IIS Scholar Investigates Perceptions of Youth in Northern Pakistan

Dr Najam Abbas recently investigated Pakistani youth’s contribution to social transformation in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. During his month long fieldwork, Dr Abbas used questionnaires and focus groups to ask young people a series of questions, including whether they perceive themselves and those around them as happy, successful, optimistic or content. He contextualised these [...]

IIS Publishes an Account of Imam-Caliph al-Mu‘izz’s Reign

The latest IIS publication, Towards a Shi‘i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo, explores the reign of the fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu‘izz li-din Allah (r. 953-975 CE), based on the only complete history of the Fatimids written by a mediaeval Sunni Muslim historian. The work by Dr Shainool Jiwa, provides a translation [...]

IIS: First Edition of Nasirian Ethics in Tajik Language

The Khujand State University in collaboration with The Institute of Ismaili Studies recently organised a book launch of Nasirian Ethics by Nasir ad-din Tusi, a celebrated 13th century Muslim scholar. The publication represents the first edition of the Nasirian Ethics in Tajik language.
The translation was commissioned by the IIS, through its Central Asian Studies Unit, [...]

IIS Scholar Presents at International Symposium, Göttingen

Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga, Coordinator of IIS’ Qur’anic Studies Unit, presented a paper on the concept of resurrection and the hereafter in the thought of the Pure Brethren or Ikhwan al-Safa‘ at an international symposium in Göttingen, Germany from 27 to 31 May, 2009.The symposium, themed ‘Roads to Paradise: Eschatology and Concepts of the Hereafter in [...]

IIS Welcomes Two New Co-Directors

The Board of the Institute of Ismaili Studies has announced the appointment of two Co-Directors, Dr Farhad Daftary and Professor Karim H Karim. They have assumed overall joint responsibility for leadership and management of the IIS. Their combined scholarship, skills and experiences will ensure that the IIS will continue to develop upon the excellent record [...]

IIS: Shi‘i Studies Lecture Series

 

 
Shi‘i Studies Lecture Series
 
Al-Hasan b. Musa al-Nawbakhti, Shi‘i Mutakallim or Philosopher
  
by Professor Wilferd Madelung
Senior Research Fellow, IIS & Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford
 
Tuesday 15 September 2009
 
2.30pm
 
Multipurpose Room  – 1st Floor
 
Institute of Ismaili Studies

210 Euston Road
London NW1 2DA

 
Source: IIS 

IIS: The Summer Programme on Islam 2009

The ninth annual Summer Programme on Islam was held in the historic surroundings of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. Thirty-six participants from thirteen countries (Afghanistan, Angola, Canada, France, India, Iran, Kenya, Pakistan, Portugal, Syria, Tajikistan, UK and USA) participated in the eight-day programme.“Our student body personified a colourful, multicultural mosaic. The rich diversity represented [...]

IIS Scholar Interviewed on BBC World Service

Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga,

Academic Co-ordinator of Qur’anic Studies, was recently interviewed for ‘Belief in a Golden Age’, a two-part series broadcast on the BBC World Service’s Heart and Soul programme. The series focused on Baghdad during its high point in the eighth and ninth centuries, when it was the capital city of the ‘Abbasid caliphate.
The circular [...]

IIS: Launch of The Ikhwan al-Safa’ and their Rasa’il

The Ikhwan al-Safa’ and their Rasa’il: An Introductionpublished by The Institute of Ismaili Studies, in association with Oxford University Press, was launched in Nairobi and Mombasa in June 2009. The events in Kenya, which marked the first worldwide launch of the publication, were attended by members of the local academic and Muslim communities. The editor of [...]

Muslim Heritage Series Inaugurated by the IIS

With the publication of A Companion to the Muslim World, the IIS in association with I.B. Tauris (London), inaugurates a new series of publications on vital themes in Muslim civilisations. What distinguishes the ‘Muslim Heritage Series’ is not only the range of topics surveyed, but also its accessibility to a general public with an appetite [...]

IIS: Shahrastani’s Esoteric Commentary on Qur’an

The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce the publication of Keys to the Arcana: Shahrastani’s Esoteric Commentary on the Qur’an, translated by Toby Mayer. This book, published in association with Oxford University Press, is part of the IIS’ Qur’anic Studies series, which aims to illustrate the rich diversity of approaches which have appealed [...]

Two Research Associates join IIS’ Qur’anic Studies Unit

The Institute of Ismaili Studies is delighted to welcome Nuha Al-Sha‘ar and Stephen Burge as Research Associates in the Qur’anic Studies Unit. Both new starters joined in June 2009. They are in the final year of their doctorate research, which they undertook at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the University of Edinburgh, respectively.

Nuha Al-Sha‘ar is an [...]

IIS: Manuscripts of Ahmad al-Naysaburi

An important Shi‘i Ismaili scholar and writer of the early 5th/11th century, Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi flourished during the reigns of Fatimid imam-caliphs al-‘Aziz (AH 365/975-386/996 CE) and al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (AH 386/996-411/1021 CE). Very little information about his personal life is available, but a great deal of talent, character and cultural background can be [...]

IIS: Omid Safi speaks on ‘The ethics of reform’

Professor Omid Safi of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, delivered the third lecture in the ‘Talking Ethics’ series at the IIS on 19 June 2009. What the Sufi tradition brings to the practice of Muslim ethics, Professor Safi argued, is a deep appreciation of the lived nature of what the Holy Qur’an and [...]

