Yaqub Abdurrahman was born and raised in Michigan. He converted to Islām in his late teens and shortly thereafter traveled in pursuit of sacred knowledge. He traveled to South Africa to study an intense six-year ʿālimiyyah program at Dār al-ʿUlūm al-ʿArabiyyah al-Islāmiyyah under the guidance of Mufti Ṭaha Karaan. Upon graduating, he taught in the same institute as he pursued post-graduate studies. Then, he traveled to Egypt and resided there for several years taking private lessons with local scholars and doing research. After returning home, he joined the Takmīl Institute’s team of instructors as head of the Research Department.