Dr. Ali Z Hussain
PhD in Islamic Studies
Dissertation:
Sainthood Between the Ineffable and Social Practice: Jesus Christ in the Writings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi and Later Sufism
Publications:
A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity
40 Conversations with the Prophet Muhammad on Art and Creativity
"The Metaphysics of Creativity: Imagination in Sufism from the Qurʾan into Ibn al-ʿArabi"
About Dr. Ali Z Hussain
Dr. Ali Hussain is a lecturer in Qur'anic and Classical Arabic at the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies.
Dr. Hussain's research focuses on various aspects of Islamic studies and Arabic language. He has published numerous research articles and books that explore the intersection of religion, culture, and spirituality.
Education
2012 - 2019
2006 - 2010
University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI.
PhD. Islamic Studies
Dissertation: Sainthood Between the Ineffable and Social Practice: Jesus Christ in the Writings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi and Later Sufism.
Eastern Michigan University. Ypsilanti, MI.
Masters in Artificial Intelligence
Community Involvement
2023 - 2024
2023
2023
2023
2023
2023
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2021
2021
2021
2021
2020
2020
2020
2020
2019 - present
2019
2019
2018
2012 - 2018
2004 - present
2004 - 2007
International Tour in Singapore and Malaysia
Speaker
Gave a series of talks at a variety of venues, including Simply Islam, Wardah Books and Mukha Café on art and creativity in Islam, the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ in Islam, the status of the prophetic household in Islam as well as two daylong workshops on self-discipline in Islam and the status of the prophet Muhammad as a ‘walking Qurʾan’.
Image and Faith. Online Podcast
Interview
Spoke as a guest speaker about the sacrality of art and the creative process in Islamic spirituality and the intersections with the Christian faith.
Fasting of the Artist and Art of Fasting
Instructor
Taught a two-day workshop on the metaphysics of fasting through the lens of Islamic metaphysics at the Rhoda masjid in Ottawa, Canada.
Fast of Body and Feast of Spirit
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend long retreat on the metaphysics of fasting to Muslim audiences during the month of Ramadan.
Fast of Body and Feast of Spirit
Gave a lecture at the MCGP (Muslim Center of Greater Princeton) on the sacred dimensions of fasting.
Green Medical Network Group Speaking Tour
Gave a series of talks and podcasts on the metaphysics of healing in Islamic metaphysics. These events took place as part of speaker’s role as creative advisor and head of creative intelligence at GMNG.
The Spirit of Christ Mass
Online course
Taught a month-long online course through ISCA (Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Advancement) during the month of December 2022 on the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ in Islam through the lens of Sufi metaphysics.
A Recited Universe: The Qurʾan and Ibn alʿArabi
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a two-day virtual retreat on the metaphysics of the Qurʾan through the lens of Sufi metaphysics and writings of polymath Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi.
How to Engage with Muslim Youth?
Engaged in public a conversation with MCGP (Muslim Center of Greater Princeton) imam Safwan Eid about the various issues facing Muslim youth today and how to approach their daily struggles and existential crises with prophetic wisdom.
Islam and Popular Culture
Taught a keynote lecture at the MCGP (Muslim Center of Greater Princeton) on the sacred dimensions of popular culture and its importance in the lives of Muslim youth today.
A Silent Listening:
Creativity and the Solace of Raised Souls
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend-long retreat on the sacred dimensions of the creative process at the Razjan estate for an audience consisting mostly of Muslim artists.
A Nostalgic Remembrance:
Sufism and the Breath of Creativity
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught recently published book with same title on the sacred dimensions of the creative process through the lens of Sufism for an audience of Muslim artists.
The Sacred Reel: Islam and Popular Culture
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend-long retreat at the Razjan estate on the sacred dimensions of popular culture through the lens of Islamic metaphysics.
Ibn al-ʿArabi and Ghazali: An Interlude of Modernity
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend-long retreat on the writings of Muslim polymaths Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi (d. 1240) and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) and the usefulness of their writings for Muslim societies in modernity.
