Hossein Modarressi
Encyclopedia
Hossein Modarressi is a leading Muslim jurist
, born in Qom
, Iran
. He attended the Islamic seminary at Qom where he received a complete traditional Islamic education in Islamic philosophy
, theology
and law, ending with a certificate of ijtihad
, the highest degree in Islamic religious tradition. He also taught there for many years before pursuing his secular education which ended in 1982 with a Ph.D.
from Oxford University. He has been a professor at Princeton University
since 1983 where he is Bayard Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies. He has simultaneously been Golestaneh Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford
since 1988, and a Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University since 1990. He has also occasionally taught at other institutions such as Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales
in Paris
, Yale Law School
and Harvard where he was the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School
in 2007.
He is a prolific author of some thirty books and many articles in English, Arabic and Persian. His books in English include Kharaj in Islamic Law (London 1983), An Introduction to Shi'i Law (London 1984), Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'ite Islam (Princeton, 1993), and Tradition and Survival, a Bibliographical Survey of Early Shi’ite Literature (Oxford, 2003).
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, born in Qom
Qom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He attended the Islamic seminary at Qom where he received a complete traditional Islamic education in Islamic philosophy
Islamic philosophy
Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies. It is the continuous search for Hekma in the light of Islamic view of life, universe, ethics, society, and so on...
, theology
Islamic theology
Islamic theology is a branch of Islamic studies regarding the beliefs associated with the Islamic faith. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in Islamic history and theology, denoting those...
and law, ending with a certificate of ijtihad
Ijtihad
Ijtihad is the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort , independently of any school of jurisprudence . as opposed to taqlid, copying or obeying without question....
, the highest degree in Islamic religious tradition. He also taught there for many years before pursuing his secular education which ended in 1982 with a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Oxford University. He has been a professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
since 1983 where he is Bayard Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies. He has simultaneously been Golestaneh Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
since 1988, and a Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University since 1990. He has also occasionally taught at other institutions such as Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
and Harvard where he was the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 2007.
He is a prolific author of some thirty books and many articles in English, Arabic and Persian. His books in English include Kharaj in Islamic Law (London 1983), An Introduction to Shi'i Law (London 1984), Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'ite Islam (Princeton, 1993), and Tradition and Survival, a Bibliographical Survey of Early Shi’ite Literature (Oxford, 2003).
External links
- Bibliography of Hossein Modarressi's works, In Persian
- Islamic Studies Library, website devoted to some selected articles written by Professor Hossein Modarressi.