Young Ulama Leadership Program (YULP)

Our signature programme, since 2016

The world’s largest and most prestigious leadership programme for Islamic scholars.

Every year, ulama and aalimat from Pakistan and around the world spend fifteen intensive days learning to lead, so they can serve their communities more effectively as ambassadors of the Prophet ﷺ.

Eleven years of YULP, 2016 to 2026Photo: YULP delegates on the lawn, hands raised

6,250delegates trained
24countries, joining live via Zoom
60%of delegates are women
3 millionpeople reached through our alumni

Part one

The programme

What a single YULP is: who takes part, what they learn, how it is taught and the values they carry home.

About the programme

Fifteen days that shape a scholar’s leadership

YULP is an annual 15-day intensive programme for ulama and aalimat from Pakistan and abroad, run by Ataleeq Trainings since 2016. Delegates include fresh graduates, teachers, heads of department, imams and the senior management of madaris. Ulama join on-site in Islamabad and Bhurban or online; aalimat join online.

Over the fifteen days, national and international trainers and experts help them build leadership skills, social understanding, a wider world view and professional skills, and leave with values they carry into daily life.

Watch the YULP 2025 documentary

YULP 2025 documentary

Fifteen days, in pictures

Sessions in the open air, circles on the lawn, evenings by the fire, and visits to places that shaped the nation.

Learning in the open air
Hands up for the day ahead
The eighth YULP at Faisal Mosque, 2023
Morning circle above the valley
A circle on the lawn
“Never give in”, Lawrence College, Ghora Gali
An evening around the fire
A visit to Lawrence College
A session in the round
Delegates with their hosts on a campus visit
Under the Margalla Hills, Islamabad
Together in the hills
At the gate of Lawrence College

Objectives

Developing social leadership

YULP helps delegates unlock their leadership potential and make a lasting difference in their communities, so they can play their role more effectively as ambassadors of the Prophet ﷺ. It bridges traditional scholarly heritage and contemporary insight, giving them one place to sharpen their skills and meet the challenges of modern society.

Give ulama the contemporary skills to face modern social challenges.
Strengthen their sense of responsibility and their thinking as community leaders.
Equip them to meet the needs of society in a better way.
Build empathy, and the habit of helping one another.

One programme at a glance

Fifteen days, carefully designed

Every YULP follows the same design: four themes, broken into learning areas, taught in eight different ways in a lively, hands-on learning environment.

15days, on-site and online
4fundamental themes
25learning areas
8ways of learning, from lectures to summary writing

25 learning areas

How it is taught

Engaging lectures
Interactive workshops
Group discussions
Individual and group tasks
Self-reflection
Mentoring
Leadership activities
Summary writing

Fundamental themes

Four themes, and what is taught in each

Every delegate works through all four themes. Each theme is built from learning areas and taught through sessions like these, taken from a recent programme.

Leadership skills

Leading yourself before leading others.

Learning areas

Self-awareness
Proactive thinking
Decision making and problem-solving
Prioritisation
Time management
Communication skills

Sessions include (11)

Leadership from the Sunnah perspective
The mindset leadership needs
A positive way of thinking
A proactive way of life
Planning: why it matters, and a framework
Qualities of a good murabbi
The art of conversation
Mind maps
Stress management
Sleep management
Mental health

Social understanding

Reading society and serving it wisely.

Learning areas

Society: dimensions and development
Ethics of disagreement
Community engagement
Development of civilisations
Conflict management

Sessions include (9)

The temperament of the Prophet ﷺ
How the Prophet ﷺ invited people to Islam
Ulama as social leaders
What society expects of ulama
The social role of ulama: impact and challenges
Masajid as community centres
Custom (ʿurf): issues and etiquette
Sociology: an introduction
The YULP values

World view

Seeing the local and the global together.

