بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
My Muallim
Your Online Institute for the Arabic Language, Quran and Islamic Sciences.
About Us
MY MUALLIM’S mission is to enrich individuals and societies by providing accessible and exemplary education of Proper Arabic (Fusha), Quranic Recitation, and Islam’s sacred texts to the world via online services.
We aim to achieve this mission by employing:
The newest and most advanced curriculums, using sequenced grade levels that are tailored for all skill levels and types of students.
The most experienced and highest qualified instructors to personally nurture the educational growth and development of each student.
The use of the most modern technologies, innovative educational tools, and programs with special discounted fees.
MY MUALLIM recognizes that not all students are full-time learners, while others are limited in their ability financially or are unable to travel and brave the uncertainties of living abroad. It is in the spirit of providing the ultimate solution to these difficulties that MY MUALLIM has emerged to provide the programs and tools that match each individual’s needs. To make this vision a reality, My Muallim currently offers the following programs.
MY MUALLIM’S PROGRAMS
– The Arabic Language Program. A student who completes this program will, God-willing upon completion achieve this program’s following objectives:
1. You will development a passionate and genuine love for the Arabic language “The Language of the Holy Quran”.
2. You will have a general and authentic understanding of Islam’s sacred texts with a specific focus of Quranic understanding possessing excellent comprehension of over 90 to 95 percent of the Quranic Vocabulary.
3. You will possess the knowledge, and ability to properly apply correct grammatical usage of the language including advanced understanding of Nah’w & Sarf – both word derivatives and sentence structure.
4. You will have the ability to properly, even eloquently express yourself and your thoughts in conversation (or in writing) on a variety of subjects.
5. And further, after completion of this course, you will have the ability to continue increasing your vocabulary and understanding independently (i.e. after mastering this course’s grammar and dictionary usage, a graduate will be able to continue to learn and increase their vocabulary on their own.)
6. Finally, upon completion of this course, you will be able to directly study classical Islamic text, and/or enroll in My Muallim’s Islamic studies courses and direct study of Al-Azhar’s courses.
Imam John D. Graff
Imam John grew up in California and then Oklahoma where he was exposed to a wide variety of Christian traditions. While he was finishing his undergraduate studies in Education, he had a near death experience and, shortly thereafter, he embraced the faith of Islam in the year 2000. Despite being a new Muslim, he often lectured on Islam as the Director of Outreach for the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, while he learned as much as he could from the local Imams, like Suhaib Webb. As a certified teacher in Oklahoma, he also taught at the local Islamic School. In his first years as a Muslim, he completed a Master Degree in Administration from University of Oklahoma. In 2005, he left to Cairo, Egypt to pursue his traditional Islamic Education.
Imam John spent over 7 years studying in Cairo, Egypt where he received his Arabic and Islamic education from the University of Al-Azhar. During this time, he extensively studied privately under the Syrian born Scholar, Shaikh Mahmoud Alsalmu. In 2011, with his unique love and insight into the language of the Quran, Imam John founded both a very successful online Quran and Arabic Language Program that taught thousands of students worldwide. While completing his studies, Imam John authored Arabic curriculum and helped to pioneer the teaching of the Arabic language online by native speakers.
In 2012-2014, he moved to the Woodlands, Texas, where he worked as an Imam for the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. Imam John has been extensively involved in Dawah and outreach, particularly in the Greater Houston area and in the promotion and education of new Muslims. As well as serving the Muslim community in Houston Texas as a local scholar, Imam John visits numerous Muslim communities in the United States as a lecturer, and motivational speaker.
Shaikh Mahmoud As-Salmu
Shaikh Mahmoud was raised in Aleppo (known in Arabic as Halab) Syria where he received his early education. By the tender age of seven, Mahmoud completed memorizing the Holy Quran. As a young boy from a noble family showing much promise, Mahmoud was accepted into the prestigious Islamic boarding school of Darunahdhah Al-Uloom Ash-Shari’eeyah from where he eventually would receive his diploma. He gave his first sermons at the age of 14, and memorized Alfiyah ibn Malik (a poem that details all the grammatical rules of the Arabic language) by the age of 15. As a youth, he studied with the renowned scholars of Aleppo, even working as an Imam and favored Khateeb or Speaker in Aleppo. In 2003, he traveling to Cairo Egypt where he attended the University of Al-Azhar. In 2005, he left Syria dedicating all his time to his education at Al-Azhar where he received two Bachelor degrees, one from the college of Arabic, and another from the College of Usulu-Deen (Foundations of the Religion) in Tafseer (the science of Qur’anic Interpretation). Later, Shaikh Mahmoud received his Master degree in Arabic Balagha (Linguistic Rhetoric) also from Al-Azhar. He holds Ejaazaat (certificates) in multiple Riwaayaat (methods of recitation) of the Holy Quran. He also holds Ejaazaat (certifications) in the Islamic Sciences of Fiqh As-Shafi’ee and Usool Al-Fiqh. He also earned Ejaazaat in various Mutoon (texts), such as: In Al- A’qeedah (Belief), Mustalah Al-Hadith (The Science of Hadith), Al-Faraidh (Islamic Inheritance), At-Tajweed (Rules of Quranic Recitation), and Nahw (Arabic Grammar).
Shaikh Mahmoud has been teaching the Arabic Language, Quranic Recitation and Islamic Sciences since 2001. In 2010, he founded the Center for the Revival of the Arabic Language in Downtown Cairo. As the director of the center, he has been teaching non-native speakers for 13 years and authored several curricula. Since that time, he attained a MBA from Al-Azhar in human development and human resources, as well as a MBA in business administration and management from Cambridge University.
My Muallim is Launched!
After years of online Arabic teaching, Imam John left his previous Arabic programs to fulfill his dream of providing a more comprehensive online Islamic education that would only use the most qualified instructors. In order to change this dream into a reality, he established My Muallim with his Shaikh and close friend Mahmoud Alsamu. Each came with their previous successes, skills and experience of not just teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, but also their understanding and abundant knowledge of the classical Islamic traditions. They had been listening to their students for years, therefore they understood well what students wanted; Imam John who had even had previously gone through the whole process as a student had a unique insight. Students wanted learning to be convenient with super quality; And they wanted to learn from instructors that are the most knowledgeable in their fields; instructors that don’t just lecture, but actually engage their students. They started with one simple question – how could we teach you in a way that is fun yet academic and structured, both personable yet professional, accessible to every-one yet with a quality in a class all of its own; and all while keeping true to the classical tradition of scholarship? We worked tirelessly to bring all they wanted, and My Muallim was born.