Previous lectures

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This lecture explores hitherto unpublished sources of esoteric literature surrounding the story of Zulaykha and Joseph in Surat Yusuf.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

Video

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

Video

The Metaphysical Dimension of the Prophet in Avicenna's Thought

Video

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

Talks and Lectures

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

Talks and Lectures

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

Talks and Lectures

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

Talks and Lectures

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

Talks and Lectures

Study at the IIS

Study at the IIS

Ismailis in Iran

Ismailis in Iran

Nizari Ismailis and Spiritual Resurrection

Nizari Ismailis and Spiritual Resurrection

On Ethics and Character Traits

On Ethics and Character Traits

Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series