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Dr Haroon Sidat
Teams and roles for Haroon Sidat
Research Associate
Academic and research staff
Academic and research staff
Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK
Overview
Dr Haroon Ebrahim Sidat is a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam-UK Centre), Cardiff University. His research sits at the intersection of Islamic law, theology, ethics, Sufism, education, and the social sciences, with a particular focus on Islamic authority, religious leadership, seminaries (dār al-ʿulūm), and the lived realities of Muslim communities in Britain.
His doctoral research provided one of the first detailed insider ethnographies of a British dār al-ʿulūm, examining the formation and training of Muslim religious leadership in contemporary Britain. Building on this work, he has researched the changing role of imams, Islamic higher education, Islamic public value, and the relationship between Islamic intellectual traditions and modern social challenges.
He is currently the Principal Investigator of the project LIFE-Britain: Lived Islam as Faith in Everyday Britain and is a member of the research project on Imams in Britain. He was also a member of the Legacies of Learning: from Turath to Transformation project, which explored how the Islamic intellectual tradition can contribute to contemporary questions of education, ethics, human flourishing, and civilisational renewal.
His recent publications examine insider ethnography, Islamic education, public service, legal and ethical reasoning in the Ḥanafī tradition, and the formation of religious authority. Alongside his academic work, he serves as an imam, teacher, and public scholar, seeking to build meaningful bridges among the mosque, the academy, and the wider society.
His current research interests include Islamic law (fiqh and uṣūl al-fiqh), Islamic theology (kalām), Sufism, Islamic educational philosophy, practical theology, religious leadership, and the sociology of religion.
Publication
2026
- Sidat, H. 2026. Embodying the Juristic-Ḥadīth scholar: Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī (d. 1176/1762). In: Hamdeh, E. and DeLong-Bas, N. J. eds. The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Reform. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. , pp.361-376. (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197532805.013.59)
- Sidat, H. 2026. Shāh Walī Allāh and the divine balance: Transcendence and immanence in cosmic order. In: Lovat, T. ed. Handbook of Islamic Philosophy. Springer Nature Singapore. , pp.413-433. (10.1007/978-981-95-4666-4_19)
- Sidat, H. E. 2026. The quiet power of presence: Habitus and the ethics of insider madrasa ethnography. Sociology of Islam (10.1163/22131418-bja10002)
- Sidat, H. 2026. Dīn aur dunyā: Best of both worlds and the birth pangs of an expanding epistemic horizon?. In: Mabud, S. A. ed. Islamic Philosophy of Education: Principles and Applications. Beacon Books. , pp.437-458.
2025
- Sidat, H. 2025. Social ministers of care (khādims): Islamic higher education in Britain. In: Drechsler, W. , Chafik, S. and Kattel, R. eds. Islamic Public Value. Political Science and Public Policy 2025 Edward Elgar Publishing. , pp.177-193. (10.4337/9781035333646.00020)
- Sidat, H. 2025. Lâ qawada illâ bi’l-sayf: Juristic, Uṣūlī, and Moral Dimensions of Qiṣāṣ in Classical Islamic Law. In: Bedir, M. et al., Serahsî’nin İlmî Mirası (Hukuk, Ahlâk ve Gelenek). Ankara, Türkiye: ilahiyatyayin. , pp.157-170.
