Sumara Khan is the cofounder of the Quran Literacy Institute and a teacher of Islamic studies and Arabic based in NJ.
She pursued formal Islamic studies in Syria, where she spent a number of years at the prestigious Abū Nūr Institute in Damascus, graduating first in her class with a Diploma in Arabic and Islamic studies. While in Damascus she earned the admiration of her teachers and peers and served as the translator for the late Grand Mufti of Syria in the sisters classes.
She has memorized the Qur’an and received the coveted Ijāzah of memorization from Shaykh Waleed Edrees al-Meneese. In addition, she holds scholarly licenses (Ijāzah) in the Qurʾānic Readings of Ḥafṣ and Shuʿbah, the Books of Hadith and various classical texts, from Sheikh Waleed al-Meneese, Shaykh Muḥammad Akram Nadwi and others.
Sumara Khan is the founder and mentor of Iman Roots, a monthly forum in central NJ for women to educate themselves in Islamic knowledge and strengthen sisterhood. Recently, a 3-year series on Tazkiyah (purification) based upon Ibn al-Qayyim’s classic Madārij al-Sālikeen was concluded, and currently a Travel Back in Time Scholar Series is underway.
She is the director of the popular Sisters Ḥifdh Program at the Quran Literacy Institute, the only adult, on-site Quran memorization program in the region.
She conducts annual Qurʾānic tafsīr series at MCMC (Muslim Center of Middlesex County) every Ramadan, and in Masjid Al-Wali throughout the year. She has served as Islamic studies instructor at An-Noor Academy, where she was responsible for developing and teaching a holistic Islamic studies curriculum to serve the unique needs of young Muslim students. She has conducted extensive outreach work in interfaith circles, speaking to non-Muslim audiences as well as converts.
Sumara Khan is currently a graduate student in Uṣūl al-Dīn at the American University for Islamic Sciences.
