I grew up in the 90’s in the south-side of Glasgow (Scotland). Pollokshields is perhaps the most diverse and multicultural area in Scotland. However, with that comes many challenges.
So at the age of 11 my father sent me of to a boarding school in Nottinghamshire (Jamia-Al-Karam) as he wanted to protect me and allow me to follow in his path. I did well in GCSE’s and after giving up my pursuit of studying law I decided to carry on with the advanced Islamic Studies programme (Darse Nizami). My father had said I could study Law after and thankfully I never did.
I reached the shores of Cairo in 2006 and enrolled into the undergraduate theology programme (Usul Din) at the prestigious Al-Azhar University.
When I was fed up with the Cairenes (if that is an actual word), I would take a bus to Alexandria and chill out in the Mediterranean Sea. After completing a B.A from Al-Azhar I took up a teaching post at Jamia-Al-Karam (Yes! the very school I had spent 8 years). Sadly, this only lasted for 6 months as I was accepted for a scholarship! I packed my bags and left for bony Scotland. I completed my M.A in Islamic Studies at the University of Aberdeen and my thesis was on Muta ‘temporary marriage.’ My wife was terrified that I was writing on this as I would often scare her by saying I may have to go to Iran for field work, luckily that never materialised.
Confused about what direction to take next, my friend recommended the Cambridge Muslim College. The college was relatively new and was offering a Diploma in ‘Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership.’ Thankfully that turned out great and gave me the direction that I was seeking. After consulting with Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, I enrolled for the M.A Philosophy programme at the University of Glasgow. My dissertation was on the Euthyphro dilemma (Yes! Google it later), and after getting annoyed with Aristotle and Kant I decided to take a break. Amidst all this madness, I got married to a girl from Manchester however, my real love (education) never left me. I completed a TEFL, a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills and lots of short training courses. I later trained to be a therapist, all thanks to Heriot-Watt for paying for that.
I have worked for a plethora of organisations. I currently serve as a Muslim chaplain at the Heriot-Watt University (Yes I’m the first paid one, the rest bechare are volunteers). I also serve as an Imam at Zia-Ul-Quran Mosque where I teach. I also work as a therapist with Relationships Scotland. Relationships Scotland is perhaps the largest organisation in Scotland that offers counselling. I also work as a counsellor with Healers Muslim Counselling, the first Muslim orientated counselling service in Scotland. I am a husband and a father to four lovely kids, and that is full time job!
Ruz-e-Alast 