Shaykh Dr Samir Al Nass is a distinguished scholar of Islamic sciences, with expertise in Quranic recitation, Hadith, and Jurisprudence. Born in Damascus, Syria, he pursued his early education in the Islamic tradition while also excelling in the field of medicine. He graduated from the College of Medicine at the University of Damascus and later furthered his medical studies in the United States, where he became a qualified physician.

Alongside his medical training, Shaykh Samir dedicated himself to rigorous Islamic scholarship, studying under some of the most esteemed scholars of Sham (Greater Syria) and Saudi Arabia. His mastery of Quranic recitation is evidenced by his ijazah in the ten canonical styles (qirā’āt) through the transmission of Shāṭibiyyah and Durrah, granted by Shaykh Muhammad Sukr. Additionally, he holds an ijazah in the ten styles through the transmission of Ṭayyibah from Shaykh Ahmad Mustafa, a distinguished student of the renowned Egyptian scholar Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Zayyat.

In the disciplines of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and ‘aqidah (Islamic creed), he received ijazah from prominent scholars, including Shaykh Abu Yusr ibn ‘Abidin, Shaykh Lufti Fayumi, and Shaykh Adeeb al-Kallas. His proficiency in hadith studies is equally notable, having received ijazah from eminent hadith masters such as Shaykh Yasin Fadani al-Makki, Shaykh Dr. Nur al-Din ‘Itar, and the esteemed hafidh, Shaykh Abd Allah Siraj al-Din.

Since the early 2000s, Shaykh Samir has been a central figure at The Halaqa. He was the first scholar invited to teach at its inaugural gathering and has remained the main teacher ever since, attending every single Halaqa to guide students in their pursuit of sacred knowledge.

Beyond this, he has taught at numerous Islamic programs across England, Canada, Spain, Australia, South Africa, and Türkiye, sharing his deep expertise with those seeking a grounded understanding of the religious sciences. His dedication to both Islamic scholarship and the medical field reflects a unique blend of intellectual rigor and spiritual insight, making him a highly respected scholar and educator.

Habib Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ali Al-Aydarus is a distinguished Islamic scholar from Tarim, Yemen, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and Law from the Faculty of Sharia at Al-Ahqaff University. He also studied at Rabat Tarim under the tutelage of renowned scholars, including Al-Habib Ali Al-Masyhur bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafidh and Al-Habib Umar bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafidh.

He has served as an Islamic educator in Al-Shihr, Hadramout, and was the Superintendent of Abu Maryam Centre for Quranic Memorisation. He actively participates in international conferences and has been a guest speaker across multiple continents. Currently, he is a lecturer at Dar al-Mustafa Institute in Tarim, where he also holds key roles in the Fatwa Division and the Department of Da’wah, while being a superintendent of the institute.

He contributed significantly to Islamic education and scholarship with the publication of many books like The Study of Ramadhan for the Nation of Muhammad,  Unveiling the Secrets of Umrah and Visitations, Illuminating the Seekers of Guidance, and many others.

Shaykha Hanada was born in Damascus in 1968 and grew up in a religious family who loved the Qur’an under the watchful eye of a loving mother and a father who were servants of the Qur’an and acted upon it. Also, in the presence of two paternal aunts who had a huge influence on her growing up and forming the religious environment she was surrounded in.

She wed at a young age to Shaykh Samir Al Nass whom is a student of the Qur’an and a student of Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar, (her father). She travelled with Shaykh to America where she had her first son Ibrahim and then her second son Abdul Raheem, whereafter she moved to live in Saudi Arabia where her a third son Moaz (Rahima Ullah) was born and her daughter Laila.

She completed her hifdh of her Qur’an there and read the khatam to her husband, Shaykh Samir. They returned to live in Damascus in 1997.

She attained degrees in knowledge and gnosis. She completed the khatam of the Qur’an with ijaza from her father Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar and after his demise she completed her third khatam with ijaza with Dr Hannah Abideen (Allah preserve her) with a chain through Shaykh Abul Hassan Al Kurdi and she studied islamic sciences, fiqh and seerah and many others during her travels with the shaykh and during this time she achieved ijazaat in hadith books like Nisai and Tirmidhi and the like.