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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).

IHTLS

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.

IHTLS

“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.

IHTLS

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.

IHTLS

Religion That Matters: Shiʿi Materiality Beyond Karbala

In this presentation, Fouad Gehad Marei, co-editor of Religion That Matters: Shiʿi Materiality Beyond Karbala (Brill, 2024) will introduce and discuss the recently published edited volume.

Conceptual photograph by Dr Shahzad Bashir

IHTLS

Conceptual Photography and the Craft of Reading Islamic Historical Texts

Dr Shahzad Bashir explores anamorphism in concept-driven photography and its impact on perceptions of history.

Cover of Sullam al-najāh. MS 716 of the Ismaili Special Collection

IHTLS

al-Sijistānī Explains the Qāʾim: who, when, what

Paul E Walker explores al-Sijistani's "Ladder to Salvation" and how it shifted Ismaili doctrine regarding the Qa'im in the next Islamic History and Thought Lecture.

IHTLS

The Four Books of Shiʿi Hadith: From Inception to Consolidation

Dr Amin Ehteshámi explores The Four Books, a collection of Shiʿi Hadith in the latest Islamic History and Thought lecture on 21 November.

IHTLS

The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism

Dr Toby Matthiesen outlines centuries of Sunni-Shiʿi relations focussing on the connections between the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.

IHTLS

The Concept of Sympathy in Greek Heritage

Dr Maria De Cillis explores notions of sympathy in the Classical, Fatimid, and Renaissance eras in the latest Islamic History and Thought lecture.

A Wealthy Arab, from the wall of Devashtich’s palace dated to the 7th Century CE, Panjakent (modern-day Tajikistan)

IHTLS

The Early Ismaili Daʿwa in Central Asia: Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) as Eyewitness

Rodrigo Adem, PhD, explores the work of Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 933/944) and his reception of Ismaili thought.

IHTLS

Time for Atoms

Dr David Bennett navigates cause and effect from cosmology to physicality in scientific and Islamic thought.

Yusuf fleeing the Advances of Zulaikha'' by Bihzad, folio from a ''Bustan'' of Sa'di. Herat, 1488. Darl al-Kutub, Adab farisi 22, f. 52b

IHTLS

Between Zulaykha and Joseph

This lecture explores hitherto unpublished sources of esoteric literature surrounding the story of Zulaykha and Joseph in Surat Yusuf.

IHTLS

Thinking and Believing: al-Jāḥiẓ on Religious Knowledge

This talk presents an overview of the intellectual project of al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 868-9) as an introduction to the worldview of the Epistemists, while touching on their rise and fall as a theological trend.

IHTLS

The poet al-Sayyid al-Himyari and the Literary Development of the Epic Character of Imam Ali b. Abi Talib

Delve into the literary development of the epic character of Imam Ali by the poet Al-Sayyid Al-Himyari. Join us for insightful discussions

IHTLS

Spiritual Education and the “Imaginary Master” in Ibn ʿArabī’s K. al-Ajwiba al-ʿarabiyya

Explore the concept of spiritual education and the imaginary master in Ibn Arabi's works. Join us for profound insights into Sufi philosophy.

IHTLS

The Exoteric Tradition of the Fatimids: Sources, Reception, and Interpretation

This talk will address the historicity of these sources, how they ended up in North Africa, and what factors dictated the selection and interpretation of their material for Ismaili law and belief systems.

A semi circular disc with a group of people sitting together and some Arabic inscriptions around it.

IHTLS

Pre-Existence: a Myth and its Implications in Imami-Shiʿi Thought

Explore the concept of pre-existence in Imami Shiʿi thought through multimedia resources. Delve into theological perspectives.

A round dish with diverse colour combinations and humans, animals and geometric designs painted inside of it

IHTLS

A Fatimid Text on the Necessity of the Imamate: The Book of Interim Times and Planetary Conjunctions

This lecture discusses the contents and context of The Book of Interim Times and Planetary Conjunctions as well as the state of current scholarship on it.

IHTLS

Soul's Imaginal Motion in Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani's Kitab al-Maqalid and Risalah al-Bahirah

IHTLS

The Metaphysical Dimension of the Prophet in Avicenna's Thought

IHTLS

Pilgrimages of the Heart: Remote Ziyara and the Articulation of Interiority in Twelver Shi'i Devotion

Talks and Lectures

Ismaili revolts in their wider historical context (9th-10th c. CE)

A group of people recited prayers in a prayer hall

IHTLS

A Neo-Fatimid Treasury of Books: Arabic Manuscripts among the Alawi Bohras of Baroda - Lecture Recording

IHTLS

Scholars, Apostasy and States in Medieval Islam: Historiographical and Juridical Issues

IHTLS

Agents of the Hidden Imam: Forging Twelver Shi'ism (850-950 CE) | IIS

IHTLS

The Druzes, from Ismaili Esotericism to the Formation of a Doctrinal School of Law

IHTLS

Study at IIS

Study at IIS

Read IIS publications on the go

Read IIS publications on the go

IIS Update Magazine Edition 23

IIS Update Magazine Edition 23

A Walk Down Memory Lane

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series

Previous lectures

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

“But none sought out my secrets from inside”

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

Religion That Matters: Shiʿi Materiality Beyond Karbala

Conceptual Photography and the Craft of Reading Islamic Historical Texts

al-Sijistānī Explains the Qāʾim: who, when, what

The Four Books of Shiʿi Hadith: From Inception to Consolidation

The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism

The Concept of Sympathy in Greek Heritage

The Early Ismaili Daʿwa in Central Asia: Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) as Eyewitness

Time for Atoms

Between Zulaykha and Joseph

Thinking and Believing: al-Jāḥiẓ on Religious Knowledge

The poet al-Sayyid al-Himyari and the Literary Development of the Epic Character of Imam Ali b. Abi Talib

Spiritual Education and the “Imaginary Master” in Ibn ʿArabī’s K. al-Ajwiba al-ʿarabiyya

The Exoteric Tradition of the Fatimids: Sources, Reception, and Interpretation

Pre-Existence: a Myth and its Implications in Imami-Shiʿi Thought

A Fatimid Text on the Necessity of the Imamate: The Book of Interim Times and Planetary Conjunctions

Soul's Imaginal Motion in Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani's Kitab al-Maqalid and Risalah al-Bahirah

The Metaphysical Dimension of the Prophet in Avicenna's Thought

Pilgrimages of the Heart: Remote Ziyara and the Articulation of Interiority in Twelver Shi'i Devotion

Ismaili revolts in their wider historical context (9th-10th c. CE)

A Neo-Fatimid Treasury of Books: Arabic Manuscripts among the Alawi Bohras of Baroda - Lecture Recording

Scholars, Apostasy and States in Medieval Islam: Historiographical and Juridical Issues

Agents of the Hidden Imam: Forging Twelver Shi'ism (850-950 CE) | IIS

The Druzes, from Ismaili Esotericism to the Formation of a Doctrinal School of Law

The Revival of Twelver Shi’i Tafsīr in Early Modern and Modern Times