Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association (IABA) was formed by college students. The Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association was formally registered with the State of Texas as a non-profit organization on February 20, 1997. The students who formed IABA envisioned a house of wisdom, a home away from home, a space to come together and worship Allah. IABA is the only Ithna A’shari organization in Austin, Texas. Today, IABA is a culturally diverse center with a vibrant, young and growing Muslim community. Many of our attendees are children, youth and college students. We are responsible to our youth and work diligently to play an integral part in shaping their Islamic identity.
We are very blessed to have Sheikh Jafar Muhibullah as our Resident Aalim at IABA. He was born and raised in North Carolina. Sheikh Jafar Muhibullah writes and speaks on a wide range of topics that are both relevant and important to the Muslim voice. He has always had a keen interest in pursuing Islamic studies and Languages. He has spent a combination of over 16 years of study at Medina-New York Howza and Qum. Sheikh Muhibullah has a MA in Islamic Studies from Duke University and a PhD in Linguistics and Arabic Literature from the University of Tehran. Sheikh Jafar Muhibullah brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to IABA as well as to the interfaith and intra-faith communities here in Texas. Some of Sheikh Muhibullah’s interests are in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu Literature; Discourse Analysis; Islamic Philosophy, Law, and Theology.
The Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association (IABA) was founded in 1997 and has since become a flourishing and vibrant community of approximately 300 muslims. Its membership comprises of a richly diverse yet close knit group of people from various parts of the world including India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Tanzania, Afghanistan, and the United States.
Prior to the establishment of the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association, the shia muslim community in Austin gathered for majalis in each others residences. With an increasingly large community, the need for an organized structure led to the creation of the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association in the holy month of Ramadhan, 1417 (1997). The Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association was formally registered with the State of Texas as a non-profit organization on February 20, 1997.
The constitution document is available in PDF format below.
The Al-Mahdi Center was purchased by IABA in October of 2002. It is church converted into an Islamic Center that sits on a beautiful 4.1 acre land in NorthWest Austin. Currently, the Al-Mahdi Center consists of a main prayer hall that accommodates both men and women, an office and English and Arabic libraries. Attached to the main prayer hall is an existing residential structure that serves as an overflow area, and has several class rooms for the weekend school.
Currently, the building committee is working on future plans to make the Al-Mahdi Center a full fledged Islamic Center with up-to-date accommodations for various activities.
The By-Laws document is available in PDF format below.