Dr. Jaafar Sheikh Idris is considered one of few Muslim Scholars of this era who comprehended the knowledge of Islam and Western Ideologies.
He authored many articles and research papers. He visited many countries around the world where he lectured in Arabic and English.
Dr. Jaafar Sheikh Idris was born in 1932 in Port Sudan, Sudan.
He grew up in the city of Port Sudan where he completed his elementary and secondary school. In addition to the modern school system, he studied Quran in traditional Quranic schools.
He also studied Fiqh, Hadith and Arabic Language under traditional teachers in the city and studied Aqida with Ansar al-SunnahӔ group.
He finished his high school in Hantoob High School, in Al-Jazeera province, one of three high schools in the country then. Admission was very hard but he made it due to his high academic records. After that he joined University of Khartoum where he completed his education and traveled to London for higher education.
Degrees
Ph.D., (Philosophy), University of Khartoum/University of London, 1970. The topic of his Ph.D. thesis was “The Concept of the causality in Islam”.
BA, (honors), Philosophy, (Economics, minor.), University of Khartoum,1961.
Professional Teaching and Experience
Consultant for various Islamic Organizations around the world.
Chariman of the founding council of the American Open University.
Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of the Research Center of The Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America.
Professor of Islamic studies, Departments of Aqida, Da’wa and Information, Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Saudi Arabia. Taught graduate courses of Aqeedah (Islamic Creed), Theology and Contemporary Ideologies.
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, Dept. of Islamic Culture, Riyadh University.
Lecturer, Department of Philosophy., University of Khartoum
Lectures and Conferences
Lectured at many universities, academic institutes and Islamic centers in many parts of the Islamic and Western worlds.
Participated with research at many different conferences around the world. Used to be sent by Ifta and Dawa Office in Riyadh to go and give courses and participate in conferences.
Represented Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in many different occasions.
Publications
There are many published and unpublished articles, papers and pamphlets, in Arabic and English. Some of the published English ones are:
“Islamic Social Science”, From Muslim to Islamic, Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Convention of Muslim Social Scientists, The Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Indianapolis, 1975.
“The Islamic Way of Developing Nations”, Islam and Development, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Convention of the The Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Plainfield, Indiana, 1977.
“Human Nature and Human Values”, Qul Hadhihi Sabili, Journal of the College of Dawa and Communication, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,1985.
“The Islamization of the Sciences: Its Philosophy and Methodology”, The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 4:2, 1987.
“Is Man the Vicegerent of God?”, Journal of Islamic Studies, Cambridge University Press, U. K, 1990.
The Pillars of Faith, published by Muslim Students Association, Plainfield, Indiana, 1975.
“The Process of Islamization” , published by the Islamic Society of North America, Plainfield, Indiana, 1976.
“The Attributes of God, an Islamic point of view”, in Sontage, Frederick and M. Darrol Bryant, editors, God, the Contemporary Discussion. The Rose of Sharon Press Inc., New York, 1982.