Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Islamic Studies
International Islamic University of Malaysia
2009
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Faculty
Faculty
Zainab Alwani, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies
Department/Office
- Historical Studies, Divinity
School/College
- School of Divinity
Biography
Zainab Alwani, Ph.D., is the founding director and the first Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD). She is also the chair of the Master of Arts (Religious Studies) program at HUSD. Dr. Alwani received her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences and Islamic Jurisprudence from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on the implementation of the higher aims of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al Shariah) within the domain of the American Muslim family. She has authored and co-authored a wide variety of publications ranging from books, textbooks and book chapters, to scholarly articles. She is particularly interested in deriving methodologies for approaching the Qur’an, Sunna and Islamic jurisprudence in the area of women and family relations in Islam. She is currently the editor of the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, a scholarly peer-reviewed academic journal, published by the Islamic Seminary Foundation in partnership with IUPUI University Library.
Alwani is the first female jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America and currently serves as the Council’s Vice-Chair. Currently, Alwani is working on a groundbreaking project regarding orphan care, the Orphan Care Project.
She is an educator with over 25 years of teaching and curriculum development experience in Islamic Studies and Arabic. She designed and developed the Master of Arts program in Islamic Studies at the HUSD and continues to reinvigorate the holistic curriculum development. Prior to joining the School of Divinity, Alwani was the Program Director and Adjunct Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Loudoun Campus. She was also an Adjunct Professor of Arabic Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She developed courses in Arabic Studies that focused on the link between Islamic philosophy, language, and culture. She also taught Islamic history, inter-religious dialogue, and comparative religion at Wesley Theological Seminary and the Washington National Cathedral.
Some of her latest publications include: “Transformational Teaching: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Teacher and Murabbī.” in the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, Vol 2 No 2 (July, 2019). “Teaching other faiths about Islam: A transformative journey” In the special issue “Theological education between the times” of Journal Cross-Currents, June, 2019; the chapter book “With ʿĀʾisha in Mind: Reading Sūrat al-Nur through the Qur’an’s Structural Unity; Al-waḥda al-bināʾiyya li-l-Qurʾān/ The Qur’an’s Structural Unity: A Methodology for Understanding the Qurʾān in the Modern Day, in the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, Vol 1 No 1 (2018);” Maqāṣid Qur᾽āniyya: A Methodology on Evaluating Modern Challenges and Fiqh al-Aqalliyyāt (p 465–487), and “Muslim Women as Religious Scholars: A Historical Survey,” in Muslima Theology: The Voices of Muslim Women Theologians.”
She is currently working on a book on the ethical paradigm of the Quran and its application to critical family issues, such as divorce and marital challenges in the Muslim American community. She is also working on a series of articles stemming from the research on the relationship between sociocultural, civil and religious law in the area of foster care, guardianship and beyond in the American context. Alwani is a mother of four, and a grandmother of six. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, reading, writing and traveling.
Education & Expertise
Education
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Islamic Studies
Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences
1998
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Islamic Studies
Columbia State University
1996
Certificate
Islamic Studies: Law and Jurisprudence
Omdurman Islamic University
1995
Academics
Academics
Ethics and Prophetic Tradition in Islam
The Qur’an and Its Place in Muslim Life
Islam and African American Experience
Islam in Africa: History and Culture
Women and Family in Islam
Dialogue with Islam
Islamic Jurisprudence
Sacred Texts and Hermeneutics
Introduction to the Qur’an
Research
Research
Specialty
Islamic and Quranic Studies, Islamic Jurisprudnece, women and family in Islam. Dr. Alwani is particularly interested in deriving methodologies for approaching the Qur’an, Sunna and Islamic jurisprudence in the area of women and family relations.Funding
Extramural Submitted 2019
▪ Funding Amount: $ 1,000
Funding Source: The Islamic Seminary Foundation (ISF)
Description: The fund will support the new peer reviewed online academic and interdisciplinary
journal published by The Islamic Seminary of America and
.Approved my application to support the Journal of Islamic Faith & Practice.
Internal Submitted 2016
▪ Funding Amount: $ 3,000-8,000
Funding Source: Howard University: CETLA’s HU-Teach: Center for Excellence in Teaching,
Learning, and Assessment.
Description: CETLA’s HU-TEAH IV program to be trained to teach Hybrid and online courses.
Approved my application to participate in the Summer 2016 HU- TEACH IV Program.
Internal Submitted 2016
▪ Funding Amount: Printer.