2023
- Sidat, H. 2023. The Taalib as a bricoleur: Transitioning from Madrasah to University in modern Britain. In: Nielsen, J. S. and Jones, S. eds. Islamic Studies in European Higher Education: Navigating Academic and Confessional Approaches. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. , pp.110-128. (10.1515/9781399510875-009)
- Sidat, H. 2023. Competing spaces of religious belonging: Deobandi debates on interest/usury as a case study. Journal of Hanafi Studies 1 (1)
2019
- Sidat, H. 2019. Shedding light on the modalities of authority in a Dar al-Uloom, or religious seminary, in Britain. Religions 10 (12) 653. (10.3390/rel10120653)
- Sidat, H. 2019. Between tradition and transition: An Islamic Seminary, or Dar al-Uloom in modern Britain. Religions 9 (10) 314. (10.3390/rel9100314)
Articles
- Sidat, H. E. 2026. The quiet power of presence: Habitus and the ethics of insider madrasa ethnography. Sociology of Islam (10.1163/22131418-bja10002)
- Sidat, H. 2023. Competing spaces of religious belonging: Deobandi debates on interest/usury as a case study. Journal of Hanafi Studies 1 (1)
- Sidat, H. 2019. Shedding light on the modalities of authority in a Dar al-Uloom, or religious seminary, in Britain. Religions 10 (12) 653. (10.3390/rel10120653)
- Sidat, H. 2019. Between tradition and transition: An Islamic Seminary, or Dar al-Uloom in modern Britain. Religions 9 (10) 314. (10.3390/rel9100314)
Book sections
- Sidat, H. 2026. Embodying the Juristic-Ḥadīth scholar: Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī (d. 1176/1762). In: Hamdeh, E. and DeLong-Bas, N. J. eds. The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Reform. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. , pp.361-376. (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197532805.013.59)
- Sidat, H. 2026. Shāh Walī Allāh and the divine balance: Transcendence and immanence in cosmic order. In: Lovat, T. ed. Handbook of Islamic Philosophy. Springer Nature Singapore. , pp.413-433. (10.1007/978-981-95-4666-4_19)
- Sidat, H. 2026. Dīn aur dunyā: Best of both worlds and the birth pangs of an expanding epistemic horizon?. In: Mabud, S. A. ed. Islamic Philosophy of Education: Principles and Applications. Beacon Books. , pp.437-458.
- Sidat, H. 2025. Social ministers of care (khādims): Islamic higher education in Britain. In: Drechsler, W. , Chafik, S. and Kattel, R. eds. Islamic Public Value. Political Science and Public Policy 2025 Edward Elgar Publishing. , pp.177-193. (10.4337/9781035333646.00020)
- Sidat, H. 2025. Lâ qawada illâ bi’l-sayf: Juristic, Uṣūlī, and Moral Dimensions of Qiṣāṣ in Classical Islamic Law. In: Bedir, M. et al., Serahsî’nin İlmî Mirası (Hukuk, Ahlâk ve Gelenek). Ankara, Türkiye: ilahiyatyayin. , pp.157-170.
- Sidat, H. 2023. The Taalib as a bricoleur: Transitioning from Madrasah to University in modern Britain. In: Nielsen, J. S. and Jones, S. eds. Islamic Studies in European Higher Education: Navigating Academic and Confessional Approaches. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. , pp.110-128. (10.1515/9781399510875-009)
Research
Research
My research explores how Islamic intellectual traditions are lived, transmitted, interpreted, and renewed in contemporary societies. Situated at the intersection of Islamic studies, sociology, anthropology, theology, ethics, and education, my work examines how Muslims draw upon inherited traditions to navigate modern questions of authority, belonging, knowledge, citizenship, and human flourishing.
Drawing upon both traditional Islamic scholarship and contemporary social-scientific methods, I seek to build bridges among the seminary, the mosque, the university, and the wider society. My research is particularly concerned with the relationship between Islamic law (fiqh), theology (kalām), spirituality (taṣawwuf), education, and lived religious practice.
Islamic Education and Intellectual Traditions
A central strand of my research examines the transmission of Islamic knowledge across time and place. I am interested in how Islamic educational institutions, scholarly networks, and intellectual traditions cultivate moral formation, intellectual curiosity, and human flourishing.
My work explores both classical and contemporary educational models, asking how the Islamic scholarly tradition can contribute to current debates about education, character formation, civic responsibility, and the purpose of learning.
Projects:
Islam as Lived Faith in Britain
This research investigates how British Muslims draw upon Islamic legal, theological, and spiritual traditions to address contemporary challenges and opportunities. Particular attention is given to questions of belonging, social participation, moral agency, citizenship, and public ethics.
