Anse Hafsa Abdul-Hakeem serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Riverstead Academic Institute. She earned the Riverstead Teacher Certification in 2020 and holds certifications (ijāza) in topics such as tajwīd, fiqh, and Arabic grammar.

Born and raised in Georgia and now living in New Jersey, Anse Hafsa has been a lifelong seeker of Sacred Knowledge. She began her studies in her youth with local scholars and later traveled overseas to pursue deeper studies in Tarim, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt.

Her hopes to pursue Islamic scholarship continued when she heard about Rabata and was recommended to jump on the wave by her community teachers. Riverstead connected her to the legacy of Muslim women’s scholarship and leadership. She graduated with the first Riverstead cohort and is still studying but also enjoying family life, teaching and working in the non-profit sector in social services.

Anse Hafsa has been a Riverstead Tajwīd teacher since 2020 and also teaches with Dragonflies, Rabata’s youth program.