Shaykh Abdul Rauf left his country of birth, India, at an early age for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he did his initial studies and memorised the Holy Qur’an by the age of thirteen. After graduating from pre-university education in Saudi Arabia, Imam Abdul Rauf joined the Bachelor’s programme in Arabic and the Islamic sciences at the prestigious College of Higher Islamic Studies (Darul Uloom Al Arabiyyah Al Islamiyyah) at Holcombe Bury, UK. After six intensive years at Darul Uloom Al Arabiyyah Al Islamiyyah, an institute of excellence, Abdul Rauf graduated with distinction and received authentic certifications (ijaza) in numerous Islamic disciplines, which includes Arabic language and literature, Tajweed, Islamic Jurisprudence, and Sciences of Hadith with particular emphasis on the six authentic books of Hadith, Sihah Sitta: Bukhari, Muslim, Abu-Dawood, Nasa’ii, Tirmidhi, Ibne-Majah and the muwattas of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad.

Shaykh Abdul Rauf has the honour of being taught and mentored by Shuyookh of Islamic Studies, jurisprudence and language (Arabic and Urdu) and literature. Some of the notables were Shaykh Yusuf Motala, Shaykh Hashim, Mufti Shabbir Patel, Maulana Abdul Raheem limbada, and several other mentees of Sheikhal-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi (may Allah have mercy on him).

After his graduation in 2009, Shaykh has held the Imam’s post here at Dundee Central Mosque.

He is also a principal at the Dundee Islamic Society evening Madrasah, which has more than two hundred students enrolled.

While serving as the Imam and Prinicpal, Shaykh Abdul Rauf has also further achieved laurels in his academic career by graduating through the Bachelor’s and Master’s programme in business Management and Finance, respectively, from the University of Dundee.

Shaykh Abdul Rauf has submitted his thesis on Islamic finance during his master’s programme.

Shaykh Abdul Rauf is a distinguished Imam dedicated to the local community. His primary focus is on mentoring children and youths transitioning to the next level of their lives. He is a strong proponent of the holistic approach towards life-based on the Quran and the sunnah.