In this 27 min joint presentation, Professors Lawrence and Habib share insights into their ongoing work on a poetic translation of the Qur'an in English. Their work challenges the popular belief that translations of the Qur'an can deliver its meaning, but not its tone and timbre in Arabic. Their project is committed to producing an English translation of the Qur'an that ...
In this 21 min interview, Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov provides an insight into the Hurufis, a mystical and messianic current that became particularly active in Iran and Anatolia following the end of Mongol rule. Dr Mir-Kasimov sheds light on the history of the Hurufi movement and its founder Fadlallah Astarabadi (d. 796 AH/1394 CE), and contextualises the seminal Hurufi text by Fadaallah, Javdan-Nama-yi ...
The volume approaches lexicology of the Qur'an through a range of disciplines including linguistics, law, literary criticism, gender and mysticism. It also features contributions made by leading scholars, as well as young researchers in the field of Qur'anic exegesis, linguistics, and law: Professor Herbert Berg, Dr S.R. Burge, Dr Ayesha Chaudhry, Professor Agostino Cilardo, Professor Claude Gilliot, Dr Toby Mayer, Professor ...
Note: This recording was made many years ago and, as such, its quality does not comply with our currents standards. This forty-two minute inaugural lecture on Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts was delivered by (late) Professor Mohammed Arkoun at the IIS in November 2000. In his talk, professor Arkoun explores ideas and issues of civil society from civilisational perspectives along ...
Abstract Shi'i Islam, with its rich and extensive history, has played a crucial role in the evolution of Islam as both a major world religion and civilisation. Yet the study of Shi'i Islam has long remained among the most-understudied branches of Islamic Studies in the West. This 15-minute interview with Dr Gurdofarid Miskinzoda provides an overview of the scholarly development on ...
This 28-minute lecture by Professor Angelika Neuwirth (Freie Universitat Berlin), a leading scholar in Qur'anic studies, invites viewers to acontextual reading ofthe Qur'an, in the light of the milieu of the revelation and the subsequent development of the Muslim community. Based on her thirty-years of engagement with the topic, Professor Neuwirth suggests that scholarly endeavours of understanding the Qur'an essentially as ...
Shi'i Muslims, with their rich intellectual and cultural heritage, have contributed significantly to the richness and diversity of the Islamic traditions throughout the centuries. However, Shi'i Islam has received little scholarly attention in the West, in medieval as well modern times. This twenty-minute interview with Dr Farhad Daftary sheds light on the major gaps in knowledge about Shi'i Islam and the Institute's ...
All major civilisations of the world have cultivated a philosophical tradition, but only a few have had a continuous tradition with surviving texts. Persia is home to one such civilisation with continuity of philosophical thought for more than two-and-a-half millennia. In this 15minute interview on the Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Dr Aminrazavi reflects on his own intellectual engagement with the centuries-long ...
All major civilisations of the world have cultivated a philosophical tradition, but only a few have had a continuous tradition with surviving texts. Persia is home to one such civilisation with continuity of philosophical thought for more than two-and-a-half millennia. This 29 minute interview with Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr presents an overview of his intellectual journey into Persian philosophy, covering traditions ...
Focusing on the reign of the fourth Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (953 - 975 CE), Dr Jiwa reflects on the principles of Fatimid governance and the creation of institutions that enabled the transformation of the Fatimid dynasty from a North African state into an expansive Mediterranean empire. Dr Jiwa's study on the reign of Imam-Caliph al-Mui'zz is based on the ...
Persian literature is famous worldwide for its love poetry and epic traditions. This fifteen minute interview with Dr Alice Hunsberger sheds light on a different side of Persian poetry--the philosophical. Focusing on the finest poet of this genre in her book Pearls of Persia: The Philosophical Poetry of Nasir-i Khusraw, Dr Hunsberger explores the ideas and literary merits of this highly ...
This 21-minute video interview with Dr Amyn Sajoo on his book entitled, A Companion to Muslim Cultures, elaborates on the diverse historical, cultural and geographical contexts in which Muslims live and understand their faith. A Companion to Muslim Cultures is the latest volume in the Muslim Heriatge Series. An accomplished group of writers have shared their thoughts and reflections on how ...
The lecture elaborates on the importance of Tafsir tradition in the study of the Qur'an. The primary focus of the lecture is on the distinction between the acts of 'translation' and 'interpretation' in relation to the Tafsir traditions. Reflecting on the inescapable need of referring to Tafsir works in understanding the Quran, Prof. Rippin suggests: "Tafsir is not about extracting or ...
