Riad Saloojee

Riad Saloojee is a Canadian Islamic scholar, teacher, and community leader whose work bridges traditional Islamic scholarship and modern Western Muslim life. He studied political science and law in Canada and worked as a lawyer before dedicating himself to Islamic education. For several years, he served as the Executive Director of a national Canadian Muslim advocacy organization and was active in media, human rights, and public affairs, writing extensively in Canadian newspapers on religious, social, and political topics. Riad Saloojee later travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, to study at Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah under the guidance of the late Shaykh Taha Karan. There he completed advanced studies in the Islamic sciences, including legal theory (usul al-fiqh), the higher objectives of Sharia (maqasid al-sharia), fiqh, hadith, and theology. After graduation, he remained at the seminary to teach several of these disciplines and translated a number of classical Arabic works into English. His teachers include Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui, and Shaykh Muhammad Emin Er. He is known for his articulate and reflective teaching style, his ability to merge traditional knowledge with contemporary issues, and his commitment to guiding Muslims toward spiritual and ethical renewal. Riad Saloojee continues to teach through institutions such as SeekersGuidance and Al Madina Institute, where his lessons on works like Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din remain popular among students seeking a deeper understanding of Islam in a Western context.