[1] When he reached the age of nine, his family moved to Cairo, where he frequented the Sayyidah Zainab Mosque at night and attended classes at al-Azhar University during the day.

[1] After receiving what was equivalent to a degree from al-Azhar University at the time, Salim al-Bishri was immediately appointed as an imam.

[1][3] He later continued his service at the Sayyidah Zainab Mosque and was subsequently appointed as a Maliki teacher at al-Azhar University.

[6] Salim al-Bishri held opposing views to the theological positions advocated by Muhammad Abduh,[7] the founder of the Egyptian reformist movement, and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, one of the pioneers of pan-Islamism.

[1] He adopted a moderate stance between Egyptian authority and the independence of al-Azhar,[5] agreeing to implement reforms if they contributed to the improvement of the institution.

[5] In 1909, he issued a fatwa concerning the massacres of Christians and condemned those responsible for the Adana massacre,[10] in which he stated:[11][12][13]O Muslims, be faithful to your religion and beware of perpetrating acts forbidden by God in His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet, and beware of disobeying God, which incites His anger and indignation.

Verily, God has imposed on you responsibilities and ordained that you are obligated to grant certain rights to those to whom you are contractually bound and those who have entrusted their safety to you and those who live amongst you from among the Jews and the Christians (ahl al-dhimma).

[14] He also engaged in discussions with Shiite figures, such as Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi, with whom he maintained a correspondence.