The Founders of SRB
Building the Framework for a Global Industry
The story of Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB) isn’t just about a company; it’s about a paradigm shift in the global Sharia advisory and assurance industry, driven by three visionary founders who saw a critical gap and built the solution from the ground up.
Ammar Shata: The Architect of Institutional Sharia Audit
Ammar Shata is the founding force and visionary architect who conceived SRB. Back in 2004, he noted that the demand for Sharia compliant products and investments was surging but the infrastructure for professional and independent oversight was absent. The industry was asking for more than individual scholarly opinions; it was demanding an institution. Moreover, the Sharia compliant finance landscape was a regulatory “grey zone,” lacking independent oversight and standardized Sharia compliance audit —a concept that simply did not exist. From this profound insight, Ammar founded SRB.
Under the banner of SRB, Ammar aimed at engineering the industry’s first independent professional Sharia audit institution with its own unique Sharia audit model and methodologies which could provide a framework of trust that enabled Islamic financial institutions to operate with confidence in the Kingdom. SRB was conceived as the world’s first professional independent Sharia audit institution, moving the practice from ad-hoc reviews to a disciplined framework of Sharia audit methodologies. Under his strategic direction, SRB expanded from its roots in Saudi Arabia, earning a license from the Central Bank of Bahrain and becoming a seal of approval that resonated across borders. His foundational vision transformed SRB from a concept into a institutional practice, setting the stage for further growth.
To bring his global ambitions to life, Ammar entrusted the helm to Yasser S. Dahlawi.
Yasser S. Dahlawi: The CEO, Strategist and Service Developer
Yasser S. Dahlawi joined as a Co-Founder and CEO and took Ammar’s foundational vision on a new trajectory. For two decades, Yasser was the strategic force who built the engine of SRB. He was instrumental in building in-house advisory along with the Sharia audit service-delivery infrastructure. Yasser’s focus was on creating a professional methodology for not just the Sharia audit reporting framework but he also engineered the Sharia certification processes that would allow institutional players to confidently outsource the function to SRB. It was through this hands-on experience and “client-first” ethos that he identified the next critical evolution: the need to build the world’s leading network of Sharia scholars. This network would not only provide faster, deeper, and more enriching opinions and certificate but would also serve to train and groom the next generation of scholarly talent, ensuring the industry’s future. He understood that an international network of scholars was a competitive advantage. So under his leadership, SRB actively developed a robust Sharia scholar’s network which covered 17 countries and 40+ scholars from all schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
Yasser’s strategic impact was profound: he oversaw more than 200 engagements, established Sharia boards for numerous institutions, and cultivated a client-first ethos by dedicating over half of his tenure to fieldwork. He was the driving force behind SRB’s transformation into an internationally recognized company. He also built the Sharia assurance model that later evolved to align with international assurance practices like ISAE 3000.
To govern the rapidly expanding scholarly network, SRB needed an authority of unparalleled repute. That authority was Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari.
Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari: The Scholarly Cornerstone
A Legacy Forged in Partnership
The story of SRB is not the story of one individual, but of a pioneering partnership. It began with Ammar’s visionary genesis, was operationalized through Yasser’s strategic architecture, and was scholarly validated by Dr. Elgari’s intellectual leadership. Together, these three founders—the visionary, the strategist, and the scholar—built a unique institution that transformed the Sharia advisory and assurance practices of the Islamic financial industry.
They didn’t just build a company. They architected the very infrastructure of trust for modern Islamic financial practices, enabling billions of dollars in transactions to meet the highest standards of Sharia compliance. Their collective legacy is SRB: a institution dedicated to empowering markets, honoring tradition, and assuring a Sharia compliant future for all.
Ammar Shata
The Architect of Institutional Sharia Audit
Ammar Shata is the founding force and visionary architect who conceived SRB. Back in 2004, he noted that the demand for Sharia compliant products and investments was surging but the infrastructure for professional and independent oversight was absent. The industry was asking for more than individual scholarly opinions; it was demanding an institution. From this profound […]
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Yasser S. Dahlawi
Strategist and Service Developer
Yasser S. Dahlawi. joined as a Co-Founder and CEO and took Ammar’s foundational vision on a new trajectory. For two decades, Yasser was the strategic force who built the engine of SRB. He was instrumental in building in-house advisory along with the Sharia audit service-delivery infrastructure. Yasser’s focus was on creating a professional methodology for […]
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Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari
The Scholarly Cornerstone
Brought on as Chairman and second Co-Founder, Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari was the scholarly cornerstone who lent his immense credibility and deep intellectual prowess to SRB’s mission. A globally recognized scholar with a dual legacy of intellectual leadership and institution-building. Dr. Elgari’s carried the weight of rigorous scholarship and practical market wisdom, bridging the vital nexus between […]
Read moreAmmar Shata
The Architect of Institutional Sharia Audit
Ammar Shata is the founding force and visionary architect who conceived SRB. Back in 2004, he noted that the demand for Sharia compliant products and investments was surging but the infrastructure for professional and independent oversight was absent. The industry was asking for more than individual scholarly opinions; it was demanding an institution.
From this profound insight, Ammar founded SRB.
Under the banner of SRB, Ammar aimed at engineering the industry’s first independent professional Sharia audit institution with its own unique Sharia audit model and methodologies which could provide a framework of trust that enabled Islamic financial institutions to operate with confidence. SRB was conceived as the world’s first professional independent Sharia audit institution, moving the practice from ad-hoc reviews to a disciplined framework of Sharia audit methodologies.
