October 23-24, 2026 · Annoor Academy, Knoxville
Photos from the 2025 conference by @maaz.photos.
When
Friday and Saturday, October 23-24, 2026
Where
Annoor Academy, 724 Foxvue Road SW, Knoxville, TN 37922
Who
One ticket per person, ages 16 and up
Sales close
Friday, October 23 at 11:59 PM
Family and children: family of 2 for $90, family of 3 for $125, family of 4 for $150 (ages 16 and up); children ages 9-15 for $20. Financial aid is available on request at admin@muslimknoxville.org.
On October 23-24, join us at Annoor Academy’s gym for a two-day journey through the Seerah of our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
Friends and family are welcome to join workshops on Tajwid and live scholarly reflections, and to cheer on the competitors in our Hadith and Poetry competitions.
Our teachers and leaders will share inspiring talks, lectures and panel discussions about the life and legacy of our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
Local and national Qaris will elevate the speech of Allah through their elegant vocals.
Learn about the winners in the 1st Poetry Contest and the 2nd Hadith Contest, from among more than 50 participants.
Enjoy beautiful nasheeds and poems about our Beloved Messenger ﷺ.
Photos from the 2025 conference by @maaz.photos.
Fear. Hope. Action.
The Prophetic Way Forward
Friday, October 23
9:30 - 10:00 AM
10:00 - 10:30 AM
OA
Qari Osama Ahmad
MA
Ust. Maha Ayesh
Imam Khalid Shahu
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Imam Rafiq Mahdi
Dr. Michael Dann
Abu Ahmad Harithi
11:30 - 11:45 AM
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Ust. Nadeem Siddiqi
Ust. Samia Mubarak
Sh. Ismail Bowers
1:00 - 2:00 PM
M
Qari Mishal
Ust. Zaynab Ansari
Sh. Ismail Bowers
Dr. Michael Dann
2:00 - 3:30 PM
3:30 - 4:30 PM
MY
Qari Mohammad Yasin
Ust. Samia Mubarak
Mufti Kamani
Ust. Zaynab Ansari
4:30 - 5:00 PM
5:00 - 6:00 PM
SS
Qari Sana Surrani
Sh. Hassan Lachheb
Mufti Kamani
6:00 - 6:30 PM
Sh. Hassan Lachheb
Imam Khalid Shahu
Munshid Abdul-Adam
ZC
Munshid Zahid Cole
6:30 - 7:15 PM
7:15 - 8:15 PM
Mufti Kamani
Sh. Hassan Lachheb
Ust. Zaynab Ansari
Sh. Ismail Bowers
Ust. Samia Mubarak
Dr. Michael Dann
8:15 - 9:00 PM
Abdul-Adam
ZC
Zahid Cole
With Voice of the Soul, Poetry and the Bearers of Light Winners
Mufti Hussain Kamani was born and raised in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and began his Islamic studies at a young age, memorizing the Qur’an at Darul Uloom Madania in Buffalo, New York. He later studied at Darul Uloom Bury in the UK, completing the traditional six-year Islamic sciences curriculum under renowned scholars.
He went on to specialize in Islamic Law and Legal Verdicts, receiving formal authorization after two years of postgraduate study. Mufti Kamani also holds a graduate degree in Business Management & Strategy from Coventry University.
Dr. Hassan Lachheb is the founder and president of Tayseer Seminary. He holds a Ph.D in Religious Studies from the University of Indiana, Bloomington, with a focus on theory of religion and Islamic studies. His research is focused on the intellectual history and religiosity of the Muslims in the Maghreb and Andalus. Dr. Lachheb completed his M.A. in Islamic Theology, Islamic Legal Theory, and Maliki Jurisprudence at Dar al-Hadith al-Hassaniyyah for Higher Islamic Studies in Rabat, Morocco with honors in 2000.
Sheikh Ismail Bowers was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is of American and Moroccan heritage. He earned his ‘Alimiyyah (License in Islamic Scholarship) from the renowned University of Al-Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco, completing its traditional 12-year program and receiving Ijāzāt in multiple Islamic disciplines. After nearly a decade in Morocco, he earned a Master’s in Theology from Emory University, graduating at the top of his class. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Oxford, researching Hadith and Islamic theology.
Ust. Samia Mubarak is the founder of Quranic Ocean, a guided platform dedicated to building personal and emotional connections with Allah’s words. She completed her Quran memorization shortly after attaining her Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Psychology from Florida State University. She is a Quran teacher for Ribaat by Rabata and is currently working on an Ijaza (Quranic memorization certification) in Hafs recitation inshallah.
Ustadha Zaynab has served as a member of the core faculty of Tayseer Seminary and women’s scholar-in-residence since 2014. Originally from Atlanta, Ustadha Zaynab relocated to Knoxville, TN to take on this pioneering role for a Muslim community. She is a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at several distinguished institutions, including Boston Islamic Seminary, Rabata, and Jannah Institute.
Abdul-Adam, originally from Morocco, lives with his beautiful family in Boston, MA. He specializes in Nasheed and Amdah (Praise) of the Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). He toured many US States to share his talented Madeeh.
Imam Rafiq Mahdi, originally named William E. Henderson II, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later converted to Islam. He became active in the Muslim community, eventually settling in Inkster, Michigan, and helping to establish Masjid Jase Bell Joshua. Mahdi converted to Islam under the guidance of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed and later served in a leadership capacity for ICNA Relief USA.
Ustadh Nadeem Siddiqi grew up in Knoxville where he has lived since 1977. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Economics in 2002 and from Tayseer Seminary in 2016 in its first class. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Muslim Community of Knoxville, Annoor Academy of Knoxville, Tayseer Seminary, and the Association of Muslim Chaplains. He serves as adjunct faculty for Tayseer Seminary where he teaches a course in community activism.
Abu Ahmad Harithi is one of the founders of the Muslim Community of Knoxville and Annoor Academy. He is committed to serving and teaching the community through lectures and jumu’ahs.
Dr. Dann studied the traditional Islamic sciences in Egypt with scholars from Al-Azhar University and in Morocco at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion at Princeton University in 2015, and his B.A. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2006. He is currently a faculty member of Tayseer Seminary.
Dr. Khalid Shahu is the Imam of Muslim Community of Knoxville. His background includes multiple M.A.s and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Language from GC-CUNY. Inspired by the teachings of Imam Yassine, he is diligently working on the raising of a Prophetic Community that can serve as a model for the Muslim Community, not only in the Knoxville Area, but also in other parts of the US.
Annoor Academy, 724 Foxvue Road SW, Knoxville, TN 37922
Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026
Questions: admin@muslimknoxville.org
Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026. The main program on Saturday runs from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM.
Annoor Academy, 724 Foxvue Road SW, Knoxville, TN 37922.
Yes, inshaAllah. All events are livestreamed on our YouTube page.
Yes. Registration is required for all participants. There are a limited number of seats so we encourage everyone to sign up as soon as possible. You can preregister or sign up at the door.
Tickets are $50 per person (ages 16 and up). Family tickets are $90 for 2, $125 for 3 and $150 for 4, and children ages 9-15 are $20. Ticket fees help cover honorariums, workshop materials and refreshments. Financial aid is available upon request at admin@muslimknoxville.org.
We welcome your children at this event. Childcare will be provided at limited times throughout the event.
We are happy to help! Please reach out to the MCK Administrator at admin@muslimknoxville.org with your questions, comments, and suggestions.
Two days with our teachers, reciters and community, learning from the life of the Prophet ﷺ how to meet fear with hope and hope with action.
October 23-24, 2026
Annoor Academy, Knoxville
Questions? Email admin@muslimknoxville.org.
