The Qur’anic ethics of care and generosity are woven deep into the fabric of Muslim civilisations. Embodied in the daily life of Prophet Muhammad, this ethical spirit emanated from the belief that Allah had entrusted responsibility and obligations to mankind as a whole and to the community of believers in particular.
Showing posts with label IIS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IIS. Show all posts
Dec 26, 2011
IIS Publishes A Companion to Muslim Cultures
At the heart of A Companion to Muslim Cultures is the idea that culture frames the relationship between God and the believer, as well as how believers relate to one another and to those amongst whom they live. The book takes the reader into the creative realms of architecture and book arts, music, technology and cosmopolitanism, the richly textured nature of the shari‘a and even culinary styles and etiquette. With numerous images, it locates these themes in their historical context as well as in today’s Muslim landscapes, including the Western diaspora. Pluralism emerges as a core reality of what Islam has fostered in civilisations and communities across time — even as the umma seeks avenues of solidarity in an age of global dispersal.
Dec 15, 2011
IIS Publishes Fortresses of the Intellect in Honour of Farhad Daftary
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary, edited by Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga.
Dec 5, 2011
IIS Launches A Companion to Muslim Ethics in Canada and the UK
The IIS hosted a series of international events in Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada and Leicester in the UK to launch A Companion to Muslim Ethics. This second volume in the Muslim Heritage Series, edited by Dr Amyn B. Sajoo, provides academics, students and other interested readers with an insight into the roots of Islam’s ethical framework – and how its teachings have branched out in the cultural, political, intellectual and religious lives of Muslims, past and present.
Oct 18, 2011
Sep 27, 2011
IIS Publishes Arabic Critical Edition of al-Maqrizi’s Itti‘az al-hunafa’
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Itti‘az al-hunafa’ bi-akhbar al-a’imma al-Fatimiyyin al-khulafa’ (Lessons for the Seekers of Truth on the History of the Fatimid Imams and Caliphs) by the great Mamluk-era historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (d.1442 CE).
MOre @ >>>> http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112907
Sep 19, 2011
North American Alumni Explore Interfaith Dialogue
September 2011
Alumni from across North America gathered in Montreal, Canada, for their annual Chapter Group Meeting at the end of June 2011. The meeting focussed on the theme of Interfaith Dialogue: Challenges, Skills and Strategies, and featured sessions on the concepts and models of interfaith dialogue as well as the ethical considerations involved.
Alumni from across North America gathered in Montreal, Canada, for their annual Chapter Group Meeting at the end of June 2011. The meeting focussed on the theme of Interfaith Dialogue: Challenges, Skills and Strategies, and featured sessions on the concepts and models of interfaith dialogue as well as the ethical considerations involved.
Sep 5, 2011
IIS Publishes Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn in Tajik
MOre @ >>>> http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112837
Aug 30, 2011
IIS Publishes a Catalogue of the Hamdani Collection
The IIS published the latest catalogue of rare and unique manuscripts in the Institute’s collection: Arabic, Persian and Gujarati Manuscripts: The Hamdani Collection by Professor François de Blois. This publication follows on from other catalogues of manuscripts in the Institute’s collection such as the Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Adam Gacek, Ismaili and Other Arabic Manuscripts and Arabic Ismaili Manuscripts: The Zahid ‘Ali Collection, both by Delia Cortese.
Aug 21, 2011
IIS Sponsors Panel on The Bible and the Qur’an in Ismaili Sources
August 2011
The Institute sponsored a panel on ‘The Bible and the Qur’an in Ismaili Sources’ at the International Meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature, which took place at King’s College, London. Speakers at the event included Dr Paul E. Walker, Dr David Hollenberg, Dr Daniel De Smet and Dr Jan Van Reeth. The panel was organised by Dr Michael Pregill and Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga.
Dr Paul E. Walker’s presentation, entitled Early Ismaili Attitudes to the Religion and Scripture of Christians and Jews, examined three important aspects of lsmaili doctrine, exploring evidence that the law and scripture of the Christian and Jewish communities were subject to the interpretation of Imam Ali b. Abi Talib and the Imamsafter him.
MOre @ >>> http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112777
Jul 22, 2011
Jun 19, 2011
IIS Launches New Publications in Portugal
June 2011
The IIS hosted a book launch at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon to launch two recent publications: Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur’anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam ‘Ali and the Portuguese translation of Justice & Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam ‘Ali. The event was attended by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi, the author of the books, as well as a number of local scholars, diplomats and policy makers.
