Our Team

More team information coming soon.

Interested in helping out with this initiative? Email info@manahilorlando.org

Ismail ibn Ali

Co-Founder
Director of Education

Ustadh Ismail ibn Ali currently serves as a middle school science teacher in Seminole County Public Schools and is pursuing a doctorate in education from the University of Central Florida. Ustadh Ismail also serves as the executive director at Fawakih Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals understand the Quran in its revealed language. Ustadh Ismail has been involved in K-12 education for the last decade. Before moving back to Florida in 2020, Ustadh Ismail served as principal of Al Fatih Academy, an accredited K-8 private school in Northern Virginia, and as a high school chemistry teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Ustadh Ismail earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Florida ('11) and a M.S.Ed from Johns Hopkins University ('13). Since 2010, Ustadh Ismail has pursued study of the Islamic sciences on a part-time basis, with various scholars including Shaykh Suheil Laher (Arabic Language, Ḥadīth, Tajwid), Shaykh Faisal Matadar (‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān), Imam Mohamed Magid (Tafsīr, Tazkiyah), Shaykh Jihad Brown ('Aqidah), Shaykh Jamir Meah (Shafi'i fiqh), and Shaykh Mohammed Daniel (‘Ulūm al-Ḥadīth).