View our Calendar of Events » There are alot of free lectures that we offer around town. Make sure to view it regularly, or subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss an event!Sponsor a Student » We have many needy students. Please donate so we are able to sponsor them!!
Random Testimonials
"The Powerpoints and presentation were extremely well done."
"Mashallah we need more classes like this one!"
"I like that the instructor is engaging us in the discussion and asking us questions to think about."
"Mashallah the class was very informative. 80% of what I heard are things I did not know previously"
"The course was very good and thorough. Very good explanations mashallah. Everything was clear."
"What I like about the course is that the Shaykh has explained advanced concepts in laymen terms."
"I loved this course from the bottom of my heart".
"The class was very interesting. The activities were so much fun."
Ilm Path Academy is an Interactive Online Classical Islamic Institute offering degrees in Islamic Studies and Life Skills in weekends at Universities, and online. Founded by Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem, Ilm Path aspires to teach unique courses to all levels of Students around the globe. We have put together one of the most talented teams in Course Design, Video Editing, Graphic Designers, Translators, PowerPoint Editors, and Market Researchers to bring you the most professional Islamic course experience that you could ever witness online.
Vision Muslims would become the top in every single field of life & science, achieve the highest degree in paradise in the afterlife, and become productive citizens of their nation & country through authentic knowledge and practical life skills.
Mission Empower every Muslim on earth with authentic Islamic knowledge and practical life skills training so that they would excel in their life and the afterlife by achieving the balance of perfecting their religion and excelling in their chosen field of work through education and training.
Purpose
Provide the largest variety of the highest quality, most comprehensive, and most authentic Islamic & Lifeskills courses by online state-of-the-art classes reaching the whole world in most major languages.
Method Offer a unique course experience by using only the most authentic sources and evidences, the strongest opinions among the scholars, adding tons of stories and examples from our pious predecessors, deriving out lessons, applying the material to our current situation, and then making it into an unparalleled interactive class experience offered by the best instructors in the field.
Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem - Founder of Ilm Path Academy
Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem is the founder and director of Islamic Studies at Ilm Path Academy Online (www.ilmpath.com) and an instructor at Almaghrib institute. He was the Imam and director of religious affairs at the first Islamic centre in Toronto, known as Jami Mosque. In addition, he was an instructor at Alkauthar Institute, a member of the Canadian Council of Imams, was previously an Imam in several Masjids in the USA, and was the President of MSA for three years. Sheikh Waleed has been invited to speak and teach in several cities across all five continents of the world, including the Peace TV Conference and Journey of Faith conference. His message focuses on spreading authentic Islamic education combined with practical life skills and personal development training in order to excel in both worlds.
The Family
Sheikh Waleed was born in Michigan USA, and has lived and studied in Muslim countries overseas for over 20 years. His father is a Hafidh and was an Imam and Khateeb in several countries, and his mother has taught Islamic studies to high school students for over 30 years. His grandfather was a Qari with Ijaza in the ten modes of recitation of the Quran and has given Ijaza to hundreds of students. His wife has a B.A in Islamic Studies and an Ijaza in Quran Recitation.
Islamic Education
Sheikh Waleed is currently studying a Masters & PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Madinah International University, with specialization in the Fiqh of Hadeeth. In the past, he has covered a breadth of Islamic studies in various institutes, including King Saud University, Al-Forqaan academy, and Almajd Islamic Academy. He has also studied most branches of Islamic Sciences in-depth with a wealth of well-known scholars (listed at the bottom).
Other Education
In addition, Sheikh Waleed has a Masters degree in Life Skills Training, and has trained several companies in North America in computer applications and life skills. He also earned two BA's in Applied Mathematics, Applied Statistical Research, with a minor in Architectural Sciences, and is a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), and the American Statistical Association (AMSTAT). He is a Certified Life Coach, an NLP Master Practicioner, and a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach.
Work History
In addition to working as an Imam, Sheikh Waleed has worked as a national training designer and facilitator at Home Depot Headquarters, as well as a technical trainer at Babcock and Wilcox, a company that produces energy supplies in more than 90 countries. He has also taught at the University of Akron applied statistical research, communication methods, and lifeskills training courses. He also worked as a research specialist at the Greater Akron Chamber, and has designed Architectural models for homes and office complexes.
Special Interests
In his spare time Sheikh Waleed loves to play sports. He has represented his University basketball team, his school Soccer team, and he also enjoys bowling and golf. He keeps himself sharp by practicing on his calculator and can swiftly perform large calculations from his head. However, his biggest hobby by far is reading at least one book in every field of science, life skills and most importantly Islam.
His Teachers & Scholars
Aqeeda: Dr. Naser Al-aql, and Dr. Abdulaziz Muhammed Abdul-Latif.
