Born to Muslim parents, Tabari Zahir learned the basics of Islam at a young age. By his late teens, he learned how to read Arabic and was introduced to Islamic law via tertiary fiqh (jurisprudence) texts. It wasn’t until his mid twenties that he was able to formally sit with Islamic scholars from West Africa who helped him to learn Aqeedah (Islamic belief system), Fiqh (applied Islamic law), Tazkiyya (spiritual purification) and other Islamic Sciences. Due to a series of bad choices and spiritual heedlessness, Zahir found himself in Federal prison for a non-violent drug crime from 2005-2016.

With plenty of time to study and teach, he vigorously delved into the Islamic Sciences with a new sense of purpose and direction. While teaching in prison and trying to develop a consistent method of delivering traditional Islam, Zahir heard about the Tayba Foundation in 2007 through a family member and was blessed to establish contact with the founders, who sent him the religious texts, while at the same time explaining their traditional method of transmission. Due to having qualified teachers who were on demand, along with their responses to difficult questions and thorny issues, the Tayba Foundation was able to facilitate Zahir’s learning and teaching in an extraordinary fashion. Zahir continued to study and teach the Tayba Foundation curriculum until released in 2016.

After release, Zahir was able to complete two Associate degrees in the behavioral sciences, a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic language, and a Master’s degree in clinical Social Work.

The Tayba Foundation continued to provide Zahir teaching opportunities after his release by encouraging him to use his knowledge of Islam combined with his knowledge of the issues concerning inmates to write a book introducing Islam which would be beneficial to inmates and the larger Muslim community at large. This work was completed at the end of 2017 and is a 240 page work called, ‘INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM: With practical examples and advice for Muslims in prison’, a.k.a ‘Islam 099’.

Due to his Islamic learning via the Tayba Foundation, Zahir was able to be a teaching resource for various prominent Islamic institutions in Southern California working as a teacher in Arabic, Fiqh, Seerah, and Islamic History. Zahir’s engagement with these institutions also include lectures, youth counseling and chaplaincy at California State University, San Bernardino.

Currently, Abdul-Zahir is using his Master’s of Social Work working as a therapist and drug counselor, while directing the local prison reentry programs for the Tayba Foundation in Southern California where he also serves the greater community by delivering khutbas and runs a spiritual study group for Tayba students.