Dr. Haroon Sidat

Dr. Haroon Sidat is a scholar of Islam whose research and teaching focus on Islamic theology, law, spirituality (taṣawwuf), intellectual history, and the social sciences. He completed his memorisation of the Qur'an at a young age and subsequently undertook traditional training in the Islamic sciences through the Dars-i Niẓāmī/ʿĀlimiyyah programme at Jamiatul Ilm Wal Huda. Alongside his traditional studies, he earned a first-class honours degree in Economics and Finance, an MA in Mathematics, and a PGCE in Education.

​Dr. Sidat joined the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK at Cardiff University in 2015 after being awarded the prestigious Jameel Scholarship for postgraduate study. He completed his PhD in 2019, with a doctoral thesis examining the world of the dārul ʿulūm in contemporary Britain. As a Research Associate at Cardiff University, he has contributed to major research projects on Muslims and religious leadership in Britain, including studies on British imams and the ongoing Legacies of Learning: From Turath to Transformation project, which explores the relevance of the Islamic intellectual tradition in addressing contemporary civilizational challenges.

His publications include the article “Competing Spaces of Religious Belonging: Deobandi Debates on Interest/Usury as a Case Study”, which examines the intersection of Islamic law, ethics, history, and contemporary Muslim concerns in the West, as well as the book chapter “The Taalib as a Bricoleur: Transitioning from Madrasah to University in Modern Britain” published by Edinburgh University Press. He is currently preparing a manuscript based on his doctoral research that explores the history, lived reality, and imagination of the madrasa in modern Britain. His broader scholarly interests encompass Islamic ethics, revivalist movements, theology, law, spirituality, and the engagement of Muslim scholars with the mosque, society, and academia.
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In addition to his academic work, Dr. Sidat serves as a voluntary imam and khaṭīb and teaches for a number of educational institutions and organisations. He continues to travel internationally in pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, combining the classical Islamic scholarly tradition with contemporary academic inquiry. A lifelong learner, he enjoys cycling, is learning to swim, and is the father of three daughters.