The origins of Al-Azhar Pencak Silat dates back to the late 1800s in Situbondo, East Java by Syahirudin. The West Javanese pencak silat of Cimande and Cikolang were the base root for this pencak silat system from Situbondo. Syahirudin passed down his ilmu (knowledge) to two disciples, Ismail Fadillah and Mat Jami. Ismail Fadillah was Syahirudin's nephew and was given the bela diri (self-defense) ilmu. Mat Jami was given the tenaga dalam (inner power) ilmu. Traditionally, Pedekars would not give all their ilmu to one student. Ismail Fadillah, trained three of Syahirudin's grand kids, Muhammad Sufiyono (Kaka Sufiyano), Imam Subardjo (Kaka Subardjo), and Djauharul Abidin Bakir (Kaka Djauharul). In 1970, Muhammad Sufiyono moved to the capital city of Jakarta in search of work. While in Jakarta, Kak Sufiyano opened a pencak silat school at a well known mosque called Masjid Agung Al-Azhar. In 1972, Kak Subardjo and Kak Djauharul moved to Jakarta to assist Kak Sufiyono with the new school. Kak Sufiyono was an open minded practitioner. He trained with other pencak silat and martial arts practitioners. From 1975 to 1986 practitioners from different pencak silat systems and other martial arts that includes Perisai Diri, Merpati Putih, Wu shu, Kempo, and Karate joined Al-Azhar. By mixing techniques and fighting styles with the base pencak silat system from Situbondo, they had developed a more modernized form of pencak silat.

The school of Al-Azhar has many branches throughout Jakarta. In addition, Al-Azhar has two branches in the United States located in Washington, DC and Virginia. The Al-Azhar branch in Washington, D.C. is the main branch in the United States. The Washington, D.C. branch was officially opened at the Indonesian Embassy in 1980 by Sentosa (Ocenk) Basri and Tony Makmum with assistance from Ocenk's brother, Sudiaman Basri. The head instructor of the Washington, D.C. branch has changed over time. Yet through contributions of their time and the benefactors of their tutelage, the branch is always maintained. To date, the Washington, D.C. branch of Al-Azhar has produced instructors whose accomplishments have ranged from national rankings in forms, fighting and weapons to leading as captain of the U.S. Naval martial arts team, in Annapolis, Maryland. The Virginia branch was opened in 1999 in ADAMS center in Sterling, VA by Abdul-Malik Ahmad. Al-Azhar has been a non-profit organization since it was opened, lending itself to the pursuit of teaching the culture and traditions of pencak silat rather than monetary gain. Presently, the USA branches continues to hold weekly classes under Abdul-Malik Ahmad, Terra Kurnia, Rendy Sumantri and Wona Sumantri as Head instructor.