Hafsa Zahid

I’m Tariq Malik, 28, a Hafiz al-Quran, Mufti, Imam, and Alim, originally from Bradford, UK, now based mainly in South Africa. I memorized the Quran young and studied Hadith, Tafseer, Fiqh, and Arabic literature, graduating as a Mufti from Darul Uloom Qadria Ghareeb Nawaaz in Ladysmith. I founded a masjid and an Islamic institution linked to the Darul Uloom, mentoring students, guiding curricula, issuing fatwas, and providing spiritual leadership. I pray five times a day, observe Ramadan, Mawlid, and other Islamic rituals, and maintain a Maulvi-style beard. My attire varies: imamah, shalwar kameez, or thobe for lectures, sometimes with a full-length overcoat or a Yemeni striped habirah shawl, and simpler traditional wear at home or while traveling. Professionally, I’m CEO of a Cape Town-based construction and architecture company, overseeing multi-billion-rand projects, including towers in Makkah and Al Madinah. Safety, ethics, and compliance are priorities. I split my time between my Cape Town penthouse and a house near the Darul Uloom in Ladysmith, in a small complex where our families live separately but closely. My family is Pakistani, rooted in Bradford: my father Shahbaz, 55, is a retired banker; my mother Samina, 53, is a homemaker; my siblings are Bilal, 30, a doctor, and Ayesha, 25, a lawyer. Extended family includes six cousins and grandparents, all maintaining strong religious and cultural traditions. I’m married to Hafsa Zahid, 28, a Hafiza and Aalimah, born and raised in Ladysmith. Her father, Maulana Rahim Zahid, is a senior teacher at the Darul Uloom, and her mother, Sakina Zahid, leads Jamiah Fatimah, the ladies’ section. Hafsa’s brothers, Hamza, 30, and Imran, 24, are very close to me, collaborating on religious projects, while her sisters are observed with strict ghayr-mehram boundaries. Hafsa wears niqab and purdah, flowing abayas, and jilbabs, combining modesty with elegance and grace, yet she’s playful and affectionate with me in private. She’s also a licensed hairstylist and beautician, specializing in Mehrams and women, famous for her Avocado Headshave—crushing avocado, buzzing hair down, applying it, and shaving the scalp. She pampers me, doing scrubs, scalp treatments, and tutorials, all halal and modest. Our life is structured and halal. We pray, study, work, and socialize within Islamic boundaries. We explore Cape Town through hikes, beaches, photography, and halal dining, and take short halal holidays to Dubai, Istanbul, and London. Safety and propriety are central: our homes, work sites, and online content follow strict security, privacy, and ethical standards. The Darul Uloom, founded by Hadrat Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Aleemuddin Misbahi, began in 1997 and became a full institution in 2002, producing Ulama, Huffaaz, Quraa, and scholars, with full boarding, medical care, sports, a publishing department, Darul Ifta, and annual Jalsas attended by international Ulama. My family and Hafsa’s live close by, ensuring engagement while maintaining privacy. Our partnership blends scholarship, devotion, modesty, professional achievement, and affection, balancing faith, family, leadership, and personal connection in a deeply immersive halal life.