Portrait of A Prophet Speakers (Chicago)

Portrait of a Prophet

7-Speaker Conference &

Children's Program in Chicago

November 16-18| Limited Space

About the Speakers

Shaykha Tamara Gray	Click here to watch a video by this speaker Shaykha Tamara Gray is the founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. She is an Islamic scholar and holds multiple ijazas in Islamic sacred texts and subject matters. Shaykha Tamara is a doctoral student in the Leadership, Policy and Administration program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She holds a master's degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction, and worked for twenty-five years in the field of education, before moving into the non-profit world. She is a public speaker and published author. Shaykha Tamara is also part of the ISNA task force for more inclusive and welcoming mosques, on the advisory board of Muslim Women's Association of Chicago, and the Muslim Anti-Racism Committee. She also sits on the board of Sakana Community Resource, working with faith based financial tools and affordable housing, and on the board of the Collegeville Instititute's Interreligious Fellows Program, working to develop educational programming for faith leaders around social justice issues.
Shaykh Hisham Mahmoud	Click here to watch a video by this speaker Shaykh Hisham Mahmoud has studied theology, hadith, legal theory, jurisprudence, ethics, Qur'anic recitation, and Arabic with scholars in Morocco, Mauritania, and Egypt. He co-authored a forthcoming work entitled, "A Portrait of the Prophet," as a translation of one of the most important commentaries on the personal qualities of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. He has lectured internationally on the Islamic sciences and on world religions, and continues to read with scholars and students in the United States. He has taught for more than a decade at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard Universities, then left the Academy to institute his own national initiative, Lanturna, a non-profit, educational institution that intends through its various projects to establish learning collectives across the country to enrich community life and enhance personal lifestyle. Currently, he resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
Shaykha Ieasha Prime	Click here to watch a video by this speaker Shaykha Ieasha Prime converted to Islam more than 20 years ago, after being an International Youth Ambassador to Morocco and Senegal. Since that time, she has spent her life as an educator, artist, activist and entrepreneur committed to the goal of empowering Muslim women to rise above their challenges to maximize their full potential of being female servants of Allah and vicegerents on this earth. After having participated in several circles of knowledge in the US, Ieasha decided to pursue religious studies abroad. She studied Arabic, Quran at the Fajr Institute and general Islamic studies in other institutes in Cairo, Egypt. After two years in Egypt, she moved to Hadramaut, Yemen and enrolled in Dar al Zahra, an Islamic University for Women. There she studied Aqeedah, Quran, Hadith, Arabic, Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Islamic law, Purification of the Heart and other religious related learning. Her lineage of scholarship from whom she received direct education can be traced directly back to the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alaihi wa Salaam) from Husseini lineage. Under the tutelage of her professors, she has established several circles of knowledge and continues to teach and lecture across the United States and abroad.
Shaykh Ubaydullah Evans	Click here to watch a video by this speaker Shaykh Ubaydullah Evans is Scholar In-Residence for the Islamic Reading Reading Room Chicago and the Executive Director of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM). Upon converting to Islam in high school, he began studying foundational books of Islam with local scholars while pursuing a journalism degree from Columbia University. Since then he studied at Chicagoland's Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), in Yemen, and for seven years at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, where he was the Sharia Program's first African American graduate. He teaches regularly with CelebrateMercy, Ta'leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. Shaykh Ubaydullah is married with three children.
Baraka Blue	Click here to watch a video by this performer Baraka Blue is a highly acclaimed rapper and poet hailing from Seattle and based in Oakland, California. He has performed all over North America as well as the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. He is highly decorated within the global artist community for his original synthesis of spoken word poetry with the tradition of mystical poets such as Rumi and Hafiz. His most recent book of poetry is entitled 'Reedbed Diaspora'. In addition to performances, he has taught classes and led creative writing workshops internationally. His sophomore album, 'Majunun's Lost Memoirs' can be heard in cafes and concert halls all around the globe.
Ibrahim Al-Nass	Click here to watch a video by this performer Ibrahim Al-Nass, of Syrian descent, was born in Saudi Arabia. He studied Inshad (religious poetry & songs) and Maqamat under foremost reciters in Syria. As expert singers and drummers, he has been involved in many musical performances in the USA, UK, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Ibrahim also studied Islamic studies under his father Shaykh Samir al-Nass. Shaykh Samir is a prominent scholar from Damascus who completed medical degrees in Syria and the United States but also mastered many Islamic sciences under prominent scholars in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. His father is presently a teacher at al-Fatih al-Islami University in Damascus and conducts learning programs regularly in England and North America.
Mouaz Al-Nass	Click here to watch a video by this performer Mouaz Al-Nass, of Syrian descent, was born in Saudi Arabia. He studied Inshad (religious poetry & songs) and Maqamat under foremost reciters in Syria. As expert singers and drummers, he has been involved in many musical performances in the USA, UK, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Mouaz also studied Islamic studies under his father Shaykh Samir al-Nass. Shaykh Samir is a prominent scholar from Damascus who completed medical degrees in Syria and the United States but also mastered many Islamic sciences under prominent scholars in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. His father is presently a teacher at al-Fatih al-Islami University in Damascus and conducts learning programs regularly in England and North America.