Our scholars

At Islamic Relief, we work with a range of scholars to ensure our work, and the information we share, remains in accordance with Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).

We believe this is paramount to fulfilling our organisational values, such as Ihsaan (excellence) and Amana (custodianship).

Zakat Advisory Board

We have enlisted the expertise of some of the leading and most respected Islamic scholars to form an independent Zakat Advisory Board and uphold Islamic Relief’s Zakat Policy.

The Zakat Advisory Board, made up of a group of respected scholars, have ratified our Zakat policy and will provide oversight and verification of the distribution of Zakat by Islamic Relief.

Our Zakat Advisory Board is made up of the following renowned scholars:

Sheikh Abdullah al-Judai

Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Al Judai’ is one of the leading scholars of our time.  A well published author and researcher, Dr. Abdullah Al Judai’ is known worldwide for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence. Currently, he is one of the founding members of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, which has played an instrumental role in bringing together scholars across Europe for Fiqh (Islamic law) issues relating to the West.

In the UK, he continues to offer his fatwa services to members of the Leeds community, as well as some of the most established Qur’an and Tafseer classes in the country, which have been in motion for the past 20 years.

Mufti Abdul Qadir Barkatulla

Mufti Abdul Qadir Barkatulla is one of the UK’s foremost scholars of Sharia, whose expertise also extends to Islamic economics and finance. After graduating from the prestigious Darul Uloom in Deoband, India, he also trained as Mufti before moving to London in 1979.

Today,  Mufti Barkatulla has a successful reputation as a member of the Islamic Sharia Council, as well as the Sharia Supervisory Committees of several Islamic financial institutions including Lloyds TSB, Alburaq of Arab Banking Corporation London and United National Bank.

Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi

Shaykh Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi is an internationally recognised scholar, researcher and author. Dr Nadwi was trained in the traditional Islamic disciplines at Nadwat Al-‘Ulama in Lucknow, India, followed by a PhD in Arabic Literature from Lucknow University, before moving to England to become a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

His publications have garnered a worldwide audience, and he is the co-founder of Al-Salam Institute, where he offers both short and Advanced Level modules on the Islamic Scholarship Programme. He is recipient of the prestigious ‘Allahmah Iqbal prize for his contribution to Islamic thought.

Scholar Verified Content

In addition to the Zakat Advisory Board, and to ensure that we remain a reliable resource for our community and beyond, we have sought highly qualified scholars with the expertise to thoroughly review the information Islamic Relief UK puts out.

We continue to work closely with our scholars to help make certain that our valuable supporters are getting Scholar Verified content, the best out there. Meet our scholars here:

Sheikh Dr. Saalim Al-Azhari

Sheikh Dr. Saalim Al-Azhari is a UK based scholar with expertise in Islamic sciences in Hadith, Fiqh, Aqeedah, Seerah (Prophetic biography) and Hadith classification, including classical texts such as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. He graduated from the Thaanawiyah at the distinguished Al-Azhar University with a rank of excellence, before graduating in 2016 in the faculty of Shariah with honours and the highest rank in his year.

Sheikha Fatima Barkatulla

British Islamic scholar (‘Alimah) Sheikha Fatima Barkatulla is an author, Aziz Foundation and Turath Scholar and the presenter of the beloved IlmFeed Podcast.

Sheikha Fatima was enriched with an Islamic education from an early age and went on to study Arabic and Islamic studies in Egypt at the prestigious institutes of Al Fajr Centre, Qortoba Institute, and a college of Al Azhar University. She graduated from Al Salam Institute’s Advanced Licence in Islamic Scholarship as well as from the Alimiyyah Programme at the renowned Ebrahim College seminary. Sheikha Fatima specialises in Fiqh, she’s currently completing her MA in Islamic Law at SOAS, University of London.

Sheikh Hasib Noor

Raised in the USA, Sheikh Hasib Noor has garnered a global audience for his specialist knowledge of the Seerah (Prophetic biography) of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the creation of successful faith-based community spaces across the world. He is a graduate of the College of Islamic Law in the University of Madinah and has been Islamically trained in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Usul and Ifta, Hadith, Quranic Sciences, Tafsir, the Seerah of the Prophet (SAW) (Prophetic biography) and Islamic History.

Mufti Billal Omarjee

Mufti Billal Omarjee is the director of Shariah Experts, a shariah advisory firm providing services in the Islamic Financial and Fintech industry.

He completed his Islamic theology studies at the Darul Uloom Bury and trained as a Mufti in Darul Uloom Blackburn. Mufti Billal also graduated with a BA in Banking and Law and  holds a postgraduate diploma from the Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, London.

Shaykh Yusuf Zahaby

Shaykh Yusuf Zahaby is a distinguished scholar of Islamic Sciences, including Fiqh, Hadith, Tafseer and Usool. After graduating as an Alim from Darul Uloom, he furthered his studies at the hands of some of the UK’s most renowned scholars. 

He is a co-founder of The Imam UK and senior member of the board of scholars & theologians for a UK Shariah Council based in London, as well as a qualified CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapist), which helps him to provide holistic Islamic advice. He is also a senior visiting Imam and Khateeb at EIC Al-Masjid Edmonton Islamic Centre in North London.