From a small circle of Hanafi Fiqh and weekly Tafsir sessions in 2014 to the institute Al Haadi is today, this is the story of a journey shaped by perseverance and sincerity of purpose.
The earliest teaching work that would grow into Al Haadi began with Hanafi Fiqh sessions and weekly Tafsir classes.
Building on the teaching work of the previous year, Al Haadi was formally established as an educational institution.
The institute took its first rented premises in Kolonnawa and launched a two-year Dawrat al-Hadith programme for graduates of Islamic institutes and madrasas seeking advanced Hadith study. That year also saw the arrival of the institute's first foreign scholars — Hazrat Adam Mohiuddin Bakhavi رحمه الله, who served until 2019, alongside Mufti Shams Tabrez Misbahi, who also served until 2019.
The first batch of Dawrat al-Hadith students graduated as Fazils in December 2019. The same year, the Foundation Course in Islamic Sciences began, alongside a part-time Al-Aalim programme taught in English.
During the COVID period, the institute's physical centre closed, and teaching resumed in a building made available by Mohammed & Sons. Dawrat al-Hadith continued there, with approximately nine students from this cohort graduating; the current graduation from this cohort falls in 2026. In 2021, the institute was repositioned and renamed "Markaz Al-Haadi," with teaching continuing at premises in Wellampitiya, which were later affected by recurring flooding.
The institute moved to its present premises on Gunanankara Road, Dehiwala, off Saranankara Road, and adopted its present identity, "Al Haadi Institute." It is managed by Al Haadi Muslim Charitable Trust (Registration R/2890/C/259, registered under the Wakfs Act of Sri Lanka). That year also marked the institute's affiliation with the Arabic Language Association of Ceylon Limited (ALAC), an independent partner organisation.
A new cohort of Dawrat al-Hadith students is set to graduate, continuing a legacy of advanced Hadith scholarship that began in 2017.
Explore the programmes that carry this tradition forward today.