Sami Makarem

Sami Makarem (April 14,1931) is a Druze Lebanese scholar, writer, poet and artist; he was born in the village of Aitat in Aley district and is best known for his academic contributions in the fields of Islamic studies, Sufism, and Islamic history. He obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Literature and Philosophy in 1954 and his Master's Degree in Arabic Literature in 1957 from the American University of Beirut and 1963 he achieved his PhD. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan, where he taught Arabic language and was specializing in Islamic Batini Studies. [http://samimakarem.com/biography.htm Sami Makarem's Biography] ]

Career

*In July 1963, he returned to Lebanon, to teach Islamic Thought at the Lebanese University. In 1964, he was appointed assistant professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB), teaching Arabic Literature and Islamic Thought.

*In 1970, he was promoted to the rank of associate professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB), and then he was promoted to the rank of full professor to teach Arabic Literature, Islamic Thought and Sufism. In addition, he held twice the position of Head of the Department of Arabic Literature and Near Eastern Languages: from 1975 until 1978 and from 1993 until 1996. He acted as a part time professor at the Lebanese University from 1977 until 1981. Also, he was director of the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at the American University in Beirut, from 1975 until 1978.

Works

Professor Sami Makarem wrote over twenty five books mainly concerning the Islamic history and studies, Lebanese history and the Druze faith, in addition to a great number of articles in different specialized periodicals, and hundreds of art works.

Books

* "Al-Shi'r al-'Arabi fi Lubnan Bayn al-Harbayn al-'Alamiyyatayn" (Arab Poetry in Lebanon between the Two World Wars), 1957
*"Ash-Shafiya", an Ismaili Poem Attributed to Shihabeddin Abu Firas (Edition and Translation into English with Notes and Introduction by Sami Makarem),1966
* "Shiraz Madinat al-Awliya' wash-Shou'ara"', a Translation of A. Arberry's Shiraz Persian City of Saints and Poets, 1966
* "Adwa' 'ala Maslak at-Tawhid" (Lights on the Druze Faith), 1966
* "Al-Islam fi Mafhum al-Muwahhidin" (Islam in the Druze Understanding), 1970
* The Doctrine of the Ismailis, 1972
* The Druze Faith, 1974, Second Edition 1979, Third Edition 2006
*The Political Doctrine of the Ismailis; The Imamate, 1979
*"Tarikh el-Muwahhidin ad-Duruz fi al-Mashriq al-'Arabi", co-author with Abbas Abu Saleh (The Political History of the Druze in the Arab East), 1980
* Al-Hallaj,1989, New Edition, 2004
*"'Ashiqaat Allah" (The loving "Saints" of God), 1994
*"Ash-Shaykh 'Ali Faris Waliyy min al-Qarn ath-Thamin 'Ashar" (Shaykh Ali Faris, An Eighteenth Century Druze Saint) 1998
*"Lubnan fi 'ahd al-Umara' at- Tanukhiyyin" (Lebanon Under the Tanukhid Emirs), 2000
* "Al Taqiyya fil Islam" (Dissimulation in Islam), 2004
* "Al-'Irfan fi Maslak at-Tawhid" (Mysticism in the Druze Faith), 2006

Poetry

In addition to his academic contributions in the fields of Islamic studies, Sufism, Islamic history, and his artistic contribution, he published three works of poetry:
*"Mir'at 'ala Jabal Qaf" (A mirror on Mount Qaf) (1996),
*"Daw' fi Madinat ad-Dabab" (A Light over the city of Mist) (1999)
*"Qasa'ed Hubb 'ala shati' Mir'at" (Love poems on the shores of a Mirror) (2004).

References

External links

[http://samimakarem.com Sami Makarem’s Official Website]