Research broadens our horizons by offering new possibilities for how to embody Islam’s teachings, live in community, and contribute to humanity.

Research is a systematic and creative process intended to discover new knowledge and reach fresh conclusions.

As a scholar of Islam’s thought traditions and Assistant Professor of Islamic Thought, a big part of my job is conducting research. I collaborate with other scholars to deepen and interrogate existing understandings about the ideas, practices, and institutions that animate Muslim life. We examine how ideas originated, their evolution and transformation, and how they were shaped by broader social and political contexts.

I believe that addressing the challenges of the twenty-first century requires us to draw on the depth, breadth, and diversity of the intellectual resources and social practices of historical Muslim societies. This inheritance is rooted in the Sunna of Prophet Muḥammad in seventh century Arabia but spreads to the myriad iterations of Muslim life in such varied regions as Muslim Spain and North Africa, the Arab provinces, the Balkans and Central Asia, West and East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Malay Archipelago.

Whether we’re discussing marital practices, social customs for the inter-generational transmission of property, or institutions for building spiritual community, we stand to benefit immensely from the diverse precedents of our Muslim past, which we access not only through living experts and ongoing customs, but also through historical research.

Living in an era of digital technologies, global communication, and research specialization, we have access to a treasure-trove of historical ideas, practices, and institutions in Muslim tradition offer new possibilities for embodying our religious teachings, living in community, and contributing to building a better world.