Introduction
Dr. Aurangzeb Haneef is an Assistant Professor in the Study of Religion. He is primarily a scholar of Islamic Intellectual History with a focus on the Formative and early Classical periods; namely, the first four centuries of Islam. On a macro level, his research includes themes such as the transmission of knowledge, oral and written text, and scriptural interpretation, among others. On a micro level, to a significant degree, his focus has been on the Qurʾān and its commentary tradition (Tafsīr). He is also interested in the intersection of scriptural interpretation and the themes of violence, peacebuilding, and ecology in the modern period within the framework of Liberation Theology.
Selected Qualifications
Ph.D. Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, 2022
Thesis: “The Tafsīr of Sufyān al-Thawrī (d. 161/778): A study of its provenance, sources, methods, and topics”
Principal supervisor: Dr. Andreas Görke, University of Edinburgh
Master of Theological Studies, Divinity School, Harvard University, 2009
Focus: Islamic Studies
International Master of Arts in Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies, Universitat Jaume I (Spain) and University of Innsbruck (Austria), 2007
Thesis: “Religion and Peacebuilding: Paradigms of peace, nonviolence, and the use of force in Islam”
Research Interests
Transmission of knowledge in early Muslim societies
The oral and the written in early Islam
Text and interpretation
Qurʾānic studies
Qurʾānic exegesis (Tafsīr)
Religion, ethics, and justice
Religion, violence, and peacebuilding
Religion and ecology
Sufism
Undergraduate courses
Current courses
SS-101: Islamic Studies
REL-235: Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding
REL-362/HIST-337: Qurʾān and its Interpreters: Between Text and Context
REL-363: Jihād: Religion and Warfare in the Islamicate Context
Future courses
REL-2XX: The Sacred Nature: Religion and Ecology
REL-3XX: The Prophetic Word: The Origins, Development, and Function of Hadith
REL-3XX: Qurʾān in the Modern: Interpreting an Ancient Text
Past courses
HIST 235: Jihād: A Social, Political, and Theological History
HIST 236: Classical Sufism
Academic and other links
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7038-1257
Academia.edu: https://edinburgh.academia.edu/AurangzebHaneef
Academic blog: https://totbatot.wordpress.com/
Photography: @AurangzebH