Know Your Sheikh: Dr. Sharafdeen Gbadebo Raji

Dr. Sharafdeen Gbadebo Raji is an Ogbomoso native who was born in Jos many years ago. Between 1983 and 1987, he began his western education right before enrolling in an Arabic school in the Republic of Benin.

He was awarded a scholarship to study at the African Islamic centre (African International University) in Sudan in 1987, however he was  admitted to the senior secondary level, because the scholarship was based on examination 1987 to 1990. He once again proved that he is deserving of the scholarship when he was named the best student in the entire Sudanese nation. As a result, the university authority pledged to fund his degree program anyplace in the globe.

Dr. Sharafdeen began his journey to Medinah University, where he selected to study Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in the most challenging faculty (Faculty of Law). He received first-class honors and was the year’s third best student.

Although the first best student was from Pakistan and the second from Egypt, Dr. Sharafdeen was the first individual to be awarded a master’s degree scholarship between 1994 and 1999. His thesis was titled “Ruling relating to addition in worship,” and the university authority decided to publish it because of its rarity.

Between the years of 2000 and 2004, he returned to his Ph.D. program in fiqh and in another new book with a different topic all on Islamic jurisprudence, which was also published by the authority, and Dr. Sharafdeen received another award in 2004 known as the “Al-Medinah award” for being the finest student of the year. Dr. Sharafdeen has authored over fifty volumes, and the Saudi government has never done an Arabic-to-Yoruba translation without him.

The Saudi embassy has continued to approach him, requesting that he write on a variety of topics. He shortly served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Ilorin department of Arabic and Islamic Study.

He is now totally settled in Ogbomoso, but he originally spent time in Jos, where he gave numerous lectures before deciding to return home, where he has since given a series of lectures at various mosques in Ogbomoso and its environs. Dr. Sharafdeen is currently the director of the Al-Madeenah Islamic Center in Saanu Aje, Ogbomosho, Nigeria. He is conversant in Arabic, Yoruba, English, and Hausa.

Awards, Scholarships & Prizes

• Scholarship to study at the African Islamic centre (African International University) in Sudan (1987)
• Master’s degree scholarship (1994 – 1999)
• Al-Medinah award (2004)

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