FAITH INSPIRE YOUNG MUSLIM AWARDS
Celebrating the lives of young Muslims and their success is crucial in the current climate of negative perceptions of Muslims and the rise of Islamophobia. By focusing on young Muslims under the age of 25 from the UK, we are keen to highlight the tremendous achievements and successes of the wider community.
At Faith Inspire, our vision is to see an exemplary Muslim community in Britain that contributes to a society where all people flourish. As part of their journey, we ask the young people of one of our flagship projects, a Muslim youth development programme ‘Strive’, to lead this award ceremony.
We received nominations over 6 weeks from across the country to bring forth success stories and highlight the achievements young Muslims have made in the past year.
The categories are inspired by the individuals from the golden generation of Islam, who have provided us with inspiration and guidance. As Muslims, we are inspired by their values, character, and resilience, and pray we can work towards being role models in today’s society.
Thank you to the sponsors and members of Faith Inspire for helping to make this annual award a reality.
Excellence in Faith awards inspired by Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RA)
In this category we look at individuals who have excelled in Islamic fields of study, outperforming expectations and utilising that knowledge for the benefit of the Ummah. These awards are inspired by Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RA), who was a commander of the faithful, known for his stance on justice and a leader who instilled faith in others and led by example and said:
“He who does not live in the way of his beliefs starts to believe in the way he lives.”
Accomplishment in sports and recreation awards inspired by Ali Ibn Talib (RA)
In this category we look at individuals who recognise and value the importance of healthy lives for Muslims, either by earning accomplishments and awards or facilitating relevant activities for people in their communities. These are inspired by Ali Ibn Talib (RA), whose strength and bravery, even in his youth earned him great renown, as he was strong not just in his faith, but strong also in his physicality, and he said:
“Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly.”
Service to society awards inspired by Abu Bakr As Siddiq (RA)
In this category we look at individuals who have taken the responsibility of uplifting their community upon themselves, sharing their knowledge and skills with others to create a flourishing and thriving community of their own. These are inspired by Abu Bakr As Siddiq (RA), whose service to others is legendary, be it with charity or helping others in need, a truly remarkable change maker, and he said:
“O man, you are busy working for the world, and the world is busy trying to turn you out.”
Celebrating entrepreneurship awards inspired by Uthman Ibn Affan (RA)
In this category we look at young people who have adopted the long-held qualities of great Muslims and taken advantage of business opportunities that have presented themselves. These are inspired by Uthman Ibn Affan (RA) whose generosity had no bounds, his business acumen made him one of the wealthiest companions of the time, whilst always holding onto faith, guided by principles, and he said:
“You will not be conscious of the reality of faith till love for Allah is held dearer than the passion to acquire wealth.”
Academic achievement awards inspired by Mother Aisha (RA)
In this category we celebrate the most accomplished academic achievements of the young people. They’re inspired by our mother Aisha (RA) who was excellent in her conduct and her manner, narrated more hadiths of the Prophet (SAW) than any of the companions, and was amongst the greatest teachers and scholars of her time, and she said:
“The actions which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, loved most, were those which were done most constantly.”
The Judges
Our judges assessed each category against the selection criteria and selected a short-list of 3 for each category – from which the winners were announced at the awards ceremony.
For 2024, our judges included:
Junaid Ahmed
Junaid Ahmed is currently the CEO of the East London Mosque & the London Muslim Centre. He holds an Executive MBA (Masters) and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
In 2009, Junaid co-founded Murabbi Consulting, a management consultancy firm, serving a wide range of clients globally. The focus of his work has been on Organisational Strategy, Change Management, People & Culture, and Leadership Development. As a management consultant, Junaid has worked with many of UK’s leading not-for-profit and faith-based organisations.
An Adair Accredited (ACL) leadership expert, Junaid has led in the design and delivery of numerous management transformation programmes to a range of clients in the UK and abroad, including in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Jordan, Sweden and Malaysia.
On a voluntary capacity, Junaid has been actively involved within the UK Muslim community for over two decades, serving in the leadership of several faith-based and grass-roots organisations.
Aliyah Umm Raiyaan
Aliyah Umm Raiyaan converted to Islam 25 years ago and has been involved in UK dawah for over 20 years. In 2010, she founded Solace UK, a registered charity that helps women who have converted to Islam and find themselves in difficulty.