Dr. Mohamed Keshavjee's book, "Islam, Sharia and Alternative Dispute Resolution" examines both Sunni and Shi'a applications of Islamic law, demonstrating how political, cultural and other factors have influenced the practice of fiqh and shari'a in the West. Exploring in particular the modern development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the author shows that this process can revitalise some of the essential principles that ...
Publication:Between Reason and Revelation: Twin Wisdoms ReconciledEditor & Translator:Professor Eric Ormsby "Between Reason and Revelation: Twin Wisdoms Reconciled" is the first English translation of Kitab-iJami' al-Hikmatayn, the final known work of Nasir-i Khusraw, a great eleventh-century Ismaili thinker, poet and Fatimid emissary. Written in the year 1070 CE, during his exile in Badakhshan, the work is presented as a learned commentary on ...
Publication: On Music - An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 5Editor & Translator: Professor Owen Wright Questions addressed in the interview:1. How does the epistle 'On Music' fit into the overall framework of the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa'? (0:10)2. What were the particular linguistic challenges associated with the manuscripts you worked with? (3:00)3. Do the musical concepts and technical language ...
Publication: Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad DaftaryEditor: Dr Omar Ali-de-UnzagaQuestions addressed in the interview:1. How did the idea for a book in honour of Dr Farhad Daftary come about? (00:20) 2. How would you describe the most salient contributions of Dr Daftary to Ismaili and broader Shi'i studies? (1:03) 3. What themes are addressed ...
Publication:A Companion to Muslim Ethics Editor:Dr Amyn B Sajoo Questions addressed in the interview:1. What was the rationale behind the compilation of this Companion? (00:17)2. What are the key points you would expect readers to take away? (01:30)3. How in your view have Muslims approached the perceived 'tension between the truth of tradition and the claims of reason'? (2:56)4. A Companion to ...
This video is a 55 minute recording of Professor Bosworth's lecture delivered in 1983 on 'British Orientalism and the Study of Islam' at the IIS. The talk was part of a seminar series centred on the theme of 'Orientalism and the Study of Islam'. Professor C.E Bosworth, a visiting professor at the University of Exeter, is an English historian and orientalist, specialising ...
Publication: Surviving the Mongols: Nizari Quhistani and the Continuity of Ismaili Tradition in PersiaAuthor: Dr Nadia Eboo Jamal1. What was your motivation or source of inspiration to write this book? (00:00)2. What aspects of Ismaili philosophy would you say are apparent in Nizari Quhistani's poetry? (01:46)3. What do you hope readers will take away from the book regarding the survival of the ...
The video is a 40 minute lecture by Professor Paul Walker that took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 21 September 2010.Lecture AbstractThe Fatimids were famous for the remarkable variety of celebrations of feasts and festivals. In this talk, Paul Walker, drawing upon a range of historians - many of whom provided eye witnesses accounts - describes several celebrations such ...
Publication: The Case of the Animals versus Man Before the King of the Jinn: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 22Editors and Translators:Professor Lenn Goodman and Dr Richard McGregor This video will take a few seconds to load. Get Flash to see this video.Questions addressed in the interview:1. What drew you to devote 7 years to translating The Case ...
Publication: Living in Historic Cairo: Past and Present in an Islamic CityEditors:Professor Azim Nanji , Dr Farhad Daftary and Professor Elizabeth FerneaQuestions addressed in the interview:1. Living in Historic Cairo is perhaps the first publication that covers not only the history of the ancient city of Cairo but also examines how the metropolitan population occupies this built environment. What provided the impetus ...
Publication: Keys to the Arcana: Shahrastani's Esoteric Commentary on the Qur'anTranslator: Dr Toby MayerAvailable as MP3 format (24.6 MB, 26 minutes)Questions addressed in the interview:1. What is the significance to scholarship of presenting Shahrastani's Keys to the Arcana?2. Who was Shahrastani?3. What was the historical and intellectual context of his Qur'an commentary?4. Is Keys to the Arcana distinguished by any specific interpretative ...
The video is an 40 minute lecture by Professor Farid Esack hosted by the Department of Community Relations, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 5th March 2010.AbstractThere are only two dominant paradigms in Muslim thinking in relation to political power. In the Meccan paradigm, we are the persecuted victims with others exercising power over us and in the ...
The video shows the entire 40 minute lecture, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 18 March 2010.Lecture AbstractFatimah al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, wife of the first Shi'i Imam 'Ali, and mother to two sons, Hasan and Husayn, is revered as one of the most holy of Muslim women - sinless, spiritually perfected, and most commonly ...
