Our mission at MESBA is to transform Islamic education across the United States. We work directly with masjids, schools, and community centers to establish and strengthen after-school Maktab programs, Hifdh programs, Weekend Schools, and full-time Islamic schools.
MESBA provides a comprehensive, tailored approach to Islamic education, guiding institutions through every step—from curriculum development and teacher training to community engagement and program management.
Our vision is to ensure that every Muslim child in North America receives high-quality, structured Islamic education that preserves their faith and strengthens their identity. Through our programs, we help children grow into individuals with strong character, a deep connection to their faith, and the skills to navigate the challenges of the modern world.
We are committed to building the next generation of Muslim leaders—empowering them to thrive and contribute positively to their families, communities, and society.
In 2015, few scholars and concerned brothers of greater New York gathered to discuss how to preserve Islam in USA. Guidance was sought in this regard from successful programs running worldwide. Some ulama travelled to the following countries to get training about their Maktab/Islamic Studies programs. Some of the organizations which were visited are: Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (Johannesburg), Talimi Board KZN (Durban, South Africa), Ml Yusuf Bikoo’s program (Souths America), ACJU All Ceylon Jamiat-ul-Ulama (Sri Lanka), An-Nasiha Publications (UK), Deeniyat (Mumbai, India), Qasim Institute (Bangalore, India), Noorani Maktab (Bangladesh).
Since then, MESBA has supported over 100 communities in establishing and growing their Maktab, Hifz, and Islamic School programs, aiming to strengthen Islamic education across the country. After seeing the growth and success of many programs nationwide, the need was felt for an organization which will provide a support system for all the masjids/communities in America that want to develop and grow in their educational programs. This organization would not only support existing maktab/Islamic Studies programs, but also would work to help establish maktabs/Islamic Schools in each and every Muslim community in the US where the local community would take the initiative.
Mufti Ubaidullah Awal completed his memorization of the Qurʾān in Trenton, NJ, in 1997 and later revised it at Ashraful Uloom in 1999. He began his formal Islamic studies in Azadville, South Africa, in 2000 and completed his advanced studies in hadith (Dawrah Ḥadīth) at Jamiatul Uloom Al Islamiya in Dhaka in 2007. He further specialized in Islamic jurisprudence (Iftāʾ) at Jamiah Iqra in Dhaka, graduating in 2014.
Mufti Ubaidullah has contributed to Islamic education and community development on a global scale, traveling to countries such as South Africa, the UK, South America, Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh. Since 2015, he has been actively engaged in organizing Maktab and Islamic Studies workshops while advising and supporting numerous masjids and Islamic centers worldwide. Currently, he serves as the director of MESBA, continuing his leadership in Islamic education and community outreach.
After his stint at Columbia University, he was able to complete his alimiyyah course in the year 2000 at Jamia Binoria, Karachi. Molana Suhel is currently a senior teacher in Darul Uloom New York, serving there for over two decades. He was also a senior Maktab/Islamic Studies teacher at Masjid Bilal (Farmingdale Long Island) a MESBA affiliated maktab program. Masjid Bilal was one of the pioneer testing grounds for the MESBA-affiliated organized Maktab program. He is currently the supervisor of Muhammadi Masjid maktab where 200+ boys and girls are studying according to MESBA guidelines. Molana Suhel is the Secretary of MESBA.
Mufti Tofael Nuruddin was raised in Montreal, Canada. He memorized the Qurʾān at Al-Rashid Islamic Institute in Cornwall, Canada in 2008. He went on to further his Islamic studies in the same institute, and later travelled to South Africa. He studied the Dars-e-Niẓāmī, graduating from Darul Uloom Azaadville in South Africa. He also has ijāzāt in ḥadīth from multiple elderly scholars of ḥadīth including Shaykh Yūnus Jaunpūri, Shaykh Niʿmatullāh al-Aʿẓamī, Shaykh Rābiʿ al-Nadwī. He later specialized in issuing legal responsa (fatāwā) at Jamiah Qasimul Uloom. He was also in the Specialist in Philosophy program at University of Toronto before transferring to Columbia University, where he completed his degree in Philosophy and MESAAS.
He has taught and served in multiple communities in Toronto, MA, PA, and NY. Currently, he serves as the Program Coordinator at Nida-ul-Islam in NJ. He is also the founder of FIKR, where he has developed multiple programs for youth to ferment their Islamic identity. His passion remains in research as he has authored multiple papers and books.
After completing his Hifz at Jaamiatul Uloom Al Islaamiyah Ajax Canada in 2000, he began the ʿĀlimiyyah at Darul Uloom NY, then travelled overseas to complete the course in Karachi Pakistan at the largest seminary in the country, Jaamia Binoria Alamiyyah in 2006.
After returning from overseas Maulana Afzal gained extensive experience in establishing and running successful maktab programs in Connecticut and Long Island.
He is the Secretary of the Islamic Center of Deer Park (Long Island, NY) which is also one of the MESBA-affiliated organized Maktab programs and has over 80 students in their evening Maktab/Islamic Studies program. He is also active as a senior maktab administrator there. He serves as an examiner for MESBA affiliated programs and is the President of MESBA.
Mufti Abdullah, a scholar of Islamic law from Buffalo, NY, currently serves as Program Supervisor at MESBA, overseeing the educational growth of students in 40 Hifdh and Maktab programs across the nation.
His academic journey began at Darul Uloom Al Madania, where he completed his Islamic education, including Hifdh and ʿĀlimiyyah in 2014. He furthered his scholarly pursuits by completing iftā (specialization in Islamic law) from Jamia Binoria, Karachi, in 2016.
Prior to his current role, Mufti Abdullah served as a Hifdh and ʿĀlimiyyah instructor at Darul Uloom Al Madania from 2016 to 2019. He also served as the Imam and Resident Scholar at the Islamic Association of Long Island in Selden, NY from 2019 to 2024.
Maulana Ghulam Rabbani is a distinguished Islamic scholar, educator, and trainer with decades of experience in leadership, teaching, and teacher training. He has served as the principal of Birmingham Islamic School in the UK for over ten years and led Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya for more than twelve years. Since 2016, he has been the principal and chairman of Highgate Academy in Birmingham and has also chaired the Muin Welfare Trust since 2007. Additionally, he holds the position of principal at Jamiah Arabiyah Moinul Islam in Netrokona, Bangladesh, further extending his influence in Islamic education.
Beyond his leadership roles, Maulana Ghulam Rabbani has made significant contributions to Islamic education worldwide. He has conducted workshops across Europe in countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and Turkey, training over 500 teachers in North America on effective methods for teaching Qaidah, Nazirah, Surah, and Dua. His expertise includes classroom management, behavior strategies, and student engagement techniques. As a certified Mesba Qaidah trainer, he continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing Islamic education through his training programs for teachers and educators.
We ensure to bring assessors to ensure quality in maktabs. Parents see the responsibility and accountability.
Our methods are taken from successful maktab systems in Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, and UK.
From 2016 to 2025, we have grown from supervising 1 maktab with 20 students to 40 maktabs with 5000+ students.
