About · من نحن
A serious, warm sense of belonging
Ihsan Circle develops the young Muslim’s heart and mind through meaningful education and genuine companionship, with mentors who care, and peers who support one another in pursuing excellence.
Teaching since 2017Chicago, ILFive Programs
The circle, gathered
Teaching wudu · 2018
What We Believe
Four convictions, underneath everything
Suhbah, ihsan, structured mentorship, and embodied learning: every branch of our work is built the same way underneath.
Suhbahصُحبة
Companionship
Transformation happens in the company of those further along the path, not in isolation from a screen. Content informs; companionship transforms.
Ihsanإحسان
Excellence
To worship as if we see the Divine, and to create beauty at every turn by perfecting all our actions. That standard shapes every cohort, every lesson plan, every session.
Structured Mentorship
Guided growth, not self-study
A deliberate path from student to teacher: General, then Committee, then Core, then Alumni/Mentor, with accountability built into the structure itself.
Embodied Learning
Knowledge lived and felt
Moral and spiritual lessons demand practice. Until they are lived, under careful supervision, with intentional repetition and real communal commitment, they remain inaccessible.
A Message From
Mawlana Idris Nawaz
International scholar and qari, on cherishing the youth, and the impact of seemingly insignificant encouragement.
Founder
Irslan Ahmad
Raised in Dallas and now based in Chicago, Irslan Ahmad is an educator, mentor, and program builder whose work brings together nearly a decade of direct youth mentorship, graduate training in Islamic education, and sustained study of the Islamic sciences. Since 2017, he has taught in Islamic schools, masajid, and independent programs; developed curricula and cohort models; and remained close to students and families across the years rather than merely for the duration of a class.
He founded Ihsan Circle to make that kind of relationship the center of Islamic learning: serious in knowledge, personal in attention, and sustained long enough to shape the whole person.
Education & experience
Nearly a Decade in Islamic Education
Teaching and mentoring young Muslims since 2017 across Islamic schools, masajid, and independent educational programs.
Curriculum & Program Leadership
Developing courses, mentorship cohorts, assessments, teacher training, and youth initiatives for students, families, and institutions.
Graduate Formation in Islamic Education
M.A. in Islamic Studies with a concentration in Islamic Education from Bayan Islamic Graduate School, and recipient of the Dr. Fathi Osman Scholarly Excellence Award for a thesis on the manzumat, the classical verse-texts of Islamic pedagogy.
Traditional Islamic Studies
Full-time 'Alimiyyah studies at Darul Qasim College, with sustained study of Arabic, Qur’an, hadith, fiqh, usul, 'aqidah, tafsir, logic, and the humanities.
Qur’anic Formation
Hafiz of the Qur’an, with an ijazah in the recitation of Hafs 'an 'Asim.
Theology & Intellectual Tradition
Advanced Diploma in the Western tradition and Islamic philosophy and theology through Blogging Theology Academy, with further diplomas from Al-Hirz Institute and Usul Academy.
Neuroscience & Human Development
B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas, with academic grounding in cognition, behavior, biology, and human development.
Along the way he has coordinated programs and events with visiting scholars and du’at from across the country.
Our Story · القصة
Before It Had a Name
It began with a stranger’s plea for help near a masjid staircase, on a rainy night.Ihsan Circle did not begin as such programs usually do, with a plan, a curriculum, or even a name. It began with a stranger’s plea for help near a masjid staircase on a rainy night: a group of restless boys with nowhere to go, and a young man with little idea where his own life was headed, only the feeling that he recognized something of himself in them. They needed someone to stay; he needed, though he did not yet know it, a reason to keep returning. What began as an improvised gathering became a relationship, then a responsibility, and eventually the work of his life.
The Missing Apprenticeship
Where sacred study becomes guided service
Scholarly formation prepares someone to carry knowledge; guided service prepares them to carry responsibility for people.
A student of knowledge, in service
Traditional study forms depth, discipline, and fidelity to the Islamic sciences. Yet communities often ask graduates to enter roles that demand another set of practised abilities: teaching children, mentoring adolescents, advising parents, leading volunteers, communicating across generations, and responding wisely to human difficulty. These responsibilities cannot be learned through theory alone. They require supervised contact with the people one hopes to serve.
