Al-Mahdi Institute

Al-Mahdi Institute Al-Mahdi Institute (AMI) provides an open platform for critical Muslim scholarship.

AMI provides a platform for open and critical scholarship that addresses contemporary concerns of Muslims around the globe. Through our educational programmes and research activities, we provide an open platform for critical, innovative, and thought-provoking Muslim scholarship that bridges the gap between traditional Muslim seminaries and contemporary academia.

On 1–2 June, AMI's Islamic Mysticism and Spirituality research area convened an international conference examining one o...
30/07/2026

On 1–2 June, AMI's Islamic Mysticism and Spirituality research area convened an international conference examining one of Islamic thought's most contested questions: can unveiling, inspiration, and experiential knowledge stand alongside — or even above — rational and textual modes of understanding?

Convened by Dr Zoheir Esmail, the conference brought together philosophers, theologians, and historians to explore everything from the scriptural roots of mystical experience in Shīʿī ḥadīth, to the Akbarian systematisation of kashf, to what happens when claims to divine knowledge are exploited by charismatic leaders seeking unaccountable authority.

Missed the conference? You can now read the full abstracts and listen to podcast recordings of every presentation.

🔗 Read more or listen to the presentations: ami.is/ims-conf

28/07/2026

How did Shia communities take root in Britain and why has their history been so difficult to recover? 🤔

In this episode of Thinking Islam, Muhammed Reza Tajri is joined by researcher Dr Jaffer A. Mirza to explore the history and development of Shia Muslim communities in Britain from the 1950s to the 1980s. Drawing on oral history and fieldwork across nine British cities, Jaffer moves beyond sectarianism, diaspora, and institutional history to show how migrants built spaces of worship, negotiated ethnic and theological differences, and formed local modes of belonging through ritual.

From Muharram gatherings and public processions, to the foundational yet often unrecorded role of women in establishing Shia life across Britain, the conversation uncovers a history that has been left out of the record for far too long.

▶️ Watch the full podcast: ami.is/ti17

🎧 Or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more: ami.is/ti17-audio

How can an Imamate defined by presence and public authority be occupied by an Imam who is hidden? 🤔At our recent researc...
16/07/2026

How can an Imamate defined by presence and public authority be occupied by an Imam who is hidden? 🤔

At our recent research seminar, Dr Hashem Morvarid (Trinity University) tackled this tension head-on, critically reviewing four major responses in the tradition before advancing his own original proposal, grounded in the Qurʾān's treatment of moral evil in Q 2:30–33. He argues that the hidden Imam's role is to serve as God's moral reason for preserving humankind in existence — a function that, unlike leadership or religious instruction, doesn't require public presence.

🔗 Read more, watch or listen to the seminar: ami.is/seminar-morvarid

⏰ Tomorrow! Don't miss our research seminar with Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri exploring "The Tug of War between Classical ...
14/07/2026

⏰ Tomorrow! Don't miss our research seminar with Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri exploring "The Tug of War between Classical and Later Imāmī Creed and its Impact on Contemporary ʿIlm al-Rijāl."

Should classical Rijāl still judge later Imāmī doctrine — or has it become the other way around? Dr Kamoonpuri examines this tension through select case studies of contested narrators, exploring how competing theological commitments shape competing Rijālī methodologies in contemporary scholarship.

🗓 Wednesday, 15th July 2026 at 3pm to 4:30pm (BST)

📍 In person at AMI or Online (no registration needed for in-person attendance)

💻 Find out more or register now: ami.is/hh-seminar

This Arbaʿeen, join us at AMI as Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri delivers a five-part lecture series exploring the "Manifesta...
13/07/2026

This Arbaʿeen, join us at AMI as Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri delivers a five-part lecture series exploring the "Manifestations of Qurʾānic Beauty in Karbala and its Aftermath through the eyes of Sayyidah Zaynab (as)". The series will explore Karbala through a Qurʾānic and intellectual lens, from the philosophy of remembering the righteous, to the meaning of true beauty in the face of tragedy, to the dangers of mistaking majority opinion for truth, and worldly power for divine approval.

