Board of
 Advisors

Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razak

Islamic Scholar & Spiritual Advisor

Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razak lives in Brampton, Canada. From 1977 to 1986 he studied in Saudi Arabia, first at Umm Al-Qurra University in Makkah, then at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. He also studied at York University, Toronto, Canada.

Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razak is the Founder, President, and Spiritual Leader of the Islamic Forum of Canada for 50 years. He is the founder of the Al-Faisaliyyah Foundation (AFF) spiritual movement in many North and South American cities, promoting Ahlus Sunnah among locals and a return to Mahabbatur Rasūl, Love of the Messenger of Allah. He is the Ameer (Spiritual Leader) of the Ahlus Sunnah Council of Canada (CCAS). He Founded the Sufi Council of Canada and serves as President and served as Vice President of Islamic Council of Imams in Canada (CCI). He has also founded the Al-Faisaliyyah Madrasah which has been consistently educating local Muslims for 30 years.

Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razak has been recognized for his work in building peace and harmony, and better understanding between different religious groups. He has been recognized on a global stage by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Muhammad, who awarded him the Global Islamic Personality Award, The Most Prominent Scholar of Tasawwuf. He is the Spiritual Leader and Guide in the Shadhili Tariqa, accepting and guiding students from all around the world. He has received Ijāzah of Irshad in many Ṭarīqahs including the Shadhili, Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Chishtiyyah, and Suhrawardiyyah Ṭarīqahs, and he has been a Khateeb for over 50 years. Additionally, Shaykh Faisal has spoken to hundreds of gatherings in countries throughout the world, including:

  • Canada, America, England
  • Scotland, Germany, Norway
  • Malaysia, Singapore, Surinam
  • Trinidad, Guyana, Bangladesh
  • India, Pakistan
  • Kenya, and South Africa

After completing his studies in Saudi Arabia in 1986, he returned to Canada where he became actively involved in Islamic Da`wah and Education. He served as Imam and Khateeb of several Masjids and Islamic Centers including the Islamic Forum of Canada, the Islamic Society of Peel, the Islamic Centre of Brampton, and the Toronto And Region Islamic Centre (TARIC). He played a consistent role in reviving Ahlus Sunnah and a return to Mahabbatur Rasūl in Canada and worldwide since the 80’s. He was selected on numerous occasions to give the keynote address on behalf of Canadian Muslims during Federal, Provincial, and Municipal interfaith gatherings. Shaykh Faisal has been chosen as the lead religious authority on a delegation sent by the Association of Progressive Muslims Canada (APMC) to engage in interfaith dialogue with His Holy Father, Pope Francis, in Vatican City. Shaykh Faisal is a strong proponent of Islam’s relevancy to the Canadian public, and a leader in establishing Canadian Muslim identity and culture. These include the Canada Day Mawlid to commemorate the National Day of Canada, and the Grand Mawlid to welcome the New Year with the Canadian Public.

He has been interviewed on topics of interfaith dialogue, Ahlus Sunnah, and social activism on countless TV programs including those in North America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Norway, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and the Middle East. He hosts a weekly TV Program on Canadian Television (Message of Mercy), and his programs are televised in several countries, as well as on the Internet.

Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razak is a prolific Writer of Islamic Books. His published books cover a wide range of subjects including: Qur’anic Sciences, Hadith, Arabic Language, Seerah, Fiqh, `Aqidah, and Tasawwuf. Some examples from a non-exhaustive list of published works are:

  • Tafsīr Surah al-Fātiḥah
  • Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm
  • Tajwīd al-Qurʾān al-Karīm
  • Teach Yourself Arabic Reading
  • Teach Yourself Arabic Calligraphy
  • Help Yourself to Read Qurʾān
  • Arabic Language for Beginners (Level One)
  • Arabic Language for Beginners (Level Two)
  • Gems of Prophetic Wisdom
  • Actions are by Intentions
  • Sharh al-ʿAqīdah aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya (Commentary of the ʿAqīdah of Imam aṭ-Ṭaḥāwi)
  • Nūr al-Iḍāḥ (The Clarifying Light): A Manual of Ḥanafī Fiqh
  • Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh (A Manual of Prayer)
  • Kitāb al-Mawt (The Book of Death)
  • Kitāb al-Ṭahāra (The Book of Purity)
  • Kitāb an-Nikāḥ (The Book of Marriage)
  • Kitāb al-Ḥajj (A Manual of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah)
  • Kitāb ad-Duʿāʾ (Manual of Supplications)
  • Ramaḍān Companion: Spiritual Reflections
  • Dhikrullāh: The Remembrance of Allah
  • Sīrah Muḥammadur Rasūlullah: Life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
  • Miʿrāj al-Nabī ﷺ
  • Milād an-Nabī ﷺ
  • On Love and Marriage

In compliment to his formal education, he received knowledge of the Deen in its various Sacred Sciences from the great Scholars including, but not limited to: al-ʿAllāmah Shaykh as-Sayyid al-Sharīf Muḥammad ʾAbul Huda ibn Ibrāhīm al-Yaqoubi al-Ḥasani al-Idrīsī, as-Sayyid Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlawī al-Mālikī al-Ḥasani, as well as:

  • Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Sābūnī
  • Shaykh Ḥasan Ayūb
  • Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ghazālī
  • Shaykh Muḥammad Qutb
  • Shaykh ʿAbdur-Raḥman Barood
  • Shaykh Muḥammad al-Wasfi
  • Shaykh Farooq al-Batal
  • Shaykh ʿAbdullah Nasih ʿAlwan
  • Shaykh Mawʾil Ezziddin al-Samuraʾee
  • and many other distinguished scholars.

