Ridhwan ibn Muhammad Saleem graduated in Medicine from Kings College London in 1997. During his clinical training, he commenced his pursuit of Islamic knowledge attending the circles of the spiritual master, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, and sitting at the feet of the prolific thinker and scholar, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, with whom he completed several texts including the Ajurumiyya in Grammar, Sanusiyya in Aqeedah, and al-Naseeha al-Kafiya of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq. During this time, he also had the blessing of studying some of the Hikam of Ibn `Ata’illah with Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.

After his graduation and pre-registration training, Shaykh Ridhwan decided to pursue Islamic knowledge full-time and was able to do so with the help of a supportive wife who shared his commitment to Islamic study. They lived for over a year in Liverpool, where Shaykh Ridhwan sat on a daily basis with the Hadith-Master, ‘Allamah Shaykh Siraj al-Islam Chawdry (may Allah protect him), studying Hanafi Fiqh and Tafsir of Quran. Shaykh Ridhwan later asked for Shaykh Siraj’s permission to teach, which he granted.