous and comprehensive course of study for the spiritual, emotional and intellectual growth of our students. A faith-based program specially curated for ages 12-22, the Nizami Order aims to cultivate the next generation of scholars and leaders in the community by training students to live morally, act wisely and lead compassionately in the footsteps of the Beloved (peace and blessings be upon him).
To achieve these goals, the program is structured around the following objectives:
- Equip students with critical thinking tools and foundational knowledge to understand traditional Islamic texts.
- Provide students with the skills, training and opportunities to embrace leadership roles through public service.
- Offer a system of moral support to foster spiritual and emotional intelligence.
Meet Our Majlis Leaders
Dr. Mohamed Abdul-Azeez is an Imam, a writer and an advocate for youth engagement. He served as the religious leader of the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento for 10 years and is the Co-Founder and Senior Imam of Tarbiya Institute.
Imam Azeez holds multiple degrees in a variety of subjects, from Medicine to political science to Islamic history and theology. An advocate for Islamic activism and education for the past 20 years, Imam Azeez has worked with and taught Islam at numerous institutions from the Midwest to the West coast. Imam Azeez believes the key to building and sustaining a healthy Ummah is to empower future generations with Islamic knowledge and a sound Muslim identity. Imam Azeez lives in California with his wife and three wonderful children.
Imam Sherif is the Co-Founder and Executive Imam at Tarbiya Institute, and an entrepreneur whose career spans more than 2 decades. Imam Sherif studied English literature, business administration and Islamic Studies. He recently also received a Master’s in Strategic Business Unit Management from HEC Paris. Over the past 15 years, Imam Sherif worked as Chief Development Officer for a large real estate & property investment firm in the Gulf. He used to own and manage a leading scientific company involved in the health and research sector in the Gulf. In addition to that, Imam Sherif is the Chief Operating Officer for California Real Traders, a California-based real estate investment company.
Imam Sherif was trained in the Islamic sciences and finished memorizing the Quran at a young age. Sherif worked and volunteered at numerous Islamic institutions in Ohio, Nevada, and California. Three years ago, Imam Sherif decided to move with his family to Sacramento and helped to found Tarbiya Institute. He brings a host of Islamic knowledge, professional experience and a passion to further Islamic education initiatives in the Muslim community. Imam Sherif is married with four lovely children, Hamsah, Ahmed, Sandra, and Selim.
Imam Kamran Islam is the Campus Imam at the Tarbiya Institute's Natomas location, The Tarbiya House Natomas. Born and raised in the Sacramento Valley, he graduated from UC Davis in 2011 and has been studying the Islamic sciences for over a decade. Imam Kamran has founded and managed several projects designed to spiritually energize and empower the youth within the community. He was a founding member and Program Director for the Sacramento Academy for Muslim Youth (SAMY), a regular Advisor for CAIR's Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) and the Director of Youth Development at Tarbiya Institute. In 2011 he was presented with the Outstanding Youth Service Award by the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Kamran is a specialist in organizational leadership, project management, and Islamic educational program development. He is also one of the rotating chaplains for Tarbiya Institute’s Campus Chaplaincy program which serves college students on their college campus. With his years of leadership experience and an enduring love for teaching, Imam Kamran is ideally suited to lead Majlis-ul-Ilm groups. He currently resides in Sacramento with his wife and two young children.
Brother Mohamed Dwidar is a member of the Tarbiya Institute Board of Trustees. An engineer by profession, Brother Mohamad has been actively involved in community service for over 25 years. He has served as the elected head of the outreach committee at the Muslim Community Association of Santa Clara. In Sacramento, Mohamed served as the chairperson of an Islamic primary school for two years, as well as serving on the board of trustees for a local mosque for 5 years. He has given Friday Khutbas at mosques throughout the Sacramento region. Mohamed brings his methodical approach to engineering to his work in the community to ensure that the activities of Tarbiya Institute meet the necessary benchmarks of quality and value to the community.
Nosheen Khan holds a degree in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Management Information Systems. Nosheen has lead and facilitated numerous volunteer projects and activities. She volunteered for several years for a local mosque and served as a board member. Currently, pursuing a Bridge to Masters in Islamic Education program, Nosheen is focused on offering quality educational and community outreach programs that include opportunities for the whole family. She strives to assist community members to flourish both individually and collectively for the attainment of ultimate goodness and complete submission to Allah. Nosheen resides in Sacramento with her husband and two beautiful kids.
Since high school, Sister Saliha has been focused on quality programs in the community for Muslim Youth. She received her foundational Islamic knowledge for 8 years at Al-Arqam Islamic School, and also studied Comparative Literature & Communications at the university level. Having witnessed 9/11 at a young age and choosing to wear hijab, she knows how important it is to be strong in one's Muslim identity in order to combat stereotypes, misunderstandings, and to be unapologetically Muslim. Sister Saliha learned to create and build programs for the youth during her Summer Youth Coordinator position at Masjid Annur, as a member of the Youth Board at MCYC, as a SAMY mentor at Salam Center, a Youth Programs Coordinator at Tarbiya Institute, and now as Office Manager of Tarbiya House Natomas. As a Majlis leader, Saliha aims to help her students bridge the gap between knowledge of Islam and love for the Deen, the Beloved(pbuh) and the Creator. She looks forward to nurturing a strong sisterhood, an unshakable Muslim identity, and blossoming character growth within her students.
Sister Mashal Ayobi completed the Tarbiya Halaqa while it was a pioneer program at SALAM Center. With a B.A. in Sociology from UC Davis, she now works as a Policy and Program Analyst for the State of California. Mashal is committed to the education, growth, and support of all youth, from the very youngest members of the community through young adulthood. Being a mother inspired Mashal to help establish and manage two popular programs for mothers and young children at Tarbiya Institute: the Mini Muslims Mommy & Me group, and the grant-funded Happy Hearts Program. She leads the Nizami Order Majlis for teenage girls, and is involved in numerous other volunteer efforts at Tarbiya Institute. She resides in Sacramento with her husband and two beautiful sons.