Search
Search
Close this search box.

Our Team

Rana Khalaf

Rana Khalaf Is a Community Educator at The Family and Youth Institute. She holds a Master’s in Educational Psychology and a post-graduate degree in principal-ship and K-12 school administration. She has served as a parent coordinator then as the dean of students in schools in Dearborn, Michigan. Currently, she is the principal in Frontier International Academy, a K-5 school in Warren, Michigan.

Rana has been active with the Muslim community for the past 23 years. Her work within the community has primarily focused on youth and parenting issues. She volunteered as the Youth program director for a number of years at the Islamic Cultural Association. She now sits on the advisory youth committees at the Muslim Community Mosque (MCM) and the Muslim Unity Center (MUC) in Michigan.

Involvement

Workshops & Lectures

Mental Health Workshop 1x1

Mental Health Workshop

It’s time to break the stigma surrounding mental health and talk about what we can do better as individuals and...
Parenting-Workshop-1x1

Parenting Workshop

Description Parenting is difficult on its own but given the competing demands, multiple responsibilities, lack of support, and often increasingly...
Load More

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).