Funding Source: Howard University: CETLA’s Exemplary SYLLABUS AWARDS: Center for
Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.
Extramural Submitted 2014
▪ Funding Amount: $90,000
Funding Source: National Endowment for the Humanities: Summer Seminars and Institutes
Title: Family In Islam, Critical Perspectives On Religion, Law, Health And Cultural Diversity
Description: Resubmitted this Proposal for funding a two week summer seminar to be held at
Howard University in June 2015. I invited Dr. Altaf Husain form School of Social Work to be Co-PI
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Award of Islamic Education BY Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
Activated the Dr. Zainab Alwani Islamic Studies Endowment Scholarship Fund
We Are Nusaiba Award Nominee
Nominated in the category of Positive Cultural Change Agent. This award reflects individuals who support and maintain their communities, extending the wings of their compassion to all. Rabata.org
Established Dr. Zainab Alwani Islamic Studies Endowment Scholarship Fund, 2017
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
What Islam Says About Domestic Violence
What Islam Says About Domestic Violence: A Guide for Helping Muslim Families
This book was written for victim advocates working at FAITH (Foundation for Appropriate and immediate Temporary Help) in the field of domestic violence.
Perspectives: Arabic Language and Culture in Film (Arabic Edition)
Perspectives: Arabic Language and Culture in Film (Arabic Edition)
Based on nine highly acclaimed feature films from Palestine, Egypt, and Morocco, Perspectives is designed for students of Arabic language and culture at the intermediate to advanced level. It may be used either as the primary text in a culture, conversation, or film course or as an enriching supplement to any existing language program. Specifically developed to exploit the content and themes presented in each of the films, the activities in Perspectives are designed to promote a heightened cultural awareness and encourage meaningful language development in context. With Perspectives, students will broaden their vocabulary, enhance their cultural awareness, share ideas, discuss, debate, interpret, and analyze, but more importantly, they will find enjoyment in and a new appreciation for the language learning experience.
Establishing a Just Society through a Qur'anic Lens
Establishing a Just Society through a Qur'anic Lens
This article examines the methods and strategies introduced by the Qur'an for establishing a just society. More specifically, it argues that the opening verse of Surat al-Nisa (the fourth chapter of the Qur'an) serves as a roadmap for humanity on how to achieve true peace, establish authentic justice and maintain sustainable security in every aspect of life. In doing so, the article addresses the following questions: What does the Qur'an mean when it states that humanity is one family?
Transformational Teaching
Transformational Teaching: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Teacher and Murabbī
This article analyzes the transformative role of Prophet Muhammad as a murabbī. I apply the hermeneutic of reading the divine text as a structural unity, a concept known as al-waḥda al-binā’iyya li-l-Qur’ān. After defining the concept of murabbī, I suggest that a holistic reading of the Qur’an can help us rebuild our concepts from within the Qur’an, a methodological approach that we can use to reshape the current religious discourse. I present the Prophet’s (pbuh) mission as a roadmap, a model that envisions a holistic relationship between the Qur’an and the Sunna as its final goal. I then devote special attention to this model by focusing on his teaching strategies and how they impacted the first generation of Muslims. I argue that a strong methodology based on the Qur’an and Sunna can help revive the role of a companionate Muslim community. I close by stressing the significance of developing this role and applying it in all aspects of contemporary life.
Travelers on the Straight Path
Travelers on the Straight Path: Truth Seekers
This article analyzes the concepts of al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm (the Straight Path) and istiqāma (steadfastness) and how they guide one to the Qur’ānic roadmap to success in this world and in the hereafter. Al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm is a methodology to define, verify, correct, and establish our concepts, principles, and relationships.
The Objectives of Sharia and the Family
The Objectives of Sharia and the Family: Reading in Marriage and Divorce in American Muslim Family
This book is based on my years of research, observation, and cross-continental travel. The book The Objectives of Sharia and the family: Critical Reading in Marriage and Divorce in American Muslim Family describes and analyzes different methodologies in studying the Islamic legal theory and its impact on social and cultural structure in the area of family. The book lays out an essential methodology in dealing with challenges in the American Muslim family. The book presents maqāṣid al shariah Objectives of Islamic Divine law to be conceived as a systematic methodology that allows competing ideological, doctrinal, cultural, and religious conceptions to debate in a common conceptual framework and with reference to the end goals. Family and gender are a complex socioeconomic and political phenomenon, and there are no simple cookie-cutter formulas for securing social and economic justice.