view of the aga khan centre from lewis cubitt square
  • 26 Sep 2025
  • Conference

Imagined Futures: Thought, Art and Ethics in Muslim Societies

The third annual IIS/AKU-ISMC Graduate Conference takes place on 26 September, and is now open for registration. The conference showcases student-led research at The Institute of Ismaili Studies and the Aga Khan University – Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations.

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  • 08 Oct 2025
  • IHTLS

Sculpting the Self: Islam, Selfhood, and Human Flourishing

Associate Professor Muhammad U. Faruque explores what it means to be human in this Islamic History and Thought lecture
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  • 24 Sep 2025
  • Talks and Lectures

Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi philosophy

Professor Dickson highlights Ibn ʿArabi insights on the origin of the world, the reality of love, the nature of life after death, and more.
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  • 04 Sep 2025
  • AIHLS

Reform of Uṣūl al-Fiqh and Marriage: A Spiritually Integrative Approach

Nevin Reda takes the conversation on gender justice deep into the realm of uṣūl al-fiqh (ethical–legal theory).
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The Prophet Muhammad, depicted as an inscribed and radiant disk, during his celestial ascension, Nizami, Makhzan al-Asrār (Treasury of Secrets).
  • 24 Jul 2025
  • IHTLS
  • Lecture series

Behind the Veil of the Night: The Black Light in Akbarian and Persianate Sufism

Dunja Rašić PhD explores Ibn ʿArabī’s notions of the night serving as the source of knowledge, power, and protection.
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  • 23 Jul 2025
  • Screening
  • Talks and Lectures

Merchant Ivory Film Wallahs: documentary screening and book launch

Join the IIS and the South Asian Cinema Foundation for a screening of Merchant Ivory Film Wallahs, accompanied by its book launch and the display of rare artefacts.
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a room with a painting and a robe on the wall
  • 04 Jul 2025
  • Exhibition

Muslim Expressions from South Asia: Learning, Community and Voluntary Service

This exhibition highlights the contributions of South Asian Ismailis through the lens of manuscripts, artefacts and photographs from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, showcasing how they have upheld values of intellectual inquiry, community development and voluntary service across centuries.
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  • 03 Jul 2025
  • IHTLS
  • Lecture series

“But none sought out my secrets from inside”

In this talk, Professor Mojaddedi examines Rumi's writings both to situate him within the Sufi tradition and to highlight what that implies about the wider Islamic context which has too often been underappreciated.
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  • 26 Jun 2025
  • IHTLS
  • Lecture series

The abolition of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924: debates, controversies, and implications

Elisa Giunchi and Nicola Melis address some of the controversies preceding and following the decision to abolish the Ottoman caliphate in 1924, its perception, and wider implications.
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  • 25 Jun 2025
  • Lecture series

The Pious Labour of a Muslim Master Mason: Craft, Authority, and Shi'a Identity in British India

Join Assistant Professor Amanda Lanzillo as she explores the relationships between Islam and craft labour in late nineteenth-century north India.
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Qawwali performance on a stage
  • 19 Jun 2025
  • Talks and Lectures

Echoes of Devotion: The Art, History, and Legacy of Qawwali

Explore one of the most enchanting, soulful, and transcendent art forms in the world — Qawwali — with SAMA Arts Network.
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  • 13 Jun 2025
  • AIHLS
  • Lecture series

The Multiple Dimensions of Feminist Muslim Women’s Approaches to the Qur’an

This presentation will tackle a gender-sensitive perspective using a holistic and multi-dimensional approach to the Qur'anic vision and discourse, focusing on justice, equity, and beauty.
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  • 20 May 2025
  • Conference

Devotion to the Prophet’s Family in Islamic Thought and Practice

The IIS will host a conference on the theme of devotional practices on 20-22 May 2025 at the Aga Khan Centre and online via Zoom.
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