And by the Grace of Almighty, I feel very fortunate Allah blessed me with such wonderful, motivational teacher.

Apa Habiba is a graduate of Madrasa Tarbiyatu Banaat Azaadville. Her dedication to her studies are impressive by any standard – this is demonstrated by the fact that she achieved the status of haafidha of Quran in a mere five months of study and has continued her Islamic studies in specialised topics even after her graduation.

Providing advice and sharing knowledge

In the past seven years that I have known her, Apa Habiba has generously shared her Islamic knowledge and provided Islamic advice to the sisters in the Fitra Home Education Association – sometimes in the form of group lectures for Fitra members, other times as informal advice to the group either in response to questions asked or spontaneous advice on issues that are topical or pertinent. I have been told that she has never failed to provide Islamic advice, counselling or assistance to Fitra sisters even when approached privately in a personal capacity.

One of the unique ways that Apa Habiba teaches Islamic content to members of the Fitra Home Education Association is by posting quizzes and polls on the online group. The sisters in Fitra look forward to her quizzes and enjoy participating in them. In a time when our ummah has so many competing distractions she makes learning deen fun and desirable.

As a member of the group of female scholars mentioned above, Apa Habiba is almost always the first to respond to any questions posed to the group. If the question is on a topic she is not familiar with she goes out of her way to research and provide feedback. The advice she provides is comprehensive, often covering the perspectives of both the Hanafi and Shafi madhaahib.

Apa Habiba is aware that, often, people that approach for Islamic advice require more than just an academic opinion – the advice she gives always demonstrates an understanding of a person’s physical, social, spiritual and mental condition.

It is my experience that access to female scholars who have the time and capacity to teach, counsel and advise is something that can be limited in South Africa. While we have many women who are qualified as scholars, the responsibilities of marriage and children are (understandably) time consuming and I personally have found it difficult to connect with female scholars who can provide advice to me on an ongoing basis. I have therefore been impressed and grateful by Apa Habiba’s willingness to provide advice to women in both a group and private setting, especially considering the fact that she is a wife, business owner (she produces and sells creative Islamic art pieces online at www.sacredislamicarts.co.za ), mother to four and homeschooler as well as a teacher in an institutional setting.

In fact, the many roles that Apa Habiba fulfils allows her to have insight and empathy towards a large variety of women (working women, students, wives, mothers). This is a valuable asset to have in a person who counsels and provides advice to women in the community.

Quran For Thought – revolutionising the sharing of Quranic knowledge

A few years ago Apa Habiba set up a social media account on Instagram dedicated to sharing knowledge from the Quran (@quranforthought on Instagram- unfortunately this account was hacked a few months ago and has now been disabled.) It had 16 000 followers. The creation of this account as well as the content that she has posted on there (illustrated infographics which are aesthetically pleasing and also quick and easy to read) demonstrates that she has the ability to adapt her skills to cater to new and different learning platforms to engage younger generations.

These infographics culminated in a book compilation – Quran For Thought –  which was published at the beginning of 2025 and quickly sold out. This book caught the attention of Sh Hamza Yusuf of Zaytuna Institute in the United States and Apa Habiba is currently working on a version of this book to be included in a future Zaytuna Institute school curriculum. May it serve to provide Quranic education for generations to come, inshallah.

This social media account and book has reached people all around the world.

Haidh courses 

Through answering questions from the community, Apa Habiba saw a gap in knowledge regarding issues of haidh. After furthering her own knowledge in the fiqh of haidh, Apa Habiba has launched three online courses on haidh aimed at the layperson – one for women in the Hanifi madhab, one for women in the Shafi’ madhab and one aimed at younger girls just reaching puberty.

Having taken one of these courses myself, I can attest to the fact that what Apa Habiba teaches in these courses is both vital to women and well received by those who attend the courses.

It is also admirable that Apa Habiba is able to provide knowledge on this topic from not just one madhab, but two.

Teaching

As soon as she completed her studies Apa Habiba began teaching Islamic studies in an institution. When she married and had young children, she continued to teach privately at home and provide advice and counselling to individuals that approached her. She now teaches online for Qurtuba Islamic Academy.  Her service to the community in the capacity of an Islamic scholar and advisor has been continuous from 2009 till the present.

Nomination

Apa Habiba is based in Strand, Cape Town, but her efforts have impacted far beyond Cape Town, and even South Africa. Despite having met her in person only once, she has impacted me deeply.

Given all of the above and especially considering:

• Apa Habiba’s extraordinary gift of and eagerness of acquiring knowledge;
• her willingness to interact with and serve a community which is severely in need of accessible female scholars;
• her ability to give advice having experience in many different roles (as a teacher, a mother, a working woman, a student);
• her skill in advising and imparting her knowledge using different means (private conversations, group lectures, classes in an institution, on social media); and
• her ability to make deeni advice engaging and entertaining;

inshaAllah, Apa Habiba is a good candidate for the award of Aalimah of the Year.