Dr. Basyouny Nehela

Areas of Expertise

Qur’anic studies, da`wah, religious counseling

Biography

Dr. Basyouny Nehela is President and Professor at Boston Islamic Seminary. His scholarship and teaching focus on Qur’anic studies, theology, Islamic ethics, religious leadership and community education. He earned his Ph.D. with highest honors, M.A. and B.A. from Al-Azhar University. His previous academic appointments include Qatar University, Al-Azhar University and Islamic American University.

At BIS, he leads institutional planning, academic quality and graduate curriculum development, with attention to the Seminary’s mission, student learning and faculty development. His work includes academic assessment, program review and accreditation readiness. He teaches and mentors graduate students and has developed online and hybrid courses. Alongside his academic leadership, he contributes to community education through sermons, workshops and lectures on faith, family life and contemporary challenges. His scholarship addresses Qur’anic interpretation, Islamic thought, ethics and the methods of religious education and outreach.

Selected Publications and Work

Articles and Guidance

• Fatwā on Determining the Beginning and End of Ramadan (2026).
• Fatwa on the Concurrence of Eid and Jumu‘ah Prayer (2025).
• Fatwa on Allocating Zakat to Islamic Academic Institutions in the USA (2025).
• Nurturing Spiritual Resilience and Inner Peace (2024).

Academic Publications

• The Influence of the Intellectual Foundations of the Ash‘ari School on Contemporary Islamic Outreach (2018).
• Youth Characteristics and Outreach Skills in the Story of the Companions of the Cave (2016).
• Contemporary Islamic Culture: Its Concept and Characteristics (2014).
• Advice in the Qur’an: Its Concept, Fields and Contemporary Applications (2013).
• Modern Approaches to Religious Outreach in Contemporary Writings on the Prophetic Biography (2012).

Selected BIS Teaching

• IRL-511 A Light Among the People: Living the Qurʾān (Thematic Approach)
• IRL-512 Thematic Tafsīr (Exegesis) of the Qurʾān
• IRL-531 Islamic Belief and Faith (ʿAqīda)
• IRL-551 Islamic Ethics and Spirituality (Akhlaq and Takziya)

These are courses taught at BIS. For current academic information, explore the graduate program.

Professional and Community Service

• Institutional planning, academic assessment, graduate curriculum development and faculty mentorship at BIS.
• Leadership of accreditation readiness, institutional self-study and academic quality review.
• Community sermons, workshops and lectures on faith, family life and contemporary educational challenges.
• Former spiritual leader, Islamic Society of Boston (1997–2010).