Laleh Bakhtiar

1938 - 2020

Laleh Bakhtiar, an Islamic and Sufi scholar and the first American Muslim woman to translate the Holy Quran, passed away in Chicago from complications of Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a rare blood disorder, on October 18, 2020. She was 82.



Born on July 29, 1938, Mary Nell Laleh Bakhtiar dedicated more than 50 years of her life to the study of the mystical or Sufi dimensions of Islam and to revisiting Islamic texts from a Muslim woman's perspective.



Dr. Bakhtiar founded the Institute of Traditional Psychology, and chose Chicago as her home some 30 years ago, where she was scholar-in-residence at Kazi Publications, managed by Liaquat Ali. She authored, translated, edited, and adapted over 150 books including "The Sense of Unity" with Nader Ardalan, and "Sufi Expressions of the Mystic Quest." Because the translators and interpreters of the Quran have mostly been men since the advent of Islam, her 2007 translation, called "The Sublime Quran," was one of her proudest accomplishments. In May 2016, Dr. Bakhtiar was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mohammed Webb Foundation in Chicago for her contributions to the American Muslim community.

Daisy Khan, founder of Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), said of Dr. Bakhtiar, "As a women's advocate she challenged patriarchy by using her mighty pen, as a spiritual confidant she set a tone for scholars and activists to create an open debate by sharing feelings that ranged from the most general to the most intimate, and as a spiritual exemplar she inspired younger generations of women with her deep humility and service to community."

Dr. Bakhtiar is survived by her children Mani Helene Ardalan Farhadi, Iran Davar Ardalan, and Karim Ardalan; her grandchildren Saied, Samira, Rodd, Ryon, Aman, Amir, Ryan, and Layla; her daughter-in-law Susan Khalili and sons-in-law Shervin Farhadi and John Oliver Smith. Her surviving siblings are Parveen, Jamshid, Lily, Maryam, Parvaneh, Shahrbanou, Afsaneh, Norooz, Pirooz, and Abol.

On Sunday November 1, 2020, a virtual memorial will be held for Dr. Bakhtiar at 1:00 p.m. EST by WISE. Laleh means tulip, and our most sincere wish is for her spirit and memory to bring rebirth and hope. You may choose to plant a memorial tree at a U.S. National Forest in honor of our beloved Laleh. Find information and share your memories on her website: https://www.lalehbakhtiar.com On social media, use #LalehLegacy when sharing stories.