Tayba’s History
The Tayba Foundation was established in 2008 to provide current and formerly incarcerated men and women with quality Islamic education geared towards the refinement of their thinking and behavior, positioning them to transition to society more productively. Although founded in 2008, Tayba’s roots began in 2002 when Shaykh Rami Nsour began teaching prisoners via phone, guiding them through classical Islamic texts and answering questions related to their newfound faith. Over the next few years, under the umbrella of the Zaytuna Prison Outreach Program, these students engaged in serious distance learning with Shaykh Rami, learning Theology (Aqida), Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Spirituality (Tazkiya), Character Development (Akhlaq) and other associated disciplines. Those students went through enough learning to be able to teach other inmates.
It was through this effort that both the need for Islamic Education and its positive transformative effect became apparent. Consequently, in 2008, Tayba Foundation was formally established as an independent organization to impart and educational curriculum to inmates, with the underlying goal of spiritual nourishment and character rectification. Tayba Foundation is a registered non-profit 501(c)3 educational and charitable organization located in the S.F. Bay Area, but serving all states.
Between 2008 and 2017, Tayba Foundation has:
Developed an educational curriculum incorporating traditional Islamic knowledge and accounting for special inmate needs
Developed an administrative infrastructure to assess, enroll, grade and manage student participation
Developed processes to comply with rules and requirements of the prison system
Facilitated integration into society of released inmate students
Established a Reentry program
Established a Life Skills program