How do stories create political power? Why do narratives matter in shaping legitimacy, justice, and belonging? In this Research Seminar, Dr Fatemeh Sadeghi (University College London – Institute for Global Prosperity) examines the powerful role of narratives and storytelling in legitimising political authority. Drawing on examples from Islamism, nationalism, and contemporary far-right populism, she shows how political stories do not merely reflect power but actively produce it.
The seminar explores how movements mobilise ideas of moral renewal, nostalgia, and collective identity to justify authority, and how these same narratives can both inspire emancipation and reproduce exclusion or authoritarianism. Dr Sadeghi also situates these dynamics within an “age of crisis,” marked by inequality, political disillusionment, and declining trust in institutions, where emotional resonance increasingly replaces ideology as the basis of legitimacy.
Read more, or watch the full seminar:https://ami.is/sadeghi-seminar
Audio Chapters:
0:10 - Introduction
01:29 - What is Narrative?
04:02 - Types of Narrative in Islamic Culture
08:46 - Storytellers & Storytelling
15:10 - Significance of Narratives in Politics
17:45 - Examples of Political Narratives
31:49 - The Age of Crisis and the Future of Politics
If God is everywhere, why can't God be in an image? If devotion dissolves the self before the Beloved, what remains to draw the line between Hindu and Muslim? And can we ever find an answer to suffering that satisfies both the heart and the mind? Drawing from his acclaimed book, "The Hindu Self and Its Muslim Neighbors," Dr Barua guides us through the shared devotional languages of Bhakti and Sufi traditions. He reveals how figures like Kabir, Tagore, Nazrul Islam, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan inhabited spaces of “creative ambiguity” that transcended rigid boundaries. This episode explores Dr Barua’s journey from physics to metaphysics, delving into the theology behind “idol worship” and the intersection of quantum mechanics and religious truth. It invites us to discover profound resonances and honest tensions between two great spiritual traditions. Dr Ankur Barua is a Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. He researches the conceptual constellations and the social structures of the Hindu traditions, both in premodern contexts in South Asia and in colonial milieus where multiple ideas of Hindu identity were configured along transnational circuits between India, Britain, Europe, and USA. In recent years, his research focus has moved to an exploration of the intersections between the idioms of bhakti, yoga, tawḥīd, and taṣawwuf on the multiply-stratified postcolonial landscapes of South Asia.Audio Chapters: 0:00 – Highlights 1:23 – From Physics to Metaphysics 12:30 – Language of Science vs Language of Religion 19:10 – Are There Revelations in Hinduism?24:50 – On Infallibility of the Vedas 28:28 – Revelation in Hinduism and Abrahamic Traditions 33:16 – Between Monotheism and Idol Worship in Hinduism 45:07 – Idol Worship and Muslims 47:15 – Why Muslim Neighbours? 55:52 – Muslims as Foreigners 1:04:45 – Bhakti and Sufi Love 1:17:01 – Quantum Mechanics and Truth of Religion 1:23:10 – Religion and Meaning for Modern Individuals 1:28:46 – Thinking Islam QuestionMentioned in This Episode: "Images of the Unimaginable God" by Dr Ankur Barua: https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/images-of-the-unimaginable-god "The Hindu Self and Its Muslim Neighbors" by Dr Ankur Barua: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/hindu-self-and-its-muslim-neighbors-9781793642585/ "Form and Essence" by Shaykh Arif: https://www.shaykharif.com/blog/impurity?categoryId=24615
In this episode, Dr Attar explores how two major theologians — al-Ghazālī and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī — challenged the idea that miracles serve as proof of prophethood. Drawing on their engagement with the occult sciences, Dr Attar shows how both thinkers believed that extraordinary acts could be imitated by magicians and thaumaturges, raising new questions about what truly verifies a prophet. He concludes by proposing an Avicennian reinterpretation of miracles as signs of an elevated prophetic soul rather than evidentiary proofs.
Dr Calis introduces listeners to the rich metaphysical world of Ibn al-‘Arabī and the Akbarī tradition, where revelation is seen as an ontological process rather than a historical event. He explains how divine speech unfolds through the hierarchical realms of existence and clarifies the misunderstood distinction between risāla (messengership) and wilāya (sainthood). The discussion connects classical Sufi metaphysics to contemporary debates on divine communication.
Dr Nazir Khan presents Ibn Taymiyya’s comprehensive rethinking of prophetic evidence. Rather than relying solely on miracles, Ibn Taymiyya integrates moral integrity, rational coherence, and alignment with human nature into a broader epistemology of prophethood. The episode examines his critique of kalām theologians, his distinction between angelic and jinn-assisted feats, and his preference for Qur’anic terminology such as āyāt and barāhīn.
In this presentation, Professor Aijaz revisits David Hume’s famous critique of miracles and argues that it has major — and often overlooked — implications for Muslim philosophy of religion. He explains why arguments for prophecy based on miracle reports fail under Hume’s analysis and calls for Muslim philosophers to rethink the epistemological foundations of belief in prophecy and revelation.
Dr Jamie Turner brings the medieval philosophy of al-Fārābī into conversation with the modern thought of John Hick. He proposes that both thinkers offer a “bottom-up” model of prophecy that emphasises human intellectual and moral refinement. This model opens possibilities for religious pluralism and offers new ways to respond to epistemic and moral challenges in Islam, while still preserving much of the traditional narrative.
