Prof. Abdulrazaq Alaro

Born in Ilorin, Kwara State, Professor Alaro established a strong foundation in both Islamic and secular studies from the start, his early education was at Oke-Pakata School and Muhyideen College of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Ilorin. He then moved to the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where he graduated first class in 1993 in Shari’ah/Islamic theology. He also earned his master’s (1997) and PhD (2002) degrees from the same institution. In addition, he holds an LL.M and further specialization in Islamic Law of Banking, Insurance, and Capital Markets from Omdurman University, Sudan.

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In his professional life, Prof. Alaro is Professor of Islamic Law at the University of Ilorin, where he has taught Islamic Contract Law, Islamic Property Law, Usul al-Fiqh, and more. He has also held leadership positions such as Head of Department of Islamic Law, and participates in several high-level advisory roles: he is a member of the Financial Regulation Advisory Council of Experts of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Takaful Advisory Council of the National Insurance Commission, and serves as an arbitrator certified by international bodies. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar (Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court) in 2016.

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In terms of Islamic scholarship, dawah and public engagement, Prof. Alaro frequently speaks on issues around Islamic finance, Sharia compliance, and community welfare. He has been recognised with multiple awards, including “Most Outstanding Alumnus with Academic Impact” from the Islamic University of Madinah (2023), a Lifetime Achievement Award from Kwara State Government, and several honours for his research contributions. He also runs regular lecture series and centres in Ilorin (e.g. Arabic and Usul-Fiqh sessions, as well as fiqh & tawhid lectures in Yoruba) to make classical sciences accessible to broader audiences.