Dr Saeid Sobhani
s.sobhani@islamic-college.ac.uk
Areas of Expertise
- philosophy, Islamic philosophy, and the philosophy of religion
- theology
- Islamic juripsrudence & the principles of jurisprudence (fiqh & usul al-fiqh)
- the science of narrators and narrations (‘ilm al-rijal and dirayah)
- Islamic history
Biography
Dr Saeid Sobhani is a Shi’i scholar specialising in the main fields of the classical Islamic disciplines including theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, exegesis of the Qur’an, history, biographical studies, and fundamentals of belief, on each of which he has authored a number of books and articles. Sobhani has studied under many grand scholars including Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Tabrizi, and Ayatollah Ja‘far Sobhani. His publications include Nayl al-Watar min Qa‘idat la Darar (The Jurisprudential Maxim of No Harm, 1999) and Jahan-bini va Shenakht (Epistemology, 1988).
Research & Publications
Books
Dirayah Studies: An Introduction. London: Contemporary Thoughts Press, 2025.
Worldview and the Theory of Knowledge. London: Contemporary Thoughts Press, 2023.
Rijal Studies: an Introduction. London: Contemporary Thoughts Press, 2023.
Religious Diversity in Contemporary Shi’i Thought. London: ICAS Press, 2022.
Jahān-bīnī va Shinākht (Epistemology). Qom: Imam Ṣādiq Institute, 1988.
Nayl al-Waṭar min Qāʿidah lā Ḍarar (The Jurisprudential Maxim of No Harm). Qom: Imam Ṣādiq Institute, 1999.
Lubb al-Athar fī al-Jabr wa al-Qadar (Predestination and Free will). Qom: Imam Ṣādiq Institute.
Articles
“Prophet Muḥammad and his Miracles: Critiquing ʿAlī Dashtī’s View”, Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies (JSIS), 2025.
“A Critical View on Sayyid Quṭb and the Status of Intellect (ʿAql)”, Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies (JSIS), 2024.
“The Role of Intellect in the Perspective of Imamiyyah Jurists”, al-Qalam Journal. 2024.
Imamate and the Principle of Loving-Kindness. The Journal of ‘Contemporary Study of Islam’ (JCSI). 2022.
Pluralism Dīnī dar Chishm Andāz-i mā (Religious Pluralism in our Perspective). Journal of Islamic Theology. 2007.
Sharī’at Fāragīr va Jāhanī va Nasikh Sharāyiʿ Pīshīn, (The Universal Shari’at and the Abrogator of the Previous Sharayiʿ). Journal of Islamic Theology, 2007.
Gūshe’ī az Munāzirātpi kalāmī (A Brief Account of Theological Debates), Journal of Islamic Theology, 1995.
Āmūzi-i hāy-i Ghīyām-i ʿĀshūrā (The Teachings of the ʿĀshūrā Movement), Journal of Islamic Theology, 2008.
Kūdāmyik az du ṭaʿbīr ṣaḥīḥ āst, “Kitāba Allah va ʿItratī Ahl al-Baytī” ya “Kītāba Allah va Sunnatī” (Which of these Two Titles is Correct: the Qur’an and my ʿItrah or the Qur’an and my Sunnah), Journal of Islamic Theology, 1995.
Education
- PhD (Philosophy of Religion) University of Edinburgh, 2019
- MA (Interfaith relations) University of Glasgow, 2009
- Post-doctoral level course (Kharij), Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Seminary of Qom, 1991-2002. Supervisor: Ayatollah Mirza Javad Tabrizi
- Post-doctoral level course (Kharij), Principles of Jurisprudence (ʿIlm Usul al-Fiqh), Seminary of Qom, 1991-2002. Supervisor: Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani
- Advanced Islamic Philosophy (Asfar); under the personal supervision of Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, 1997-2002
- Advanced Philosophy and Theology, Imam Sadiq Institute, (Qom) 1991-1995. Key modules: philosophy, theology, hermeneutics, logic and ethics
- Advanced Interpretation of the Qur’an (Kharij Tafsir), 1988-2002. Supervisor: Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli
- BA, Islamic Studies, Seminary of Qom, 1983-1991. Key modules: Arabic literature, logic, Islamic philosophy, Quranic sciences, interpretation of the Quran, the theological schools (milal va nihal), the science of narrators and narrations (‘ilm al-rijal and al-dirayah), theology, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and the principles of the science of jurisprudence (‘ilm usul al-fiqh).
Teaching
Courses taught at The Islamic College include:
- Islamic philosophy
- Logic
- Ethics
- Theology
- Jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence
- The “science of narrators and narrations” (‘ilm al-rijal wa al-dirayah)
- Arabic grammar
- Qur’anic exegesis
Outside The Islamic College, Sobhani has taught on Sharḥ-i Manẓūmih al-Sabzivārī (an advanced text in Islamic philosophy) and other courses including logic, ethics, and the philosophy of religion.
Resources
Fields of interest
Philosophy, Theology, Philosophy of religion, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), principles of jurisprudence (ʿilm uṣūl al-fiqh), the science of narrators and narrations (ʿilm al-rijāl and dirāyah), Islamic history.