Dr. Omid Safi

Omid is a scholar of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islamic thought at Duke University, where he leads the Duke Islamic Studies Center. He has been nominated for professor of the year ten times, and is widely recognized as a leading Muslim public intellectual and passionate teacher committed to spirituality and social justice.

He has published extensively on Islam and Sufism. His books include Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters, Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, and The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam: Negotiating Ideology and Religious Inquiry. Another two books are forthcoming: one on Kharaqani from Yale, and another on Rumi from Princeton.

Omid draws inspiration from prophetic voices like Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Heschel, and Malcolm X, and has spoken at Ebenezer Church and the national MLK service. He appears frequently in major media and is a former columnist for On Being. His "Sufi Heart" podcast and Illuminated travel and online courses share spiritual traditions with global audiences of all backgrounds.