Ṭarīf Khālidī

Ṭarīf Khālidī is a contemporary Palestinian historian, translator, and scholar of Islamic intellectual and historical studies, particularly known for his contributions to sīrah studies, Arabic historiography, and Qurʾānic translation. Born in Jerusalem in 1938 into the distinguished Khālidī scholarly family, he pursued higher education in the Middle East and the West, eventually becoming one of the leading modern scholars of Islamic history and Arabic literature. His academic career included teaching positions at institutions such as the American University of Beirut and University of Cambridge.

Ṭarīf Khālidī is especially recognized for his scholarly engagement with Islamic historiography and representations of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in both classical and modern literature. Among his most important works is Images of Muhammad: Narratives of the Prophet in Islam Across the Centuries, in which he examines how Muslim scholars, historians, mystics, and literary writers portrayed the Prophet ﷺ throughout Islamic intellectual history. His work combines historical analysis with literary and textual criticism, offering insight into the development of sīrah traditions across different periods and regions of the Muslim world.

In addition to his contributions to sīrah and Islamic history, Ṭarīf Khālidī produced a respected modern English translation of the Qurʾān titled The Qurʾan: A New Translation. His scholarship is characterized by a balanced academic methodology that integrates classical Islamic sources with contemporary historical and literary approaches. Through his writings on Islamic civilization, historiography, and Prophetic biography, Ṭarīf Khālidī has contributed significantly to modern academic discussions concerning the historical memory, literary representation, and intellectual legacy of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and the broader Islamic tradition.

## References

1 Ṭarīf Khālidī, Images of Muḥammad: Narratives of the Prophet in Islam Across the Centuries (New York: Doubleday, 2009). 2 Ṭarīf Khālidī, Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994). 3 Ṭarīf Khālidī, The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001). 4 Ṭarīf Khālidī, The Qurʾān: A New Translation (London: Penguin Classics, 2008). 5 Dahlia Gubara, “Adab as a Way of Life: Towards an Ethical Turn in History,” Journal of Arabic Literature 53, nos. 3–4 (2022): 263–282. 6 Dahlia Gubara and Alexis Wick, eds., Adab as a Way of Life: An Appreciation of Ṭarīf al-Khālidī, special issue, Journal of Arabic Literature 53, nos. 3–4 (2022).