Biography of Shaykh Ramzy Ajem

Abu Shamsudeen Ramzy ibn Mahmoud Ajem, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, is of Tunisian descent. By Allah's bounty and permission, Ramzy's quest for sacred knowledge took him to Damascus, Syria in the mid 1990's where he commenced his journey in Islamic studies. In 1997, he earned a Diploma with Honors from the esteemed Abu-Nour Islamic Institute in Damascus setting the way forward towards broadening his pursuit of sacred learning with the scholars of the Levant (Sham). This included luminaries such as Shaykh Ramadan al-Bouti, Shaykh Adurahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Muhammad al-Shuqayr, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, Shaykh Abdulhadi Kharsa, Shaykh Nur al-din Ittir, Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Usama Rifa'i, Shaykh Abdul Mu`iz al-Nafti, and Shaykh Muhammad Kaylash (may Allah reward them all and have mercy on those who have left this world). In his last year of study in Damascus, Shaykh Ramzy received authorizations in the Hadith compilations of al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Muwatta, and al-Shama’il al-Tirmidhi from renowned scholar Sayidi Shaykh Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi. This marked a pivotal moment in his journey, and through the blessings of Isnad, Shaykh Ramzy sought to deepen his foundations by seeking the way of traditional study in Morocco, leaving Damascus in 1998.

Immersed as a full-time student at the Madrasa al-Hajj al-Habib of Tanalt nestled in the atlas mountains of Morocco, Shaykh Ramzy delved into the classical texts of diverse disciplines under the guidance of its then director and teacher, Saiyidi Shaykh al-Haj Muhammad al-Ghali (may Allah have mercy on him). Notably, the Shaykh was known as the preeminent disciple of the school's illustrious founder, the renowned Shaykh, al-Zahid, al-Wali, and Mujahid, Sayidi Muhammad al-Habib al-Susi (d.1976 AD) –may Allah have mercy on him. 

Advancing in his quest for academic excellence, Ramzy immersed himself in specialized studies at the University of Qarawiyyin in Morocco in 2001 where he attended various circles of learning in its ancient masjid with renowned scholars in the discipline of Jurisprudence, Tafseer, Theology, Logic and Tasawwuf. This included luminaries within the city of Fes, Morocco such as Shaykh Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Saqali al-Husaini, Shaykh Abdallah el-Haddad al-Idrisi al-Hasani, Shaykh Abul-Hayy Al`Amrawi, Shaykh Makki bin Kiran, Shaykh Qadi al-Iraqi al-Hussaini and Shaykh Muhammad al-Taweel (may Allah reward them all and have mercy on those who have left this world). In his final year in the east, Ramzy had the honour to have regular private sessions studying Jurisprudence and Theology with Salé's Shaykh Mustafa ibn Muhammad al-Najjar al-Tijani, the former Chairman of the Council of Scholars in Salé, Morocco –may Allah have mercy on him.

Currently, Shaykh Ramzy Ajem serves his community in the Greater Toronto Area as an orator, lecturer, instructor, and counsellor. He is also the Executive Director of Risalah Foundation, a charity that oversees and administers four community projects: Masjid Vaughan, Muslim Family Academy, Dar al-Burhan, and the Network of Reintegration and Muslim Mentorship (NORMM).