Riyadh ul Haq (born 1971) is a British Islamic scholar. He has been lecturing and teaching as the lead scholar at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester since 2004. Early life Riyadh ul Haq was born in the village of Nani Naroli, Gujarat, India in 1971 and moved to Leicester at the age of three with his father who was an Imam at one of the mosques in the city. His father, Muhammad Gora, was a scholar and the family were treated with a lot of respect by the community. Education Darul Uloom al Arabiyyah al Islamiyyah In 1984, aged thirteen Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq enrolled at Darul Uloom al Arabiyyah al Islamiyyah, Bury, UK. Due to his academic abilities, he was fast-tracked into adult classes within a year of arrival at the seminary. Authorisation He has ijazah (authorisation) in various Islamic sciences from Yusuf Motala and the late Islam ul Haq. He also has ijazah in ḥadīth from Mahmood Hasan Gangohi and Muhammad Yunus Jaunpuri of Mazahir Uloom, Saharanpur, India. Career Early work After his graduation, he became the Khaṭīb of Birmingham Central Mosque at the age of 21. He was recruited as the Khaṭīb not only for his scholarship but also because of his ability to deliver the Friday sermon in Urdu, English and Arabic. At this time he also began teaching ḥadīth at Madinatul Uloom al Islamiyyah, Kidderminster, UK. Until 2003, Riyadh ul Haq served as the honorary headmaster of Madinatul Uloom Al-Islamiyyah, where he was previously Sadr Mudarris (head teacher/dean of the faculty). Al Kawthar Academy Since 2004, Riyadh ul Haq has been the lead scholar at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester. Al Kawthar Academy has been described as one of the "most important part-time Islamic colleges" in the UK. The Al Kawthar Academy offers a range of Islamic educational courses including up to alim-level. Riyadh ul Haq is accredited with developing the curriculum for their seven-year alim course, taught with 12 hours of study per week. Lectures and Publications Since graduation he has devoted himself to the work of religion and actively engaged in propagation of Islam and teaching. He has taught and commented on numerous classical Islamic works and has lectured extensively on a range of topics including Qurʼānic tafsīr, ḥadīth, aqīdah, fiqh and spirituality. He has also travelled widely, teaching and lecturing in various countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Many of