In this illuminating episode, we sit with Shaykh Dr. Ahmed Saad al-Hasani al-Azhari, a distinguished scholar, poet, and teacher whose lineage traces back to Imam al-Hasan and whose scholarship bridges the traditional and modern worlds. Drawing on a life immersed in learning—from memorising the Qur’an at a young age to teaching across continents—Shaykh Dr. Ahmed shares profound insights into what it truly means to seek sacred knowledge.
Through personal reflections, timeless adab (etiquette), and stories from his teachers, he explores the transformative relationship between student and teacher, the importance of sincerity (ikhlāṣ), and how knowledge can be both rooted in tradition and alive in contemporary life. This conversation is a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone on the path of learning, faith, and self-betterment.
0:00 – Introduction
1:06 – The Shaykh’s Brief Biography
3:11 – Childhood and Early Influences
9:39 – The Most Impactful Teachers in the Shaykh’s Journey
23:34 – Is Learning Itself a Skill to Be Learned?
31:19 – Why Every Student Needs a Teacher
58:31 – Timeless Etiquettes of Seeking Sacred Knowledge
1:07:33 – Maintaining Ikhlāṣ (Sincerity) in the Pursuit of Knowledge
1:16:16 – Education in Secular and Traditional Islamic Contexts
1:30:30 – Reflections on the Mālikī Madhhab and the Schools of Thought
1:38:26 – The Vision Behind Ihsan Institute
1:52:42 – (Not-So) Quickfire Questions
2:01:09 – The Shaykh Recites His Own Poem
Shaykh Ahmed’s Institution: www.ihsaninstitute.co.uk
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