Dr Gurdofarid Miskinzoda

Area of Focus

Muslim historical and literary tradition, Shiʿi Islam, History of Islam until 17th century, Classical Arabic and Persian Literature

Current Research and Forthcoming Projects:

Dr Miskinzoda is currently working on a monograph entitled Identity, doctrine and the writing of history: The Kitāb al-Irshād of Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022) and the history of Twelver Shiʿi Islam.

Shaykh al-Mufīd’s Kitāb al-Irshād of is one of the chief sources on the early history of Shiʿi Islam containing the lives of the twelve Imams in one book. Although mainly perceived as a collection of Shiʿi traditions, this work has had tremendous impact on the way early Shiʿi history has been perceived and studied by the tradition itself as well as by Western academia.

This study addresses questions of narrative and narrativity in articulating the history of the Shiʿi Imams up until the 4th/11th century. It also examines how Shaykh al-Mufid’s work compares against other representatives of the Muslim literary and historical tradition. The result of this study will be published as a monograph in the Shiʿi Heritage Series.