Dr. Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo

Dr. Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo attended preparatory schooling at Northfield Mt. Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts. After graduating, Dr. DeLorenzo pursued an undergraduate career at Cornell University. Afterwards, Dr. DeLorenzo went abroad where he completed three years of research for his doctoral dissertation on the Legal Rulings of the Qur’an at Bahawalpur University in Pakistan. He studied the classical Islamic sciences for eight years with both Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al Bannuri and the Grand Mufti of Pakistan, Mufti Wali Hasan in the acclaimed ‘Ulum al Islamiyyah in Karachi, Pakistan. He has twenty-five years of incomparable experience in teaching and research along with work in the translation of Islamic texts from Arabic, classical Persian, and Urdu. He has specialized in interpreting Islamic legal texts regarding trade and finance.

While studying overseas, Dr. DeLorenzo spent much time working on developments within Pakistan. During the three-year span between 1981 and 1984, Dr. DeLorenzo acted as an advisor on Islamic Affairs to the President of Pakistan. There he developed an educational policy for the Federal Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission along with working as a member of the President’s Task Force on education. Also, he conducted research on the condition of religious educational institutions within Pakistan.

Dr. DeLorenzo has been no stranger to the academic world locally. He was lead professor for The Principles of Islamic Investing, a course developed by a group of scholars including Dr. DeLorenzo himself, Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Pakistan) and Dr. Mohamed al Gari (Saudi Arabia), at Dow Jones University. His work “A Compendium of Legal Rulings on the Operations of Islamic Banks” is the first systematic academic work in English on the legal rulings issued by Shari’ah supervisory boards. The work has become a standard reference for every Islamic financial institution. Beyond writing, Dr. DeLorenzo has unparalleled experience in curriculum development and teaching. He has designed the first graduate level program for imams in the United States, in which he worked with the Armed Forces Board of Chaplains and the Association of Theological Schools and the Virginia Council on Higher Education. This program allowed for Muslim graduates to be endorsed as chaplains in all branches of the US Armed Forces.

Outside of academic work, he has been a member of the Shari’ah Supervisory Boards of Islamic financial institutions internationally, including the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (New York), ihilal.com (Dubai), Muslim e-Financial's (Washington DC), Brown Brothers Harriman Islamic Global Equity Fund (New York), and many more financial institutions. Additionally, Dr. DeLorenzo has advised nonprofit organizations on structuring aid programs such as Action Against Hunger (Bosnia) and the Philadelphia Development Partnership’s Micro Equity Investment Initiative. He has promoted interfaith work for Muslim students in the US, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Dr. DeLorenzo continues his hard work, and currently resides in the United States.