Academic & Teaching staff

Dr Mustapha Sheikh

Lecturer in Islamic Studies

Dr Mustapha Sheikh

+44(0)113 343 3422

Background

I was educated at University College London where I took my BSc and at St Cross College, Oxford, where I took my MSt in the Study of Religion and D.Phil. in Theology. My doctoral research, which was completed under the supervision of Professor Yahya Michot and Dr M.A. Al-Akiti, is an exploration of the theology, mysticism and ethics of Imam Ahmad al-Rumi al-Aqhisari, a 17th century Ottoman scholar who was associated with the infamous Qadizadeli movement. From 2000 to 2009, I was a student of traditional Islamic studies. I spent extensive periods of time in Syria and Turkey, reading texts in Arabic grammar, rhetoric, logic, jurisprudence, Qur'anic exegesis, legal theory, Arabic literature, hadith and mysticism. In 2006, I was awarded a Higher License (Ijazah 'Aliyah) in Islamic Law.

Research Interests

My major research interests are in Islamic law and theology. I am particularly interested in the thought of the 13th-14th century Damascene jurist-theologian Taqi al-Din Ahmad b. Taymiyya (d. 1328) and his influence upon later Islamic revivalist movements; Naqshbandi Sufism; and modern Muslim reformist thought. Presently I am co-authoring several papers in Islamic Finance with Professsor M. Shahid Ebrahim (Bangor University).

    Current Research Projects

    • Qadizadeli revivalism
    • The works and thought of Ahmad al-Rumi al-Aqhisari (d. 1631)
    • The problem of riba (usury) in Islamic commercial law

    Taught Courses

    1. ARAB 2162 - History of Islamic Legal Theory
    2. ARAB 3073 - Muslim Intellectual Encounter with Contemporary Thought

    Postgraduate Supervision

    I am currently supervising:

    Mansour Alshammari, Terrorism and Takfir in Saudi Arabia (Ph.D.)

    Mohammed Ali Rizvi, The Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan and the Barelwi Movement (Ph.D.)

    Nadia El-Anis, The Image of the Prophet Muhammad in Europe (Masters by Research)

    Other Responsibilites

    Department admissions tutor

    Publications

    'Taymiyyan Influences in an Ottoman-Hanafi Milieu: The Case of Ahmad al-Rumi al-Aqhisari,' forthcoming (Dec 2013).

    'The jurisprudence (fiqh) of female participation in jihad', chapter in forthcoming volume 'Gender and Violence in Islamic Societies: Patriarchy, Islamism and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa', Z. Salhi (ed.), I.B. Tauris.

    'Ibn Taymiyya, Analogy and the Attributes of God,' Muslim World Journal, forthcoming (Aug 2012).

    'The Political Economy and Underdevelopment of the Muslim World,' M. Sheikh and M.S. Ebrahim, forthcoming (Aug 2012).

    'Hybrid Islamic Finance Instruments,' M. Sheikh and M.S. Ebrahim, Encyclopedia of Islam and Finance (OUP), forthcoming (Aug 2012).

    'Debt Instruments in Islamic Finance,' M. Sheikh and M.S. Ebrahim, Encyclopedia of Islam and Finance (OUP), forthcoming (Aug 2012).

    'Iklhās and the Assimilation of Tawhīd,' Wisdom, Jul.-Aug. 2008 (Erkam Publishing).

    'Ibn 'Ajība's commentary on Qur'ān 51:55 from al-Tafsīr al-majīd,' introduction and translation, Wisdom, Jan-Feb 2009 (Erkam Publishing).

    'Ibn 'Ajība's commentary on Qur'ān 18:28 from al-Tafsīr al-majīd', introduction and translation, Wisdom, Mar-Apr 2009 (Erkam Publishing).

    Conferences and Educational Colloquia

    "Analytical and Empirical Research in Islamic Finance, Management, Economics and Law" at Aston Business School, 3-4 December 2011. Co-presenting paper entitled,"Reviving the Spirit of the Mudarabah Facility through the Participating Preferred Ijarah Facility" with Prof M. Shahid Ibrahim (Bangor University).

    Co-organiser of symposium, "Teaching Islamic Studies: Methodological Concerns, Practical Solutions", University of Leeds and Islamic Studies Network, 28 January 2012.

    Luther King House, Manchester. Lecture title: "Muslim Cultural Diversities in Britain", May 2011.

    Royal Marines (CTCRM), Exeter. Lecture title: "Challenges facing a People of Scripture. British Muslims, active citizenship and faithfulness to the Qur'an", delivered to senior officers and officials, March 2010.

    Marmara University, Istanbul. Lecture title: "Muslim Minority Fiqh in the West", delivered to Theology graduates, March 2009.

    Abingdon European Society, Oxford. Lecture title: "Women in Islam", January 2008.

    Membership of Academic Bodies

    Member of British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES)
    Member of Islamic Studies Network