Learning areas

Futurology
Local and global scenario
Narrative building
Framework of the Constitution
International law
Colonial impact

Sessions include (10)

The global landscape: an introduction
The Constitution of Pakistan: a study
Colonial impact on the culture of the subcontinent
Pakistan and international law
History: an introduction
Partition and the Pakistan Movement
Paigham-e-Pakistan: what it says and why it matters
Iqbal’s thought in our time
How the media shapes narratives
National and international policy in dawah

Professional skills

Practical skills for today’s world.

Learning areas

Entrepreneurship
E-commerce
Social media
Modern dawah strategies
Halal certification
Artificial intelligence
Project management

Sessions include (9)

The entrepreneurial mindset
Project management: an introduction
Halal certification: scope, prospects and challenges
Ulama in the media: challenges and a way forward
Dawah in the West, and our responsibility
How to teach the Seerah
Founding educational institutions: why and how
Fields of work for ulama, and the skills they need
Further study for ulama

Values

Six values every delegate carries home

YULP is built on six core values that form the foundation of effective Muslim leadership. The programme helps delegates make them part of daily life, so they become leaders who make a lasting difference.

Part two

The journey, 2016 to 2026

What eleven years of YULP add up to: delegates, countries, trainers, learning hours and a ripple that reaches millions.

Photo: an evening around the fire

Year by year

From 25 delegates to 6,250

YULP began in 2016 with 25 delegates. Since then it has grown to as many as 1,500 scholars in a single year, and 6,250 in all.

6,250participants since 2016

YULP participants by year
Year	Participants
2016	25
2017	50
2018	75
2019	85
2020	273
2021	1,500
2022	1,000
2023	800
2024	1,200
2025	1,250

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027

Since 2016, across all editions

120trainers and experts, national and international
600training sessions, activities and tasks
2,500learning hours

YULP delegates since 2016

Scholars from 24 countries

Since 2016, delegates have joined on-site in Pakistan and live via Zoom from 24 countries, bringing more than 25 languages to YULP.

Delegates from

24 countries

and

200 cities

Since 2016, on-site and live via Zoom, as groups or individually.

South Asia
- Pakistan
- India
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal
- Afghanistan
Middle East
- Saudi Arabia
- UAE
- Qatar
- Oman
- Türkiye
Africa
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Mauritania
- South Africa
Europe
- UK
- Germany
East and South-East Asia
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Indonesia
North America
- USA
- Canada
Oceania
- Australia

500institutions represented: schools, madaris, masajid, research centres and training institutes
130districts of Pakistan represented
25+languages spoken by delegates
200cities around the world

Across Pakistan

130districts

Participants from 130 districts across Pakistan.

Delegates come from big cities and small towns alike, joining on-site and online.

Each dot is a district headquarters. The highlighted districts are illustrative.

Women empowerment

Aalimat lead the way

Since 2016, women have made up 60 per cent of YULP delegates. Aalimat take part online from their own cities, so distance is no barrier to learning to lead.

3,500 female delegates since 2016

Ripple impact

One scholar, three million lives

Every YULP delegate goes back to a madrasa, a masjid, a classroom or a community. What they learn spreads from there, to students, congregations and families, reaching about three million people around the globe.

Alumni paradigm shift

Serving the nation in every field of life

YULP alumni now lead in mosques and madaris, and far beyond them.

Education
Training and development
Imamat and khitabat
Print and electronic media
Social welfare and community development
Banking and finance
Defence and armed forces
Research and publication
Halal industry
Business

Leadership

The people who lead YULP

YULP is run by Ataleeq Trainings, under the mentorship of Shaykh Jahangir Mahmud and the supervision of Maulana Abdul Quddus Muhammadi.