Reza Nejad Introduces Spatial Genealogy of the Ashura Ritual

Reza Masoudi Nejad gave a presentation on The Spatial Genealogy of the Ashura Ritual: an introduction on spatial evolution of Shi’i rituals at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 2 June 2009. He has recently completed his PhD at The Bartlett, Faculty for the Built Environment at UCL. Dr Nejad seeks a deeper understanding of [...]

In Memory of Peter Willey, Authority on Medieval Ismaili Castles

The leading international authority on medieval Ismaili castles and fortresses, Peter Willey, died peacefully at his home near Pewsey in Wiltshire on 23 April 2009 at the age of 86 years. He is best known for his knowledge of the remote and virtually impregnable Ismaili castles in Iran and Syria, which he recorded in a [...]

IIS: Professor Schoeberlein Presents Paper on Post-Soviet Islam

Professor John Schoeberlein gave a lecture on the Conceptual Challenges for the Study of Post-Soviet Islam at the IIS on 7 May 2009. Professor Schoeberlein is currently the Director for the Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus at Harvard University and has been studying and visiting Central Asia for over 20 years.
 
In his introductory [...]

IIS: An afternoon with Reza Aslan & A Lecture Series

Live Webcast: An afternoon with Reza Aslan
The Institute of Ismaili Studies will be hosting a live webcast from London with featured speaker, Dr Reza Aslan. The webcast will take place on the IIS website on Friday, 5 June 2009 at 3:00 PM London time
The Ethics of Reform: Justice and Love in Contemporary Islam By Omid [...]

IIS: STEP Students Visit Cairo

 
Students from the Class of 2010 of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) recently returned from an educational tour of Cairo, Egypt. The visit was an essential component of the Religious Education and the Humanities in Secondary Education module, part of their double master’s degree programme. One of the purposes of this trip was to [...]

IIS: An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries

An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries – Volume I: On the Nature of the Divine was launched at the Institute on 23 April, 2009. The book, published in association with Oxford University Press, is part of the IIS’ Qur’anic Studies series and aims to illustrate the wide ranging diversity of Qur’anic interpretations in the Muslim intellectual [...]

IIS: Creation in Time in Islamic Thought..

Creation in Time in Islamic Thought with Special Reference to Al-Ghazali
No distinction is so fundamental to Islamic thought nor perhaps so all-encompassing as that between the eternal and the created-in-time. The eternal is applied properly only to God, whereas the created-in-time applies to everything else without exception, from the stars in their seemingly enduring courses [...]

IIS: Discusses The Role of Ethics in International

Professor Mervyn Frost, Head of the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, was the second guest speaker at the ‘Talking Ethics’ series held on 24 March 2009. Titled ‘Understanding contemporary conflict in ethical terms’, the talk argued that ethical discourse plays a pivotal role in how participants as well as observers frame their [...]

IIS: Co-sponsors Conference on Art, Architecture and Shi‘ism

IIS and the British Museum co-sponsored the conference, People of the Prophet’s House: Art, Architecture and Shi’ism in the Islamic World, which took place at the British Museum from 26th – 28th March 2009. The conference was associated with the exhibition Shah ‘Abbas: The Remaking of Iran. Three scholars from the IIS, Dr Shainool Jiwa, [...]

IIS: Two Recent Publications in Dubai

Two recent IIS publications were launched at the Ismaili Centre in Dubai. These included The Ismailis: An Illustrated History and An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries – Vol. 1: On the Nature of the Divine. Held on 3 April 2009, the programme marked the Institute’s first major book launch in that region
.
Introducing the first of these [...]

IIS: Tafsir and its Audience

Dr Karen Bauer Presents Paper on “Tafsir and its Audience”

 Though exegesis of the Qur’an is a crucial feature of many types of Islamic literature, Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) is distinctive in its dedication to explaining the Qur’an verse by verse. Considering the audience of tafsir is an essential part of understanding why the author chose to [...]

IIS: Scholars Addresses Muslim Perspectives on Bioethics

Dr. Amyn B. Sajoo was invited to speak on bioethical choices and Islam at a training session for clinicians, ethicists and counsellors, convened by the London Research Ethics Committees of the British National Health Service (NHS).
The central theme of Dr. Sajoo’s presentation was the role of maslaha or the ‘public interest’ in Muslim ethical reasoning, [...]

IIS: Students Visit Spain as Part of their Course

  
Students from the Class of 2010 of STEP and GPISH traveled to Spain for an educational visit in February and March, respectively. As part of their courses “Architecture of the Muslim World” (GPISH) and “Religious Education and the Humanities in Secondary Education” (STEP), the two groups visited some of the most notable sites of Granada, Cordoba [...]

IIS: An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries

IIS Publishes An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries

The Institute of Ismaili Studies in association with Oxford University Press is pleased to announce the publication of An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries – Volume I: On the Nature of the Divine. Edited by Feras Hamza, Sajjad Rizvi and Farhana Mayer, this anthology analyses the works of twenty selected [...]

IIS: SPI – Personal Lessons by Aliyyah Giga

She is an alumni of The IIS Summer Programme on Islam (SPI). In this reflection, she shares some personal lessons that she drew from her experience of the programme.
SPI Lesson 1:
It is often assumed that words have simple, fixed definitions, but meanings are mutable as contexts and perspectives evolve in time.
 
A museum in London exhibits “Islamic art.” [...]

IIS: Doctoral Scholarship Programme 2009-10

 
The Institute awards doctoral scholarships each year to suitable candidates. Preference is given to those applicants who have completed the Institute’s three year Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities and who are interested in pursuing careers in Islamic studies.
More specifically, the doctoral scholarship programme aims (1) to encourage the study of certain neglected areas [...]