The event began with opening remarks from the Institute’s Communications Manager, Asif Alidina, who introduced the Institute’s role as an academic centre that promotes scholarship on Muslim societies and civilisations. In particular he highlighted the Institute as a resource for scholars, policy makers and others who wish to learn more about Muslim societies, especially in the areas of Qur’anic, Shi‘i and Ismaili studies.
Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi then introduced both publications by speaking about Imam Ali’s approach to the themes of intellectuality and pluralism. QuotingImam Ali, where he says that ‘The excellence of the intellect lies in the appreciation of the outward and the inward beauty of things’, Dr Shah-Kazemi emphasised the need to understand the human intellect as a multi-faceted faculty of consciousness, comprising not just rational, but also moral, spiritual and even aesthetic dimensions.
Dr Shah-Kazemi noted that one of the key purposes of divine revelation, according to Imam Ali, is ‘to unearth for people the buried treasures of their own intellects’. In the light of this reciprocity between intellect and scripture, Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi addressed the question of the plurality of faiths and cultures as expressed in the Qur’an and referenced several verses that present a pluralistic and tolerant view of human diversity in relation to the principles of tawhid, rahma and hikma.
The launch concluded with an engaging discussion with the audience, hosted by Professor António Dias Farinha, Director of the Instituto de Estudos Árabes e Islâmicos da Universidade de Lisboa (Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Lisbon).More @ >>>>> http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112632
May 25, 2011
Whatz New at The Institute of Ismaili Studies .May 2011
May 2011
- News Story: IIS Scholar Presents Paper at Cambridge University
- Encyclopaedia Contribution: Jesus, Christians and Christianity in the Thought of the Ikhwan al-Safa’ by Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga
- News Story: IIS Graduate Students Visit Al-Andalus
- Academic Article: Loving Compassion in Islam and Buddhism: Rahma and Karuna by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi
- News Story: STEP Cohort Two Graduation Ceremony
- Workshop Information: Approaches to the Qur’an in sub-Saharan Africa, Toronto, 20–21 May 2011
- Glossary terms added: Sura, Aya, Qum, Mi'raj, Hajj.
- New Publication Content: The Spirituality of Shi‘i Islam: Beliefs and Practices
- News Story: IIS Publishes The Spirituality of Shi‘i Islam
- Glossary terms added: ‘Adl, ‘Ashura, Hijra, Karbala’, Nubuwwa.
Apr 20, 2011
Mar 16, 2011
IIS Publishes Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin in Tajik
The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition ofNasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin: The Nourishment of the Wayfarers. This is the second publication in Tajik after Nasir Khusraw’s Diwan of poetry which was published in 2009. The present volume incorporates a comprehensive glossary of archaic and philosophical terms which make the edition accessible to Tajik readership.
A celebrated philosopher, poet and traveller, Nasir Khusraw has captivated the hearts and minds of many generations of scholars, thinkers and philosophers for almost a thousand years. In addition to his Diwan of poetry, six doctrinal treatises in Persian prose have survived. He has been known in Tajikistan as a great Tajik and Persian poet and philosopher, but it is only in the post-Soviet period that his philosophical and doctrinal works have become accessible to the Tajik readership. Since the celebration in 2003 of the millennium anniversary of Nasir Khusraw’s birth, the intellectual legacy of the philosopher is increasingly gaining prominence and draws the interest of scholars in Tajikistan and elsewhere.
Zad al-Musafirin is among the earliest works of Nasir Khusraw, written after his return from Cairo and settlement in the Yumgan valley of Badakhshan. The treatise is considered his most significant work in terms of coverage of his philosophical and theoretical framework as well as his worldview. This work also touches upon many philosophical and historical issues while introducing and exploring various philosophical schools of his time.Mar 2, 2011
New publication of Nasir al-Din Tusi’s works -IIS
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Islamic Theology and Eschatology, by the prolific 13th century Persian scholar, Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274 CE). In this volume, Dr Sayyad Jalal Badakhchani translates three shorter but significant works of Tusi on Nizari Ismaili doctrines, namely Solidarity and Dissociation(Tawala wa tabarra), Desideratum of the Faithful (Matlub al-mu’minin)and Origin and Destination (Aghaz wa anjam). In these treatises, Tusi provides concise philosophical interpretations of key motifs in Nizari Ismaili thought, with special reference to the existential condition of human beings, their primordial origin and nature, their earthly existence in relation to the Imam, and their destiny in the hereafter.