Publication: A Companion to the Muslim WorldEditor: Dr Amyn B. Sajoo Questions addressed in the interview: 1. Many introductions to Islam and Muslims have been published recently. Why the need for this Companion? 2. What guided you in selecting the topics that the Companion explores? 3. You discuss the forgetting of Muslim heritage 'once colonial rule prevailed'. Could you elaborate on this? ...
Publication:Epistles of the Brethren of Purity: Rasa'il Ikhawan al-Safa Editor:Dr Nader El-Bizri Questions addressed in the interview: 1. Can you briefly introduce the Ikhwan al-Safa' to our audience. 2. Can you briefly describe what were the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa'. 3. What are the major themes covered in the Rasa'il and how do they relate to the intellectual situation of their time? 4. ...
Publication: Towards a Shi'i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo Translated by: Dr Shainool Questions addressed in the interview:1. Could you please elaborate on the title of the book and explain why you have chosen to call the Fatimids a 'Mediterranean Empire'? 2. The book's introduction gives a succinct and informative account of the origins of the Fatimids. ...
Publication: Encyclopedia IslamicaEditor: Dr Farhad DaftaryQuestions addressed in the interview:Given that there is already an Encyclopedia of Islam, why was there a need for another encyclopedia of a similar nature?What is the role of the IIS in producing Encyclopaedia Islamica? How is this effort situated in the academic agenda of the IIS?Who is the target audience of this work? ...
Publication: An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries - Volume I: On the Nature of the DivineEditors: Dr Feras Hamza and Dr Sajjad Rizvi with Farhana MayerQuestions addressed in the interview:1. What role have Qur'anic commentaries played in the shaping of Muslim intellectual life and how do you expect this work to contribute to it?2. What gap in scholarship on the Qur'an does this ...
Publication: 'Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria' Author: Major Peter Willey The author of Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria, published by I. B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies in 2005, Peter Willey discussed the nature of this important work in an interview in 2008. In this interview he describes why he is fascinated ...
Publication: 'Muslim Ethics: Emerging Vistas' Author: Dr Amyn B. Sajoo Questions addressed:The cover of the book features an image depicting Noah's Ark - and it is remarkably evocative. Could you share your perspective on the choice and how it relates to the text? Why have you chosen 'Muslim ethics' as the subject of this book? What makes 'Muslim' ethics unique and different ...
Lecturer: Dr Mohamed Keshavjee Topic: 'Bridging Legal Modernity and Tradition: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Muslim Contexts'Abstract: From the outset, a non-adversarial approach to dispute resolution has been favoured in Muslim tradition - drawing inspiration from the Quran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad. While the Shari'a was to crystallise into fiqh - positive law set forth by various schools of law ...
This is an interview with Dr Ismail Serageldin, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies following his lecture on 'Modernisation and Cultural Identity in Islam' in March 2008.Questions addressed in the interview:1. How do you see the Library of Alexandria as influencing the Muslim identity in the age of the Internet? 2. What is your sense of freedom of expression ...
This is an interview with Dr Amira Bennison, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies following her talk on 'The Umma in the City: Cordoba, Isfahan & Marrakesh in February 2008. Questions addressed in the interview: 1. How accurate are the traditional Western accounts of the stereotypical Muslim city? 2. What do Cordoba, Isfahan and Marrakesh have that is significant ...
Lecturer: Prof Sami Zubaida Topic: 'Everyday modernity in the Arab world' Abstract: Modernity in many parts of the Arab world and Turkey dates back to the nineteenth century. It is not merely cultural, but also buttressed by far reaching socio-economic transformations of capitalism and the world market. It involved urbanisation and individualisation of labour and of lifestyle for many sectors. Another process ...
Lecturer: Raficq Abdulla Topic: Rumi to Adonis: The Conference of the Birds' Abstract: Where does poetry get you? What is the role of poetry and is it different in different cultures? Does poetry count in the contemporary world? Raficq Abdulla searches for the heart of poetry by reading into the claims poetry has on us from West to East. The English poet, ...
Lecturer: Amyn B Sajoo Topic: Introductory Remarks to Contemporary Islams & Muslim (s) Lecture Series: Feminisms and Islams 1. The first question has to do with the title of the lecture series, 'Contemporary Islams and Muslims'. While one can easily understand the use of plural for Muslims, why have you chosen to use 'Islam' in the plural form? 2. To carry this ...
