Teacher Bios
Imam Safwan Eid
Imam Safwan Eid is the son and student of renowned Theologian, Dr. Imam Talal Eid. He holds a Master’s degree in Islamic studies & Leadership from Bayan- Claremont School of Theology as well as bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Women studies from The University of Massachusetts. Imam Safwan, in addition to his work as a Religious Director, founded several local Interfaith organizations and has served as an Executive Director, Youth director, Accountant and Chaplain. He currently serves as the Director of Religious Affairs & Youth Development at The Muslim Center of Greater Princeton.
Shaykh Yusuf Hussain
Shaykh Yusuf completed his Alimiyyah (Islamic Scholarship) degree at the Al-Salam Institute under the guidance of renowned Hadith expert and scholar Dr. Akram Nadwi and other scholars. He is currently enrolled in a two-year “takhassus fi al-Ifta” program at the Al-Salam Institute, aiming to get his license in issuing legal verdicts (Fatwa). Shaykh Yusuf is also the co-founder of the Garden of Knowledge, having taught there since back in 2018 when the MCGP community was still in the old IIS building. He is currently serving as the director for the Garden of Knowledge. Prior to enrolling at the Al-Salam Institute Shaykh Yusuf studied for several years under numerous scholars of Fiqh, Aqidah, Tasawuff, ‘Ulum ul Hadith, Usul ul Fiqh, Arabic and other subjects. He is a past member of the MCGP Scholars Committee and the MCGP Religious Committee.
Shaykh Nisar Chaudhry
Shaykh Nisar resides in New Jersey, USA. After completing his Bachelors with distinction in Philosophy and Minor in Psychology from Rutgers University, Shaykh Nisar traveled to Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey to pursue Islamic studies.
Shaykh Nisar primarily studied in Lahore, Pakistan, completing his Dars-e-Nizami (Alim course) and graduating top of the class from Jamia Nizamia Ridawiyyah’s Dawrat-ul-Hadith program. Shaykh Nisar also completed the curricular program of Dawat-e-Islami’s Specialization in Fiqh course (Mufti Course).
Shaykh Nisar now teaches across different platforms in New Jersey’s vibrant Muslim community.
Shaykh Adeyinka Mendes
Adéyínká "Muhammad" Mendes, aka Adé, is the founder of Marhama, the Bilal Spiritual Center for Peace and the Arts and co-founder of the African-American Healing, Ancestry and Development (AHAD) Collective as well as a host of other meaningful initiatives. After attending Morehouse College and the Ohio State University, he traveled around the world studying Classical Arabic, theology, sacred jurisprudence, contemplative arts, and the science of spiritual illumination from living masters in Syria, Sudan, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal. He has been teaching these and other sacred sciences since 2001.
Imam Lavon Brown
Imam Lavon L. Brown is a Brooklyn native and resident of the state of New Jersey. He has formally studied the sciences of Islam for over ten years with various teachers and institutions including Al Maghrib Institute and Seekers Guidance, Shaykh Muhammad Mendes and Shaykh Mujahid Abdul Karim. He is currently a resident student at Fayda Institute. Imam Brown has served as a teacher for the MCGP Garden of Knowledge since 2020. He is also the principal of the MCGP Sunday Weekend School and a member of the MCGP Interfaith Committee in which he serves as a representative Imam on behalf of MCGP on the Windsor Hightstown Area Ministerium (WHAM). He has Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. John’s University and is married with three children.
Ustadh Seber Kadak
Ustadh Seber Kadak currently resides in New Jersey. He has studied Islamic sciences at various institutions including Garden of Knowledge, Safina Society, Tarteel Academy and Fayda Institute. He has taken classes with Shyakh Adeyinka Mendes, Dr. Shadee Elmasry, Shaykh Mujahid Abdul Karim, Shaykh Ismael Essa, Shaykh Yusuf Hussain, Ustadh Ashir Kirk and other notable scholars. He is currently taking classes at Fayda Institute, Safina Society & Tarteel Academy. He has been part of Garden of Knowledge as a teacher and student for the last 5+ years. He currently is a member of the education comittee at MCGP and part of the administration team for Tarteel Academy. He grew up in New York and has a bachelors degree in Economics from Rutgers University New Brunswick.