An American convert to Islam during the 1970s, Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson is originally from Philadelphia. He is an associate professor in Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prior to coming to Michigan, he completed his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. (1990) in the Department of Oriental Studies and Islamic Near East at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in the Islamic sciences of theology, law, and medieval Arabic.

Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson is extensively published within the academia. He is a noted expert of the constitutional jurisprudence of Shihab al-Din-al-Qarafi, whose works revolve around the concepts of constitution, tyranny, and power within Islamic law - topics very relevant today as Muslim countries strive to follow the classical Islamic legal traditions. He has written a book centered around this figure, entitled Islamic Law and the State: The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (1996). Recent published articles center around Mutazilite objectivism, Islamic Law and the sociopolitical reality in the United States, among others. He is a sought after speaker at various law schools throughout the country, and is well-known for his oratory skills. He has been teaching the Seerah, Usul al-Fiqh, and ‘History of Islamic Law’ courses within ALIM since its inception four years ago.

http://www.alimprogram.com/scholars/jackson.shtml