Guidance

Mentor in Chief

Shaykh Jahangir Mahmud

Islamic scholar, author and educational strategist

Supervisor

Maulana Abdul Quddus Muhammadi

Spokesperson, Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia

Programme leadership

President

Maulana Hammad Abbasi

Trainer Consultant Mentor Life Coach

Vice President

Maulana Waqas Saeed

Trainer Consultant Mentor Life Coach

Core team

Maulana Ahsan Khalil
Media Head
Muhammad Azeem Shah
Logistics Head
Syed Bilal Hassan
Admin Officer
Meer Usama
Social Media Head
Maulana Ikram
Graphic Designer

Speakers and experts

Learning from leaders in every field

Scholars, judges, academics, civil servants, business leaders and media professionals from Pakistan and abroad have taught YULP delegates.

Maulana Zahid ur Rashidi
President, Shariah Academy Gujranwala
Dr. Syed Aziz ur Rehman
Director, Dawah Academy Karachi
Mr. Arshad Akif
CEO, ASK Development
Dr. Yousaf Farooqi
DG (R), Shariah Academy, IIUI
Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar
Professor, Quaid-i-Azam University
Dr. Amjad Saqib
Founder, Akhuwat
Mr. Bilal Ahmer Sofi
International law expert
Mufti Muhammad Zubair
Member, Council of Islamic Ideology
Mr. Talha Ali Kushwaha
Teacher, artist and historian
Dr. Basit Bilal Koshul
Professor of Social Sciences, LUMS
Dr. Khalid Masud
Justice (R), Supreme Court of Pakistan
Mufti Muhammad Tayyab
President, Jamia Islamia Imdadia Faisalabad
Mr. Khalid Rehman
DG, Institute of Policy Studies
Ustaz Kashif Naseem
President, Azaan Institute
Mr. Mir Shoaib Ahmad
CEO, Diamond Paints; social activist
Mr. Tauqeer Shareefi
Poet
Prof. Dr. Shahid Qureshi
Rector, GIFT University Gujranwala
Brig. (R) Mujahid Alam
Principal, Lawrence College Ghora Gali
Dr. Izhar ul Haq Hashmi
Founding Director, Akhuwat
Mr. Amir Zafar Ch.
Executive Vice President, ZTBL
Mufti Muhammad Shoaib
Imam, Kowloon Mosque, Hong Kong
Prof. Dr. Sohail Hassan
DG (R), Dawah Academy
Maulana Haq Nawaz
President, Jamia Al Suffah Karachi
Dr. Qibla Ayaz
Chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology
Prof. Shahid Imran
Organisational psychologist
Ustaz Waqar Nawaz
A/D, Society for Educational Research
Mufti Noman Naeem
VC, Jamia Binoria International
Mr. Ovais Mangalwala
Anchor, HUM News
Maulana Abdul Rauf
Secretary Information, Pakistan Shariat Council
Dr. Mufti Usman Afaq
Principal, Bait ul Noor
Maulana Shahid Imran
Chairman, Bazm-e-Hassan
Dr. Zia ul Haq
DG, Shariah Academy, IIUI
Hafiz Ibrahim Naqshbandi
President, Ibrahim Academy
Shabbir Ahmed Khan
Air Commodore (R); President, Rashidabad
Cdre. Naveed Ahmad
Commodore (R), Pakistan Navy
Hafiz Abid Masud Dogar
Social activist
Dr. Ahmad Abdullah
Faculty member, IMDC
Mufti Shakeel Ahmad
Chief Mufti, Jamia Muhammadia
Mufti Najeeb Khan
Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi
Dr. Ayub Sabir
Emeritus Professor of Iqbal Studies
Dr. Ilyas Faisal
Doctorate, Madinah University
Maulana Sabqat Mansoor
Chief Executive, Infoconsys
Dr. Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari
MEC Masjid, Chicago
Maulana Haq Nawaz
Software engineer and entrepreneur
Maulana Yousaf Madni
President, Jamia Yahya Madni
Sayed Kafeel Shah Bukhari
President, Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam
Maulana Abdullah Iqbal
President, Institute of Islamic Studies
Dr. Asif Iqbal
Hamdard University
Mufti Mustafa Aziz
Director, Seerah Institute Faisalabad
Mufti Asif Riaz
Shariah Advisor, IFANCA Pakistan
Maulana Huzaifa Wastanvi
Principal, Jamia Akkalkuwa, India
Maulana Ismail Rehan
Author and historian
Mr. Umer Sheraz
Futurist
Mubashir Hussain Chand
Founder, Jhuggi Project
Qari Mahboob Ilahi
Vice President, Institute of Islamic Studies
Mr. Hamza Khursheed
SEO professional and blogger

