Thomas Emil Homerin

Thomas Emil Homerin (born 1955, Pekin, Illinois) is an American scholar of religion specializing in Islam, classical Arabic literature, and Islamic mysticism. He completed his PhD with honors at the University of Chicago in 1987 and went on to become Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion and Classics at the University of Rochester, where he teaches courses on Islam, Arabic literature, and Sufism. Homerin has lived and worked in Egypt and Turkey for a number of years, deepening his engagement with Arabic literary and mystical traditions. He is the author of six books on Islamic mysticism and Arabic poetry, including From Arab Poet to Muslim Saint (2nd revised edition, American University Press, Cairo, 2001), The Wine of Love and Life: Ibn al-Farid's al-Khamriyyah and al-Qaysari's Quest for Meaning (Chicago, 2005), and Ibn al-Farid: Sufi Verse and Saintly Life (Paulist Press, 2001). He is also a leading authority on the Mamluk-era poet and Sufi 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyah, having authored both a critical study and an edition of her mystical verse for MeccaBooks.