Haneef was born and raised in Queens, New York, where he began swimming competitively at the age of seven alongside his brother. He competed on his local club team, the Roy Wilkins Piranhas, throughout his age group years until early high school. For his latter years of high school, Haneef and his family moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where he continued to swim for both his school team - the Wolmers Warriors - and the club, the Makoz Aquatics Racers. Throughout his competitive aquatic journey, Haneef specialized as a Freestyler and a Breaststroker in his individual events and on his teams' relays. Unfortunately, Covid-19 halted his training and upended his family life. During quarantine, he temporarily moved to Abu Dhabi to accompany his mother, while he practiced privately at his local pool until pandemic restrictions were lifted. Haneed is currently attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice, studying for his Bachelors in Forensic Psychology. He enjoys playing soccer during his free time as well as traveling.