List of modern-day Muslim scholars of Islam
This article is a ist of modern-day (20th to 21st century) scholars of Islam who are themselves Muslim.
Geographical categories have been created based on commonalities in culture and language across the Muslim World. Non-Scholars (i.e. prominent lecturers, speakers, famous imams, political activists and others) whose scholarly credentials are not clear-cut have been listed at the bottom in a separate category. Female scholars are listed twice, the second time at the bottom in a separate category.
Sub-Saharan Africa
(includes Nigeria, West Africa, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and rest of East Africa, South Africa)
North Africa
(includes Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya)
- Farid al-Ansari (1960-2009), Morocco http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farid_al-Ansari
- Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali (1927-), Morocco
- Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri (1808–1883), Algerian born Sufi scholar
- Fatema Mernissi (1940-), Moroccan professor, lecturer, feminist writer and sociologist whose work explores the role of women in Islam and during early Islamic history.
- Abdessalam Yassine (1928-), Moroccan imam, author of “Islam between the Call and the State” (1972) and “Tomorrow, Islam” (1973).
- Abdelhamid Ben Badis (1889-1940), Algerian Islamic scholar and an emblematic figure of the Islamic Reform movement in Algeria. He is the founder of the Association of Muslim Scholars of Algeria in 1931 that played an important role in igniting the revolution of independence from France in 1945.
Greater Levant
(includes Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt)
- Hassan al-Banna (1906-1949), Egypt
- Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1926-), Egypt
- Sayyid Qutb (1906–1966), Egypt
- Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy (1928–2010), Egyptian born imam and scholar
- Rashid Rida (1865–1935), Syrian scholar and jurist
- Mahmud Shaltut (1893–1963), Egypt
- Abd al-Hamid Kishk (1933–1996) Egypt
- Mohammed al-Ghazali (1917–1996) Egypt
- Abdel-Halim Mahmoud (1910–1978), Egypt
- Safwat al-Shwadify (1945–2000), Egypt
- Aisha Abd al-Rahman (1913–1998), Egyptian author and professor of literature
- Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (1892–1956), Egypt
- Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani (1914–1999) Albanian-Born Jordanian Islamic scholar
- Taqiuddin al-Nabhani (1909–1977), Lebanon
- Gibril Haddad (1960-), Lebanon
- Abdul Qader Arnaoot (1928–2004), Albanian-Syrian Islamic scholar specializing in the fields of hadith and fiqh
- Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy Syrian Islamic scholar specializing in the field of hadith. Currently situated in USA
The Arabian Peninsula
(includes Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Gulf States)
Persia (Iran)
Western Europe
- Ivan Aguéli Shaykh Abd al-Hadi Aqhili (1869–1917) Swedish-born Sufi and Islamic feminist.
- Abdul Hadi Palazzi Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi (1961–) Italy-born Sufi of Syrian origin, Secretary of the Italian Muslim Assembly, is active in refuting extremism and developing interfaith dialogue.
- Muhammad Asad (1900–1992) German Jewish journalist and later foreign correspondent to the Middle East, Leopold Weiss converted to Islam and wrote several books including a highly regarded translation of the Qur'an.
- Frithjof Schuon (1907–1998) Swiss-born Frithjof Schuon was known as a philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality, writing primarily in French. He is also considered one of the chief representatives of the Perennialist School.
Eastern Europe
(includes Turkey, Albania, Bosnia,Kosovo)
Great Britain
- Ahmad Thomson Rhodesian-born British barrister and Muslim convert Ahmad Thomson has several books to his credit.
- Abdalqadir as-Sufi (1930-) Scotsman Abdalqadir as-Sufi is the leader of the Darqawi-Shadhili-Qadiri Sufi Tariqa, founder of the influential Murabitun Movement and author of numerous books on Islam, Sufism (Tasawwuf) and political theory.
- Abdal Hakim Murad (1960-) British convert T.J. Winter is Shaykh Zayed Lecturer of Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University and has several translations of classical works to his credit.
- Marmaduke Pickthall (1875–1936) Novelist and Orientalist; British convert M.M. Pictkhall is author of a famous translation, The meaning of the Holy Qur'an.
- Martin Lings (1909–2005) was an English Sufi Muslim writer and scholar, a student and follower of Frithjof Schuon, and Shakespearean scholar. He held a BA in Arabic and a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London).
