Akram Kassab Biography

Dr. Akram Kassab is an Egyptian-American Islamic scholar, author, and imam who served for many years as personal secretary to the late Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi and as director of the Qaradawi Students' Association, and was a co-founder of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS). He completed his Islamic studies in Egypt and Qatar, working closely with al-Qaradawi for an extended period during which he produced both original works and a substantial body of writing about his teacher's intellectual project.

Kassab's scholarly output centers on the wasatiyya (centrist) intellectual tradition associated with al-Qaradawi. His major work Dawr al-Qaradawi fi Ta'sil al-Wasatiyya wa-Ibraz Ma'alimiha ('The Role of al-Qaradawi in Establishing Wasatiyya and Highlighting its Features,' Cairo: Maktabat Wahba, 2008) is one of the most cited studies of al-Qaradawi's distinctive contribution to contemporary Sunni middle-way jurisprudence. He has also authored works on Zionism and human rights, on fiqh of Muslim minorities in the West, and on the principles of contemporary Islamic da'wah, alongside serving as sharia researcher for IslamOnline.net during its peak years.

Kassab now serves as imam at Masjid Dar al-Da'wah in the United States. His scholarly works on wasatiyya and on al-Qaradawi's intellectual legacy continue to be consulted as primary sources for understanding the centrist Sunni tradition, and he remains active in da'wah, teaching, and publishing in both Arabic and English.