Previous lectures

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

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

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 Dawa in Central Asia

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This lecture explores hitherto unpublished sources of esoteric literature surrounding the story of Zulaykha and Joseph in Surat Yusuf.

Header image in Arabic calligraphy for Thinking and Believing: al-Jāḥiẓ on Religious Knowledge event

IHTLS

Thinking and Believing: al-Jahiz 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

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

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.