Dr. Zainab Alwani

Areas of Expertise

Islamic law, Qur’anic studies, Qur’anic ethics

Biography

Dr. Zainab Alwani specializes in Qur’anic interpretation, Islamic jurisprudence and the higher aims of Islamic law, with particular attention to women and family relations. She earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences and Islamic Jurisprudence at the International Islamic University Malaysia. She is Founding Director and Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Howard University School of Divinity, where she has led program and curriculum development.

Her scholarship includes books, chapters and articles on Qur’anic methodology, religious education, Muslim women’s scholarship and family ethics. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice and as Vice-Chair of the Fiqh Council of North America. Her teaching experience spans Islamic studies, Arabic, comparative religion and interreligious dialogue. Her research also addresses orphan care, foster care and the relationship between religious, civil and social responsibilities.

Selected Publications and Work

Alwani, Zainab. Perspectives: Arabic Language and Culture in Film, Alucen Learning, 2009. Alwani, Zainab. "Transforming the Self, Family and Society through a Qur’anic Ethos." Journal of Islamic faith and practice (2022). Alwani, Zainab. "Maqāṣid Qur᾽ āniyya: A Methodology on Evaluating Modern Challenges and Fiqh al-Aqalliyyāt." Muslim World 104, no. 4 (2014). Aslan, Ednan, Marcia K. Hermansen, and Elif Medeni. "Muslim women as religious scholars: A historical survey." Muslima Theology (2013). Alwani, Zainab. "The Qur’anic model for harmony in family relations." Change from within: Diverse perspectives on domestic violence in Muslim communities (2007): 40-1.

Selected BIS Teaching

• IRL-512 Thematic Tafsīr (Exegesis) of the Qurʾān

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