Birth and Family Shaikh Mamdouh Mustafa Mahmoud was born on Monday, 6th. of Rabi’ AlAwal 1393 Hijri, corresponding to April 9th 1973 CE, in Alqiratiyeen - one of the small towns of Greater Cairo-Egypt.
Shaikh Mamdouh was raised in a practicing Muslim family and he started memorizing Qura’n at the age of 4 under the supervision of his father, Shaikh Moustafa Mahmoud, who is currently serving as the Imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, North Zone Masjid in Texas.
Academic Education Shaikh Mamdouh was exempted from the age limit to join the first grade in one of the Al-Azhar institutes and was able to attend the first grade while he was only 4. He finished memorizing Qura’n when he was 10 and graduated from Al-Azhar high school in 1990 finishing his basic Islamic Studies including Fiqh (in the Mathhab of Imam Abu Hanifah) spanning almost 7 years. He joined Al-Azhar University in Cairo to study Arabic and English Literature, in addition to extensive Islamic Studies courses. He graduated in 1994 with a B.A. in Islamic Studies and English Literature. His course work included the following:
• Quranic Sciences • Tafseer • Fiqh • Seerah • Aqeedah • Hadeeth • Arabic • English literature
Currently, He is working on his masters degree in the fundamentals of religion from Sharia Academy.
Efforts in Dawah After his graduation, he worked as a teacher in Al-Azhar High School for one year and visited Houston, Texas in 1996 to lead the Taraweeh prayers. Then he moved to the United States and served as the Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (South-East MasjidAbu Bakr Assiddique) from 1996 to 2001. He was also teaching Quran, Arabic and Islamic Studies at Darul Arqam Islam School, a subsidiary of ISGH. During this period, he also worked as a volunteer Muslim Chaplain in the Texas prison system (click for certificate) and as a contract Imam with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the United States Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas. He served as a part-time Imam with the Islamic Society of Lafayette, Louisiana till 2002. In addition, he has taught Arabic courses for adults, and Quranic recitation for children, at various locations in Houston. He participated in many Islamic educational programs in different Cities in the states of Texas and Louisiana. From 2002-2003, he worked as the Imam and Director of Galveston Islamic Center. During that time, Sh. Mamdouh was the first Muslim chaplain working with pastoral care at the University of Texas Medical branch in Galveston TX. He has led Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan at various cities including Houston (TX), Woodland (TX), Galveston (TX), Colorado Springs (CO), and Eden Prairie (MN).
From 2004-2005, he served as the Director and Assistant Imam of Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During that time, he founded and led a team establishing the MCC after School and weekend school in Bloomington, MN and helped training Rochester Islamic center weekend school teachers. He also helped founding the Building Blocks of Islam, which is a non for profit organization serving the Muslim community of Minnesota (http://www.thebuildingblocks.org). From 2006-2009, he served as the full time Imam and Director of the Eden prairie Islamic community center (EPICC), also known as the Islamic Institute of Minnesota, South-West chapter in Eden Prairie, MN, and Alhamdulillah he led the effort of collecting funds to acquire a new building to serve as the community center for the Muslims which is now a reality with 16400 Sq feet 2 story building standing on a 2 .5 acres of usable land. During this time he taught Arabic as a second language (ASL) and Tajweed classes in English at the Islamic University of Minnesota which he helped founding.
He is also a founding member of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of Minnesota (IJCM), the Quraa (Quran reciters) Association of America, and a member of the North American Imam Federation (NAIF). He is currently the manager of Sharia Academy of America- Houston branch http://shariaacademy.com/houston which he helped founding and the Imam of masjid Al-Ansar serving the Woodlands and Conroe, TX.
Shaikh Mamdouh has many Islamic recordings covering the subjects of Aqeedah, Tafseer, Hadeeth explanation, morals, seerah, Islamic life, family matters, and Muslim society.
He is a lecturer at the Sharia Academy of America (online courses as well as the onsite weekend seminars around the US) which is supported by Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America. Sh, Mamdouh is a founding member of Sharia Academy of America Houston branch, officially started October of 2008 which is currently offering one weekend monthly seminars towards a four diplomas program to get a BA in Sharia.
His Shaikhs A detailed list of his Shaikhs, past and present, is as follows:
1. Sh. Moustafa Mahmoud (his father): Shaikh Mamdouh learned his reading and writing skills from his father and started memorizing Quran under him. He also learned from him other classical arts such as Nahw, Sarf, Balagha, and Arabic linguistics and literature.
