Shaykh Idris Al-Fasi Al-Fihri,  is the Imam at the Qarawiyyin Mosque and a Professor and Senior lecturer at the University of Al-Qarawiyyin.

He is a descendant of Sidi Abd al-Qadir al-Fassi who was a well-known scholar during his time and who began teaching Sacred knowledge at a very young age. In 1617, Sidi Abd al-Qadir al-Fassi built a medium-sized complex in Fez that welcomed thirty students (on campus) and many more (off campus), both male and female, this educational insitute (Zawiya) still stands today.
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Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ahmed Fredricks was born in Nottingham in the United Kingdom where he completed his schooling before moving to Leicester for University studies. He completed a BEd degree in primary education specialising in Language Arts. He then went on to carry out post-graduate studies in Education in various universities including London University Institute of Education, Strathclyde University and the Open University.

He also did research at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He has published a number of articles on education and designed the curriculum of Islamia School London founded by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) at the time it achieved Voluntary Aided Status. The curriculum was published by the Islamia Schools Trust.

He has worked as a teacher, Head Teacher and School Prinicipal in England, Scotland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and USA. As an educational consultant, he has worked on projects in Turkey, Yemen, Kenya, Jordan and South Africa. He has a special interest in special educational needs and additional support, and has worked as Additional Support Manager for a local education authority. He has worked as a policy advisor for several education authorities and schools including the UK Madrasa network.

His Islamic Studies took him to various parts of the world where he studied under many prominent traditional scholars. They include Ahmed Mashur al-Haddad under whom he studied in Jeddah and Abdul Rahman al-Khitamy in Kenya. He translated the Essentials of Islam by Ahmed bin Zayn al-Habashi and Forty Hadith on the Quran by Mullah ‘Ali al-Qari, as well as al-Nasaih al-Dinniya of Imam al-Haddad and Riyadatul Sibyan of Imam al-Ramli.

Shaykh Abdul Aziz uses his teaching experience and a variety of teaching methods in an interactive style. He has taught various books around the world including The Book of Assistance of Imam al-Haddad and the Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi. His interest in special educational needs drove him to co-found the organisation Islamic Texts for the Blind (Kitaba).The Islamic Texts for the Blind produces books in Braille and audio format, provides accessible online classes and has an accessible web site with Islamic resources and translations. They work with government and voluntary organisations to meet the religious and cultural needs of disabled Muslims. Shaykh Abdul Aziz authored the book 'Living with Blindness' which was used to launch a number of conferences on The Marginalised in Society addressing issues of disability and access to mosques, institutions and Islamic teachings. He is an active campaigner for free and open access to Islamic teaching for all.

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