The Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies is the central forum for interdisciplinary research and teaching in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. It seeks to facilitate and promote the study of Islamic cultures and societies, including history from the beginnings of Islam to the twenty-first century, systematic study of Islamic social contexts, the religion of Islam in all its internal complexity, and the diversity of human experience as seen in literature and the arts originating in societies affected by Islamic civilizations.

The program coordinates and promotes the offering of undergraduate courses and graduate work leading to a Ph.D. in several departments in the School of Humanities and Sciences. It complements Stanford University's inter-departmental offerings in Islamic Studies by a rich variety of conferences, workshops, and public events.

With endowment gifts from Sohaib and Sara Abbasi and from Lysbeth Warren Anderson and matching funds from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the program is a priority at Stanford and integral to the university’s initiative in international studies.

"The Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford will make a significant contribution to Stanford and beyond. Despite its growing importance in the world, Islam is poorly and inadequately understood in our country. To serve our educational mission into the 21st century, we must expand our program in Islamic studies, and these wonderful gifts will help us do exactly that." -- John Hennessy, President of Stanford University