- Abu-Abdullah Adelabu London based Nigerian born Muslim cleric, academic and publisher is the founder and Amir (i.e. President) of Awqaf Africa London and Awqaf Africa Muslim Open College.
East, Southeast, and Central Asia
(includes China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Malaysia, Central Asia)
North America
- Abdul Alim Musa (1945-) is a Muslim American activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C., Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Philadelphia. Member of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT) and a well-known speaker around the world. He is founder and director of As-Sabiqun and the Institute of Counter-Zionist American Psychological Warfare.
- Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (1952-) Jamaican-born Dr. Philips based in Canada; is a TV personality and a prolific author of numerous books and audio material.
- Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi (1975-) is an American Imam of Indian parentage, currently pursuing doctoral studies at Yale University, having graduated in Islamic Studies from Islamic University of Madinah.
- Ahmad Kutty (1946-) Dr. Kutty, originally from Kerala, India, is a long-time founding member of numerous Islamic organizations in Canada, having completed his Doctoral studies in Shari’ah thought at McGill University.
- Asma Barlas (1950-) Pakistani-born Professor. Barlas of New York is the author of several books on Islam and Muslims with emphasis of emancipatory interpretation of the Quran and Islamic feminism.
- Faisal Kutty Lawyer, Activist and Legal Academic long active in North America. Currently teaches comparative law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and Valparaiso University School of Law in the United States.
- Hamza Yusuf (1960-) Public speaker, Shaykh Hamza spent years studying Islam and Arabic in the Muslim world following his conversion to Sunni Islam in 1977. Recently co-founded California-based Zaytuna College to implement his vision of a revival of Islamic sciences.
- Hassan Hathout, MD, PhD (1924-2009) is an Egyptian-American physician, scientist, professor, speaker, thinker, writer, poet, and ethicist, as well as an Islamic Scholar. He is the author of innumerable medical and non-medical books and articles.
- Ingrid Mattson (1963-) Canadian Muslim convert Prof. Mattson holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago. In 2001, she was elected Vice-President of ISNA and in 2006 she was elected the first female President of the organization.
- Jamal Badawi Egyptian-born Prof. Badawi is a long-time faculty at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a well-known author, activist, preacher and speaker on Islam and Muslims.
- Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo (1960-) Former Imam of the Islamic Center of Boulder, Colorado, UC-Berkley graduate Imam Zarabozo, originally of Spanish heritage, is a prolific writer.
- Jonathan A.C. Brown is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Washington with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a degree from bachelor's Georgetown, Magna Cum Laude.
- Khaled Abou El Fadl (1963-) is a professor of law at the UCLA School of Law where he teaches Islamic law, immigration, human rights, international and national security law.
- Laleh Bakhtiar (1938-) Chicago-based Iranian-American Muslim convert Dr. Bakhtiar is a psychologist, book publisher, editor, translator of numerous classical works, including The Sublime Quran, an English translation of the Qur'an. She has lectured extensively in both academic and religious institutions.
- Leila Ahmed (1940-) Egyptian-born Ahmed is a Professor of Women's Studies and Religion at Harvard and has authored works on Islamic history and Muslim feminism.
- Louay Safi (1955-) author, Islamic scholar, and human rights activist. He is prolerific writers whose work deals with issues of Human Rights, Islam and Modernity, and Islamic Law.
- Muhammad al-Asi (1951-) is the 1st Islamic scholar to publish a tafseer of Quran directly into English. He has led a committed group of Muslims in exposing the Saudi-American occupation of the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Ave in D.C. for over 25 years every Jummuah.
- Muqtedar Khan (1966-) Indian-born Prof and Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware has authored several books and articles on Islam, Islamic philosophy, international and interfaith relations. He has a reputation for a critical advocacy of tolerance and compassion in the understanding of Islam.
- Muzammil H. Siddiqi (1943-) is an American Islamic scholar, theologian and chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America.
- Nuh Ha Mim Keller (1954-) Translator of classical Islamic books and a specialist in Islamic Law and an authorised sheikh in tasawwuf (Sufism) in the Shadhili Sufi order and currently lives in Amman, Jordan.
- Omid Safi is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he specializes on Islamic mysticism (Sufism), contemporary Islamic thought and medieval Islamic history.
