Faculty
His Eminence Shaykh Dr. Waleed Edrees Al Meneese
Shaykh Dr. Waleed Edrees Al-Meneese is the Founder, President, and Chancellor of the Islamic University of Minnesota and the Islamic University of Kenya. He is also the Imam and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Minnesota — a world-renowned scholar, author, and leading authority in the Islamic sciences, particularly the modes of Qur’anic recitation (Qirā’āt) and Ḥanbalī jurisprudence.
Biography
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Shaykh Waleed began his Islamic studies at the age of eleven and had memorized the Qur’an by fourteen. He studied under prominent scholars in Alexandria and Riyadh — including Shaykh Ibn Bāz, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymīn, and Shaykh Ibn Jibrīn — and received two letters of recommendation from Shaykh Abd al-Razzāq ‘Afīfī and Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Shaykh, Minister of Islamic Endowments in Saudi Arabia.
Shaykh Waleed mastered all fourteen modes of Qur’anic recitation according to the Shāṭibiyyah, Durrah, and Ṭayyibah methods, as well as the four Shawādhdh recitations. He holds Ijāzahs with among the shortest chains of narration linked to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.
Shaykh Waleed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language from Alexandria University, a Master’s degree in Islamic Jurisprudence from the American Open University (summa cum laude), and a PhD in Islamic Jurisprudence from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He has been teaching since 1991, has authored over one hundred works, and has granted Ijāzah to numerous Imāms and scholars worldwide.
Current Roles & Memberships:
- Founder, President & Chancellor — Islamic University of Minnesota
- Founder & Chancellor — Islamic University of Kenya
- Imam & Chairman of the Board of Trustees — Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center, Minnesota
- Senior Member, Permanent Fatwa Committee — Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)
- Member of the Educational Committee — American Open University
- Member of the Board of Trustees — North American Imams Federation (NAIF)
Selected Publications:
- Rules of Proving and Seeing the New Moons — PhD Dissertation
- The Impact of the Differences of the Fourteen Modes of Recitation on Islamic Creed and Jurisprudence — Master’s Thesis
- Biography and Collection of Fatwas Issued by Shaykh Abd al-Razzāq ‘Afīfī
- Poetry on Islamic Laws of Inheritance and Commentary
- Poetry on the Science of Qur’anic Recitation
- Etḥāf al-Ṣuḥba bi-Riwāyat Shu’bah
- Judicial Work Outside of the Islamic State
For the complete list of publications and recordings, visit www.almenesi.com