Shaykha Umm Jamaal ud-Din

AS SALAAMU AlayKUM 

I'm Shaykha Umm Jamaal ud-Din

A qualified scholar and mentor passionate about teaching Islamic Sciences in an approachable, practical way. 

For over 25 years, I’ve taught thousands of Muslim women in Sydney, Australia, helping them develop a strong love for deen by marrying knowledge with motivation. 

My goal is to revive your Iman and motivate you to practice your Deen in your everyday life with confidence and clarity.    

My Story

From a very young age, I began exploring different cultures, languages, and religions, as I grew up in a Christian household where knowledge was loved and valued. This was perhaps the reason why I always felt a craving to seek the truth.

When I finally found Islam in University through some practicing Muslims, I was filled with questions and ready to learn.

There was a sea of unfiltered information around me, and I knew that if I wanted to discover Islam in its true essence, I had to go to the source, and Arabic was the key for that.  

But while I was gearing up to dive deep into seeking knowledge, not knowing the Arabic language, and being a woman, became a huge drawback in my dream to study where I wanted. 

Around the time I got married, I heard about men studying Islam and getting their degrees from Madina University. 

Excited and full of ideas, my husband and I planned hijrah to Saudi Arabia. My goal was to gain pure, authentic knowledge from the roots, so I applied to Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah as Madina University didn't accept women, and as it was also the only university back then that offered a foundational Arabic programme before the Shariah Degree. 

However, Allah ﷻ in His infinite wisdom had other plans for me. I was not accepted and later found out that no one from Australia had ever been accepted there, male or female. 

Although I was very disappointed, I never gave up my dream. I knew that to seek true scholarship, I would need to traverse the path of learning Arabic and the Qur'an first. 

This led me to Dar Al Huda Qur’an Institute in Jeddah, where I spent the next couple of years memorising the Qur'an and completing the highest level of Tajweed, Alhamdulillah.

Having immersed myself in Arabic at the Qur'an Institute I realised I needed to formally study the Arabic language if I was serious about studying the religion from its original sources.

Changing Trajectory

However, it was around this time that Allah ﷻ also blessed me with twins and so, with the struggle of raising three children under three, my husband and I decided to move back to Australia.

Even amid this increased responsibility of motherhood I never gave up my dream of gaining formal qualifications in the Deen. I pursued a Bachelor of Arts languages major in Arabic and began studying numerous traditional Islamic texts from scholars specialised in their respective subjects while continuing to memorise the Quran alongside helping my children to also memorise.

Teaching Qur'an & Shariah Sciences 

While I had already begun teaching Qur’an and weekly halaqas for women in 2002 , and began formally teaching Shariah sciences in 2007, I was following my dream, but I felt I still hadn’t found my ultimate purpose..

Not until one of my teachers, Shaykh Abdus-Salam Zoud (May Allah preserve him) told me about the opportunity for me to attain my formal qualifications in Shariah sciences now that I was also fluent enough in Arabic.  

I completed my Bachelor in Fiqh and Usul Fiqh and became one of the first three official female scholars at the Australian Imams Council.

I realised how much specialising in this knowledge was an amanah (responsibility) since very few Muslim women in the Western world had the required qualifications to teach it.

When Covid hit and the world battled through the crisis and confusion, I took the opportunity to further pursue my studies and study a Masters in Fiqh.

It was during this time that by immense blessing of Allah I began teaching my Shariah classes online for the very first time - suddenly women who had previously been unable to attend my classes were able to join in...

Convocation Ceremony Masters 2025

Did you know Shaykha  

• Doesn’t just love exploring ideas - she explores the world. Whether hiking nature trails, tracing coastal paths, or getting lost in ancient castles, Shaykha follows her curiosity wherever it leads. And when it’s time to recharge, nothing beats a quiet float in the water.
• Has 5 kids, all of whom memorised the Qur’an, the oldest also being a qualified Imam
• Juggles many hats: community leader, religious affairs consultant, and international speaker.
• Is the first qualified female spiritual guide for hajj from Australia.
• Has her Quran recitations on the female reciters' Qariah App
• Has numerous talks on a multitude of relevant topics available on her YouTube channel.