Mikaeel Smith

Shaykh Mikaeel Ahmed Smith (Michael V Smith) is an instructor at Qalam Institute. He is an Islamic scholar, writer, and activist striving to meet the spiritual and educational needs of the DFW community. Shaykh Mikaeel previously served as a resident scholar at the Islamic Society of Annapolis and the Islamic Society of Baltimore. He grew up in a deeply spiritual Christian home in Buffalo, NY. At the age of 18, he embraced Islam after reading the Qur’an and the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Imam Mikaeel enrolled at the Dar ul-Uloom al-Madania in Buffalo, NY, where he completed his memorization of the Qur’an. He continued his studies in Jami’a Abu Noor in Damascus, Syria. In 2012, he completed his hadith studies of the Sihah Sitta (six most authentic collections of Prophetic traditions) and Qur’anic Tafseer (commentary). He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies at the Dar ul-Uloom Canada in Chatham, Ontario. He moved to Maryland to become the scholar-in-residence at the Islamic Society of Annapolis where he taught tajweed (Qur’an recitation) and the foundational Islamic sciences. He has also taught at the Makkah Learning Center in Gambrills, MD, and served as a full-time instructor at the Al-Rahmah Seminary in Baltimore, MD. Imam Mikaeel is currently pursuing his BA in psychology, while writing translations of classical Islamic texts.

Shaykh Mikaeel travels across the country teaching his Prophetic Empathy class. He also is writing translations of classical Islamic texts and articles for MuslimMatters, teaching Alimiyah students, and serving the local Dallas-Ft Worth community.