The project seeks to contribute to emerging conversations within Islamic practical theology and lived religion studies.
My current research increasingly focuses on Islam as a lived tradition. Rather than treating Islam solely as a body of texts or doctrines, I explore how Muslims interpret and embody Islamic teachings within the realities of everyday life.
This work examines questions of practical theology, ethical reasoning, citizenship, social participation, welfare, family life, and public engagement. It seeks to understand how Islamic legal, theological, and ethical traditions shape contemporary Muslim experiences and responses to social change.
Legacies of Learning: From Turāth to Transformation
This three-year project investigated the lives, motivations, and educational philosophies of Muslim scholars. Through historical and contemporary analysis, the project sought to identify enduring principles of Islamic education and explore their relevance for modern educational challenges.
The project examined themes such as intellectual openness, interdisciplinarity, cosmopolitanism, human flourishing, and the pursuit of knowledge as a form of worship.
Muslim Religious Leadership and Islamic Authority
My research on Muslim religious leadership examines the changing role of imams, scholars, chaplains, and religious institutions in contemporary Britain.
This work investigates how religious authority is formed, transmitted, negotiated, and contested in modern contexts. Particular attention is given to Islamic seminaries (dār al-ʿulūm), mosque institutions, chaplaincy, pastoral care, and the evolving expectations placed upon Muslim religious leaders.
Understanding British Imams
Supported by the Jameel Research Programme, this research provides one of the most detailed ethnographic studies of Muslim religious leadership in Britain.
The findings contribute to wider debates concerning religion in public life, social cohesion, citizenship, and the future of religious leadership in Western societies.
Islamic Social Ethics and Human Flourishing
A growing area of my research explores Islamic social ethics and conceptions of human flourishing. I am interested in how Islamic intellectual traditions understand concepts such as justice, virtue, responsibility, care, service, dignity, and the common good.
This work brings Islamic legal, theological, and spiritual resources into conversation with contemporary discussions in social theory, welfare studies, chaplaincy, and public policy.
Recent collaborations include interdisciplinary work with scholars of Islamic theology, social ethics, sociology, and practical theology in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Research Interests
- Islamic law (fiqh) and legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh)
- Islamic theology (kalām)
- Islamic spirituality and ethics (taṣawwuf)
- Islamic education and philosophy of education
- Muslim religious leadership and authority
- Islamic seminaries (dār al-ʿulūm)
- Lived religion and practical theology
- Islamic social ethics
- Muslim chaplaincy and pastoral care
- Sociology and anthropology of Islam
- Religion and public life
- Human flourishing and moral formation
Research Impact and Engagement
Alongside academic research, I remain actively involved in community engagement as an imam, educator, and chaplain. This dual engagement enables my work to bring scholarly analysis into conversation with lived realities and contemporary social challenges.
My research has informed discussions on Islamic education, religious leadership, Muslim chaplaincy, social ethics, and community development, contributing to conversations across universities, mosques, charities, educational institutions, and policy settings.
Teaching
Islam in the Contemporary World
- Religious Leadership
- Sufism
- Islamic Law
Biography
Honours and Awards
- Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) Award 2007
Professional Memberships
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Peer reviewer
- Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science
- Religions
- Journal of Muslims in Europe
- John Templeton Foundation funding applications
- American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS)
Editor
- AMI Press, Muslims and Education
Supervisions
I currently co-supervising two Ph.D.s:
- Andreas Petros Tzortzis - A philosophical and hermeneutical assessment of Qurānic bold-concordism ('ijāz al-'ilmī) and the multiplicity of readings approach.
-
Feyza Goren - A Study of Hanafi Hadith Methodology within the al-Mabsūṭ of al- Sarakhsī
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
1. Islamic Law
2. Islamic Theology
3. Hadith studies
4. Philosopy of Islamic Law
5. Islamic History and Civilization
7. Islamic Metaphysics
8. Islam in Britain
Current supervision
Andreas Tzortzis
News articles
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Islamic Revival
- Islamic studies
- Islam in Europe
- Sufism
- Practical Theology
