Arees Institute was founded by Shaikh Isam Rajab, a classically trained scholar.

Shaikh Isam was born in Kuwait and holds a BA in Shari’ah from the Islamic University of Madinah. He also has a MS in Islamic Law and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Al-Azhar University in Egypt. He holds 2 ijazahs in Quran and has mastered all 10 recitations. His isnad is the highest in North America. His expertise is Islamic inheritance laws. He lives in Houston and serves as the Imam of Mission Bend Masjid.

Arees Institute was founded in order to provide a real base in Islamic knowledge. Too often we find that the ones who speak on behalf of Muslims are not even from Islam themselves. Not only that, but you will find men speaking on behalf of Muslim women. Therefore, it is time to make sure the community is educated enough to speak for itself. Instead of focusing on the highest number of students or making Islamic knowledge a “fun-and-games” type endeavor, Shaikh Isam wanted to train a small group of high-quality students of knowledge who could then become the leaders of their communities and in turn spread the knowledge of Islam even further. However, he also believes in removing the barriers to people who sincerely want knowledge and who might be limited by location or finances, and so there are alternate channels available for anyone worldwide to study with Arees.

Post September 11th, there has been an overwhelming demand by many Islamic Centers in America for qualified Imams and religious leaders. Traditionally, a community brings an Imam from the Middle East or Asia to fill the position. Although Imams recruited in this fashion were adequately trained in Islamic history, they had insufficient knowledge of American culture and the English language / locale.

The book of Allah teaches us that all messengers sent to the people were able to speak the native language. This lesson shows that, to be effective, current Islamic teachers and messengers must be part of the community where one is working. Thus, it is critical that our new generation of teachers and leaders speak the local language.

At Arees Institute, we are aware there is a shortage of Islamic organizations and institutions providing these services. While some uncoordinated examples can be found, we one of the rare Islamic institutes that teaches Islam in English on site full time.

Additionally, many students would like to study Islam at a traditional Islamic university, yet they are unable to pay the high costs of traveling outside the United States . Arees Institute provides a solution to this common problem with our location in Houston, one of the largest cities in North America . Additionally students not able to take the physical classes onsite are able to take the exact classes in real time online.

Tuition at traditional Islamic universities also presents a tremendous obstacle to students. Arees Institute keeps these entrance costs low since our goal is not so much the "tuition", but producing high-quality classes as well as ensuring the student's commitment to the program.