Zaid Shakir

Zaid Shakir (b. 1376 AH / 1956 CE), born in Berkeley, California, is an American Muslim scholar, author, and educator. He converted to Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force, an experience that marked the beginning of a lifetime of Islamic learning and community service.

After his conversion, Zaid Shakir studied at the American University in Washington, DC, and later pursued Islamic studies in Syria, where he spent several years learning traditional Islamic sciences including Arabic language, Maliki and Shafi'i jurisprudence, hadith, and Islamic theology from traditional scholars. He also holds a Master's degree in Political Science from Rutgers University.

Zaid Shakir co-founded Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, alongside Hamza Yusuf and Hatem Bazian. Established in 2009 and accredited in 2015, Zaytuna became the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States, offering undergraduate education grounded in both Islamic and Western intellectual traditions. He teaches Arabic language and Islamic studies at Zaytuna.

He is the author of several books including Scattered Pictures: Reflections of an American Muslim and New Hearts for New Paths, as well as numerous articles addressing the challenges facing Muslim communities in America. His writings engage with issues of race, social justice, and the integration of Islamic values in a Western context.

Zaid Shakir is known for his commitment to traditional Sunni scholarship, his deep concern for African-American Muslim communities, and his articulate engagement with contemporary social and political issues from an Islamic perspective. He follows the Maliki-Ash'ari tradition and has been a prominent voice for orthodox Sunni Islam in the English-speaking world.