Reza Tabandeh received his B.A. from York University on Religious Studies. He also finished his M.A. on Rumi in University of Toronto. He earned a PhD in Islamic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in the University of Exeter. His thesis was about the revival of Ni‘matullāhī Sufism in Persia.
His doctoral work focused on the second generation of Ni‘matullāhī masters, during the period following the return of the order to Persia from India (1776 C.E). He was invited as a guest lecturer to Brock University, University of Toronto, and York University, in Canada, lecturing on the subject related to the contemporary Shi‘ite Sufism in Irān with special attention toward Ni‘matullāhī Sufism and persecution of Sufis in Persia. He was also a visiting lecturer in University of Bradford, UK, on issues related to cultural influences of the Islamic states (Iran, Lebanon and Palestine).
He also co-convened an international conference with Dr. Leonard Lewisohn about Sufis and Exoteric scholars with the title of “Sufis and Mullahs: Sufis and their Opponents in the Persianate World” where number of scholars like Professor Shafique Virani, Professor Erik Ohlander, Professor Asghar Seyed-Gohrab, and Professor James Morris attended the conference. Dr. Lewisohn and Reza Tabandeh edited the proceedings of this conference as a book.
Later, he published an article about a Sufi who was an active constitutionalist during constitutional revolution of Iran. In the book edited by Dr. Cancian, which is called “Quran in Contemporary Iran”, Reza wrote a chapter about a Ni‘matullahi master. His post-doctorate research in the University of Toronto was about the love of “People of the house” (means the household of the Prophet) and its philosophy and beliefs practiced by Sufis master during 12th to 15th century.
He is currently a lecturer on history of Middle East in Brock University and continuing his research about Sufism.
