Born in 1948 in Kazan to a Tatar family, His Eminence Sheikh Tadzhuddin studied at the Arab World School in Bukhara, where he received his higher religious education. He later completed his studies at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. He first served as the Imam and preacher at the Marjani “Great Kazan” Mosque in 1978. In 1980, he was elected Mufti and Head of the Spiritual Council for Muslims of the European part of the Soviet Union and Siberia. In 1990, he was appointed as the Head of International Relations for Islamic Organizations in the Soviet Union. Currently, he holds the position of the Grand Mufti of Russia, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Russia, and is recognized as the ‘Shaykh al-Islam’ in Russia.