1. Sister of the 54th Dai al Mutlaq Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, Daughter of the 53rd Dai al Mutlaq Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin, niece of the 52nd Dai al Mutlaq Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, granddaughter of the 51st Dai al Mutlaq Syedna Taher Saifuddin.
2. Shehzadi Dr. Bazat Tahera Bs attained the highest levels of ‘ilm from Syedna Burhanuddin RA, Syedna Qutbuddin RA and Syedna Fakhruddin TUS. Syedna Qutbuddin personally trained him for khidmat and spent priceless time imparting the philosophies and knowledge of Dawat.
3. Link to her CV – https://oxford.academia.edu/TaheraQutbuddin/CurriculumVitae
4. I study classical Arabic literature and Islamic studies, focusing on intersections of the literary, the religious, and the political in poetry and prose. Since July 2023, I am the AlBabtain Laudian Professor of Arabic. I am also Professor Emerita at the University of Chicago, where I taught from 2002 till June 2023. Born in Mumbai, I earned a PhD from Harvard, and Tamhidi Magister and BA from Ain Shams, Cairo.
5. PhD from Harvard in 1999, MA in Arabic literature 1994
6. Assistant Professor at University of Utah 2000-2002
7. Visiting Lecturer of Arabic Literature at Yale University
8. Proficiency in – arabic, urdu, gujarati, hindi, persian, egyptian colloquial, german and french
9. Research Interests:
● Classical Arabic literature, including poetry, orations, epistles, aphorisms, narrative, poetics, and philology
● Orations and sayings of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib
● Ethical hadith and orations of the Prophet Muhammad
● Fatimid and Tayyibi Bohra poetry, history, theology, and law
● Literary features and symbolic exegesis of the Quran
● Classical Arabic women’s literature, including orations and poetry
● History, functions, and literary genres of Arabic in India
10.Composed many poems and qasidas in Lisan-ud-Dawat and arabic and English.
11. Teaches sabaqs to Mumineen and guides them through personal audiences.
Shehzadi Dr. Bazat Tahera Bs
Sister to the 54th Dai al-Mutlaq (“Dai”) Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS, she is the daughter of the 53rd Dai Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA, niece of the 52nd Dai Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, and granddaughter of the 51st Dai, Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA.
Shehzadi Dr. Bazat Tahera Bensaheba attained the highest levels of ‘ilm from Syedna Burhanuddin RA, Syedna Qutbuddin RA, and Syedna Fakhruddin TUS. Syedna Qutbuddin personally trained her for khidmat and spent priceless time imparting the philosophies and knowledge of Dawat.
Teaching & Academic Engagement
● Shehzadi Dr. Bazat Tahera Bensaheba serves as the AlBabtain Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford (since July 2023)
● Professor Emerita of Arabic Literature at the University of Chicago, where she taught from 2002 to 2023.
● She holds a Ph.D. in Arabic Literature and Islamic Studies from Harvard University (1999)
● Tamhidi Magister and B.A. from Ain Shams University in Cairo.
● Assistant Professor at the University of Utah (2000–2002) and a Visiting Lecturer at Yale University (1999-2000).
Her scholarship focuses on the intersections of the literary, the religious, and the political in classical Arabic poetry and prose.
Her research interests encompass:
● Classical Arabic literature, including poetry, orations, epistles, aphorisms, narrative, poetics, and philology
● Orations and sayings of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib
● Ethical hadith and orations of the Prophet Muhammad
● Fatimid and Tayyibi Bohra poetry, history, theology, and law
● Literary features and symbolic exegesis of the Quran
● Classical Arabic women’s literature, including orations and poetry
● History, functions, and literary genres of Arabic in India
She possesses proficiency in multiple languages, including Arabic, Urdu, Gujarati, Hindi, Persian, Egyptian Colloquial, German, and French.
Shehzadi Dr. Bazat Tahera Bs contributes significantly to the literary heritage of the community, having composed numerous poems and qasidas in Lisan-ud-Dawat, Arabic, and English. Notably, she composes a poem daily during Ashara Mubaraka summarizing the key takeaways from the sermons. She also guides Mumineen through regular sabaqs and personal audiences, continuing the legacy of knowledge dissemination.
Link to her CV https://oxford.academia.edu/TaheraQutbuddin/CurriculumVitae