Tafseer & Quran Science: Dr. Abdulbadee' Abu Hashim, Dr. Muhammed Alkhudairi, and Sh. Yasir Alshaf''i.
Quran Recitation: Ustad Muhammed Abus-S'oud, and Ustadh Muhammed Fat'hallah.
Hadeeth Sciences and Explanation: Dr. Faleh Alsagheer, Sh. Mustafa Muhammed Mustafa, Sh. Tariq Awadallah Muhammed, and Sheikh Islam Mansoor.
Principals & Rules of Fiqh: Prof. Iyadh Nami Assullami, and Sh. Abdulmuhsin Az-Zamil
Fiqh: Prof. Abdullah Musa Al-'Ammar, Sh. Muhammed Khalil, Sh. Sa'd Alkhathlan, and Sh. Ibraheem Ad-Dijwi.
Arabic Language: Dr. Ibrahim Alqurashi, Dr. Muhammed Alsubaiheen, Ustad Muhammed Dosouqi, Ustad Ibraheem Dakroori, Ustad Ahmed Albiltagi, and Ustad Ezzat Muhammed.
Islamic History: Ustad Ahmed Alqirm, and Ustad Ibraheem Imad
Manners, Purification, & Seera: Dr. Ahmed Albatily, Dr. Yasir Alshaf'i, and Sh. Abdussalam Ali
Contemporary (Islamic Economics, Politics, & Family Law): Prof. Sulaiman Qasim Al-Eid, Sh. Ibrahim As-Sayyari, & Sh. Ibraheem 'Irsan.
How does Ilm Path Academy differ from the competition?
Since all Islamic institutes have a common goal in mind (to increase the level of knowledge in the Ummah) Ilm Path cooperates with other institutes and tries to expand on their work. However, we do compete with each other, but for the highest place in Paradise. And for that reason, Ilm Path has some unique characteristics which sets it apart from the competition, which are summarized as follows:
1. Unique Courses: we are offering some courses that were never offered before in the weekend Islamic Seminars field. This includes the Entire History of Islam, Tafseer of the entire Quran, Life Skills Training, Famous Classical Texts, and indepth studies of selected topics of importance. In addition, we also offer the same fundamental courses that are offered by other institutes but in a new unique way. For more information, please view the tab titled "New Unique Courses" above.
2. Interactivity: we have redesigned the concept of an Islamic Classroom to make it the most interactive class experience you could ever witness. The classes are offered in a trademarked quiz show style to keep you on your heals from the begining of the class to the end. You will be thrilled to live these moments that we are confident you will never miss any of our classes again. We have also incorporated the modern training techniques that are offered to large companies and brought them inside our classes.
3. Affordability: Ilm Path Academy presents the highest level of professionalism in offering Islamic Studies while doing it at a relatively low cost compared to other institutes. In order to be able to do that, we have outsourced many of our jobs to high level professionals living all around the world, thus brining you a unique educational experience at the lowest possible price, just to cover our running expenses. For those who still cannot afford our low cost courses, we will be offering scholarships soon once we recover the startup cost of the Academy.
4. Reaching out to New Regions: Currently, weekend Islamic Institues have only been reaching out to Large Cities due to limitations in budgets and Instructor times. In order to solve this problem and fulfill the needs, Ilm Path is also going to reach out to Middle Sized Cities in addition to Large Cities insha'llah. If you want Ilm Path to come to your city, please do not hesitate to contact us!
5. Variety of Degrees Offered: we offer a Diploma of Islamic Studies, a B.A in Islamic Studies, a B.A in Tafseer Studies, and a Diploma in Life Skills Training. More degrees will be added to our lineup soon insha'llah.
6. Online Islamic Courses: we have made huge investments in the latest technologies which will allow us to teach a course using multimedia side by side with PowerPoint slides, all at the comfort of your home. That way, you will have a home experience that rivals being in a live classroom.
7. Online Exams: no more do you have to drive to a classroom at a later time to take the exam, thus solving the problem for those who commute to take a weekend course. You can learn at your own pace and take the exam at the comfort of your home. We have installed an advanced system that is capable of randomly choosing 100 questions from a pool of 500 questions, thus adding credibility to the online exam, ensuring that no two students will ever get the same test. That means we are one step closer to accreditation!
8. Courses are taught at an extreme in-depth level: for students who have tried studying at local Islamic universities and institutes, they will notice that the courses often have been trimmed to be finished in a timely manner, as well as meet the needs of the largest number of students. Ilm Path offers the often-lacked in-depth of study, yet delivers it in a very easy way to make it understandable by serious students of knowledge.