Our speakers come from

Registration

Join the twelfth YULP

YULP 2027 runs for 15 days, from 16 to 30 January 2027. Ulama can take part on-site or online; aalimat take part online.

رابطہ نمبر برائے مرد حضرات

Contact for men

0329 8475029

رابطہ نمبر برائے خواتین

Contact for women

0313 1660166

پروگرام میں رجسٹریشن کےلئے نیچے دئیے گئے لنک پر کلک کریں

Ready to register?

Open the registration page.
Choose online or on-site.
Read the information, then complete your registration.

Registration for YULP 2027

مزید معلومات اور رہنمائی کے لیے رابطہ کریں

For more information and guidance, write to info@ataleeq.org.pk.

Be part of YULP 2027

Fifteen days that change how you lead, teach and serve, in a programme that has brought together scholars from 24 countries.

Fifteen days that shape a scholar’s leadership

Fifteen days, in pictures

Developing social leadership

Fifteen days, carefully designed

How it is taught

Four themes, and what is taught in each

Learning areas

Sessions include (11) +

Learning areas

Sessions include (9) +

Learning areas

Sessions include (10) +

Learning areas

Sessions include (9) +

Six values every delegate carries home

The journey, 2016 to 2026

From 25 delegates to 6,250

Scholars from 24 countries

130districts

Aalimat lead the way

One scholar, three million lives

Serving the nation in every field of life

The people who lead YULP

Guidance

Shaykh Jahangir Mahmud

Maulana Abdul Quddus Muhammadi

Programme leadership

Maulana Hammad Abbasi

Maulana Waqas Saeed

Core team

Maulana Ahsan Khalil

Muhammad Azeem Shah

Syed Bilal Hassan

Meer Usama

Maulana Ikram

Learning from leaders in every field

Maulana Zahid ur Rashidi

Dr. Syed Aziz ur Rehman

Mr. Arshad Akif

Dr. Yousaf Farooqi

Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar

Dr. Amjad Saqib

Mr. Bilal Ahmer Sofi

Mufti Muhammad Zubair

Mr. Talha Ali Kushwaha

Dr. Basit Bilal Koshul

Dr. Khalid Masud

Mufti Muhammad Tayyab

Mr. Khalid Rehman

Ustaz Kashif Naseem

Mr. Mir Shoaib Ahmad

Mr. Tauqeer Shareefi

Prof. Dr. Shahid Qureshi

Brig. (R) Mujahid Alam

Dr. Izhar ul Haq Hashmi

Mr. Amir Zafar Ch.

Mufti Muhammad Shoaib

Prof. Dr. Sohail Hassan

Maulana Haq Nawaz

Dr. Qibla Ayaz

Prof. Shahid Imran

Ustaz Waqar Nawaz

Mufti Noman Naeem

Mr. Ovais Mangalwala

Maulana Abdul Rauf

Dr. Mufti Usman Afaq

Maulana Shahid Imran

Dr. Zia ul Haq

Hafiz Ibrahim Naqshbandi

Shabbir Ahmed Khan

Cdre. Naveed Ahmad

Hafiz Abid Masud Dogar

Dr. Ahmad Abdullah

Mufti Shakeel Ahmad

Mufti Najeeb Khan

Dr. Ayub Sabir

Dr. Ilyas Faisal

Maulana Sabqat Mansoor

Dr. Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari

Maulana Haq Nawaz

Sessions include (11)

Sessions include (9)

Sessions include (10)

Sessions include (9)