Joseph E. B. Lumbard


Joseph E.B. Lumbard is currently an associate professor of Quranic studies at the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. A translator, commentary author and general editor for the Study Quran, he is also a former advisor for interfaith affairs to King Abdullah II of Jordan and the author, editor, and translator of several articles and books on topics of Islamic philosophy, Sufism, and Quranic studies. Lumbard is a frequent lecturer and has taken part in several interfaith dialogues, among them the Common Word initiative. After serving as Advisor for Interfaith Affairs he became the director of the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Program at Brandeis University. Lumbard began his teaching career at the American University in Cairo after receiving a PhD in Islamic studies from Yale University.

Biography

Born and raised in Washington D.C., Lumbard was brought up within the Episcopal Church, serving as an altar boy. In his teenage years he lost interest and he was introduced to Islam when a sophomore at George Washington University. He converted to Islam a year and a half later.
He received a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Islamic Studies from Yale University, an M.A. in Religious Studies and a B.A. from the George Washington University. In order to complement his Western university training, he studied Qur´an, Hadith, Sufism, and Islamic philosophy with traditional teachers in Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, and Iran. Before returning to the United States, Lumbard worked as Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at the American University in Cairo.
A proponent of cross-cultural understanding, Lumbard has published several articles on comparative mysticism, Sufism, and Islamic philosophy, has lectured in academic arenas around the world, participated in inter-faith dialogues, and appeared on several radio and television programs. He is also the founder and first director of the Islamic Research Institute.