Ihsan Circle provides that apprenticeship. Students of knowledge observe, assist, teach, receive feedback, and gradually carry greater responsibility under scholarly and pastoral oversight. Young people gain relatable mentors grounded in tradition; students of knowledge gain experience, a dignified path of service, and opportunities for paid work; masajid gain a sustainable layer of leadership; and senior scholars gain trained educators through whom their knowledge and care can reach further.
- 01Study
- 02Observation
- 03Guided Practice
- 04Responsibility
- 05Service
The student of knowledge is formed through service, and the community is strengthened through those he learns to serve.
Leadership & Guidance
The Team Behind Ihsan Circle
Ihsan Circle is led by educators who combine sustained Islamic study with years of direct work among young people. Irslan leads its teaching and development; Shaykh Haroon advises its scholarly and pastoral direction.
Irslan Ahmad
Founder & Lead Instructor
Irslan leads Ihsan Circle’s educational vision, teaching, curriculum development, mentor formation, and institutional partnerships. A Hafiz of the Qur’an since 2012 with an ijazah in the mode of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, he holds a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies from Bayan Islamic Graduate School, where his thesis on the Manzumat tradition received the Dr. Fathi Osman Scholarly Excellence Award, and he continues full-time ‘Alimiyyah study at Darul Qasim College alongside a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has taught students from early childhood to high school at BEAM Academy, East Plano Islamic Center, and Brighter Horizons Academy, co-founded The Preservers, and works in Strategic Advancement at Bayan. He remains directly involved with students while building the structures through which the work can grow responsibly.Read the full biographyClose
Shaykh Haroon Ahmed
Scholarly & Pastoral Advisor
Shaykh Haroon Ahmed advises Islamic schools, educational institutions, and community organizations on curriculum development, educator formation, and faith-based institutional growth. A Hafiz of the Qur’an and graduate of Darul Qasim College’s 'Alimiyyah program, he has served the Chicagoland Muslim community as an imam, educator, advisor, and youth mentor for more than a decade, including as Imam in Bolingbrook and as Resident Scholar and Academic Supervisor at Masjid Uthman. He currently serves as Head of THIQA and Director of IQRA Academy at Islamic Foundation School (IFS), Assistant to the President at Darul Qasim College, and is a certified instructor of the Basira Foundation’s Why Islam is True curriculum. He has received specialized training in mental health first response and suicide prevention through the Khalil Center and is currently pursuing advanced post-'Alimiyyah studies while preparing for doctoral research in Tawhidic Epistemology and Islamic educational philosophy.Read the full biographyClose
New mentors are selected for their knowledge, character, and ability to remain consistently present with students.
To learn more or apply to be a mentor, get in touch with us.
Accountability
How a mentor is entrusted with a circle
No mentor leads on credentials alone.
Application & Personal Interview
Each prospective mentor applies, provides a community reference, and meets personally with the founder and another member of the team.
Knowledge & Readiness
Their Islamic literacy, judgment, communication, and readiness to work closely with young people are carefully reviewed.
Training in the Model
Before leading, mentors complete Teaching with Ihsan, our teacher and mentor training, and learn the educational and pastoral responsibilities of the role.
Observation & Supervised Practice
New mentors first observe an experienced teacher, then lead under observation before being entrusted with a circle of their own.
Continued Guidance
Regular check-ins, feedback, and support continue after a mentor begins leading.
Life at Ihsan Circle · الحياة
What grows beyond the lesson
The most important parts of a circle are not always written into its curriculum. They are the shared meals, unhurried conversations, service projects, outings, and celebrations through which students learn to trust one another and carry what they study into life.
Time together in the masjid and beyond, without rushing toward the next lesson.
The circle doesn’t pause between sessions.
The group chat keeps going, the reflections pile up, and the brothers continue to grow and support one another. Check out our page for more Ihsan on Instagram.
@ihsan__circle · Follow AlongThe Vision · الرؤية
One circle, then many.
Ihsan Circle’s own students have gone on to lead MSAs, memorize the Qur’an, and found their own organizations. Hilaq takes that same model and installs it inside a masjid, so a whole community, not one student at a time, gains a generation of leaders who build for one another.
Where to Next
Three ways to carry this forward
For Students & Families
Find the right program
Private Study, an Ihsan Circle, or a course; the paths differ, and the fit matters more than the label.
For Masajid
Bring Hilaq to your masjid
A trained youth-leadership corps, installed and mentored inside your community for the long term.
For Supporters
Keep a seat open
Tuition never turns a sincere student away. Support is what makes that promise possible.