William Chittick was bron in Milford, Connecticut. He received his BA in Fine Arts and then immigrated to Iran where he completed a Ph.D. in Persian language and literature in 1974. He taught comparative history of religions at the industrial university of Sharif for five years. After returning to US, he co-edited the Encyclopedia Iranica. Sinnce 1983, he has been teaching religious studies at Stong Brook University. William Chittick has translated a number of works into English, among them. 'The Supplications of lmam Sajjad' (London 1988) and 'Pact of Malik Ashtar'. His main concern is research on Sufism, particularly lbn al-Arabi.