Born in 1961 in the Sultanate of Brunei, H.E. Dr. Hj Japar Hj Mat Dain Maiden earned his secondary certificate from Hassan Al-Balqiah Arab Religious School for Boys (1972-1978) and studied at Al-Junaid Islamic School in Singapore (1979-1982). His Eminence also earned a bachelor’s degree in 1987 from Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Theology, an Honors degree in Jurisprudence in 1994 from Brunei Darussalam’s Institute of Islamic Studies, a master’s degree in 2000 from Malaysia’s Malaya University in Kuala Lumpur, and a doctorate from the same university in 2011. His Eminence has held various significant positions, such as senior official in the Ministry of Religious Affairs (1988 – 1992), a judge in the Department of Brunei Muara (1992 – 1994), the longest-serving interpreter of rulings at Dar Ifta of Brunei Darussalam (1994 – 2001), and head of the Department of Judgment Derivation the same institution (2002- 2015), as well as deputy mufti of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam since 2015. His Eminence has also been a member of the Islamic Religious Council of Brunei Darussalam, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council for the Recitation of the Holy Quran, a member of the Zakat Committee of the Islamic Religious Council, a member of the Review Committee for Halal Certification and Halal Labels, a member of the Senate Committee for the Revision and Interpretation of the Quran in Brunei Darussalam, member of the Committee for the Collection and Expenditure Fund for the Construction of Mosques, member of the Board of Directors of the Brunei Darussalam Monetary Authority, and Member of the National Council of the General Authority for Sharia Financial Supervision in the Ministry of Finance of Brunei Darussalam. His Eminence has participated in numerous regional and international conferences and presented significant worksheets.

As a member of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, H.E. Dr. Haji Jaafar bin Haji Met Dine Maiden has represented Brunei Darussalam since March 14, 2017.