Sh. Yaser Birjas is originally from the holy land of Palestine and was born in Kuwait in 1970. He grew up in Kuwait visiting different mosques and leading different youth activities and programs. Upon completing high school in 1988, he moved to the UAE to study Electronic Engineering. While back in Kuwait in 1990 for a class in management and business administration, the war started in Kuwait and his university career came to a halt.

In 1991, Sh. Yaser Birjas moved to Jordan where he stayed with family members for a year before going to Madinah in KSA to study Shariah. In Jordan, he attended some of the circles of knowledge with the renowned scholars of the area and other students of knowledge. At that time he had the difficult task of making a decision between continuing a secular education in Germany or studying Shariah in Madinah. Having decided on a path of Islamic knowledge, he graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1996 from University of Madinah’s College of Shariah (Fiqh and Usul) and was awarded “The City of Madinah” award for excellent academic achievement. He had the honor to interact and learn from a number of highly respected scholars such as Shaikh Al-Uthaimeen (rahimahuAllah) and Shaikh Ash-Shanqitee.

After graduating, Sh. Yaser Birjas went on to work for four years as a youth counselor and relief program aide in the war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thereafter, he immigrated to the U.S. where he served as an Imam (spiritual leader and advisor) at The Islamic Center in El Paso, Texas until 2009 and then briefly after that in Orland Park Prayer Center in the Chicago area. He is currently serving as an Imam at Valley Ranch Islamic Center, Irving, Texas. Sh. Yaser continues to enhance his knowledge in various arenas and most recently obtained a Masters of Adult Education and Training from the University of Phoenix, Class of 2013. In addition to his responsibilities as an Imam, Sh. Yaser is a father of four children, he’s an instructor at AlMaghrib Institute, and a national speaker appearing at many conventions and conferences around the country. He is very popular for his classes and workshops covering a wide range of topics related to the youth, marriage, parenting and family life among other social matters related to the Muslim community. His counseling services, in office and online, include providing pre-marital training, marriage coaching and conflict resolution for Muslims living in the West.

Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and a professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University. He has been serving as the resident scholar of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in a voluntary capacity since 2013 were he has held regular classes enriching the community with his knowledge and commitment to Islamic scholarship.