Asmaa AlQuradaghi

Dr Asmaa Ali AlQuradaghi is a lawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation and the founder of Asmaa AlQuradaghi Law Firm for legal consultancy and arbitration.

Born in Baghdad in 1973, she grew up in a household shaped by scholarship, religion and culture. Her father, His Eminence Sheikh Dr Ali Muhyiddin Al-Qaradaghi, encouraged constant learning. Each summer he gave his children books to read and required handwritten summaries of at least twenty pages; a single spelling mistake meant rewriting the page. That discipline taught them diligence and respect for time. He often reminded them that anyone who stands still rather than advancing is, in effect, falling behind—an idea he linked to the Qur’anic verse, ‘For whoever among you chooses to advance or regress.’

Her mother combined affection with close supervision, staying awake with the children through examinations and accompanying the girls when they visited friends. That balance of love and firmness fostered a leadership character grounded in religion and learning.

Medicine and law were her principal interests at secondary school. Because she did not want to travel abroad to study medicine, the opening of the College of Sharia and Law in 1991 offered a timely alternative. She quickly discovered a strong attachment to legal study and graduated in 1995 ranked first among both male and female students, with distinction. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser honoured the achievement.

Her first professional appointment was in a ministry, after which she moved into banking and Islamic finance. Roles including contracts manager developed experience in Islamic financing contracts, the risks attached to different structures, product development, investment policy, banking procedures and sukuk.

Professional progress had to be balanced with responsibility for three young children. Rather than limit development, the pressure encouraged disciplined use of time and a sustained programme of local and international training.

Her legal courses covered civil, commercial, criminal and family law, alongside civil and commercial arbitration. Specialist finance qualifications included the Sharia Standards certificate for Sharia observers from the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions and the Certified Islamic Banker credential accredited by the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions.

She participated in local and international conferences as a speaker, presented working papers and delivered legal training. This combination of practice and teaching enabled her to connect formal law with the operational demands of finance and commercial institutions.

Postgraduate study continued alongside professional work. She completed a master’s degree in 2010 and, in 2020, earned a doctorate from the International Islamic University Malaysia. Her doctoral research examined governance in Qatar’s Islamic banks through a study of institutions listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange.

After years of institutional experience, she founded her own law firm for legal consultancy and arbitration. Establishing an independent practice marked a decisive transition and allowed her to apply expertise across law, Islamic finance and dispute resolution under one professional framework.

The firm assembled lawyers and advisers with varied specialisations and extensive experience. Its work in legal practice, consultancy and arbitration was built around professional competence, careful case management and the standards required for representation before the Court of Cassation.