Imam Zaid Shakir was born in Berkeley, CA and accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force. He obtained a BA with honors in International Relations
at American University in Washington D.C. and later earned his MA in Political Science at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, he led a successful campaign for disinvestment from South Africa, and co-founded a local Islamic center, Masjid al-Huda. After studying Arabic and Islamic law and Quranic studies for several years in the Middle East, Imam Shakir returned to Connecticut, where he served as imam of Masjid al-Islam. In 2003, he moved to Hayward, California, to serve as a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute, where he now teaches courses on Arabic, Islamic law, history, and Islamic spirituality. Imam Shakir is the author of several books, including the award-winning “Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance,” a translation and commentary on Imam Harith al-Muhasibi’s work, Risala al-Mustarshideen. He also co-founded Zaytuna College this same year.
