| 1971 | License-ès-Lettres, Philosophy and Sociology, University of Alexandria / Beirut Arab University |
| 1973 | Magister Artium, Philosophy with Islamic Studies and Political Science, Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen |
| 1977 | Doctor of Philosophy, Oriental Studies, University of Oxford |
| 1985-1996 | Sharjah Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Exeter |
| 1993-1994 | Nuffield Foundation Fellow, Social Sciences |
| 1994-1995 | Fellow, Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute of Advanced Study), Berlin |
| 1995 | Visiting Professor, Georgetown University |
| 1996-1998 | Fellow, Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute of Advanced Study), Berlin |
| 1998 | Fellow, Swedish Collegium of Advanced Studies, Uppsala |
| 1999 | Visiting Professor, Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University, New York |
| 1999 | Directeur de Recherches Associé (Bourse Fernand Braudel), Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris |
| 2000 | Resident Scholar, Rockefeller Foundation Study Center, Bellagio |
| 2000 | Visiting Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Yale University |
| 2000 | Professor at the Mediterranean Studies doctoral summer school, Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence |
| 2000-2002 | Zayed Professor of Islamic Studies, Department of History, American University of Beirut |
| 2001 | Directeur de Recherches Associé (Bourse Fernand Braudel), Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris |
| 2001 | Sultan Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2002 | Cleveland Dodge Distinguished Visiting Professor, American University of Cairo |
| 2002-2004 | Distinguished Visiting Professor, Humanities Center, Central European University, Budapest |
| 2004-2007 | Professor, Department of Medieval Studies, CEU - Central European University, Budapest |
| 2005 | Fellow, Collegium Budapest (Institute for Advanced Study) |
| 2005 | Professor and Course Co-Director, summer university course on Bookish Traditions: The Authority of the Book in Scripturalist Religions, CEU - Central European University, Budapest |
| 2007-2013 | University Professor, School of Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, CEU - Central European University, Budapest |
| 2010-2011 | Fellow, Käte Hamburger Kolleg - Dynamics in the History of Religions, Bochum |
| 2012-2013 | Distinguished Visiting Professor, Paris School of Public Affairs/Institut d Etudes Politiques |
| 2013 | University Professor, Department of History, CEU - Central European University, Budapest; Director, Center for Religious Studies, CEU - Central European University, Budapest |
