Sayed Ali Shobayri

Seyed Ali Shobayri comes from a mixed heritage, with Iranian and Scottish roots. Although his father is Muslim and his mother Christian, he was raised in a non-religious household. During his early school years, he participated in some Christian practices. Later, Seyed Ali reverted to Islam, initially practicing so called Sunni'ism before embracing the path of Ahlul Bayt (as) through further research and study.

He pursued formal education at the Islamic College of Advanced Studies in London, where he earned a certificate in Qur’anic Arabic and graduated with a First-Class Honours BA in Islamic Studies, both validated by Middlesex University. During this time, Seyed Ali studied a combination of academic Islamic modules and traditional Hawza subjects under various scholars who specialized in both academic and seminary knowledge.

After completing four years at the Islamic College, Seyed Ali continued his studies focusing on subjects such as Aqaid (theology) and classical texts, including Al-Lumah al-Dimashqiyyah, under private tutelage.

In 2015, Seyed Ali received the turban of the clergy from Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Ali Al-Tabatabaei (ra) in London.

Seyed Ali has contributed to numerous Islamic projects, recording lectures and engaging in discussions on various platforms. Notably, he participated in the first Shia-Sunni debate in English, which garnered over 1.2 million views. His final-year dissertation at the Islamic College was titled Faith and Homosexuality: The Accepted Stance of Islam on Homosexuality, in which he addressed the controversial topic of Islam’s stance on homosexuality. He also analysed the works of pro-homosexual Muslim academics and countered some of their arguments.

Currently, Seyed Ali is active in various Islamic endeavours, including:

Answering theological and jurisprudential questions on platforms like Al-Islam.org and social media.

Recording videos related to`Aqaid, refutations of false sects, and educational content.

Writing books and translating Arabic texts/videos into English.

Public speaking and participating in projects that support and guide reverts to Islam.

Seyed Ali has a particular interest in comparative studies on Tawhid between Shia Islam and Salafi interpretations, refuting extremist (ghulat) ideologies within Shia circles, engaging in Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur’an), and addressing doubts raised by non-Muslims and Nawasib.

Currently Seyed Ali Shobayri has completed a book which is a introductory guide for reverts and is working on another work relating to the attributes of Allah (swt).

He hopes his dedication to research and scholarly work continues to enrich the Islamic discourse.