Nashid was born into a Catholic family on August 14, 1955 and went to Catholic school up to the 8th grade. While in Catholic school, along with studying the Bible under teachers who were priests and nuns, Nashid also served as an Altar Boy. Upon entering High School he left the church and gradually got involved with crime. This was a consequence of growing up in Brooklyn, New York and the negative influences that were present around him. He did not stay in crime too long because at the age of 17, he got bitten by Islam. Becoming a Muslim was the most profound experience in Nashid’s life. This changed his life irreversibly from then on.
The teachings of Islam influenced him so much that he made a conscious decision to do something positive with his life. The Islamic teacher that influenced him the most was Imam Warith Deen Muhammad. Nashid considers him to be the most learned and erudite Islamic leader of our time. Of Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, Nashid has written, “I wish I had his knowledge, humility, eloquence and insight.” Nashid believes the Best Example for all Muslims is Prophet Muhammad (saaw). He sees Imam Warith Deen Muhammad as one of the greatest followers of Prophet Muhammad (saaw) in modern times.
With Islam as his motivation, Nashid left the negative influences of the streets of New York and decided to attend college. He could not get accepted into a four year college because of his poor High School grades as a result of not taking school seriously before accepting Islam. He attended New York City Technical college for two years. While there, he obtained exceptional grades and was on the Dean’s List every semester. He graduated with honors and became a member of Tau Phi Sigma Academic Society. From NYC Technical College, Nashid went to the State University of New York at Stony Brook briefly and finally applied and got accepted into MIT. He graduated from MIT with a degree in Physics.
He also studied Freemasonry and particularly the works of Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer. He also joined an organization called New Acropolis in Cambridge, Mass. This organization was devoted to comparative religious studies and tried to understand the oneness of the message in all religions. Through this organization, he studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and other Eastern religions along with the "Judeo Christian" religions. Nashid has a deep appreciation for the beauty and truth in ALL religions. He knows that the literal texts are really pointing to profound wisdom when understood correctly. Nashid claims that his observations are not emotionally based but are based standing firmly on the rock of rational thought. After studying many of the religions of the world Nashid’s conscious choice is to be a Muslim.
Nashid worked 17 years with IBM in Systems Engineering, Technical Education and Marketing. He left IBM in 1997 and started his own computer consulting company with his ex-boss from IBM. He did this for three years until accepting a position with IBM as a Consultant to Aramco in Saudi Arabia.
