Shaykha Iman Badawi is an American-born Muslim female scholar of Egyptian origin. She is a descendant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through our master Husayn. In Ramaḍān of 1443, Shaykha Iman founded Fitra Foundation and Sayyida Nafīsa Seminary.
Shaykha Iman possess a rich background in the sacred sciences, having formally studied over 100 texts in all the main and auxiliary Islamic disciplines with over 30 teachers from around the world including the US, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
While she specializes in Ḥanafī fiqh and uṣūl, she has also studied with Shafiʿī scholars. In addition, she has an avid interest in Ḥadīth Studies and Qurʾānic Exegesis and holds an ijāzah in the recitation of the Qurʾān. Shaykha Iman also has extensive background in taṣawwuf (spiritual tenants), having practiced two tariqa styles for a decade each and studied others.
Shaykha’s educational experience is diverse, having studied in the traditional method, university setting, Syrian-style, and dars-i-nizāmī. Through bringing these varied educational experiences together, she aspires to develop an optimum pedagogy for imparting the sacred sciences.
Prior to embarking upon her journey in sacred knowledge, upon graduating high school, Shaykha Iman accepted admission into a seven-year medical program. During her undergraduate years, she founded and became the first president of her university’s Muslim Student Association. She was also the co-chair and program director of the MSA National East Zone convention.
She received her undergraduate degree from RPI in Biology, with a focus on ecology and conservation, child development and Islamic pedagogy. Later, she left her medical career to focus on sacred study, teaching, and rearing her children.
Shaykha Iman has been an educator for over 20 years, with experience in teaching adults, youth, and children, including home schooling her own children up to high school. As a young student of sacred knowledge, Shaykha Iman was given license to teach, leading to the founding of Ḥalaqat-un-Nūr (the Circle of Light), a study circle and community service initiative for women, providing religious education and philanthropic services.
In addition, Shaykha has taught in both weekend and full-time Islamic schools. She has spoken nationally and internationally at several Islamic conferences and college campuses for over a decade.
In addition to teaching women the Islamic sciences for over a decade, Shaykha Iman also mothered several community initiatives including refugee assistance, family counselling, and convert support. She founded the Family Enrichment Network (FEN) aimed at providing educational and recreational gatherings for parents and their children. She is a recipient of the CAIR award for distinction in community service.
Shaykha Iman has been active in daʿwa and interfaith work for several years and was interviewed by the BBC during her Ḥajj journey. She has also been an advisor to textbook publishers on the sections related to Islam and Muslims.
Our Shaykha has dedicated her life to the preservation of sacred knowledge, the upholding of the standard of scholarship, community service, and the rearing of her children.
She is a mother of three, an equestrian, amateur astronomer, orange-belt in bojutsu and falconer in-training.
May Allah’s infinite peace & blessings be upon Rasūlullāh, his pure progeny & folk, along with his gleaming companions, illuminated inheritors and all loyal followers until the Last Day.
