Hossein Modarressi

Hossein Modarressi is the Bayard Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His current research centers on the two fields of Islamic law and Shi’ite doctrine, with manuscripts to be completed in both.

Modarressi is the author of many books and articles in English, Arabic, and Persian. His books in English include Kharaj in Islamic Law (London, 1983), An Introduction to Shi’i Law (London, 1984), Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi’ite Islam (Princeton, 1993), and Tradition and Survival, a Bibliographical Survey of Early Shi’ite Literature (Oxford, 2003).

He attended the Islamic seminary at Qom where he received a complete traditional Islamic education in Islamic philosophy, theology and law, ending with a certificate of ijtihad. He also taught there for many years before pursuing his secular education which ended in 1982 with a D. Phil. from Oxford University.