SRB expanded from its roots in Saudi Arabia, earning a license from the Central Bank of Bahrain and becoming a seal of approval that resonated across borders. His foundational vision transformed SRB from a concept into an institutional practice, setting the stage for further growth.
To bring his global ambitions to life, Ammar entrusted the helm to Yasser S. Dahlawi.
Yasser S. Dahlawi
Strategist and Service Developer
Yasser S. Dahlawi. joined as a Co-Founder and CEO and took Ammar’s foundational vision on a new trajectory. For two decades, Yasser was the strategic force who built the engine of SRB. He was instrumental in building in-house advisory along with the Sharia audit service-delivery infrastructure.
Yasser’s focus was on creating a professional methodology for not just the Sharia audit reporting framework, but he also engineered the Sharia certification processes that would allow institutional players to confidently outsource the function to SRB. He identified the next critical evolution: the need to build the world’s leading network of Sharia scholars.
This network would not only provide faster, deeper, and more enriching opinions and certificate but would also serve to train and groom the next generation of scholarly talent, ensuring the industry’s future. He understood that an international network of scholars was a competitive advantage. SRB actively developed a robust Sharia scholar’s network which covered 17 countries and 40+ scholars from all schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
Yasser’s strategic impact was profound: he oversaw more than 200 projects, established Sharia boards for numerous institutions, and cultivated a client-first ethos. He was the driving force behind SRB’s transformation into an internationally recognized company. He also built the Sharia assurance model that later evolved to align with international assurance practices like ISAE 3000.
To govern the rapidly expanding scholarly network, SRB needed an authority of unparalleled repute. That authority was Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari.
Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari
The Scholarly Cornerstone
Building the Framework for a Global Industry
The story of Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB) isn’t just about a company; it’s about a paradigm shift in the global Sharia advisory and assurance industry, driven by three visionary founders who saw a critical gap and built the solution from the ground up.
Ammar Shata: The Architect of Institutional Sharia Audit
Ammar Shata is the founding force and visionary architect who conceived SRB. Back in 2004, he noted that the demand for Sharia compliant products and investments was surging but the infrastructure for professional and independent oversight was absent. The industry was asking for more than individual scholarly opinions; it was demanding an institution. Moreover, the Sharia compliant finance landscape was a regulatory “grey zone,” lacking independent oversight and standardized Sharia compliance audit —a concept that simply did not exist. From this profound insight, Ammar founded SRB.
Under the banner of SRB, Ammar aimed at engineering the industry’s first independent professional Sharia audit institution with its own unique Sharia audit model and methodologies which could provide a framework of trust that enabled Islamic financial institutions to operate with confidence in the Kingdom. SRB was conceived as the world’s first professional independent Sharia audit institution, moving the practice from ad-hoc reviews to a disciplined framework of Sharia audit methodologies. Under his strategic direction, SRB expanded from its roots in Saudi Arabia, earning a license from the Central Bank of Bahrain and becoming a seal of approval that resonated across borders. His foundational vision transformed SRB from a concept into a institutional practice, setting the stage for further growth.
To bring his global ambitions to life, Ammar entrusted the helm to Yasser S. Dahlawi.
Yasser S. Dahlawi: The CEO, Strategist and Service Developer
Yasser S. Dahlawi joined as a Co-Founder and CEO and took Ammar’s foundational vision on a new trajectory. For two decades, Yasser was the strategic force who built the engine of SRB. He was instrumental in building in-house advisory along with the Sharia audit service-delivery infrastructure. Yasser’s focus was on creating a professional methodology for not just the Sharia audit reporting framework but he also engineered the Sharia certification processes that would allow institutional players to confidently outsource the function to SRB. It was through this hands-on experience and “client-first” ethos that he identified the next critical evolution: the need to build the world’s leading network of Sharia scholars. This network would not only provide faster, deeper, and more enriching opinions and certificate but would also serve to train and groom the next generation of scholarly talent, ensuring the industry’s future. He understood that an international network of scholars was a competitive advantage. So under his leadership, SRB actively developed a robust Sharia scholar’s network which covered 17 countries and 40+ scholars from all schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
Yasser’s strategic impact was profound: he oversaw more than 200 engagements, established Sharia boards for numerous institutions, and cultivated a client-first ethos by dedicating over half of his tenure to fieldwork. He was the driving force behind SRB’s transformation into an internationally recognized company. He also built the Sharia assurance model that later evolved to align with international assurance practices like ISAE 3000.
To govern the rapidly expanding scholarly network, SRB needed an authority of unparalleled repute. That authority was Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari.
Dr. Mohammed Ali Elgari: The Scholarly Cornerstone
A Legacy Forged in Partnership
The story of SRB is not the story of one individual, but of a pioneering partnership. It began with Ammar’s visionary genesis, was operationalized through Yasser’s strategic architecture, and was scholarly validated by Dr. Elgari’s intellectual leadership. Together, these three founders—the visionary, the strategist, and the scholar—built a unique institution that transformed the Sharia advisory and assurance practices of the Islamic financial industry.
They didn’t just build a company. They architected the very infrastructure of trust for modern Islamic financial practices, enabling billions of dollars in transactions to meet the highest standards of Sharia compliance. Their collective legacy is SRB: a institution dedicated to empowering markets, honoring tradition, and assuring a Sharia compliant future for all.
