Roots For Professionals
Struggling to Align Your Faith with Your Career?
You’re not alone. Many professionals feel disconnected from a faith-based community at work and and lack access to structured Islamic learning that addresses real-world challenges in today’s fast-evolving professional landscape.
Struggling to balance work, leadership, and faith?
Finding it difficult to maintain spiritual connection in a corporate world?
Looking for a professional network of like-minded Muslims?
Roots for Professionals is designed to bridge this gap - offering structured, engaging, and impactful learning that empowers you to thrive in both your career and your faith.
Roots For Professionals
What is Roots for Professionals?
A first-of-its-kind initiative blending career development with spiritual growth, grounded in foundational Islamic principles, ensuring professionals are equipped to thrive both at work and in their personal lives. Through structured expert-led sessions, interactive learning, and a vibrant community, we provide you with the tools to transform your personal and work life, and helping you navigate professional challenges with confidence, purpose, and faith.
Roots For Professionals
Why Join?
Discover a faith-based curriculum that bridges spirituality, professional growth, and practical application of Qur’anic wisdom.
Contemporary
A faith-based curriculum designed for professionals, with high-quality learning materials.
Transformative
Helping professionals bridge the gap between faith and career, fostering deep spiritual and professional growth.
Practical
Discussion-based learning to turn knowledge into action at work and beyond.
What is Roots Academy?
Roots Academy is a pioneering Islamic education platform, equipping professionals, university students, and communities with authentic, relevant, and engaging knowledge. Our programmes have reached thousands of learners across multiple campuses, cities, and spaces - bringing faith into the heart of personal development.
Who is this for?
- Working professionals across all industries - consultants, engineers, finance professionals, healthcare workers, and more.
- Those seeking to apply Islamic teachings to leadership, finance, personal development, and work-life balance.
- Anyone looking for a professional network of like-minded Muslims to grow with.
Roots For Professionals
What's included?
12 Engaging Sessions
Covering leadership, financial ethics, spiritual growth & career success
Live & Interactive Learning
Participate in real-time discussions and Q&A sessions with instructors
Structured Materials
Session recordings & key takeaways for practical application
Community & Networking
Join a WhatsApp community for discussions & guidance from instructors
Roots For Professionals
Meet Your Instructors
Each instructor brings real-world experience, deep Islamic knowledge, and an engaging teaching style - helping you turn theory into practice.
Ustadh Syed Furqan Hussain
Sustainable Finance Manager, EY
Furqan Hussain is a Sustainable Finance Manager at EY with a strong background in both Islamic theology and corporate finance. He studied the Alimiyyah programme and Islamic Theology at Darul Hadis Latifiah and has been actively involved in Islamic education, serving as a Roots Instructor at UCL and leading the first Roots for Professionals pilot at EY. With extensive experience in the finance sector, Furqan has held senior roles at PwC, Bloomberg, and EY.
Hisham Abu Yusuf
Instructor
Hisham Abu Yusuf holds a BA in Islamic Studies at Al Azhar University, a BEng in Electrical Engineering & MSc in Senior Leadership. Prior to this, he spent some years studying Arabic and the Islamic sciences traditionally in the UAE. He was previously the Muslim Chaplain at University of Nottingham and is the Academic Director and co-Founder at Roots Academy, an organisation that delivers structured Islamic education to universities on 25+ campuses in the UK, US and Canada.
Ustadh Hamzah Zahid
Social Scientist
Hamzah Zahid is a student of knowledge and social scientist with expertise in Islamic studies and social research. He studied at Al-Salam Institute and Cambridge Muslim College and later continued his studies in Istanbul. He has worked as a Social Research Consultant for organisations such as the Young Foundation, British Board of Scholars and Imams, and the Muslim Council of Britain.
