M. Mehdi Ali

Fellow @YaleLawSch | Alum of @StanfordLaw & @Stanford | PhD Candidate in Religion @USC | Fulbright Scholar (Jordan) | Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation Fellow

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Arab poets insult so hard.

Indeed, my rhymes didn’t put you to sleep. They simply annihilated you until you became what doesn’t exist [i.e. because you were so jealous of my poetry that it destroyed you and rendered your existence null, to the point that you became like nothing]

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

I’m happy to share that I have been awarded the endowed Second Century Russell Fellowship at USC for 2026-2027. Grateful for the support as I near the end of my PhD journey.

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

This year at Yale has been so lovely. I'm sad to be leaving, though I have a feeling this won't be my last visit here.

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

My response to Yaqeen Institute’s “Sunni v. Shias” video.

https://t.co/ck4lton6Wr

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

One of the greatest lines in all of Arabic poetry:

She criticized us for being few in number, so I replied:
"The honorable are always few."

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Some thoughts on the Yasir Qadhi hadith controversy.

https://t.co/i0mDPdmQIC

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Just submitted chapter 2 of my dissertation to my advisor! It's about pre-modern debates regarding the nature of Divine speech (kalām Allah) and their implications for the doctrine of abrogation (naskh).

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

I have written an article exploring the applications of artificial intelligence for Islamic studies.

https://t.co/2HzWYm9Pa2

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Me: I’m going to do something relaxing today. No more working on my dissertation.
Also me:

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

A PhD in Islamic Studies trains us as intellectual historians - not religious authorities.

https://t.co/gfLlZqpMHj

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

My favorite part of the semester is the last day of class, when the professor ends the lecture and everyone claps to thank the professor for the knowledge that was imparted. It’s a beautiful moment.

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Islamic theology is a dying field in the Western academy. Which is tragic, because the primary source material is wonderfully rich.

For the past 13 weeks, we have been reading theological texts debating whether the speech of God is "created/temporal" or "uncreated/sempiternal."

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

This is a must have book for any student of Islamic legal theory. It beautifully conveys the richness of interpretive approaches to law in Islamic history, including the variety and importance of theories of language.

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

Please don't recommend a new book to me because I will traverse the seven continents to find it.

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

As I prepare to write my dissertation in Qur'anic studies, I wanted to share some reflections on the state of the field in the Western academy.

https://t.co/k7SJ8YWRWE

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

For people interested in hawza studies, I have written a comprehensive article: "A Beginner's Guide to Hawza Studies: A Compilation of English-Language Resources"

https://t.co/7UdnPWo6lO

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

I wrote an article about some of the gems I found (and inherited) in the personal library of Gustave E. Von Grunebaum, former professor of Islamic studies at UCLA

https://t.co/ddrJGxBmne

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

"Pursuing a PhD in Islamic studies, especially as a Muslim in the West, is a delicate balancing act."
https://t.co/MpiXQCCWDn

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

After spending several days exploring the bookshops of Makkah, the holiest city in Islam, I have written a bookstore itinerary:

https://t.co/1fhczMvLpt

[M. Mehdi Ali @MMehdiAli5]

It is my privilege to present a bookstore itinerary for Madina, where I encountered seminary students from China, a copy of the Qur'an in Amharic, and a complete 20-volume set of Ibn Taymiyya's Fatawa for $40:

https://t.co/Y2IdyWwBkX