معرفی
Afifi al-Akiti serves as University Research Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Theology and Worcester College, holding additionally the KFAS Fellowship in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. His academic profile centers on medieval Islamic intellectual traditions with institutional ties spanning Oxford's theological faculty, constituent college, and specialized research centers.
His research investigates Islamic theology (kalam), philosophy (falsafa), and science through analysis of al-Ghazali's engagement with Greek philosophy—particularly Avicenna—and explores science-religion dynamics in Islamic civilization. Specialized interests include medieval Arabic manuscripts, Moroccan religious lithographs (Hajariyyat), Islamic astronomy (ilm al-falak), and Shafi'i jurisprudence. Current editorial projects focus on al-Ghazali's Madnun corpus and a 9th-century astronomical manuscript by Nastulus concerning Byzantine lunar-solar gearing mechanisms.
Publication trends reveal consistent scholarly engagement with medieval Islamic philosophy's contemporary relevance, particularly through al-Ghazali's works addressing modernity, ethics of war, and prophethood concepts. His output bridges historical textual analysis with current debates in Islamic thought, demonstrating methodological rigor in manuscript studies while maintaining applied relevance to modern theological discourse.
Key recognition includes:
- KFAS Fellowship in Islamic Studies
Al-Akiti actively shapes academic discourse through convening the 'Islam and Science' seminar series (2009) and the Islamic Studies panel for the International Society for Religion, Literature and Culture conference (2010). His public engagement includes BBC documentaries on 'Science and Islam' and 'The Muslim Tommies' (2009), preparation of the 'Sciences and Arts in Early Islam' exhibition at Oxford's Museum of the History of Science (2010-11), and participation in the Oxford Scriptural Reasoning Group—demonstrating commitment to interdisciplinary knowledge translation beyond traditional academic boundaries.