The Art of God: A Musical Journey
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a course alongside nationally renowned artists Divine Providence, Destiny Muhammad, Kamau and Malika Ayubbi on the sacred dimensions of the creative process using stages of the creative process through the lens of Islamic metaphysics.
Jesus Christ and Ibn al-ʿArabi:
Words to Worlds and Creative Breaths
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught an online retreat on the image of Jesus Christ in the writings of Sufi mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi.
Ibn al-ʿArabī: The Eloquence of Imagination
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Translated and taught various excerpts from Ibn al-ʿArabī’s The Meccan Openings for non-Arabic speakers. These included passages pertaining to human imagination and its importance in life and death.
The Walking Remembrance:
Prophetic Praise in the Qur’an
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Translated and explored all the verses pertaining to the Prophet Muhammad in the Qur’an, ultimately drawing a portrait of the Prophet’s scriptural character and how that complements his historical persona.
Write to Left: Arabic Poetry and Prose of Khalil Gibran
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Translated excerpts from Khalil Gibran’s al-Mawākib poem, as well as other sections from his short plays and reflections into English for the purpose of teaching English speakers about style and thematic tropes of Gibran’s Arabic writings and how these contrast with his English works, such as The Prophet.
Video Games: A Sacred Experience
Instructor Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend long retreat on the spiritual dimensions of video games as a medium for sacred storytelling. The workshop also included presentations by young Muslim video gamers on the spiritual importance of video games in their lives.
Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth. Ann Arbor, MI.
Preacher
Provided sermons and workshops on Islamic metaphysics and the overlap with Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism to a diverse congregation across all faith spectrums. Topics include imagination and the sacred, the Christic archetype, logos and others. Also worked with an ensemble of singers to perform qasa’id, religious odes from the Muslim faith for elderly residents at a hospice.
The Sage’s Journey
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend long retreat on the spiritual dimensions of Star Warsthrough the lens of Islamic metaphysics and the writings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi (d. 1240). The retreat coincided with the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. All participants attended the film’s showing at the movie theater as part of the retreat.
The Road Not Taken
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a weekend long retreat on the spiritual dimensions of the creative process and popular culture at the Razjan estate in McLean, Virginia. The retreat activities also included presentations by Muslim artists on the sacredness of art in their lives and journey to God.
The Art of God
Instructor, Adhwaq Center Retreat
Taught a month-long online retreat for Muslim artists on the sacred dimensions of the creative process. Participants also produced art works that were collected into a montage showcasing testimonials and creative works by the attendees.
Department of Middle Eastern Studies
University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI
Public Speaker
During graduate research in Islamic studies, participated as representative of the Muslim faith alongside Jewish scholars at the MuJew (Muslim Jewish) Initiative at the University’s Hillel House. Topics included common understandings of peace, metaphysics and the sacred in both faiths.
Preacher
Regularly gave sermons on the Muslim holy day of Friday to a wide variety of Muslim audiences across the United States.
Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
Education Committee Chair
Created educational programs for both Muslim congregation and non-Muslim guests. Spoke alongside Christian ministers about the commonalities between Islam and Christianity as a path forward for peace.
Work Experience
2022 - present
2022 - present
The Adhwaq Center for Spirituality, Culture and the Arts
Founder, resident scholar and educator at non-profit organization with the objective of ‘exploring spirituality and creativity in contemporary culture’.
Department of Middle Eastern Studies
University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI
Lecturer in Classical and Qur’anic Arabic.
Teaching
Summer 2022
Fall 2022 - Winter 2023
Winter 2019
Fall 2018
Summer 2018
Fall 2017
Spring 2016
Winter 2015, Winter 2018
Jesus in Islamic Mysticism
Instructor, University of Michigan
Taught a course on the different adaptations of Jesus in Sufism (Islamic mysticism) throughout Islamic history, beginning with an exploration of Jesus in the Qur’an, Hadith and Shi’ism.
Qur’anic and Classical Arabic
Instructor, University of Michigan
Adapted a four-level course from Fawakih seminary for teaching Qur'anic Arabic into a four-semester academic curriculum at the University of Michigan. This includes appending additional material on the sociocultural significance and musicality of Qur'an recitation in Muslim countries, as well as teaching students the basics of this art.
Jalal al-Din Rumi
Virtual Assistant, University of Michigan
Helped teach a course through the DISC (Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum) at the university in collaboration with professor Jawid Mojaddedi from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Global Media & Culture
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan
This introductory course begins by defining ‘globalization’ and various theories regarding its effects on today’s world. Thenceforth, each of the modules focuses on the globalizing trends in a major region of today’s world (i.e., Hong Kong, India, Middle East), with specific attention to media (e.g., film, reality TV and music) and how Western influences appear in these social productions.
Sufism in America
Primary Instructor, University of Michigan
This course examines the origins of Sufism in contemporary America, beginning with a survey of the medieval mystical trends (Ghazalian and Akbarian) that govern the contemporary American Sufi discourse. This is followed by a historical overview of the major Sufi trends and brotherhoods that have prospered over the past few decades.
Historical Jesus:
In Christianity, Judaism and Islam
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan
This course focuses on the founder of Christianity, Jesus the son of Joseph, as an historical character and explores the way in which his persona has been reinterpreted over the centuries within the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. Also, the course investigates his numerous portraits in the arts, such as theater, fine arts, and music.
Bodies in Islam
Primary Instructor, University of Michigan
This course examines the various portrayals of the human body in Muslim societies and Islamic texts. The focus is on the writings of Sufi mystics and their practices.
Introduction to Arab Culture
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan
This course offers a broad mosaic survey of the cultural, historical, social, religious, political and ethnic diversity in the Arab world. This also includes giving key lectures on the art of Qur’an recitation and Arabic music in 20th century Egypt with catered performances and demonstrations.
Academic Presentations
Spring 2019
Winter 2018
Winter 2016
Fall 2015
Fall 2015
Winter 2015
Winter 2014
Winter 2014
Winter 2014
Fall 2013
In the Hands of Love:
Jalal al-Din Rumi and the Case of Ecstatic Sufi Poetry
Ann Arbor District Library
“The Spirituality of 20th Century Egyptian Cinema:
The Case of Sitcom Titr, Novels of Naguib Mahfouz and Poems of Sayyid Ḥijāb
IKHLAS Conference. University of Michigan
The Muhammadan Word within the Christic Tree
IKHLAS Conference. Cheikh Amadou Bamba University. Dakar, Senegal
The Ontology of Language in Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Thought
Annual Arabic Colloquium. Near Eastern Studies Department, University of Michigan
Jesus and Enoch in the African Barzakh of Muḥyī al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi
IKHLAS Interdisciplinary Seminar. University of Michigan
Jesus as Divine Poetry: The Mystical Poetics of Muḥyī al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi
IKHLAS Interdisciplinary Seminar. University of Michigan
Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Metaphysics of Poetry
Arabic Language and Literature Colloquium
Near Eastern Studies Department, University of Michigan
Between the Saint and Text:
Embodied Knowledge in Medieval Islamic Mysticism
Medieval Lunch Series. University of Michigan
Jesus in Islamic Mysticism:
The Case of Muḥyī al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi
Graduate Student Colloquium
Near Eastern Studies Department, University of Michigan
Hospitality as Knowledge Production:
The Case of Muḥyī al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi
Graduate Student Colloquium
Near Eastern Studies Department, University of Michigan
Academic Publications
2022
2020
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2014
2013
Al-Luʾluʾa wa-l-Bahr (The Pearl and Sea)
Translation of a literary critique and study of the poetry of Ali Abdullah Khalifa.
“The Metaphysics of Creativity: Imagination in Sufism, from the Qurʾan into Ibn al-ʿArabi” in Art and Imagination: Explorations in Contemporary Theory
Contributed an entry into this tributary volume to Indian scholar prof. Ananda Sukla. Essay focused on the sacred dimensions of art and creativity in Islamic metaphysics and the overlap with Hindu theater.