The common thread running through this series is the continuing relevance of Karbala in addressing the intellectual, spiritual, and communal challenges facing Muslims today.

📅 Evening Programmes: 31st July – 3rd August 2026 from 7:30pm (BST)

🕐 Arbaeen Day Programme: Tuesday, 4th August from 1:30pm (BST)

📍 Join us at AMI or stream live at: ami.is/arbaeen-live

Is gelatine derived from non-ḥalāl sources permissible in Islam? 🤔 Gelatine is everywhere — jelly, marshmallows, yoghurt...
07/07/2026

Is gelatine derived from non-ḥalāl sources permissible in Islam? 🤔

Gelatine is everywhere — jelly, marshmallows, yoghurt, gummy sweets, even medicine capsules. But most commercial gelatine is derived from pigs or animals not slaughtered Islamically, raising a real question for Muslim consumers.

The debate centres on a single legal concept: istiḥāla — whether the transformation process changes a substance's ruling entirely. Scholars are genuinely split. Some hold that industrial processing changes gelatine's legal identity completely, making it permissible even from non-ḥalāl sources. Others hold that its core composition remains unchanged, so the original prohibition still applies.

🔗 Read the full statement with detailed justifications by the International Centre for Collective Ijtihad at: ami.is/icci-gelatine

📣 We are pleased to welcome Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri to Al-Mahdi Institute as a Visiting Research Fellow!Dr Syed Kamoo...
06/07/2026

📣 We are pleased to welcome Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri to Al-Mahdi Institute as a Visiting Research Fellow!

Dr Syed Kamoonpuri is an academic and researcher specialising in Qurʾānic studies, Islamic intellectual history, Arabic language and literature, and Shīʿī studies. He holds a PhD from Aligarh Muslim University for a four-volume dissertation on the exegesis of Nahj al-Balāgha in the late ʿAbbāsid period, and has published over twenty-five research articles in peer-reviewed journals.

During his fellowship, he will present at AMI's Hadith & History Conference on the Ghulāt in formative Shiism, deliver a research seminar, and contribute to the Thinking Islam podcast.

We look forward to his contributions to AMI's research community. 💡

🔗 Read more about him: ami.is/kamoonpuri

Should classical Rijāl still be the criterion by which later Imāmī doctrine is judged — or has later doctrine become the...
03/07/2026

Should classical Rijāl still be the criterion by which later Imāmī doctrine is judged — or has later doctrine become the criterion by which classical Rijāl itself is judged? 🤔

Join us on Wednesday, 15th July at 3:00pm (BST), as Dr Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri unpacks one of the most consequential — and underexplored — debates in contemporary Imāmī scholarship, examining how theology, authority, and hadith criticism collide in modern ʿIlm al-Rijāl.

🗓 Wednesday, 15th July 2026 at 3pm to 4:30pm (BST)

📍 In person at AMI or Online (no registration needed for in-person attendance)

💻 Find out more or register now: ami.is/hh-seminar

On 27–28th April, AMI's Muslims, Societies and Cultures research area hosted an international conference bringing togeth...
02/07/2026

On 27–28th April, AMI's Muslims, Societies and Cultures research area hosted an international conference bringing together scholars and practitioners exploring how care is understood, delivered, and sustained across Muslim communities — from psychotherapy and chaplaincy to the pastoral burden carried by imams, and the wellbeing of Muslim youth and families.

Convened by Dr Muhammed Reza Tajri, we were delighted to welcome speakers from the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and beyond to examine the theological foundations of care, the emotional toll on caregivers themselves, and emerging models for chaplaincy, mental health, and community support.

Missed the conference? You can now read the full abstracts and listen to podcast recordings of all presentations.

🔗 Read more or listen now: ami.is/msc-conf

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