Shaykh Yusuf Weltch has a fascinating family history. He is part African American, British and Costa Rican, but he has Inca, Cherokee, Nicaraguan and Irish blood too. His journey begins in Trenton, New Jersey where he was a young pianist and professional pool player before being introduced to Islam by his brother. His pursuit of Islamic knowledge took him from the Darul Uloom madrassah in Queens, NY to Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen and, finally, to Canada. I first met Shaykh Yusuf while he was teaching a summer intensive program at Seekers Guidance in Toronto. Who knew his journey would intersect with so many of my own teachers in New Jersey. It’s truly amazing to see how Allah swt weaves these journeys together. In this episode, Shaykh Yusuf discusses the lack of community and classes as a new convert and how this struggle impacted him — something familiar for many of our new Muslim brothers and sisters. He also talks about teaching in Mexico and the need for Spanish speakers in dawaa work. Listen in, to all the beautiful stories within his story. His story intersects with many familiar names: Habib Omar, Shaykh Luqman Abdul Ghani, Shaykh Suhel Teli, Hazrat Maulana Ijaz Sahib, Shaykh Mikaeel Abdur Rahman, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Ahmad, Shaykh Umar bin Hussein al-Khatib, Habib Khadim al-Saqqaf, Habib Ali Abu Bakr, Habib Muhammad Aydarus, Habib Hashim bin Aqil bin Yahya, Habib Hussain al Haddad, Habib Abdullah Al-Mehdar, Abdul Qadir Wiswall, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Imam Tahir Anwar, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Imam Adeyinka 'Muhammad' Mendes, Shaykh Hasan Abunar, Shaykh Amin Buxton, Ustadh Hasan Petrus, Shaykh Musab Penfound, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani