Dr. Sohaib Saeed

Dr. Sohaib Saeed is a specialist in Tafsir and Qur’anic Studies based in Scotland. He holds a BA and MSc in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh and graduated from Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Theology in Cairo, specializing in Tafsir and Qur’anic Sciences. He completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, under the supervision of Professor M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, the renowned translator of the Qur’an. His doctoral thesis, Explaining the Qur’an Through the Qur’an, is forthcoming as a monograph from Edinburgh University Press.

Dr. Sohaib has taught and conducted research at several universities across the UK and Europe, including the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and has contributed to academic journals such as the Journal of Qur’anic Studies and The Handbook of Qur’anic Hermeneutics (De Gruyter). He served as a postdoctoral researcher on an ERC-funded project at the University of Freiburg, reviewing numerous Qur’an translations and scholarly submissions, and currently serves on the advisory board for the Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture & Theology book series (Edinburgh University Press).

He is well-known for his translations of classical tafsir works, notably The Great Exegesis, Volume I: The Fātiḥa—a translation of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s al-Tafsir al-kabīr—which received the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation in 2018. He is preparing a full translation of Imam Ibn Juzayy’s commentary for publication under the auspices of the Ibn ‘Ashur Centre for Qur’anic Studies, which he founded and directs. The Centre, based in Scotland, aims to advance Qur’anic Studies globally through innovative research, authoritative publications, specialist consultancy, and scholarly training.

Since 2016, Dr. Sohaib has been Head of Research and Senior Tafsir Consultant at Bayyinah Institute, collaborating closely with Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan on new Qur’an translations and commentaries that elucidate the depths of its language and meanings for contemporary audiences. In 2021, he took on responsibility for content quality and guidance at QuranReflect.com and Quran.com, major online platforms for Qur’anic engagement.

His teaching extends beyond academia to community institutions such as Al-Salam Institute, iSyllabus, the Islamic Seminary of America, and Whitethread Institute. He is also an active speaker at international academic conferences and community events focused on Qur’anic scholarship.

In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Sohaib has produced innovative educational projects, including Qur’anic arts and recitation events such as Solomon & the Queen and Father & Son: The Wisdom of Luqman through his earlier initiative, Quranica.

Selected Publications:
  • The Great Exegesis, Volume I: The Fātiḥa (Islamic Texts Society, 2018) – translation of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s al-Tafsir al-kabīr
  • “The Shāhīn Affair and the Evolution of uṣūl al-tafsīr,” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 21.3 (2019)
  • “The Digital Mufassir: Re-imagining the Tafsir of al-Alusi for a New Era,” in Osmanlı’da İlm- i Tefsir (2019)
  • “Fights and Flights: Two Underrated ‘Alternatives’ to Dominant Readings in tafsīr,” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 24:1 (2022)
  • Several forthcoming works including Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi’l-Qurʾān (De Gruyter, 2024) and Exegetical Qur’an Translation: Theoretical and Practical Considerations (2024)