Dr. Saad Eldegwy holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Graduate Theological Foundation, South Bend, Indiana. He also graduated with an MA degree in Counseling from San Diego State University and a BA degree in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies from Dar El-Oloum Faculty in Cairo, Egypt.
Dr. Saad is also a certified haafith of the Holy Qur'aan. He has taught Qur'aan and Islamic studies at Al-Azhar Al-Shareef Institute and Sheikh Alhusari Center in Cairo, as well as the various mosques in San Diego where he has worked. He has worked as a full time imam at the Islamic Center of San Diego, Al-Rribat Islamic Center, and Masjid Alrahma. In addition to his duties as an imam, he also provided counseling and taught Fiqh, Tafseer, Hadith, Aqeedah, Seerah, Quran, Tajweed, and Arabic. Imam Saad also founded and taught in the Quranic and Arabic Studies Academy (QASA) of San Diego, the precursor to IQraa Academy of San Diego, which he cofounded in 2012. Dr. Saad has also worked as adjunct professor of Arabic Language and Middle Eastern History at San Diego State University and National University.
Dr. Saad is a member of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF), Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), the Muslim Leadership Council of San Diego, and the Interfaith Coalition of East County, San Diego area. In addition, he is a motivational speaker for Islamic Relief USA, and he is also a certified fundraising manager.
Currently, Dr. Saad works as the Director of IQraa Academy of San Diego, where he teaches Arabic, Qur'aan, Fiqh and Tafseer in addition to his director duties. He is alsoImam and Director of the Islamic Center of San Diego-East County.
Haafith Ridwan Gomez
Haafith Ridwan Gomez was born in Lagos Nigeria. He began his Islamic Studies of Arabic reading and tafseer of The Qur'aan at the age of 11 when he accepted Islam.
He later moved to the States and resides in Texas where he has benefitted from the knowledge of `aqeedah, fiqh and tafseer upon the understanding of the Sahaba for over 6 years from sheikhs who graduated from Damaaj in Yemen and Medina University.He began His full time memorization of Quran at the Age of 19 and completed in two years. He awaits his certificate in Hafs AnAasim as he is completing his final examination on his memorization.
In 2023, IQraa Academy was blessed to have him join the team where he is now happy to teach others. He especially enjoys teaching the next generation how to recite and understand the Word of Allah.
Haafithah Alshifaa Hammoush
Although Haafitha has a degree in pharmacy and worked as a pharmacist in Syria for 15 years, her first love is teaching Qur'aan memorization. She completed her memorization of Quran at age 17, then earned her certification in Hafs AnAasim at age 33. She worked in various mosques in Syria for 20 years, helping a large number of women memorize the Holy Qur'aan.
She moved to California in 2017. She has worked in various Islamic settings in San Diego, teaching memorization to native/nonnative Arabic speakers. In 2018, IQraa Academy was blessed to have her join us. She loves what she does and it shows in her work. She especially loves it when she hears non-Arabic speakers recite the Qur'aan well.
Haafith Ayub Hussein
Although he now resides out of state, Haafith Ayub Hussein was born and raised in San Diego. He began memorizing the Qur'aan at the age of 7. He continued memorizing at Masjid Al-Nur and became a haafith at the age of 15. He then began teaching others where he had learned. His older and younger brother are also haafith. In 2013, IQraa Academy was blessed to have him join our team. He loves to help students and see them progress in their memorization. It still amazes him how one can memorize the entire Holy Book. Ayub continues to be enthusiastic about bettering his own Quranic studies, tajweed, and Arabic language so that he can be an even better teacher, in shaa' Allah. He looks forward to teaching Qur'aan to his own children, and he hopes they and all the students can apply what they read from the Qur'aan.
Ustaathah Fatmeh Musleh
Fatmeh was born and raised in Jordan, where she began her studies. She has a love for Arabic and Qur'aan. She has a certificate in Arabic Grammar from Jordan. In 1998, she moved to San Diego.She has memorized 20 juz' of the Holy Qur'aan and continues to work to complete it.She continues her studies in tajweed and memorization with Hoda Elshazly. She has been teaching Arabic to children and adults for many years. She has taught Arabic, Islamic studies, and Qur'aan to elementary students at Islamic School of San Diego.She also taught Arabic and Quran at Crescent Academy, as well as privately for all ages. In 2015, IQraa Academy was blessed to have her join us. She currently enjoys teaching both Arabic and Qur'aan. One of her favorite parts is when her Qur'aan reading students has their first day reading from Qur'aan.
In her free time, she loves spending time with her children/grandchildren and cooking and baking, especially Mediterranean desserts.Her latest endeavor is creating her own Mediterranean Cuisine and desserts business: Pali in Cali Kitchen.
Haafithah Nahla Salem
Ustaathah Nahla was born and raised in Egypt, where she earned a BA in Business Administration. She moved to California in 1981, living in various cities until she settled in San Diego in 1989. Nahla completed memorization of the Qur'aan as an adult in 2018, and has also studied tajweed under two different teachers. She continues to review her memorization with others. She has taught tajweed classes to youth at the Islamic Center of San Diego and has also tutored Arabic and Quran for the Islamic School of San Diego. She blessed IQraa Academy by joining us in April of 2017. She enjoys teaching Qur'aan to both children and adults. In her free-time, she loves listening to the Holy Qur'aan and spending time with her grandchildren.
7710 Balboa Ave, Suite 218F, San Diego, CA 92111 - 858-278-0802* For any questions email us at info@iqasdacademy.org IQASD is a California corporation registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization. *Please note that messages are answered from this number twice a week.