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Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq

Imam Mika'il Stewart profile picture

Imam Mika’il taught and administrated at the historic Al-Ikhlas Training Academy in Detroit from 1999 to 2020. He is a former Police Chaplain, an Associate Imam at the Muslim Center (Detroit), and the Chairperson of the Imams Council of Michigan.

From 2016 to 2021, as a Detroit City Council liaison, he advocated for civic engagement, social equity, and empowerment. Imam Mika’il has become known for his political and social activism, and his passionate commentary on black and youth social issues. In 2013, he became the first Muslim to offer the invocation for a Michigan State Senate session.

At the end of 2014, he gained international notoriety when he organized 65,000 people to participate in a 24-hour social media blackout called The National Black Day of Silence; to protest the exploitation of violence against Blacks and marginalized peoples. The imam currently lives on Detroit’s northwest side where he and his wife raise their four youngest children.

Zakat eligibility of The FYI

The Family & Youth Institute, or The FYI, is a well-known Muslim organization in the United States. It works to promote mental health and wellness by strengthening and empowering individuals, families, and communities through research and education. It has been working for many years to bring Islamic perspectives to understanding and promoting mental health in our communities.

It is dedicated to serving and supporting Muslims – safeguarding our deen, our families, and our future generations. Therefore, the work of The FYI comes in the category of ‘fi sabeelillah’ or the Path of Allah, within the eight categories where Zakat money can be used.

Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed for it and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah, And Allah, is Knowing and Wise.”
(Al-Tawbah 9:60)

According to scholars who widen the meaning of fee sabeelillah to include any activities that promote Islamic growth, The FYI is indeed eligible to receive part of the Zakat funds for its programs and services. I urge Muslims in America to support this organization through their donations, general charity, and through their Zakat. I ask Allah swt to strengthen and guide The FYI to continue its good work in supporting Muslims.

Shaikh Ali Suleiman Ali, PhD

About Shaikh Ali

Sh. Ali Suleiman Ali was born in Ghana where he spent his childhood studying with various Muslim scholars. He then moved to Saudi Arabia and enrolled in the Islamic University of Madina.  He graduated with a degree in both Arabic and Islamic Studies. Dr. Ali went on to complete his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Sh. Ali serves on the Advisory Council of The Family & Youth Institute. He is the Senior Imam and Director of the Muslim Community of Western Suburbs in Canton, Michigan. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Muslim Family Services in Detroit and is a council member of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA). He is also a member of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF) and the Association of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA).