Dr. Tehseen Thaver

Biography

Tehseen Thaver is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Princeton University, specializing in the study of Islam. He received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His teaching encompasses a variety of subjects including Qur’an interpretation, Sufism, Muslim Ethics, Shi‘ism, and the relationship between religion and culture in Iran. His research largely focuses on the diverse ways in which Muslims engage with scripture through both pre-modern and modern lenses—encompassing oral, textual, interpretive, and performative dimensions. His current book, 'Sectarianism: Ambiguity, Hermeneutics, Formations of Religious Identity in Islam,' investigates the complex interplay of politics, religious identity, and Qur’an exegesis in early Islam, particularly through the lens of the Arabic Qur’an commentary of the renowned Shi‘i theologian, al-Sharif al-Radi. Thaver's work also delves into the Persian Qur’an commentary by Abu’l-Futuh Razi, analyzing the intersection of orality and exegesis in shaping Muslim intellectual thought. He has published notable articles such as 'Ambivalences of Modernity: Contemporary Turkish Sufism,' and other significant contributions in academic journals related to Qur’anic studies.

Research Interests