We currently have more than 180 courses that are planned to be offered in the near future, which you could view a sample of in the "Seminars" menu. Some of these courses have never been offered by a Weekend Islamic Institute before, and there is a high demand for them. In addition to what other Islamic Institutes are offering, the following is a list of examples of unique courses:
1. Islamic History: for the first time, students will be able to study the entire Islamic History, from the birth of the Prophet and until our times. We will teach the Seera, the four Khulafa period, and then we will dive into the Umayyad Empire, the Abassid Empire, the Ottoman Empire and fall of the Khilafa, and then will seal it with Contemporary Islamic History. We will also offer a more indepth look at special History courses such as the History of Andalus, and the History of Palestine.
2. Entire Tafseer of Quran: we are going to teach the explanation of every Surah in the Quran, gathered from dozens of authentic tafseer and over 6000 authentic resources. We will hear together insha'allah some of the best explanations that scholars ever produced for the Holy Book. And no Tafseer will be complete without applying the message of the Quran to our daily life and current issues, and then we could learn solutions for all problems of humanity and derive valuable lessons.
3.Classical Texts: we will study famous classical Islamic books that scholars have been studying for thousands of years. For the first time, they will be translated into English and will be studied in depth, thus Ilm Path will bring the past to the future.
4. Life Skills Training: do you have problems managing your time? do you want to learn advanced communication skills? do you want to know the laws of Success in this life? do you want to have financial freedom? how about speaking to a large audience? Ilm Path is brining all of this for you and much more! Learn essential life skills that would transform your life immediately and make you a succesful and productive Muslim for your community and the whole Ummah.
5. High Level In-Depth Study of specific Topics: we will be going as deep as the ocean in studying selected Islamic topics. For example, instead of only offering a course about the 6 pillars of Eman (faith), we will take a whole entire course about Predestination (Qadar) and talk about every possible question or situation related to that topic, thus you will get an indepth look into special topics that you cannot find offered in any other Islamic Weekend Institute in North America.
6. Matns: This is how Ilm Path brings the past to the future and clearly differs from other institutes. Using a Matn is the way that all scholars have been taught through-out Islamic history, from the time of the four Imams until our era. Ever wondered how scholars would study thousands of pages of knowledge, yet remember almost every little detail in those pages? A Matn is an extremely summarized version of classical books and sciences, either in a paragraph format or a poem format. Scholars would first read the short matn several times to remember its content, and then would study the explanation of the matn by a higher level scholar who gives them an ijaza when they complete the explanation of the matn. That way, you would read a 20 page Matn that summarizes a 500 page book for you so that you remember all details. Ilm Path Academy is translating those matns for the first time to the English audience.
In addition to Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem (biography on far left tab), Ilm Path Academy has the following lineup of All-Star Scholars and Instructors:
Sh. Dr. Reda Bedeir
Dr. Reda Bedeir carries a life-time worth of achievements. From the land of Egypt, Dr. Reda Bedeir was invited by the University of Calgary to teach Arabic for them and then moved to Vancouver to serve as Imam. Currently, Dr. Reda holds two Bachelor's degrees, one in Islamic Sciences with AlAzhar Univeristy, one Master's degree, and two Ph.Ds with AlAzhar University: one of which is on Surat Yusuf. Dr. Reda Bedeir has held these positions either in the present or in the past: Instructor and Muslim Chaplain at University of Calgary and Mount Royal College, Associate Professor at Al Azhar University, chairman of the English Department, Faculty of Humanities for Women, al-Azhar University, Imam of Calgary Islamic Center and now in Vancouver, UN Interpreter & Translator, Muslim Consultant and Marriage Officer. Dr. Reda has authored many researches and papers, and has translated numerous books including: a 6-volume book entitled: “Afaat Ala-Ttareeq” (Obstacles on the Path of Da'wah) by Professor Al-Sayed Muhammad Noah into English.
Sh. Navaid Aziz
From Montreal, Quebec, where he was born in 1981, Shaykh Navaid Aziz obtained a degree in Economics and Social Science from Champlain College. After that he went to the Islamic University of Madinah where he spent three years attaining a diploma in Arabic before attaining his Bachelor's Degree in Shari’ah. His main areas of interest include: Aqeedah, Hadeeth, Qawaa'id fiqhiyah and Maqaasid ash-Shari'ah. Sh Navaid plans to pursue his Master's degree in either Arabic or Religious Studies. With his zeal and passion for the community, Navaid Aziz will continues his work in the community as a marriage and youth counselor. As part of his aspirations in benefitting the Ummah, Navaid Aziz plans to author books that would be relevent to the English speaking Ummah. Navaid Aziz has studied under many prominent scholars in Saudi Arabia including: Sh. Ahmad Rashid Ar-Ruhaily, Sh. Salih As-Sindhee, Sh. Salih Al-'Aqeel, Sh. Ahmad Al-Ghunaymaan, Sh. Mohammad Mukhtar Ash-Shinqueetee, Sh. Abdul-Muhsin Al-'Abbad. Sh. Abdur-Razzaq Al-'Abbad, just to name a few. Navaid Aziz is one of the latest additions to AlMaghrib's instructor line-up as well as one of the youngest.
