Ahab Bdaiwi

Dr. Ahab Bdaiwi is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Thought and History at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities, with a focus on medieval philosophy and Late Antique intellectual history. His academic work bridges religious and intellectual history, particularly in Shiʿi Islam, alongside expertise in Arabic codicology and Quranic studies.

• Affiliations:
  • Founder, Leiden University Shiʿi Studies Initiative (LUSSI)
  • Founder, Leiden University Centre for Islamic Thought and History (LUITH)
  • Co-founder, Leiden University Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies (LAMS)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Leiden University Arabic Humanities Blog
  • Member, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS)
  • Senior Member, Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies (NISIS)
• Research Interests:
  • Early Islamic Thought and Late Antiquity
  • Medieval Arabic Philosophy and Theology
  • Intellectual and Religious History of Shiʿi Islam
  • Arabic Codicology and Manuscript Studies
  • Quranic Studies
• Teaching:
  • Modes of Knowing in Medieval Islamic Thought
  • Introduction to Medieval Philosophy
  • Classical Readings in Arabic
  • Contemporary Islamic Thought
  • Early Islam and the World of Late Antiquity

He received the Cook Crone Fellowship in Ancient and Medieval History (2020-2021) and was a Visiting Scholar at the College of William and Mary (2016). His academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Exeter (2015) and prior teaching at the University of St Andrews (2013-2016).