Previously, the IIS has published English translations of two principal works on Ismaili doctrines by Nasir al-Din Tusi, including Contemplation and Action: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Muslim Scholar (Sayr wa suluk) and Paradise of Submission: A Medieval Treatise on Ismaili Thought (Rawda-yi taslim)in 1998 and 2005, respectively. This latest publication, Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam is in the same style, bringing together the original texts in the Persian language and in English translations.
Dec 4, 2010
An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the Divine
The IIS is pleased to announce the paperback edition of An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the Divine. Edited by Feras Hamza, Sajjad Rizvi and Farhana Mayer, the Anthology analyses the works of Sunni, Shi‘i, Ibadi, Mu‘tazili and Sufi commentators on six Qur’anic verses, revealing varied approaches to the scripture and its meaning. Contextual introductions and annotated translations allow the reader to follow the genesis of key intellectual debates and religio-political attitudes still relevant to the lives of Muslims today.
On the Nature of the Divine is the first of the Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries Series, which aims to make the reception and interpretation of the Qur’an accessible to anyone interested in cultural and religious studies. The main research question underlying the Series is: how do historical, intellectual and social circumstances affect interpretation? The multiple volumes of the Anthology will, collectively, emphasise the historicity of tafsir, the fact that each commentator and commentary is a product of his own time. The volumes are designed as a standard reference work and textbook for university courses, but they also contribute towards a ‘mapping’ of how ideas, concepts, dogmas and fields of knowledge have evolved along a fluid history to the present time. The Anthology is a reflection of the plurality of meanings that the Qur’an itself allows for, and which have produced a vast and venerable tradition of diverse interpretations.
MOre @ >>> http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112125
Nov 5, 2010
IIS Releases A Companion to Muslim Ethics
A Companion to Muslim Ethics, edited by Amyn B. Sajoo and published by I.B. Tauris in association with the IIS, is the most comprehensive English-language book available in this field. It is the second volume in the Muslim Heritage Series, aimed at presenting to the general public as well as to academics an accessible engagement with ideas and subjects of urgent interest to the contemporary Muslim world – including ‘East-West’ relations as they unfold after the events of September 11, 2001.
A Companion to Muslim Ethics inquires into the roots of Islam’s ethical framework – and how its teachings have branched out in the cultural, political, intellectual and religious lives of Muslims, past and present. Equality, the environment and health care are as much part of the exploration here as finance, dispute resolution and political violence, in asking how ethical commitments are expressed through public policy, intellectual debate, literature and art.
Among the critical themes tackled by the contributors to this Companion are: What is the place of environmental stewardship in the Muslim tradition? How does faith affect the individual’s choices and institutional encounters in sickness and health? What does ‘shari‘a finance’ really mean in practice? How does the Quran affect the ethics of visual culture in Muslim societies? What is the traditional place of tolerance in Islam, and what does this say about our global experience since September 11?
To regard secular narratives about the ‘public good’ as the sole guide to our ethical choices would be a fateful error, says Dr. Sajoo in his introduction. It means “stripping away ethical attachments and solidarities which give meaning to identity”, ones that are “essential to our encounter with issues of ecology and climate change, genetic therapies and care of the aged, extreme inequality and responsible governance, gender equity and political violence, access to quality education and information technology”.
This book will appeal not only to Muslims who wish to gain a deeper appreciation of the historical and cultural bases of Islam’s conception of the ‘good’, but indeed to all who seek to broaden their grasp of how faith and reason shape our increasingly globalised world.
Contributors:
Charles Butterworth
Abdallah Daar
Ramin Jahanbegloo
Zayn Kassam
Mohamed Keshavjee
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Eric Ormsby
Amyn B. Sajoo
Reza Shah-Kazemi
Fahmida Suleman
Ronald Wilson
http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112000
Jul 3, 2010
Suggested Ismaili Muslim Sites
Officials IsmailiMuslim Apex Institution Websites.
- AKDN
- Theismaili
- Institute of Ismaili Studies
- Agakhan Schools
- Agakhan Hospitals
- Agakhan University
- University of Central Asia
Non Official Institute Recommended Website/Blog/Group
Jun 18, 2010
IIS Appoints Interim Head of the Department of Community Relations
Dr Jamal has a long-standing relationship with the IIS as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Graduate Studies and through her active involvement in the development of the IIS’ Secondary Curriculum. She brings to her new role a strong academic background and her extensive experience with institutions of the Ismaili Community in Europe and North America.
MOre @ >>>> http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111470
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