An initiative of the Canadian Islamic Union.
Assalamu alaikum,
My name is Umar Farooq, and I serve as Director of Education here at Azhar Canada College. We built this college to teach the classical Islamic sciences the way they were taught to us: with a live teacher, moving through the material in order, from the foundations up. Every course sits inside that same approach, whether you're new to the subject or picking it back up after years away. The college is open to anyone who wants to learn, and it stays that way on purpose.
Classes run two ways: in person at our centre in Mississauga, and live online for students anywhere in Canada. Both sides study the same courses, so you choose whichever fits your week. If a course description leaves you with a question, call the office or send an email. We read every message and answer within a day.
Sheikh Umar Farooq, Director of Education
More about Sheikh Umar Farooq →The College
Azhar Canada College, an initiative of the Canadian Islamic Union (CIU), serves as a sanctuary for traditional Islamic scholarship tailored to the contemporary world. As Canada's premier Islamic institute anchored in the historical methodology and curriculum of Al-Azhar University, we bridge centuries of classical intellectual heritage with modern academic rigor. Our comprehensive pathways (part time and full time) guide students through the foundational Islamic sciences, including theology ('Aqidah), jurisprudence (Fiqh), Quranic exegesis (Tafsir), Hadith methodology, and the Arabic language. By combining sacred wisdom with contemporary pedagogy, we seek to cultivate thoughtful, balanced individuals who embody both intellectual depth and lived faith.
Our Mission
Our mission is to nurture both the mind and the heart, through an authentic Islamic education grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition. We want our students to leave with real knowledge and strong character, ready to carry that responsibility into the world with clarity.
Our Vision
We envision Azhar Canada College as a global beacon of Islamic learning, celebrated for harmonizing the rich heritage of Islamic scholarship with the evolving needs of our contemporary society. We want our graduates to carry real knowledge into their lives, whether that means teaching their own families or leading in their communities. By making sacred knowledge reachable wherever a student lives, we hope to support a lasting, everyday practice of Islam.
The Name
أزهر
Azhar (أزهر) is Arabic for "to blossom" and "to shine." We chose it as the name for a college because it says plainly what we're trying to do: take a subject that looks closed off and hard to enter, and open it up until it makes sense.
What We Teach
Azhar Canada College teaches the curriculum of Al-Azhar University, brought here by a Director of Education who studied within it. Every course combines three things: solid subject knowledge, direct mentorship from a live teacher, and space for the material to reach a student spiritually as well as intellectually. The college is open to anyone who wants to learn it, not only students from a particular background.
In practice, that means fewer lectures read straight from theory and more discussion grounded in real situations: hands-on workshops, questions from your own week, and instructors who expect you to ask them. The aim is a community that lives what it studies, made up of people who understand their tradition well enough to think for themselves and lead when they're asked to.
Our Centre in Mississauga
Azhar Canada College's classroom space is at 6185 Tomken Rd, Mississauga, ON L5T 1X6, just off Courtneypark Drive East and Britannia Road East, with ample parking. If you're taking a course live online instead, none of this applies to you: log in from wherever you are.
(905) 226-4135
Mon to Fri, 9am to 8pm