Dr Shaykh Mohammed Ali Ismail
Dr Shaykh Mohammed Ali Ismail, from Peterborough, UK, graduated in Law. He then went to Qum where he studied in the Hawza for ten years, specialising in Qur’an and Hadith Studies. While in Qum, he regularly taught on short courses and helped establish The World Federation Islamic Education Qum Office, which he also managed for three years. Having graduated from the Hawza in 2007, he went on to complete a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Portsmouth.
Dr Ismail then moved to Damascus where for two years he taught and trained aspiring Ministers of Religion at the Islamic Institute for Post Graduate Studies. In 2010, he resettled in the UK and joined the academic team at The Islamic College, where, in his capacity as Head of Hawza and Qur’anic Arabic, he developed the Hawza Studies and Qur’anic Arabic programmes into fully validated Bachelor’s degree and Certificate courses. Currently, Dr Ismail is Director of Research and Publications, Senior Lecturer, and an editor at the College.
Over the last two decades, Dr Ismail has regularly lectured and conducted courses in Islamic centres around the world. In 2020, he received his doctorate from Middlesex University.
Among his publications are Spiritual Development Programme for Madrasah Teachers (Manual and Workbook), and Islamic Laws, an annotated translation of the Tawdih al-Masa’il of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani.
Publications
- ‘Divine Stewards of the Earth: Spiritual Ecology in the Qur’anic Narratives of Prophets’ in Al-Qalam Journal of Advanced Islamic Research, Issue 3 (2024). London: International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research.
- ‘The Role of ʿAql in Qur’anic Exegesis: A Comparative Study of Traditional Shi‘i and Critical Rationalist Perspectives’ in Al-Qalam Journal of Advanced Islamic Research, Issue 2 (2024). London: International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research.
- Islamic Laws: An annotated translation of the Tawdih al-Masa’il of al-Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani. Fully revised 4th edition in line with extensive changes to rulings (2023). London: The World Federation. Available via a mobile device application (‘OneStopFiqh’) and online at https://fiqh.world-federation.org.
- ‘Is Ziyārat ʿĀshūrāʾ Authentic? A Discussion in ʿIlm al-Rijāl’ in Al-Qalam Journal of Advanced Islamic Research, Issue 1 (2023). London: International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research. Available at https://www.world-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Is-Ziyarat-%CA%BFAshura%CA%BE-Authentic-M.-A.-Ismail-1.pdf.
- Spiritual Development Programme for Madrasah Teachers Manual (2nd. ed. 2023). London: The World Federation.
- Spiritual Development Programme for Madrasah Teachers Workbook (2nd ed. 2023). London: The World Federation.
- Foundations of Arabic Grammar: A Parallel Arabic-English Textbook (2017). London: ICAS Press. (Co-editor)
- Islamic Laws (an annotated translation of the Tawdih al-Masa’il of al-Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani). Volume Two: Transactions (2017). London: The World Federation.
- ‘A Comparative Study of Islamic Feminist and Traditional Shi‘i Approaches to Qur’anic Exegesis’ in the Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies, vol. 9, no. 2 (Spring 2016). London: ICAS Press.
- Desire of the Aspirant: On the Etiquette of the Teacher and the Student. (2016). London: ICAS Press. (Co-editor)
- Islamic Laws (an annotated translation of the Tawdih al-Masa’il of al-Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani). Volume One: Ritual Acts of Worship (2015). London: The World Federation.
- ‘The Spiritual Aspects of Hajj: A Translation of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s (A) Discourse on Hajj with al-Shibli’ in the Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies, vol. 7, no. 3 (Summer 2014). London: ICAS Press.
- Caravan of the Sun: A play about the captives of Karbala (2014). London: MIU Press. (Editor)
- ‘Understanding the Qur’an in the Light of Nahj al-Balaghah’ in Humanity and Politics in the Nahj al-Balagha (2013). Peterborough: Islamic Thought.
- Faith and Reason (2006). London: The World Federation. (Co-translator)
- ‘The Meaning of the Word ‘Mawla’ in the Sermon of Ghadir’ in Ghadir in Different Nations (2003). Qum: Dalil-i Ma.
Supervision
‘Evaluating the Linguistic Style and Eloquence of the Qur’an: Perspectives on Divine Origin’
MA Dissertation, 2024
- ‘A critical analysis of the legal capacity of persons with disabilities in Islamic Law’
MA Dissertation, 2023
- ‘The practicality of applying the ‘Annulment Through the Option of Deception’ ruling (al-faskh bi-khiyār al-tadlīs) to a marriage contract in the Shia Muslim community in London’
BA Project, 2021
- ‘A critical examination of the extent of a wife’s obedience towards her husband in light of the rights of women in Islamic law’
MA Dissertation, 2015
Courses
Click on each course for the course information.
| Module Code | Module Type | Module Title | Instructor | Program |
| ISD117 | Designated | Qur’anic Sciences and Approaches to Exegesis | Mohammed Ali Ismail | BA Islamic Studies |
| HSC210 | Core | Principles of Jurisprudence 1 | Mohammed Ali Ismail | BA Hawza Studies |
| HSC211 | Core | Hadith Studies | Mohammed Ali Ismail | BA Hawza Studies |
| HSC303 | Core | Principles of Jurisprudence 2 | Mohammed Ali Ismail | BA Hawza Studies |
| HSC312 | Core | Demonstrative Jurisprudence 3 | Mohammed Ali Ismail | BA Hawza Studies |
| ML401 | Core | Sources of Islamic Knowledge | Mohammed Ali Ismail | MA Islamic Studies and MA Islamic Law |