2. Sh. Mohammad Hasan (may Allah have mercy on his soul): Shaikh Mamdouh memorized Quran under his supervision while attending the Al-Azhar Elementary School. Later on, he learned the Tajweed from his son, Sh. Sayed Hasan while attending the Al-Azhar Middle School.
3. Sh. Mohammad Barbari (may Allah have mercy on his soul) - a local Shaikh of his town: Shaikh Mamdouh memorized until Surat Taha under his supervision.
4. Sh. Qari Faydul Haq (from Ahl Hadith Masjid in Islamabad, Pakistan): Sh. Mamdouh finished memorizing Quran under him at the age of 10 while he was in Pakistan with his dad who was sent there by Al-Azhar to teach Arabic.
5. Sh. Sayed Bihiri (may Allah have mercy on his soul) – the Quran instructor at Al-Azhar High School: Shaikh Mamdouh read large portions of Quran with him according to the academic curriculum.
6. Sh. Mohammad Hamid (a local shaikh of his town): Sh. Mamdouh recited Quran with Tajweed on him after finishing high school. (According to the Qiraat of Aasim, narration of Hafs with Qasr Al-Munfasil).
7. Shaikh Salamah Kamil Jumuaa (a senior shaikh and a current member of Al-Azhar administration): Shaikh Mamdouh studied Alfiyat Ibn Malik in Nahw and Sarf (Arabic grammar and morphology) under him.
8. Dr. Ahmad Jaad: Shaikh Mamdouh learned Al-Aroud, Balagah and Adab (Arabic literature) from him.
9. Sh. Ahmad Al-Garbawi ( may Allah have mercy on his soul): Shaikh Mamdouh studied Fiqh (in the mathhab of Abu Hanifah) under him while attending Al-Azhar Middle School.
10. Sh. Mohammad Al-Tuhami: Shaikh Mamdouh continued learning Fiqh (in the mathbah of Abu Hanifah) under him while attending Al-Azhar High School.
11. Sh. Mahmoud Al-Dimiri: Shaikh Mamdouh studied Tafseer under him while attending Al-Azhar High School.
12.. Dr. Nasr Farid Wasil – the former Grand Mufti of Egypt: Sh. Mamdouh learned comparative Fiqh from him while attending Al-Azhar University.
Shaikh Mamdouh also studied other subjects such as Hadith and Aqeedahfrom many other shaikhs while attending Al-Azhar Elementary, Middle, and High schools.
13 Sh. Hafiz Thana’ullah Al-Madani: Sh. Mamdouh read sections of Sahih Al-Bukhari on him while Sh. Thana'ullah was visiting Houston TX, United States in year 2004 and 2005.
14. Dr. Salah Asawi: Sh. Mamdouh listened to Dr. Asawi’s explanation of the book of the fiqh of family affairs, read many of his books and articles and always consults him in the matters of Fiqh and Fatwa, as well as personal advices.
16. Sh. Waleed Idrees Menesse: Sh. Mamdouh is presently studying under Shaikh Waleed Idrees Al-Menesee (May Allah protect him), the Imam of Dar Al-Farooq (Minneapolis) and one of the renowned Muslim scholars and jurists of our time.
“Knowing Sh. Waleed was the turning point in my life as a daii and as a seeker of knowledge. Being his student is truly a great Nimah (favor) that Allah bestowed upon me” Sh. Mamdouh said.
Sh. Mamdouh attained the following “ijazahs” from him:
- An “Ijazah” in the recitation of Quran in many different recitation styles including Aasim (2003), Nafi', Ibn Kathir according to the way of “Ashatibyyah”, Abu Jaafar according to the way of “Addurrah”(2006). The narration of Hafs from Asim with its different variations according to the way of “Attayybah” (2009) with a chain of narration reaching the Prophet (Sallalahu Aleyhi Wasallam). According to the latest Ijazah, there are 28 narrators between The prophet S.A.A.W and Shaikh Mamdouh in the recitation of Hafs.
- An Ijazah in the six books of Hadeeth as well as other collections of Sunnan and Fiqh.
