Meet Our Imam
Asalaam Alaikum! On behalf of our Board and Operations Team, it gives us great pleasure to welcome Shaykh Ali Salah to Tri-City Islamic Center as our new Resident Imam and Religious Director.
Driven by a passion for sacred knowledge from an early age, Shaykh Ali Salah dedicated himself to the Qur’an and Islamic studies long before pursuing formal scholarship overseas. He memorized the Qur’an at the young age of 15 in the United States, marking the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning, teaching, and service.
He began his formal studies in Egypt, where he completed intensive Arabic training at Markaz Isbah and received ijāzāt (scholarly certifications) in Qur’ānic recitation, Islamic sciences, and classical texts at the hands of several respected mashāyikh.
His journey then led him to Saudi Arabia, where he furthered his Islamic education at King Saud University, benefiting from a number of prominent scholars and attending their circles in tafsīr, fiqh, hadīth, and Arabic linguistics. These years strengthened his grounding in traditional scholarship and methodology.
Shaykh Ali has extensive knowledge of the Arabic language as well as substantial expertise in Aqeedah (Islamic Theology), Fiqh (Four Schools of Islamic Laws/Jurisprudence), Tafsir (Scholarly translation of the Holy Quran) Hadiths(Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and Seerah(Prophetic Biography/Life of the Prophet Muhammad(PBHU).
Upon returning to the United States, Shaykh Ali began teaching, mentoring, and building communities. He has taught numerous books and classes in the greater San Diego area and in cities nationwide—covering Qur’ānic sciences, Arabic language, tafsīr, seerah, and practical spirituality (tazkiyah). His teaching style is known for being deep, analytical, and rooted in evidences from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and classical works.
He served as an Imam at Al-Nour Center in Escondido, where he led prayers, delivered Friday sermons, taught structured classes, and established a successful after-school youth program. Beyond this role, he has devoted himself to youth mentorship, leadership development, da‘wah work, character building, and community empowerment—helping guide Muslims of all ages toward strength, clarity, and confidence in their Islamic identity.
Welcome Shaykh Ali to our community!