Dr Saemi tackles the tension between revelation and independent moral judgment. He argues that when a believer perceives a moral conflict, it is rational to follow their moral reasoning — but this does not render revelation redundant. Instead, revelation provides new moral reasons, including coordination solutions and relationship-based reasons tied to one’s bond with God.
Professor Naraghi examines Fazlur Rahman’s influential theory of revelation, focusing on its psychological dimension — how divine meaning becomes prophetic language. Drawing on the work of Iqbal and the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce, he clarifies Rahman’s view on how “feeling,” “idea,” and “word” interact in the Prophet’s heart to generate revelation.
Professor Kadivar surveys major models of revelation in Judaism and Christianity before proposing a distinctly Islamic alternative. He critiques six well-known non-propositional models and argues that Islam affirms a primarily propositional model grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah — yet one that still differs significantly from classical Christian and Jewish formulations.
Dr Wahid Amin applies modern speech act theory to classical Shīʿī legal debates on divine commands. How do Qur’anic addresses to specific audiences apply to later generations? By engaging thinkers such as Mīrzā Qummī, Ākhund Khurāsānī, and Nāʾinī, he explores how divine speech maintains normative force across time and context.
Dr Ibrahim examines the role of Maryam in the Qur’an and asks why, despite her exceptional status and extensive interactions with divine messengers, most exegetical traditions exclude women from prophethood. Through a careful intra-textual reading, she highlights inconsistencies in classical arguments and proposes paths for reducing gender bias in Muslim prophetology.
Dr Asghari explores how the Qur’an pairs the Book (al-kitāb) with wisdom (ḥikma) as twin components of prophetic guidance. He shows how wisdom enables ethical interpretation, universal moral language, and interreligious dialogue — positioning prophetic wisdom as a bridge between divine revelation and human ethical reasoning.
Shaykh Arif re-examines key Qur’anic terms to propose that the Qur’an is not a pre-fixed text but an articulation of formless meanings (Umm al-Kitāb) unveiled in the moment. He distinguishes between God and the agent of revelation speaking within the Qur’an, offering a nuanced linguistic and theological model rooted in inter-Qur’anic analysis.
Prophets often report vivid perceptual experiences — seeing angels, hearing recited verses — but what makes these experiences veridical? Professor Morvarid surveys classical explanations from al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, Suhrawardī, and Mullā Ṣadrā, before offering a new account inspired by philosopher David Chalmers. He argues that prophetic visions can be veridical in their “imperfect content,” even when their sensory details are not literally present in the physical world.
What does solidarity look like from the stands of a football stadium? How do sport, identity, and politics intertwine in the struggle for justice and belonging? And what does it mean to grow up displaced yet deeply rooted in a homeland carried through memory and resistance? In this episode of Thinking Islam, we explore these profound questions with Dr Kholoud Al-Ajarma, anthropologist and award-winning filmmaker at the University of Edinburgh.This captivating conversation traces Dr Al-Ajarma’s personal and intellectual journey—from life in Palestinian refugee camps to becoming an acclaimed scholar of migration, identity, and activism. Drawing on her ethnographic research into pro-Palestinian solidarity among football fans in Scotland, she discusses the power and limits of public protest, the challenges of representing a cause across cultural boundaries, and what forms of hope persist amid displacement.Dr Kholoud Al-Ajarma is a social anthropologist whose work bridges scholarship and lived experience. Her award-winning films and academic research explore themes of exile, belonging, and social justice across Palestine and the diaspora. She has worked with numerous international organisations and universities, and her recent research examines how global solidarity movements express political empathy and resistance through everyday cultural practices.
In this talk, Professor Seyyed Mohaghegh Damad and Hossein Mousavi explore ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s theory of idrākāt-i iʿtibārī — or mentally-posited conceptions — and its transformative implications for Islamic legal reasoning. They discuss how human constructs of obligation, action, and morality, though mentally posited, shape Sharīʿa’s adaptability to evolving human needs. Their conversation invites listeners to consider how Islamic law distinguishes between immutable divine principles and flexible human conventions in a changing world.
Professor Abdolkarim Soroush reflects on how Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) must continually evolve to remain relevant. He contrasts its practical and theoretical dimensions, arguing that true renewal depends on deeper engagement with theology, philosophy, and anthropology. Through thought-provoking examples—from modern bioethics to cosmic prayer—Soroush demonstrates that shifts in how we understand God, duty, and knowledge can revolutionise Islamic law itself.
In this talk, Professor Oliver Leaman cautions against overstating rationalism’s place in Islamic law. Drawing on Qurʾānic narratives like Moses and Khidr, he argues that divine wisdom often transcends human reasoning. Leaman challenges the assumption that Islam fully aligns with modern liberal rationality, urging listeners to rethink how theological humility can coexist with intellectual inquiry in today’s discourse on religion and law.
Shaykh Arif Abdul Hussain explores how the metaphysical insights of Ṣadrāian philosophy can reshape our understanding of rationality in Islamic law. He revisits the tension between reason and Sharīʿa through concepts like aṣālat al-wujūd (the principiality of existence), proposing a dynamic vision of evolving legal norms aligned with human growth and existential purpose. This episode bridges classical metaphysics and contemporary reform.