Prof. Mehmet Salih Sayilgan

Associate Teaching Professor - Georgetown University 

Mehmet Salih Sayilgan is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. He holds an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Alberta and a PhD in Religion and Culture from the Catholic University of America. 

His teaching and research focus on Islamic theology and spirituality, Qur’anic studies, Islamic ethics, Islam in America, and Christian-Muslim relations. His scholarship explores how Islamic thought and practice speak to contemporary moral, spiritual, and interreligious questions, with particular attention to Muslim life in the American context. 

Before joining Georgetown, Dr. Sayilgan served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies and Louisville Postdoctoral Fellow at Wesley Theological Seminary. He has also contributed to public scholarship and interfaith dialogue through lectures, book talks, and academic presentations. 

Featured Works 

Following the Prophet: The Life and Spiritual Legacy of Muhammad 
Fortress Press, 2025 
A study of the life, spiritual legacy, and devotional memory of the Prophet Muhammad, written for readers seeking a deeper understanding of early Islam and the Prophet’s enduring significance. 

God, Evil, and Suffering in Islam 
Cambridge University Press, 2023 
An examination of the problem of evil and suffering in Islamic theology, addressing questions of natural and moral evil, divine justice, free will, predestination, death, sickness, disability, climate change, pandemics, and Muslim experiences in the American context. 

Exploring Islam: Theology and Spiritual Practice in America 
Fortress Press, 2021 
An accessible introduction to Islamic theology and spiritual practice, with attention to Muslim belief, worship, ethics, and religious life in America. 

An Islamic Jihad of Nonviolence: Said Nursi’s Perspective 
Cascade Books, 2019 
A study of Said Nursi’s understanding of nonviolence, spiritual struggle, and Islamic responses to modern social and moral challenges. 

Research Interests 

Islamic Theology and Spirituality; Qur’anic Studies; Islamic Ethics; Islam in America; Christian-Muslim Relations; Interreligious Dialogue. 

Languages 

• Arabic — speaking, reading, writing 

• Kurdish — speaking, reading, writing 

• Persian — reading, writing 

• Turkish — speaking, reading, writing 

• Ottoman Turkish