Born in Johor Bahru, Johor on 19 December 1974, he is of Hakka Chinese (mother) and Bugis (father) descent. He attended the English College (now Sultan Abu Bakar College) and Maahad Johor. He obtained his bachelor's degree in the Islamic Jurisprudence from University of Al-Bayt, Jordan and his master's degree in the same field from University of Malaya, Malaysia. He completed his doctorate in Political Science from Durham University with his doctoral thesis titled "Constructing the Architectonics and Formulating the Articulation of Islamic Governance: A Discursive Attempt in Islamic Epistemology".
