End-of-Life Care in Islam – Speakers

Resident Scholar | Director, Taqwa Seminary

Shaykh Chad Earl accepted Islam at the age of fifteen and has been dedicated to seeking sacred knowledge ever since. His pursuit of Islamic scholarship led him to Egypt in 2005, where he studied Arabic and Islamic sciences extensively.

He graduated from Al-Azhar University with a degree in Islamic and Arabic Studies in 2018, following the completion of Al-Azhar’s preparatory and high school programs. During his years in Egypt, he also pursued independent studies with scholars in memorization, tajwīd, fiqh, tafsīr, and hadith. He worked as a writer, editor, and translator with the Egyptian House of Fatwa (Dar al-Ifta), Al-Azhar, contributing to scholarly research and religious guidance initiatives. He also helped launch an online Arabic program based in Cairo.

Prior to relocating to the Dallas area, Shaykh Chad served as Religious Director of the Islamic Center of Maryland and as Imam and Programs Director of the Islamic Society of Monmouth County in New Jersey. He is currently the Resident Scholar at the Islamic Association of Collin County (Plano Masjid) and Director of Taqwa Seminary. He is also pursuing his Master’s degree in Islamic Studies at the Islamic Seminary of America.

His work focuses on applying classical Islamic jurisprudence to contemporary realities, particularly in areas of bioethics, end-of-life decision-making, and navigating modern medical dilemmas through the framework of maqāṣid al-sharīʿah and ethical legal reasoning.

Chaplain Javeria Ahmed

Mediator, Arbitrator & Hospital Chaplain

Javeria Ahmed is a Texas-based Mediator and Arbitrator who has spent the past several years working with Muslim families across North America in resolving family disputes, separation matters, and divorce-related conflicts. Her work centers on reconciliation, structured dialogue, and restoring dignity in emotionally complex situations.

Building upon her commitment to healing and conflict resolution, Javeria transitioned into chaplaincy, expanding her focus from interpersonal reconciliation to guiding individuals through internal and spiritual reconciliation. She currently serves as a hospital chaplain in Dallas, where she supports patients and families navigating serious illness, crisis, grief, and end-of-life decisions.

Her approach integrates mediation skills, spiritual care, and trauma-aware listening to help families move through conflict, decision fatigue, and spiritual distress with greater clarity and compassion. She is especially passionate about helping Muslim families approach vulnerable moments with both emotional intelligence and faith-centered grounding.

Salimatou Diallo

Community Engagement Coordinator | Nonprofit Leader

Salimatou Diallo is a nonprofit professional with over five years of experience in program management, community engagement, and advocacy. She currently serves as Community Engagement Coordinator at the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation, where she develops initiatives that respond directly to the lived realities of underserved communities.

Her work focuses on equitable access, inclusive program design, and amplifying underrepresented voices. Known for her ability to translate ideas into action, Salimatou builds cross-sector partnerships that bridge community needs with institutional systems.

In conversations surrounding end-of-life care, she brings a critical human-centered lens—grounding medical and legal discussions in lived experience. Her work emphasizes storytelling, communal healing, trauma-informed engagement, and creating safe spaces where vulnerability is honored rather than suppressed. She is committed to helping Muslim communities approach grief and loss with emotional literacy, dignity, and faith-based resilience.

Dr. Hamayun Nawaz, MD, FACP

Internal Medicine & Palliative Care Physician

Dr. Hamayun Nawaz brings over a decade of experience in geriatrics, hospice, palliative medicine, and community-based health delivery. Much of his career has been dedicated to serving uninsured, refugee, and medically underserved populations, ensuring that compassionate care remains accessible to those most in need.

He currently serves as a Palliative Care physician within Methodist Healthcare System and is affiliated with Mosaic Healthcare, a practice dedicated to supportive and palliative medicine. Mosaic Healthcare operates on the belief that caring for the seriously ill is not merely a profession but a calling. Their mission is to provide an additional layer of support alongside primary care physicians and specialists—focusing on symptom management, pain control, and aligning treatment decisions with the patient’s values and goals.

Dr. Nawaz specializes in navigating complex end-of-life medical decisions, including life-sustaining treatments, ventilator support, feeding tubes, dialysis, and CPR realities. His work emphasizes clarity, patient autonomy, and helping families. He is deeply committed to ensuring that patients and caregivers feel supported, informed, and respected during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Chaplain Salvy Ahsan

Muslim Chaplain | Educator | Community Leader

Chaplain Salvy Ahsan is a faith-rooted chaplain, educator, and community organizer with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals and communities through trauma-informed care, youth development, and culturally grounded healing initiatives.

She is a graduate of the Qalam Seminary Year 1 Classical Arabic and Essential Islam Knowledge program and holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Islamic Chaplaincy from Bayan Islamic Graduate School. She currently serves as a hospital chaplain resident, providing spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and healthcare teams navigating serious illness, grief, moral distress, and major life transitions.

Her work sits at the intersection of chaplaincy, psychology, education, and community leadership. She is particularly committed to bridging gaps between faith communities and healthcare systems, advocating for culturally responsive and spiritually inclusive care. Her approach is relational, ethically grounded, and attentive to the lived realities of diverse Muslim families.

Beyond clinical settings, Salvy remains deeply engaged in community education, mentoring youth, training leaders, and developing programming that integrates faith, justice, and compassionate service. She is passionate about creating spaces where faith-informed dialogue empowers families to approach complex decisions with clarity, dignity, and spiritual grounding.