Our Board of Directors
Dedicated community members guiding our mission to empower lives through the transformative power of Zakat in North Carolina.
Shaykh Omar Mohsin - Scholarly Council
Shaykh Omar Mohsin grew up in New York City. In 2009, he traveled to Tarῑm, Yemen, where he spent seven years studying under the foremost scholars of Yemen, specializing in Shāfiʿī Fiqh. He is the first American to complete the rigorous six-year curriculum at the prestigious Ribāt of Tarῑm. In late 2016, he moved to North Carolina.
He studied full-time for seven years at a seminary called "The Ribāt" in the Ḥaḍramawt valley of Yemen. Established in 1886, this seminary is renowned for its rigorous and traditional curriculum, focusing on Shāfiʿī Fiqh, and maintaining a teaching methodology unchanged since its inception. Unlike the Western approach prevalent in many Islamic colleges today, The Ribāt methodically guides students through every book in the curriculum, covering each one comprehensively and explaining every single word.
This traditional teaching style, reminiscent of older seminaries across the Muslim world, remains steadfast. Under the guidance of current muftis and senior scholars in the region, he became the first Western student to graduate from the school. The culmination of the curriculum, the final book designed to prepare students for issuing Fatwas, required three years to complete and spans almost 600 pages. Like every other book, it was taught cover to cover, with detailed explanations. Additionally, they were mandated to study a ten-volume commentary alongside it, showcasing the uncommon level of rigor in our studies.
In addition to Fiqh, every other subject is taught at The Ribāt, including ʿArabic sciences, ʿAqῑdāh, Usūl al-Fiqh, Ḥadith, Tafsῑr, and more.
Since graduating, he has continued his studies and has been striving to guide people to Allah by teaching the religion and encouraging spiritual growth and self-purification. He is dedicated to conveying the authentic teachings of Islam, as preserved and transmitted through the scholarly tradition, without calling people to partisanship of any kind, whether religious or political.
Maha Ali - Board Member
Maha was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. For over fifteen years, she has served in the healthcare field as a registered nurse, dedicating her professional life to caring for others and supporting the wellbeing of those in her community.
Alongside her professional work, she is a student of knowledge pursuing the Islamic sacred sciences under the guidance of the local scholar, Shaykh Omar Mohsin. She remains committed to the traditional path of seeking knowledge through qualified teachers and the established scholarly tradition.
Maha is deeply committed to serving her community and supporting others through both care and education. With the permission and encouragement of her teachers, she strives to contribute to the revival and preservation of traditional Islam by assisting sisters in her community and sharing beneficial knowledge through teaching, mentorship, and community service.
Through these efforts, she hopes to serve people in a meaningful way while playing a small role in preserving and transmitting the rich scholarly heritage of Islam, and benefit for the wider community.
Hadee El-Kattan - Board Member
Hadee was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, where he grew up watching his parents invest in and uplift their local community. Inspired by their example, he has remained deeply engaged in every community he has been part of since. While pursuing his degree at Auburn University, he served for two years on the Executive Board of the Auburn Islamic Center, contributing to its growth and development.
After completing his studies, Hadee relocated to the Triangle area and began his career in the analytics industry. He currently works as a Strategy Analyst for a local technology company. Alongside his professional career, he has remained actively involved in several Islamic organizations, identifying opportunities to strengthen their effectiveness and expand their impact at the local level.
His commitment to community service, coupled with his ongoing pursuit of sacred knowledge, previously under Shaykh Omar Mohsin and currently with Shaykh Abdullahi Ahmed, has shaped his dedication to ensuring that Zakat meaningfully serves and uplifts the local community.
Yousef Mohsin - Board Member
Yousef Mohsin has been involved with the organization since its founding and serves on the Board of Directors. He joined with the conviction that Zakat is an amanah that must be distributed strictly within the eight categories outlined in the Qur’an (9:60)
With a background in technology and systems work, he supports disciplined oversight, financial integrity, and operational transparency, striving to ensure adherence to Shari’ah guidance in all aspects of the organization’s work.
Zaid El Baroudi- Board Member
Zaid El Baroudi is a nonprofit development and operations specialist who has worked with over twelve Muslim nonprofit organizations across the United States. His work focuses on strengthening fundraising efforts and improving operational efficiency to help organizations better serve their communities.
He is passionate about serving the Ummah by helping build and strengthen Muslim institutions that support and uplift Muslims across America.
Zaid began working to form Ansar NC alongside other students of Shaykh Omar Mohsin after studying the spirit and fiqh of zakat. Through this study, he became increasingly aware of how neglected and misallocated this obligation has become in our time. This realization motivated the effort to develop stronger systems that ensure zakat reaches those it was intended for, with the goal of creating a meaningful and lasting impact for Muslims in need.
Ishrat Hafiz- Board Member
Ishrat Hafiz serves on the Board of Directors and brings a background in strategic program management, supporting complex initiatives that require strong governance, standardization, and operational oversight.
She joined the organization out of a conviction that Zakat is a sacred trust that must be distributed with clarity, integrity, and adherence to the guidelines established in the Qur’an and the scholarly tradition.
Ishrat has also served as a Sunday school teacher across several local masjids and has been studying the Islamic sciences through classes with Shaykh Omar Mohsin. Through her work with the organization, she hopes to support responsible stewardship of Zakat and ensure it reaches those who are truly entitled to it.