Dr Shaykh Muhammad Ashraf Petersen is a vibrant dedicated and determined academic. Over a period of 19 years, he committed himself to this pursuit. After completing his degree in 2011 he was privileged to have passed his exam to the master’s degree at the Islamic University of Madinah, and thus became the first South African student to study at this level at this renowned institution.

After successfully completing his master’s degree with excellence and First Class Honours, he was humbled to learn he was one of only fifteen students globally to have been granted admission to the PhD program.

At the end of 2022 he successfully completed his Ph.D. with a GPA of 4.96 out of 5. His primary focus of specialization during his studies has been Islamic jurisprudence or Fiqh.