In a time when anyone can upload an Islamic video and call themselves a scholar, Islam has always been carried differently — from teacher to student, across generations, all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ. That chain has a name: isnād.

ROOTED is Isnad Academy's flagship interview series. Conversations with South Africa's qualified Islamic scholars — the people who went to the source and came home. Rooted in tradition. Routed through the chain.

Our third guest carries the chain quietly. Hafiz Raees Mohamad memorised the Qur'an as a child, walked out of grade five to do it, and later travelled to Tareem, Yemen — where he studied at Dar al-Mustafa under the supervision of Habib Umar bin Hafiz. He is the author of The Road to Tareem, a book endorsed by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller as "a real gem." He holds a postgraduate diploma and MBA from Henley Business School, serves in an executive role at Old Mutual Investment Group, and is currently pursuing a PhD enhancing Michael Porter's strategy models using prophetic strategy.

He answers to "Brother," not "Sheikh." That is the conversation.

In this episode we cover:

Why a Hafiz of the Qur'an and a Dar al-Mustafa graduate refuses the title of Sheikh
Arriving in Yemen during civil war with no Arabic, no contacts, and one return ticket
What twelve months in Dar al-Mustafa actually feels like from the inside
The morning Habib Umar told him "I think you're ready to leave"
Writing The Road to Tareem and the Uber ride that started it
Why he came home without the turban, the lexicon, or the performance
How prophetic strategy outperforms corporate strategy in real boardrooms
The Mawlid in Madinah that proved Tareem travels with you
Advice for the young brother in Cape Town who wants the knowledge but not the costume

Isnad Academy hosts South African qualified scholars and provides professionally recorded courses for the global Muslim community. Subscribe to stay connected to the chain.

00:00 — Opening: To Be Rooted, To Be Routed

00:43 — Introducing Hafiz Raees Mohamad

02:01 — Why "Brother" and Not "Sheikh"

04:08 — Who is Raees Mohamad in His Own Words

06:07 — The Decision to Go to Tareem

08:49 — Survival: Arriving in Yemen at Civil War

14:05 — The First Two Months Felt Like Two Years

18:21 — Writing The Road to Tareem

21:55 — "I Want to Come Home" — The Call to His Mother

26:39 — Speaking Arabic at the Mawlid

27:39 — Breakfast with Habib Umar

31:01 — "I Think You're Ready to Leave"

32:14 — What Tareem Actually Did For Him

33:55 — The Scholar Who Becomes a Businessman

38:21 — When Your Non-Muslim Boss Asks If You Made Salah

45:25 — Advice to a Freshly-Returned Graduate

49:13 — The Community's Traditional IQ Has Risen

52:54 — Tareem Without the Turban

56:20 — What He Holds On To, Privately

01:00:39 — The Spirituality of Tareem

01:02:16 — The Madinah Mawlid: Tareem Travels With You

01:05:53 — For a Young Person Considering Tareem

01:08:31 — Quickfire Round

01:09:56 — Advice to the Brother Who Wants This Life

01:14:23 — A Month in Dar al-Mustafa Will Humble You

01:16:38 — Shaykh Nuh Keller on *The Road to Tareem*

01:17:30 — Be Your Own Person

01:18:21 — The Book That Brought Him a Wife, a Scholarship, and a Career

01:19:53 — Closing