Umer Suleman
Islamic Finance Expert & Risk Leader, Wahed
Umer Suleman is a seasoned expert in Islamic Finance with over 15 years of experience in the Big Four and major financial institutions. He began his career at Ernst & Young before holding senior roles at HSBC and IFC. Umer is currently the Global Head of Risk, Compliance & Shari’ah at Wahed and also serves as Chief Islamic Finance & Commercial Officer at IFA.
Sheikh Dr Sajid Umar
Scholar, Judge & Islamic Finance Expert
Sheikh Sajid Umar is a qualified Mufti, Judge, and educator, specializing in Islamic law and financial risk management. He studied at Imām Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, earning degrees in Shari’ah and Comparative Fiqh. He later completed a PhD in Financial Risk Management. Sheikh Sajid is a senior jurist at the Islamic Council of Europe and an academic advisor at Roots Academy.
Dr Sohail Hanif
Chief Executive of National Zakat Foundation
Dr. Sohail Hanif is an Islamic scholar and expert in Zakat and legal theory, with a background in both traditional and Western academia. He studied Islamic sciences in Jordan and holds a PhD in Oriental Studies from Oxford. Previously, he led research at the National Zakat Foundation and is now its Chief Executive, working to implement Zakat for social justice in the UK.
Maulana Aadil Patel
Chief Executive of National Waqf Fund
Aadil Patel is an economics graduate from SOAS and a Jameel Scholar at Cardiff University’s Centre for the Study of Islam. He began his career in Tax Advisory at a Big Four firm before moving in-house at a global pharmaceutical company. Aadil also completed Alimiyyah studies at Imam Zakariya Academy and continues to teach Islamic Studies.
Programme Schedule
Sessions run fortnightly on Sundays at 11AM (UK Time) starting with a special weekly Ramadan programme
Ramadan Sessions:
02 March - Qur’an for Professionals: Surah Al-Kahf - (Part 1)
09 March - Qur’an for Professionals: Surah Al-Kahf - (Part 2)
16 March - Qur’an for Professionals: Surah Al-Kahf - (Part 3)
23 March - Qur’an for Professionals: Surah Al-Kahf - (Part 4)
Post Ramadan Topics:
06 April - Re-building the Muslim Family: The Myth of the Nuclear
20 April - Re-building the Muslim Family: Marriage Principles
04 May - Prophetic Parenting: Re-wiring an Anxious Generation
18 May - Career Progression in a "Shark-eat-Shark" World (with Umar Suleman, Wahed)
08 June - Prophetic Finance: Building Wealth; Investments, Crypto & Pensions (with Sheikh Sajid Umar, Islamic Finance Advisory)
22 June - Zakah Workshop (with Dr Sohail Hanif, National Zakat Foundation)
06 July - Leaving a Legacy (with Adil Patel, National Waqf Fund)
20 July - Building an influential Ummah - Reflecting on Surah-An-Naml
Ready to Transform your Career & Faith?
- Join us and take your professional and spiritual journey to the next level!
Frequently Asked Questions
The programme starts just in time for Ramadan on Sunday 2nd March – spaces are limited, sign up here to confirm your place.
We partner with corporate Muslim networks to provide these sessions. If your company has a Muslim network, they can reach out to us to get started. Sign up here.
Our sessions are live and virtual, ensuring accessibility for professionals across various industries and time zones. Missed a session? No problem – recordings are available for participants to catch up at their convenience.
As a participant, you’ll gain access to a supportive community of like-minded professionals. You’ll be invited to join a dedicated WhatsApp group, where you can engage in discussions, share reflections, and stay connected with fellow participants. Additionally, our instructors will drop into the group throughout the programme, answering any questions you may have.
This programme is designed to help you integrate Islamic values with your professional growth. You’ll gain insights into leadership, work ethics, finance, career progression, and more – all from an Islamic perspective. You’ll learn from qualified instructors who have navigated the corporate work life and understand the demands of being a Muslim professional in the West. With a focus on both spiritual growth, family relationships and career progression, this programme fosters a holistic approach to success that balances work, personal life, and faith.