In 2019 she launched a YouTube show called Honest Tea Talk which brought unscripted conversations to the table about raw unspoken topics related to the Muslim community. She continues to devote her time to helping women achieve their full potential whilst emphasising the importance of developing a personal and close relationship with Allah.
In 2022, she was approached by the publisher Penguin to write and publish a book. The book, Ramadan Reflections, was published in March 2023 and became a Sunday Times Bestseller. Penguin recently published her second book, The Power of Du’a, which Mufti Menk said was ‘Empowering…of great benefit to those who wish to have their doors flung open by Allah.’ Aliyah recently became a TEDx speaker where she spoke about The power of your pain. She lives in East London where she home- educates her youngest children.
Zara Mohammed
Zara Mohammed is a masters graduate in Human Rights Law and a Training and
Development Consultant.
She was elected the first female, first Scot and youngest Secretary-General of the
Muslim Council of Britain in February 2021.
She is passionate about community change,
empowering young people, and improving diversity and inclusion both within her
communities and beyond.
Since her election Zara has spoken on key issues impacting British Muslims across
mainstream media and publications, she was a key note speaker at the G20 interfaith
summit and was featured in Vogue’s 25 most influential women in the UK.
Naiym Ahmed
Nayim is the founder and director of an independent consultancy Nayimahmed.com. Nayim has worked professionally within sport & community for over a decade. Having served as a member of The FA Council and Director at Wembley National Stadium Trust, Nayim is passionate about delivering meaningful opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Nayim is currently leading on the FA Workforce & Volunteering Game Plan in London & Middlesex
The Finalists
THE FINALISTS
Alhamdulilah, we received an incredible 233 nominations! Highlighting the amazing contributions young Muslims are making from all walks of life and how all of them are working towards our vision of seeing an exemplary Muslim community in Britain that contributes to a society where all people flourish.
The judges had to make some difficult decisions but alhamdulillah they selected the finalists from each of the categories. The finalists were all contacted via email directly, or through their nominator.
Thank you to all those who submitted a nomination and for those that didn’t make the shortlist please continue your amazing service and work in the community. We hope to see these individuals nominated at the 2025 Faith Inspire Young Muslim Awards
The winners were announced at the Award Ceremony on the evening of Saturday 20 April. We invited all the finalists and their guests, our judges, our sponsors , and key figures from the community to join us in celebrating the reveal of our winners
Sportsman of the Year
Samirul Muhit – Winner
Muaadh Syed
Jibraeel Chenia
Sportswoman of the Year
Safiyyah Mannan – Winner
Amina Soliman
Ayah Khadijah Hussain
Sports Ambassador of the Year
Ismail Islam – Winner
Zeeshan Khan
Muaadh Syed
Hafidha of the Year
Hana Rizmi – Winner
Madinah Ahmedjee
Zeinab Jeilani
Hafidh of the Year
Benyamin Qasim – Winner
Abdullah hanook
Safwaan Ahmed
Alim/Alimah & Ustadh/Ustadha of the Year
Ifrah Shafiq – Winner
Fatuun Osman
Zeeshan Ibrahim
Business of the Year
Fahimul Islam & Jahedul Islam – Winner
Mohammad Rumman Sufian
Kawsar Hussain
Entrepreneur of the Year
Seher Rahman – Winner
Hawwa Tanvir
Uzair Limbada
Apprentice of the Year
Abresham Al-Azad – Winner
Zeeshan Ibrahim
Muhammad Tahmid Ali
Student of the Year
Muhammad Taha Tariq – Winner
Farah Nazef
Ammara Haider
Scout of the Year
Hanifah Bint Mohamed – Winner
Muhammad Yusuf Khokhar
Khadeejah Tailor
Activist of the Year
Nazmul Hasan – Winner
Zahraa Syeda
Mujtaba Ahmad
Youth Worker of the Year
Safah Khan – Winner
Radhia Ali
Rawaha Aftab
Our Sponsors
The Faith Inspire Young Muslim Awards would not have been made possible without the support of our sponsors:
Contact us on FaithInspireAwards@gmail.com