Shaikh Mamdouh has also attained the permission (Ijazah) from Sh. Waleed to narrate and teach what Sh. Waleed is authorized to narrate and teach. Sh. Mamdouh personally listened to several Mutoon (texts) and Shurooh (explanations) from Sh. Waleed and a brief list of them is as follows: - The explanation of Al-Aqeedah At-Tahawiyah - The explanation of Al-Waraqaat in Usul Al-Fiqh - The explanation of Al-Ajurrumiyah in Nahw - The explanation of Al-Rahbiyah in Miraath (inheritance) - The explanation of Nukhbat Al-Fikar in fundamentals of Hadeeth - The explanation of Al-Umda in the Fiqh of Imam Ahmad (the mathhab that Shaikh Mamdouh adopted since then) - The explanation of Al-Jazariyah in Tajweed - The explanation of Hilyat Talib-ul-Ilm (the Ettiqutes of Seeking Knowledge) by Sh. Bakr Abu Zaid - The explanation of the books of fasting, Hajj and parts of the book of Marriage from Fiqh-us-Sunnah - The Tafseer of Surat An-Nisa’ and partial tafseer of Surat Al-Maidah from Tafseer Ibn Kathir - The explanation of the books of Al-Adhaan, Al-Jumua, Al-Dawaat, Al-Adab and Ar-Riqaaq from Fath-Al-Bari (A renowned explanation of Sahih Al-Bukari by Ibn Hajr).
Read the book of Kashf Ashubuhat.
-Listened to the explanation of large portions of Al-Iman Al-Awsat by Ibn Taymiyah…..
-Shaikh Mamdouh was also responsible for translating most of Sh. Waleed’s lectures to English language while working at Dar Alfarooq.
17. Shaikh Abdul Basit Hashim, who is one of the highest ranking scholars of Qiraat (recitation) and sciences of Quran: Shaikh Mamdouh recited Quran before him (the Hafs mode of recitation, as narrated in Attaybah) until surat Alkahf during his post Hajj visits to Egypt.
18. Shaikh Mamdouh has also benefited greatly from the writings and recordings of Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen, Sh. Muhammad Al-Ameen Al-Shanqiti (in Tafseer), Sh. Al-Albaani, Sh. Abdullah Assa’d (in hadeeth and its science), Sh. Mohammad ibn Muhammad Al-Ameen Al-Shanqiti (in Fiqh), Sh. Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan Ad-Daddo Al-Shanqiti, and numerous other scholars of our time.
19. Sh. Mamdouh also had the privilege of meeting several other shaikhs who had a profound effect on him. A few of them are:
- - Sh. Ahmad Radi – a senior Shaikh from Al-Azhar and who was a member of Al-Azhar fatwa council: Sh. Mamdouh benefited a lot from him during his stay in Houston, especially in issues pertaining to Maaliki fiqh.
- Sh. Ahmad Isa Al-Ma’saraawi – the head of the Egyptian council of Quran and the professor of Hadeeth at Al-Azhar University: Sh. Mamdouh met him in February 2007 during the grand opening of the IUMN in Minnesota and recited portions of Surat Mariyam in front of him.
- Shaikh Abdul-Aleem Abdul Jabbar (who resides in Al-Madina Al-Munawwarah and supervises the printing of Quran at the King Fahd complex): Sh. Mamdouh meets him every year during the Hajj season and recites portions of Quran to him
- Sh. Waleed Basyouni: Sh. Mamdouh attended some of his sessions on the explanation of Kitab Al-Tawheed and Al-Aqeedah Al-Waasitiyah. He also played an important role in acquainting Sh. Mamdouh with Sh. Waleed Idrees.
- Sh. Dr. Hatim Alhaj Ali – member of IJCM and a teacher in Sharia Academy: Sh. Mamdouh always seeks his advice in issues of Dawah and Fiqhi matters, especially the monetary transactions. Sh. Mamdouh studied parts of Al-Muthakira in Usul Al-Fiqh with him and attended his explanation of the books of purification, Salah and funerals from Alumdah by Ibn Qudamah.
Sh. Mamdouh also has good relationship with many shaikhs and Dai’s from around the world.
19. Sh. Mamdouh provided the simultaneous interpretations from Arabic to English language for many scholars and among them are:
Sh. Al-Allamah Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Rehmaan Ibn Jabrin Sh. Sa’d Al-Shaathri Sh. Hussein Aal Al-Shaikh, the Imam of the prophet’s Mosque Sh. Dr. Salah Assawi. Sh. Hafiz Thana'ullah Al-Madani
20. Sh. Mamdouh learned English language and literature while studying in Al-Azhar University. Some of his teachers are: Dr. Abdul Azeem Swailam (literary criticism) ,Dr. Mohamad Ghali (translation), Dr. Wagdi Al-Fishawi (theatre), Dr. Esam Fayez (writing), Dr. Salah Annufayli (novel and poetry), Dr. Hassan Wagih (culture and civilization), and many others.
21. Shaikh Mamdouh is mlti-lingual and can understand Spanish and Urdu as well. He can also speak a little of both.