“Ibn al-ʿArabī and Joseph Campbell: Akbarian Metaphysics and the Myth of Contemporary Art” in Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society 63
A comparative study between Ibn al-ʿArabi’s metaphysics of creativity and Joseph Campbell’s Power of Myth.
“Ibn Sawdakīn” in Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
A biographical entry
“Jesus and Enoch in the Barzakh of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī” in Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society 60
A look inside Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi’s (d. 1240) notion of sacred time and archetypes, highlighting the relationship between the figure of Enoch and other prophets in Ibn al-ʿArabi’s writings.
“Ibn al-ʿArabī.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Islamic Studies. Ed. John O. Voll, New York: Oxford University Press.
A collaboration with prof. Alexander Knysh, wrote a bibliography of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi’s (d. 1240) works.
“Al-Farghānī” in Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
A biographical entry
"Dāwūd al-Qayṣarī" in Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
A biographical entry
“An Endless Tajallī: A Historiography of Ibn ʿArabī” in Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society 52
A bibliography of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi’s (d. 1240) works.
Non-Academic Publications
2023
2023
2022
2022
2020
2020
2018
2018
2018
40 Conversations With the Prophet Muhammad on Art and Creativity
Adhwaq Publishing
A collection of verses from the Qur’an, Hadith and teachings from Muslim saints and scholars, alongside commentary by the author, on the sacred dimensions of the creative process and contemporary culture
Art in Memoirs: A Wayward Journey
Adhwaq Publishing
A collection of poems in both Arabic and English
“Divine Audition in the Akbarian Court: The Metaphysics of Sound and Music in The Meccan Openings” in Ṭawāsīn Magazine (2022)
A research paper in both Arabic and English focusing on the metaphysics of sound and music in the writings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi (d. 1240). This has also been published on the online website Ma3azef.
A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity
Adhwaq Publishing
A study of the metaphysical dimensions of the creative process through the lens of Sufism, as well as a creative meditation on the metaphorical power of the written, visual, auditory and moving arts.
Art in Memoirs: Following the Traces
Adhwaq Publishing
A collection of poetry in Arabic and English
Rumi and Gibran: In Translation
Adhwaq Publishing
A comparative study of Rumi and Gibran’s writings
Art in Memoirs: Setting Forth
Adhwaq Publishing
A collection of poetry in Arabic and English
The Art of Ibn al-ʿArabī: A Collection of 19 Drawings from the Greatest Master of Sufism
Independent Publishing Platform
Translated excerpts from Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi’s (d. 1240) writings containing visual diagrams
The Souk of Nostalgia: A Childhood Between Rivers and Mountains
Independent Publishing Platform
An autobiographical work
Blog Publications
2024
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2020
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2016
2016
2016
Habib Noh al-Habsyi: An Embodiment of Singapore’s Religious Pluralism.
