Shaykh Nuh Saunders

The Journey

Assalamu alaykum,

As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah SWT along that journey.

Shaykh Nuh Lavotte Saunders grew up in Philadelphia, a place he describes as having a lot of Muslims but very little Islam. As a teenager, he lacked good suhba, the right kind of friends. But one day, he heard a recording of a khutbah by Shaykh Abdur Rahman Sondalaani in his grandmother’s car and broke down in tears. Shaykh Abdur Rahman— whose grandfather was part of the first Muslim community in Philly— talked about the challenges of growing up as a young Muslim in the city, something Shaykh Nuh could relate to. A month later he met Shaykh Abdur Rahman, who became his mentor, teaching him aqidah, introducing him to Imam Amin Muhammad from Atlantic City, and taking him to meet Habib Omar during his 2011 visit to the United States.

For the past eight years, he has been studying in Tarim, Yemen at Dar al-Mustafa. His kids are still there, while he is taking a break to study Quranic recitation in Lebanon. He also founded Dar Al Qurra, an online institute dedicated to connecting youth, particularly in the inner city, with the Qur’an. His plan once he returns to the United States is to expand it into a boarding school InshaAllah.

In this episode he talks about the importance of meeting people where they are when giving da’wah, the tarbiyah (spiritual mentorship) of the scholars in Yemen and the need to instill prophetic character in children.

His story intersects with many familiar names: الحبيب عمر بن حفيظ - Habib Omar, Habib Ali al-Jifri, Shaykh Munir Ba-Zahayr, Shaykh Ali Bafadal, Sayyid Ali Ba Alawi, Shaykh Bashar al Riz, Shaykh Samir al-Nass, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Sondalaani, Imam Amin Muhammad, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Amin Buxton, Shaykh Musab Penfound, Suliman Yaseen, Ibn Ali Miller.

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