Aurangzeb Haneef
Assistant Professor, Study of Religion
Director, Minor in the Study of Religion (2024鈥2027)
Aurangzeb Haneef鈥檚 research lies at the intersection of Islamic intellectual history and the study of religion in the modern period. His work explores the formative and early classical periods of Islam, with particular attention to Qur示膩nic exegesis (迟补蹿蝉墨谤), 岣诲墨迟丑, historiography, manuscript culture, and the transmission of knowledge. His doctoral research examined the 迟补蹿蝉墨谤 attributed to Sufy膩n al-Thawr墨 (d. 161/778), situating it within its intellectual and historical contexts. Beyond the premodern period, his scholarship engages contemporary questions about conflict, peacebuilding, justice, and ecology through the lens of religion and scriptural interpretation.
Education
Ph.D., Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, 2022
Thesis: 鈥淭he Tafs墨r of Sufy膩n al-Thawr墨 (d. 161/778): A study of its provenance, sources, methods, and topics鈥Master of Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School, 2009 (Islamic Studies)
International M.A. in Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies, Universitat Jaume I / University of Innsbruck, 2007
Thesis: 鈥淩eligion and Peacebuilding: Nonviolence and Use of Force in Islam鈥
Courses Taught
Islamic Studies (core)
Qur示膩n and Its Interpreters: Between Text and Context
Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding
Jih膩d: Religion and Warfare in the Islamicate Context
Planned offerings: The Sacred Nature: Religion and Ecology; Theologies of Liberation: Justice in World Religions; The Prophetic Word: 岣d墨th in Context; Qur示膩n in the Modern Age
Academic and Other Links
Photography:
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"Islam: A system of Salaam/Peace" in Dietrich, Wolfgang et al (eds.) (2011): International Handbook on Peace: A Cultural Perspective, Palgrave McMillan: London/New York.
"Education in Muslim Societies: Learning from the Past" in Basit, Abdul (ed.) (2012): Global Muslim Communities at a Crossroads: Understanding Religious Beliefs, Practices, and Infighting to End the Conflict, Praeger: Santa Barbara.
"Theory and Practice of Conflict Resolution" in Ahmar, Moonis (ed.) (2005): Different Perceptions on Conflict Resolution: Need for an Alternate Approach, University of Karachi: Karachi.
"Reimagining religious minorities and the national flag," The News on Sunday, September 9, 2012
"Islam and Climate Change: How Fasting makes us Earth-centric," Youlin Magazine, June 14, 2018
Book Review: "Between Islam and the West: The Life of Maryam Jameelah," Books and Authors, Daily Dawn, February 12, 2012
"Engaging with Religion and the Religious," The Express Tribune, November 6, 2013
"Discriminating between the dead: On violence against religious minorities," The Express Tribune, October 11, 2013
Conference paper: "Hamas had a Charter", in International Conference on "New Horizons in Islamic Area Studies: Encounters, Reflections, and Collaborations," November 2013, 吃瓜头条
Conference paper on "Tafs?r texts as lecture notes: Reassessing early Tafs?r tradition through exegetical reports of Sufy?n al-Thawr? (d. 778 CE)," British Association of Islamic Studies Annual Conference, St. John s College, Cambridge University, June 30-July 1, 2025.
Conference paper: "Some Issues in Religious Pluralism and the Quranic Perspective," at a student conference, "Conversations beyond Religious Boundaries" at Harvard Divinity School, dedicated to the life and legacy of Krister Stendahl, April 2009.