The Art of Talking Religion Blog
“Reeding and Righting Poetry”
Medium
https://medium.com/@alihussain-39979/reeding-and-righting-poetry-b408ff6d3482
“The Art of Writing: An Exhalation and Inhalation”
Medium
https://medium.com/@alihussain-39979/the-art-of-writing-an-exhalation-and-inhalation-c5bc342bc0ac
“Smiles to Tears: From Kratos to Batman”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/smiles-to-tears-from-kratos-to-batman
“Zephyrs: The Marriage Between Art and Night”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/zephyrs-the-marriage-between-art-and-night
“Stray: Guidance Beyond the Vale”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/stray-guidance-beyond-the-vale
“The Saga will End, the Story Lives Forever: Star Wars and the Journey of Tradition”
Adhwaq Center Blog
“On ʿAshura, Fasting, Sadness and Joy”
Adhwaq Center Blog
“Rumi, Nations and Ruminations: Poetry from Religion to Culture”
Medium
“The Necessary Desert: Dune in Islamic Metaphysics”
Medium
https://medium.com/@alihussain-39979/the-necessary-desert-dune-in-islamic-metaphysics-b3c5e251b544
“Loki: Ibn al-ʿArabi and the Dance Between Time and Free-Will”
Medium
https://medium.com/@alihussain-39979/loki-the-dance-between-time-and-free-will-2fb402f04bfb
“Ghost of Tsushima: The Guiding Wind of Tradition”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/ghost-of-tsushima-the-guiding-wind-of-tradition
“The Medium: Light, Darkness and the Redemption in-Between”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/the-medium-light-darkness-and-the-redemption-in-between-1
“Quantum Break: The Illusion of Time and Knowledge of Self”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/quantum-break-the-illusion-of-time-and-knowledge-of-self-1
“Art in Memoirs: Setting Forth”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/quantum-break-the-illusion-of-time-and-knowledge-of-self-1
“The Last Guardian: The Giant Power of Love”
Adhwaq Center Blog
https://www.adhwaqcenter.org/post/the-last-guardian-the-giant-power-of-love
“Sufism and Creativity: Finding Your Inner Christ”
Huffington Post
“The Eternal Art of Pilgrimage: Finding Meaning from Mecca to the Louvre”
Huffington Post
“The Reality of Sufism: Sufism of Realities”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-reality-of-sufism-sufism-of-realities_b_59980e15e4b03b5e472cefd9
“’Not a Penny in my Pocket!’: De-Cultured Religiosity and Death of Spirituality”
Huffington Post
“Clipboard Islam: Modern Religiosity and the Aesthetic Thirst”
Huffington Post
“Ardent Memoirs of Art and Memories”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ardent-memoirs-of-art-and-memories_b_592fe415e4b0d80e3a8a336a
“The Art of Redeeming Knowledge”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-art-of-redeeming-knowledge_b_592e71e5e4b047e77e4c3f
“Ardent Memoirs of Art and Memories”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ardent-memoirs-of-art-and-memories_b_592fe415e4b0d80e3a8a336a
“The Spirituality of a Modern Myth: Star Lores, Wars and Adore!”
Huffington Post
“A Pageant Faded: Ibn al-ʿArabi, Shakespeare and the Artist-Saint”
Huffington Post
“The Metaphysics of Fasting: Annihilation and Subsistence”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eat-from-the-good-of-what_b_10562332
“A Night’s Ascension into Enchantment”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-nights-ascension-into-e_b_9854496
“The Cemeteries are Empty”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-cemeteries-are-empty_b_9240256
“The ‘Sacred’ in America”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-logos-in-mythology_b_8933608
“The ‘Logos’ in Mythology”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-logos-in-mythology_b_8933620
“The Eternal First Spring: Births, Re-Births and the Cycle of Time in Sufism”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-eternal-first-spring_b_8808756
“The Mystical Side of Music”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-mystical-side-of-musi_b_8642772
“The Niche of the Contemporary Religious Subject”
Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/niche-of-the-contemporary_b_8593822
Book Reviews
Dennis McAuley’s Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Mystical Poetics
Brill’s Translation of Ahmad Zarrūq’s Qawāʿid al-Tasawwuf
ISCA’s Miracles of Sufi Saints
Other Reviews
“Amal Murkus and Firas Zreik:
The Brilliance of People and Identity of Performance”
Musical Album Review
“Firas Zreik: The Whisperer of Nature and Qanun”
Musical Album Review
“With Light: Nostalgia, Shadows and a Distant Embrace”
Musical Album Review
“The Transcendence of Dust:
Yusuf Misdaq’s ‘Dust of Time’”
Musical Album Review
Language Proficiency
Arabic:
Advanced proficiency in Iraqi, Levantine, Egyptian Classical and Modern Standard.
English:
Secondary language. Advanced proficiency in reading and writing.
Turkish:
Language of research. Intermediate proficiency in reading and writing
French:
Language of research. Intermediate proficiency in reading
German:
Language of research. Beginning proficiency in reading
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