Dr. Shuaibu Umar Gokaru was born and raised in Gokaru, a village in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. He began his early education at Iqamatissunnah Islamiyyah Primary School, where he successfully memorized the entire Qur'an in 2001. He subsequently attended Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School and Government Day Secondary School, Kofar Wambai, Bauchi.

In pursuit of higher education, Dr. Gokaru enrolled at the then A.D. Rufa'i College for Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, Bauchi State (now A.D. Rufa'i College of Education, Legal and General Studies), where he obtained a Diploma in Sharīʿah and Civil Law in 2004. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Islamic Studies from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, in 2010. He subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in Islamic and Other Civilizations from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2014. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Islamic Civilization at the University of Malaya in 2017.

Dr. Gokaru served as a Lecturer at Sa'adu Zungur University (formerly Bauchi State University, Gadau), Nigeria, from 2012 until January 2023. During his tenure, he taught a wide range of courses in Islamic Studies and supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. He also held several administrative positions, including Faculty Examination Officer of the Faculty of Arts and Education (later the Faculty of Arts) from 2017 to 2021, and Dean of the Students' Affairs Division under the Office of the Vice-Chancellor from 2021 to 2023.

In addition to his academic responsibilities, Dr. Gokaru contributed extensively to university governance through his membership and leadership in various committees, including the Senate Committee, Senate Business Committee, Committee of Deans and Directors, Appointment and Promotion Committee, and University Disciplinary Committees, among others.

Currently, Dr. Gokaru is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Islamic History, Civilization and Education, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan.

Dr. Gokaru is actively involved in academic publishing and peer review. He serves as a reviewer for numerous reputable scholarly journals, including Al-Habeer: Journal of Islamic Studies, Al-Tamaddun: Journal of Islamic History and Civilization, Al-Milal: South Asian Journal of Religion and Philosophy, the Journal of Asian and African Studies (SAGE Publications), the Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization (University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan), and Journal of Usuluddin (University of Malaya), among others. He is also the Managing Editor of Al-Muqaddimah: Journal of Islamic History and Civilization, University of Malaya.

His research interests include Islamic history and civilization, intellectual history, interfaith relations, Islamic reform movements, contemporary Islamic thought, and digital humanities in Islamic studies. Dr. Gokaru has published extensively in internationally refereed and indexed academic journals. His scholarly works have appeared in journals such as Al-Tamaddun, Safer Communities (Emerald Publishing), Al-Bayan: Journal of Qur'an and Hadith Studies, and the Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences, among others. He maintains an active research profile with a Web of Science ResearcherID (HNC-4320-2023) and Scopus Author ID (58395942000).

Through his teaching, research, editorial activities, and academic leadership, Dr. Gokaru continues to contribute significantly to the advancement of Islamic studies and the promotion of scholarly engagement at both regional and international levels