Tenth Annual Conference on Shiʿi Studies (2025)
Date: 10 May 2025
Location: The Islamic College
Type: One-day academic conference
Schedule
9:00–9:10 | Opening remarks
Dr Mohammed Ali Ismail
Director of Research and Publications at The Islamic College
9:10–10:30 | Keynote speech
Professor Tahera Qutbuddin University of Oxford
10:30–11:45 | Exploring Nahj al-Balāghah (1)
Seminar Room (Chair: Amina Inloes)
— The Nahj and the Qur’an, and What We Should Say about Discrepancies
Oliver Leaman,
University of Kentucky, USA
— The Many Contexts of Nahj al-Balāghah
George Warner,
Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK
Room F12 (Chair: Amir DeMartino)
— Reviewing the Definitions of Intertextuality: The Extent of Influence of Nahj al-Balāghah on Khomeini’s Mystical and Ethical Ideas
Sara Abidi ,
The Islamic College, UK
— Leadership and Justice in Nahj al-Balāghah: A Timeless Framework for Governance
Jalal Fairooz,
The International University of Islamic Studies in London, UK
12:00–1:00 | Exploring Nahj al-Balāghah (2)
Seminar Room (Chair: Mohammed Ali Ismail)
— A Defence of Some Arguments for the Doctrine of Divine Simplicity (DDS) in the Nahj al-Balāghah
Imran Aijaz,
University of Michigan, USA
— Mīrzā Ghālib in Servitude of ʿAlī (Bandagī-yi Bū-Turāb)
Shabbir Abbas,
University of Arizona, USA
Room F12 (Chair: Saeed Sobhani)
— Faith and Neuroscience: The Impact of Spiritual Practices on Character Development based on Letter 31, Nahj al-Balāghah
Shahnaaz Alidina,
Independent researcher, Canada
— Unveiling the Historical Context of Imam ʿAlī’s Sermons
Amani Saad,
The Islamic College, UK
13:00–14:15 | Lunch
14:15–15:45 | Afternoon panels
Jurisprudence and Authority – Seminar Room (Chair: Saeed Sobhani)
— Expansion of the Epistemic Framework of Ijtihad in Imāmī Uṣūl al-Fiqh: A Case for Compassionate Ijtihad
Arman Syed, Al-Mahdi Institute, UK
— The State Law and Modern Concepts and Tools Within Islamic Jurisprudence
Ali Hussain Al-Hakim, The Islamic College, UK
— Akhbārī Scripturalism Revisited: Qur’an as a Source of Law in al-Shaykh Yūsuf al-Baḥrānī’s Doctrine
Zahra Jafari, University of Exeter, UK
Regional Studies – Room F12 (Chair: Hamid Tehrani)— Being Shi‘i in Turkey
Figen Balamir, Igdir University, Turkey
15:45-16:00 | Student awards
16:15–17:45 | Afternoon panels (continued)
Shi‘i scholarship, theology, and spirituality – Seminar Room (Chair: Amir DeMartino)
— Understanding the Thinking of Akhbārī and Uṣūlī Schools and Recent Trends of Qur’anists and Tafkīkīs
Makbul Rahim, Independent researcher, UK
— Three Metanarrative Approaches to Religious Denialism in the Qur’an: Izutsu, Ṭabāṭabāʾī, and Waldman
Shuja Zaidi, Independent researcher, UK
— The Quintessential Reality of Practical Mysticism (ʿIrfān ʿAmalī) in Shi‘i Doctrines
Abbas Mirza, The Islamic College, UK
Expressions of Faith – Room F12 (Chair: Amina Inloes)— The Muslim Detective
Frank Gelli, Anglican Church, UK
— From Metaverse to Meta Faith
Malakeh Shahi, MetaSchool Berlin, Germany
— Investigating Islamic (Twelver Imāmite) Spirituality and its Impact on Sports Coaching and its Potential Solution for Existing Shortcomings in this Practice
Abdul-Razak Rakhis, Independent researcher, UK
17:45-18:00 | Closing address
Dr Isa Jahangir Principal of The Islamic College
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