Meet our team

Nabi Raza Abidi was born in Alipur, in India. He was raised in a religious, Syed family. After completing his early education, he moved to Iran at the age of 14 to pursue Islamic studies. He spent the first two years in Najafabad learning Farsi, basic Arabic grammar, and aḥkām. He then spent 14 years in Qom, where he studied at Hujjatiyyah, Fayḍiyyah, and the Institute of Imām Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq under Ayatollah Ja'far Subḥanī. Concurrently, he earned his PhD from the University of Tehran. After completing his lower level studies, he participated in Dars al-Khārij under reputable scholars, such as Ayatollah Ja'far Subḥanī, Ayatollah Fāḍil Lankarānī, Ayatollah Makārim Shirāzī, and many others. Maulana Abidi spent 4 years answering questions in the office of Grand Ayatollah Fāḍil Lankarānī, and another 5 years conducting research in theology and philosophy under Ayatollah Ja'far Subḥanī, where he also helped write and publish books on various topics. For the next 5 years, he taught Usūl, Fiqh, Philosophy, and Tafsīr for 5 years in Hujjatiyyah, Fayḍiyyah and Jāmiʿatuz-Zahrā. In 2002, Maulana Abidi moved to San Jose, CA to serve as the Resident ʿĀlim of SABA Islamic Center. Under his guidance, SABA has expanded tremendously and incorporated many successful undertakings, including a full-time school, RISE Academy. Additionally, he has helped to establish and overlook many masājid. He is also the founder of Al-Kisa Foundation and its subsidiaries, including Kisa Kids. Moulana Abidi serves on various school boards, provides guidance to several full-time and weekend Islamic schools around the world, as well as provides guidance to SABA Sunday School and RISE Education System. He continues to further his studies in ʿIrfān, Philosophy, and Dars al-Khārij with renowned scholars.