Born and raised in New York, he now lives in Michigan with his wife and four children. He memorised the Qur’an in Karachi at an early age, completing high school at the same time, and then returned to Karachi to study the Islamic sciences full-time at Jamia Binoria International. He graduated from its rigorous ʿālim programme in 2003 at the top of his class, and went on to complete specialisations in fiqh and tafsīr. He also holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Arabic Islamic Sciences from Karachi University.
After returning home he taught at local masājid and Islamic schools, and served as an imam in Southeast Michigan.