Sufism, Shi’ism & Mysticism: Connections, Con...

Who writes Islamic history — empires and rulers, or ordinary believers?In this research seminar hosted by AMI on 14 January 2026, Dr Hassan Abbas presents insights from his forthcoming book project, A People’s History of Islam. Challenging state-centred and court-sponsored histor ...  Show more

Can mourning become a pathway to the divine? Has the modern world sanitised death, and does Muharram insist we don’t look away?Drawing from his forthcoming book Senses of Mourning, Dr Babak Rahimi of UC San Diego asks a question many have wondered, but few have explored: why do S ...  Show more

In this episode, we discuss the Islamic meditation practice of Murāqaba with our long-time friend and teacher Adeyinka Mendes. Path & Present is a long form conversation hosted by poet, emcee, and teaching-artist Baraka Blue with friends and guests including artists, musicians, a ...  Show more

Dr. Ali Hussain obtained his doctoral degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His research focuses on the image of Jesus Christ in the writings of Sufi mystics, specifically Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240). He is also ...  Show more

What did Ibn Al-Arabi mean by Oneness of Being? How should we interpret our dreams? Did Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) order the building of the pyramids? Dr. Ali Hussain, resident scholar at the Cave Labs: History and Metaphysics of Sound and Music and founder of Adhwaq Cente ...  Show more

In our last episode of the season we wrap up the intellectual history of Islam by examining how the orthodoxies that we discussed in the previous episode were popularized. We talk about the emerging class of legal scholars called the ulema, the madhabs of Hanafi, Maliki, Shaif, a ...  Show more