Sh. Kamal El Mekki
Kamal El Mekki is a well-known Islamic speaker and lecturer in the United states. He has studied with numerous scholars from around the world and is currently the Imam of George Mason University. He is mostly popular for his dawah workshop, “How to Give a Shahadah in Ten Minutes”. The workshop is six hours long and has been taught across the United States and throughout the world. It has been attended by thousands and has led hundreds into Islam. He also teaches a number of intensive courses designed for youth and has many lectures especially in the field of Islamic history. He has also served as a radio talk show host for a large Islamic radio station in America. Sheikh Yusuf Estes says about Ustadh Kamal " He is well known to me for 10 years, and I can tell you without hesitation, he is excellent for this area of Islam. His methods are on the cutting edge modern day presentations and he understands the minds of the people of the west".
Sh. Suleiman Anwar
Sh. Suleiman Anwar is a graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and has a Masters Degree in Islamic Studies. He is fluent in Arabic, English, Spanish, and Italian. He is currently an Imam in the Maryland state prison system and an Imam at Masjid Bayt-Allah in Baltimore. Imam Suleiman has been involved in Islamic propagation (da'wa) for the last 25 years. He is a frequent speaker at many masajid in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and Canada.
Qari Imran Khan
Qari Imran Khan’s journey began when he used to visit Makkah and Madinah with his parents while still a young boy, listening and marveling at the beauty of the Muaddhin and Qurra who would lead Salah in Haramain. He went to school in Jeddah and completed his high school from Hyderabad, India.
While still in Jeddah, his love for Qur’anic recitation led him to pursue his studying with various Imams, reciters, and scholars one of whom was Sheikh Ali Jaber, Imam of Makkah, may Allah have mercy on him. After finishing his high school Qari Imran moved to Halifax, Canada for pursue further education. He took a diploma in Electronic Engineering and received a B.tech from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
In his quest to influence and inspire others he studied under Sheikh Anmar Nassir who taught him the intricate details of Tajweed, the Art of recitation of Qur’an. Later, he received a verbal certification to teach Tajweed throughout the world. While on visit to Saudi Arabia he met Sheikh Anmar who took him to meet his Sheikh whose chain of reciters goes all the way back to Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. He got the honor of receiving Azan certification from Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz Ayoon As Soud, son of Sheikh Abdul Azeez Ayoon As Soud.
He has given Azan and Tajweed seminars across the world namely, US, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and India. He has delivered Azan seminars more than a dozen times and delivered 55 workshops on Tajweed. His Tajweed workshop uses modern researched method to help anyone learn Tajweed rules in a very practical, and effective way. His Tajweed program has been featured on Sharjah TV that was broadcasted over 45 countries for the last 3 years.
Sh. Rif'aat
A graduate from Al-Azhr University, member of the Canadian Council of Imams, and the Imam of the Islamic Centre of Barrie in Ontario, Canada, Sheikh Rif'aat will be teaching at Ilm Path. A detailed biography will be posted soon.
Sh. Musleh Khan
Sheikh Muslen Khan has grew up in Toronto and has spent 8 years living and studying in Medina at the Islamic University. A detailed biography will be posted soon.
Ilm Path Instructors Qualifications
Our instructors are qualified teachers: Ilm Path instructors are either holding a masters degree in Islamic Studies, or are in the process of achieving one. Instructors holding a Bachelor degree with an outstanding portfolio are also accepted on an exceptional basis.
Our instructors are qualified trainers: The instructors must be exposed to modern training techniques in order to deliver the high quality interactive classes that are a trademark of Ilm Path. All instructors must pass the training-the-trainer course.
Our instructors are native in both English and Arabic: only by guaranteeing that our instructors are fully and natively bi-lingual will you know that you are getting the most accurate translation of the classical Islamic texts. We will also hire instructors who are at least native in one of those languages to be able to reach out to as many regions as possible.
Our instructors follow textual proofs: Instructors of Ilm Path have studied comparative Fiqh, and are able to teach the Fiqh of any mathhab. However, the advantage is that what they teach is usually the strongest opinion from the four mathhabs that confirms with the Quran and Sunna. This helps in uniting the Muslim Ummah on the sources and reducing the confusion of the students, while increasing their confidence in that every ruling is based on a textual proof, not just a scholar's opinion.
Our instructors are free of belonging to any groups, sects, or movements: only the teachings of Ahl Alsunna wa Aljama'a are being taught at this Academy as was taught by the prophet -salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam- and how his companions understood Islam.
Ilm Path Academy has hired 24 paid employees to insure the highest level of professionalism in its quality of delivery. (Some last names have been replaced with initials for privacy reasons)
