About Us

Furqaan Academy is the manifestation of the vision of the founders and the leadership of Al-Furqaan Foundation to develop students who are grounded in the Qur’an – a Quranic generation. As an organization devoted to the service of the Quran in the west, the Foundation wants to ensure that the upcoming generations will come closer to the Qur’an by understanding its language and by proper training of implementing Qur’an and Sunnah in their daily lives. The choice of being a Muslim should be a natural choice, due to their understanding of the deen and not merely as a virtue of being born in the faith.

Furqaan Academy wants to ensure that the students being raised within the culture of the United States possess the knowledge of classical Islamic scholarship to provide leadership to the future generations of our beloved Prophet’s Ummah (P.B.U.H). Being in the United States, Furqaan Academy wants to see the ummah put aside their cultural and linguistic differences that have plagued our cultures, to unite in the future under the foundations of the Qur’an and Sunnah and the Arabic language. As more and more of our cultures are losing their own languages, it is the hope of the academy that our future generations emphasize on the classical Arabic language. Without this goal the ummah is likely to stray further and further away from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

In June 2008, Furqaan Academy was founded and hence launched its operations with classes starting September 1st, 2008. While still searching for appropriate space, the Academy is graciously hosted by the generous and supportive leadership of Bolingbrook community at Masjid Al-Islam.

Faculty

Principal - Mrs. Elizabeth Zahdan has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Mathematics from Chicago State University. She is also a mother of three children who are also attending Furqaan Academy. She has more than 8 years of experience in both administration and in teaching Arabic, Islamic Studies, Qur'an, Mathematics, and Physics to various f grades, ranging from preschool to high school, everyday, and weekend schools. She helped establish an Islamic School in Richardson, Texas where she worked as a teacher and vice principal for about 3 years.

Administrator - Samiyah Zamani

Qur'an Hifz Teacher & Gym Teacher - Mr. Hafiz Sayed Qadri has 21 years of teaching experience at the Wallen Community Center in Chicago. He completed hifz in 1984, Alhamdulilah, from Jamia Milla Islamic School in New Delhi, India. 2009/2010 will be his 2nd year of teaching at Furqaan Academy as a Qur'an teacher.

Tajweed & Nasheed Teacher - Ismael Al Qadi

Arabic & Nasheed Teacher - Mrs. Dalal Hamoui has a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from Damascus, Syria, and seven years of teaching experience in the United States as an Arabic teacher in several private schools.

Language Arts Teacher - Mrs. Safoora Fathima

Social Studies & Arts/Crafts Teacher- Mrs. Omaima Ayoub

Math & Computers Teacher - Mrs. Rashida Fakih

Science & Gym Teacher - Mrs. M Olayyan is originally Palestinian and was born and raised in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. She graduated from Indiana University Northwest with a bachelor's degree in Biology in 2003. She is married and has two children. This will be her 2nd year teaching at Furqaan Academy inshaAllah, as a Science & Math teacher for all grades.

Kindergarten Teacher - Mrs. Nadia Rayan is from Egypt and a mother of 3 boys, ages 10, 18, and 20, who have always been brought up in an Islamic environment just until recently when two graduated from high school. Arabic Language is her mother tongue and the 2009/2010 school year will be her 2nd year teaching as a kindergarten and preschool teacher at Furqaan Academy. She has a bachelor's degree in Science (physics and chemistry) and Education. Mrs. Rayan taught kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, and 8th grades and for eleven years at a middle school in Egypt. For three years, she taught Arabic and Islamic Studies at Al-Hamra Academy - a prestigious Islamic school in Boston, Massachusetts and in Chicago for five years as a substitute teacher at Universal School. She also taught Arabic and Qur'an for five years at Al-Amal weekend school and volunteered in the Mosque Foundation and Makkah Mosque to elementary-level Arabic students for six years.


Kindergarten Teacher Aid - Mrs. Nazma Yasmeen