About Akhookum Institute
Reviving authentic Islamic education through foundational sciences, classical texts, and transformative spiritual retreats.
Akhookum means “your brother.”
It is how scholars of this ummah have traditionally signed their letters — not as masters above their readers, but as brothers alongside them. That is the spirit of this institute: teachers who walk the path with their students, small cohorts where you are known by name, and a community bound by brotherhood in seeking knowledge.
Our Approach
From your first Arabic letter to classical works of creed, law, and hadith — one connected path, taught live, in English.
Classical Texts
Every course is built around a foundational text of the tradition — studied properly, cover to cover, not summarised into slides.
Live Teaching
Small live online cohorts, not pre-recorded lectures. Ask questions, recite, and be corrected — the way these sciences have always been transmitted.
Rigour, Both Ways
Our teachers are trained in traditional institutions and Western universities alike — so classical scholarship meets the questions of the modern world head-on.
Accessible to All
Sessions from £10 — because sacred knowledge should be within reach of every seeker, not priced as a luxury.
Beyond the Classroom
Knowledge is completed by companionship and worship. Alongside our courses we run three spiritual retreats each year, an annual guided Umrah with daily lessons in Makkah and Madinah, and intensive in-person book studies.
Our Teachers
Trained in traditional institutions and leading universities — teaching the classical sciences to the questions of today.
Ustadh Reece Byfield
Theology, Philosophy & CreedMPhil in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion from the University of Cambridge, and a First Class BA in Philosophy from King's College London. Currently studying the ʿĀlimiyyah programme at al-Salam Institute under Shaykh Akram Nadwi, and holds ijāzāt in various texts. His teaching focuses on Sunni ʿaqīdah, Islamic theology, philosophy of religion, and the intellectual challenges facing Muslims today.
Ustadh Khalil Ahmed
Hadith & FiqhA student of the ʿĀlimiyyah programme at al-Salam Institute under Shaykh Akram Nadwi, with ijāzāt including Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth. He has also studied tazkiyah and self-development for several years, and holds a BSc in Computer Science and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from King's College London.
Ustadh Malik
Arabic LanguageLeads the Arabic language programme at Akhookum Institute, taking students from the alphabet to classical texts through the Al-Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk series — with live weekly cohorts currently in progress.
Shaykh Mohammed Mekki
Arabic & Qur’anic StudiesA Cairo-based Arabic and Islamic studies instructor with over a decade of experience teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. He holds a BA in Daʿwah from Al-Azhar University and an MA in Islamic Studies. His teaching spans Arabic grammar (naḥw and ṣarf), Qur'anic literacy and recitation, and applied reading through curricula such as Al-Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk and Qiṣaṣ al-Nabiyyīn — delivered through live, interactive online instruction with targeted error correction.