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr (1933-) Iranian-born Prof. Nasr from George Washington University is a prolific writer in the fields of Islamic Esotericism, Sufism, Philosophy of Science, and Metaphysics.
- Sherifa Zuhur is a Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic and Strategic Studies in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with degrees in Islamic studies, Middle Eastern history and Middle Eastern politics and Arabic from UCLA, magna cum laude.
- Sherman Jackson is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Visiting Professor of Law and Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- Taha Jabir Alalwani (1935-) Iraqi-born Dr. Alalwani was previously chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America. He writes frequently on the Islamization of Knowledge, the need for Ijtihad, and Muslim Minority Jurisprudence.
- Wael Hallaq (1955-) Palestinian-American Dr. Hallaq is Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University and has numerous academic works in the field of Islamic Law and Philosophy to his credit.
- Zaid Shakir (1956-) Public speaker, Islamic scholar, and author. Imam Zaid spent years studying Islamic law, spirituality, and Arabic in the Muslim world following his conversion to Sunni Islam in 1977. Recently co-founded California-based Zaytuna College to implement the vision of a revival of Islamic sciences.
- Zijad Delic (1965-), Bosnian-born activist, teacher, scholar and Executive Director of the Canadian Islamic Congress based in Canada.
South Asia
Pakistan
- Abd-al-Hamid Siddiqui
- Abul Ala Maududi (1903-1979), India-Pakistan
- Abdul Aleem Siddiqi(1892-1954)Meerut-Madina
- Ahmad Noorani Siddiqi(1926-2003)Karachi-Pakistan
- Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997), India-Pakistan
- Bashir Najafi (1942-), Pakistan
- Ehsan Elahi Zaheer , Pakistan
- Ghulam Muhammad Rizvi Nagpuri
- Hafiz Akif Saeed, (1958-), Pakistan
- Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (1272-1340 AH)
- Israr Ahmed (1932–2010), Pakistan
- Khalid Masud (1935–2003), Lahore, Pakistan
- Mashriqi (1888–1963), India-Pakistan
- Muhammad Taqi Usmani (1943-), Pakistan
- Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (1918–1998), Behra, Pakistan
- Syed Shujaat Ali Qadri (1941-1993), Karachi, Pakistan
- Naseer Ahmad Nasir (1910-2000), Pakistan
- Qamaruzzaman Azmi
- Syed Tatheer Hussain Zaidi (1956), Lahore-Pakistan
- Tahir ul Qadri (1951-), Pakistan
- Tariq Jameel (1953-), Pakistan
- Zafar Ishaq Ansari (1932-), Pakistan
- Zar Wali Khan (1955-), Karachi, Pakistan
- Zulfiqar Ahmad, Pakistan
India
- Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi (1883-1880) Deoband India
- Hashim Amir Ali (1903–1987), Hyderabad, India
- Mirza Abul Fazl (1865–1956), Allahabad, India
- Muhammad Hamidullah (1908–2002), Hyderabad (India) exiled in Paris.
- Anwar Shah Kashmiri (1875-1933) India
- Shibli Nomani (1857–1914), India
- Asghar Ali Engineer (1939-), India, reformist known for liberation theology in Islam.
- Haji Imdadullah Muhaajir Makki (1817-1899) nanota india
- Husain Ahmed Madani (1879–1957), India
- Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (1829-1905), delhi india
- Khurshid Ahmad (1932-), India
- Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi (1885–1944), Khandala, India
- Omar Khalidi (1953-2010), Hyderabad, India. migrated to USA.
- Pir Meher Ali Shah,(1856-1937)
- Maulana Mehmud Hasan,(1851-1920) Darul Uloom Deoband
- Qazi Athar Mubarakpuri (1916–1996), U.P., India
- M. M. Akbar Kerala, India
- Saniyasnain Khan (1959-), New Delhi, India
- Syed Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (1913–1999), India
- Syed Aqeel-ul-Gharavi (1964-), Delhi, India
- Syed Mohsin Nawab Rizvi (1911-1969),Lucknow-India
- Wahiduddin Khan (1925-), New Delhi, India
- Zakir Naik, India
- Rafique Zakaria, India
- Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi, raibareli ,india
- Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar
- Ashraf Ali Thanwi india
Bangladesh
Female Scholars
See also
References