Imam Development Program
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Over the past 9 years the IDP has directly improved the lives of more than 400 Imams across 9 countries in Southern Africa.
Empowering Imams to Preserve the Deen
We provide education, resources, and leadership training to Imams across Africa, helping them serve their communities better. 🌍
Currently empowering 592 Imams in 14 African countries. Namely, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania. Through our training, we have enhanced the effectiveness of our imams to bette
07/08/2026
Allah reminds us that believing men and women stand together, encouraging what is good and protecting society from harm.
Women have always carried a share
of the responsibility in building strong communities.
When women are strengthened, communities are strengthened.
06/08/2026
Two good things happened at Head Office this week.
Six interns joined us on Monday.
They're spending time with each department,
learning the work and showing us what they're good at.
When a role opens here, we'd rather grow someone who already knows the mission.
We also welcomed Sister Bilkisu and Brother Adam from Nigeria. They come from the Da'wah
Institute, Islamic Education Trust in Nigeria, and are on their first visit to South Africa.
Their workcovers research, training, community engagement, interfaith relations and youth development.
While they're here, they'll see how our systems support Imams across Africa, and we'll learn
from what they've built in Nigeria.
A full office is a good sign, Alhamdulillah!
There are 66 mu'allimahs on the Imam Development Program, teaching across 18
African countries.
The name of the program doesn't mention them yet their work carries just as much
weight.
A mu'allimah plants the love of Deen in a child long before that child can read a page of
Qur'an on their own. What she gives in that classroom stays for life. Preserving the
Deen in the next generation runs through her effort.
We're honoured to be empowering them in their mission of serving the Deen.
29/07/2026
A certificate two and a half years in the making.
Sh. Yawar Baig stopped by the IDP office while in South Africa, to receive his completion certificate for the Ilm and Tarbiyah course. He managed to complete the three-year course ahead of time, mashaAllah!
Sh Yawar is one of IDP's advisors. He stepped into a more official Imam role after moving to the United States. His constant pursuit of knowledge led him to enroll into the Ilm and Tarbiyyah course, the very same course IDP Imams & office staff are required to complete. His dedication, many questions & zeal should be an inspiration to many.
He was honoured with a graduation at our headquarters, where he reflected on what it means to strengthen one's connection with Allah.
May Allah reward Sh. Yawar Baig for his dedication, grant him barakah in his knowledge, and make him a means of guidance for his community.
Ameen.
28/07/2026
How do you get Imams from across 18 African countries to connect?
On Saturday, we joined all countries on an online call at the same time; hundreds of imams joined from multiple locations across Africa, alongside the Muallimahs and country coordinators.
152 new Imams met the IDP team, asked questions, and were taken through what the program offers and what's expected of them over the next three years.
We welcomed back Imams already on the program and added three new countries: Angola, DRC and Burundi. Alhamdulillah!
A gathering this size shows how seriously we take Islamic leadership and development across the continent.
We wish all the new Imams a fruitful journey that develops them to serve their communities even better. 🤲
There's a difference between studying the Quran and sitting with it.
This is Sh Bilal Ismail, CEO of IDP, explaining the difference between Tafsir and Tadabbur.
Tafsir is the scholarship, the tools, the methodology and the centuries of interpretation that unlock meaning verse by verse.
While Tadabbur is the stillness, the personal reflection that turns those words into something that moves your heart, not just your mind.
Both of these matter but one without the other leaves something missing.
Which one have you been missing lately? Tell us below.
24/07/2026
He was supposed to be home an hour ago.
But there was one more du'a to make. One more khutbah to prepare. A roof that still needed fixing before the rains came. Someone's nikah that couldn't wait, even if his own rest could.
Nobody scheduled this. Nobody asked him to stay late or carry the weight of an entire community on his shoulders. He just did.
This is what showing up looks like for an Imam, not once, but every single day, in the small moments no one is filming.
To every Imam who shows up before he's asked to: we see you.
Imam Uthman is from Zimbabwe. He’s shared that many in his community often lack the basics.
At the IDP, we encourage Imams to be the hand that uplifts.
Qurbani with imams, boreholes at the masjid and madrasah feeding are some of the projects we offer Imams to benefit their communities.
The benefit extends to strengthening the Imam’s standing in his community, assisting him in his task of preserving the Deen.
21/07/2026
Think about the leader you respect the most in your life.
Chances are it's not because of their title; it's because they listened when you needed to be heard, were firm when it mattered, and never made you feel small.
That's exactly how the Prophet ﷺ led.
And it's exactly what the Imam Development Program is developing in imams across Africa, leaders who inspire through character, not authority.
Imam Qureish Wasaja teaches Arabic and English at Zai Nursery and Primary School in Namagoma, Uganda. The school has over 500 students, both boarding and day.
He spent 17 years at Al-Azhar, from secondary school right through to the end of his tertiary studies. Then he came home.
Now he’s in the classroom every day, teaching the children of his own community.
Your support develops imams like him. Trained, qualified, and back home putting that knowledge to work to preserve the Deen for generations to come.
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Contact the organization
Telephone
Address
Durban
Opening Hours
| Monday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 12:00 |