DR. A.Q. RANA, MD, FRCPC, FRCP (HON), NEUROLOGIST

Founder and Leader of the Centrist Party

Dr. Rana is a practicing Neurologist in Toronto, and he specializes in Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders. He has authored several books and published many articles in the field of Neurology, Parkinson’s, and Movement disorders. He completed his FRCPC through the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Dr. Rana has also been awarded an honorary FRCP from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburg. He is focused on pragmatic and clinically proven research on Parkinson’s that can be applied to improve patient’s quality of lives.

Dr. Rana is the founder of the World Parkinson’s Program, a Canadian charitable organization that provides free medications to patients with Parkinson’s disease globally who can’t afford to buy medications. He is also the founder and former editor-in-chief of the Research and Reviews in Parkinsonism, published by Dove Press. Dr. Rana has been an invited speaker in many international seminars and conferences on Parkinson’s disease. As a result, people with Parkinson’s frequently consult with Dr. Rana from all over the world.

Dr. Rana has been honored with several awards including the Wayne Hening Award for his work in the field of Parkinson’s disease and Restless Legs Syndrome. He is listed in ‘Who is Who in the World’ and in the Leading Physicians of the World. He has authored a series of educational brochures about Parkinson’s disease that have been translated in more than 20 languages and are used in more than 50 countries around the world.

Dr. Rana has been very busy with his neurology practice concentrating on improving the quality of lives of his patients, and politics was never his focus. However, this has changed recently as he witnessed political parties engaging in divisive and fearmongering policies, hyper-partisanship, and lack of government transparency by the two major parties in the last decade. He strongly believes that parties promoting extremist right-wing or left-wing political agendas fail to work on common ground which is necessary to progress in a democratic society. In his views, extremism and hyper-partisanship only divide Canadians and weaken us as a nation. He started raising his voice against this and created the Centrist Party of Canada. Centrist Party strongly believes in the unity of Eastern and Western Canada and transparency of government, with the moderate, practical, and pragmatic approach that is necessary for national progress.

Dr. Mohammed Quadri M.D., MBA, SSBB, CPH

Affiliate Member, Center for Discovery and Innovation
VP, Strategy for Academics, Research, and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health

Dr. Mohammed Quadri is the Vice President of Strategy for Academics, Research, and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), one of New Jersey’s largest healthcare networks. A recognized leader in strategic planning and innovation, Dr. Quadri has played a pivotal role in aligning research, education, and clinical care to advance the organization’s mission.

Bridging Innovation and Healthcare Transformation

Dr. Mohammed Quadri is a visionary healthcare executive and physician-scientist who uniquely combines strategic leadership with pioneering research in sleep medicine and metabolic health. With an 18-year journey at Hackensack Meridian Health-evolving from sleep researcher to Vice President of Strategy for Academics, Research, and Innovation-he contributes to leading a research enterprise while advancing diagnostic breakthroughs that will transform patient care.

A recognized innovator at the intersection of clinical science and healthcare strategy, Dr. Quadri co-founded the HMH Research Institute, contributing to a 25% growth in the institution’s research portfolio and intellectual property development. His strategic leadership has supported major initiatives including ambulatory care expansion and the strategic reimagining of acute medical centers.

As Principal Investigator of the groundbreaking RISE Study, Dr. Quadri is developing non-invasive breath-based diagnostics for sleep disorders-conditions affecting over 30 million Americans and contributing to 100,000+ annual drowsy driving accidents. His research vision extends to establishing the nation’s first integrated Institute for Sleep & Metabolic Disorder Research.

As co-founder of the HMH Research Institutes, Dr. Quadri leads the development of an integrated ecosystem that supports multidisciplinary research, commercialization, and strategic growth. His work spans strategic planning, innovation management, research infrastructure development, and internal and external stakeholder engagement. He has overseen the creation of enterprise-wide research strategies and played a key role in positioning HMH as a national leader in healthcare innovation.

Dr. Quadri has led transformative initiatives across the healthcare continuum, including strategic and operational planning for medical and surgical service lines, post-acute care (LTACHs, SNFs, IRFs), and Health Ventures (ambulatory surgical centers, urgent care, and retail clinics). He has developed virtual health models, clinical distribution strategies, and value-based care frameworks aligned with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim.

His leadership extends to market intelligence, business development, physician enterprise strategy, and high-reliability care models. He has served as a strategic advisor for mergers and acquisitions, growth initiatives, and new service lines, including senior living and international partnerships.

Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Quadri is deeply committed to community engagement, youth development through soccer coaching, and fostering inclusive environments where everyone can shine. His leadership philosophy centers on surrounding yourself with people who push you to be better, bringing out the absolute best in each other through positive energy and higher goals.

Dr. Quadri holds a medical degree from St. Petersburg State Medical Academy in Russia, business training from Stratford College in London, and an MBA in Healthcare Administration from the Forbes School of Business at Ashford University. He is certified in Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt) and Public Health, and is an active member of the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He has published widely in clinical and healthcare strategy domains.

Umair Waseem

Umair Waseem has been involved in originating, underwriting, and executing mixed-use, multi-family and seniors’ housing real estate investments across Canada. He brings over 14+ years of experience in real estate development and M&A, private and institutional equity, investment banking and corporate development, with transaction and project experience exceeding $5 billion.

Umair holds an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management (Dean’s List), a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance from the University of Toronto (Dean’s List), has completed the Real Estate Management Program at Harvard, and has passed Level II of the CFA Program.