Ismail K. Poonawala

Ismail K. Poonawala is a Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Holding a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from UCLA (1968), he specializes in Ismaili studies, Islamic jurisprudence, and Arabic literature.

• PhD, Near Eastern Studies, UCLA (1968)
• MA with distinction, Arabic Language and Literatures, Cairo University (1964)
• MA, Arabic, Bombay University (1959)
• BA, Arabic, Bombay University (1957)

His research focuses on Ismaili thought, particularly through critical editions and analyses of foundational texts like the Rasāʾil Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ and works of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān. He has extensively studied Qur'anic exegesis, doctrinal controversies, and the historical intersection of Islamic theology and politics.

Poonawala has contributed to debates on authorship attribution in Islamic manuscripts and addressed modern succession disputes within the Bohra community. His publications include critical editions of Ismaili texts and articles exploring Islamic messianism, humanism, and the translatability of the Qur'an.