Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs • Harvard Divinity School

Register: bit.ly/houseofmuhammad

House of Muhammad: Launching the Ahl al-Bayt Research Initiative at the Harvard Divinity School's Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs marks the inauguration of a new scholarly effort dedicated to the study of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Family of the Prophet Muhammad) as a central yet often underexplored dimension of Islamic and comparative religious studies. This panel brings together leading scholars of Islamic studies to reflect on the conceptual, methodological, and historiographical questions that shape the study of the House of Muhammad.

The panel will examine how the Ahl al-Bayt has been defined across intellectual and devotional traditions; the challenges of interpreting “family” and “house” beyond modern Western or mainstream assumptions; and the ways in which disciplinary biases and approaches within Islamic or religious studies have contributed to the relative marginalization of this field. Panelists will also explore what is at stake in treating the Ahl al-Bayt as a broader religious paradigm, and a cross-cultural or civilizational dimension rather than merely as a sectarian subject. The event will also cover the broader implications of this study for the academic study of religion, including parallels and insights relevant to other traditions.

By situating the House of Muhammad and Ahl al-Bayt at the intersection of theology, history, and lived religion, this event invites a rethinking of inherited frameworks and opens new avenues for cross-disciplinary inquiry.

Learn more at bit.ly/houseofmuhammad2

Sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of NY

Speakers:

Mohsen Goudarzi

Mohammad Sagha

Hasnain Walji

Additional Speakers TBA


Moderator: Payam Mohseni

Time: 20 April 2026 at 2 PM

Location: HDS Swartz Hall, James Room West. 45 Francis Ave.

Registration Required. In-Person event with hybrid option. Register at bit.ly/houseofmuhammad

Register here: bit.ly/ashuraworkshop26

The Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs at the Harvard Divinity School cordially invites you to participate in our unique workshop, "Ashura: The Life and Legacy of Imam Hussain." As one of the world’s largest annual human gatherings with millions in attendance, the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain has wide global implications and deep historical roots.

But who is Imam Hussain and why has his life resonated so deeply for millions of people across generations and continents? What was the philosophy of Imam Hussain and the context of his uprising and message? And, how have different communities, cultures, and peoples commemorated his sacrifice across time and geographic zones? The workshop explores Imam Hussain’s historical context, the impact of his martyrdom on the Muslim World, and how scholars have engaged with the historical and biographical sources pertaining to his life. The workshop provides attendees with a range of multimedia resources, including: academic lectures, philosophy of Ashura storytelling, sayings of the Imams, documentary resources, a special narrative rendition on the life of Imam Hussain, and more.

Over 21 lectures covering a variety of topics, including:
- An Overview of the Scholarly Study of Ashura and the Life of Imam Hussain
- Life of Imam Hussain (4 Hijri / 626 Common Era – 54/680)
- The Legacy of Karbala: Social and Political Reverberances after Ashura in

Premodern Islamic History
- The Ziyarat of Imam al-Husayn as Liturgical Text in Early Shi'i Hadith
- Ashura & Imamology in the Mirror of Being
- Imam Hussain and the Uprising of al-Mukhtar
- The Symbolism of Muharram Rituals in South Asia

Workshop Dates: January 12th - February 19th, 2026
Register by January 10th, 11:59PM EST.
Register here: bit.ly/ashuraworkshop26

This workshop, as part of the Project on Shi'ism's larger research track on the Life and Legacy of Imam Hussain, is sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of New York.

Register here: bit.ly/ali-kufa1

Imam Ali and the Kufan Republic

The caliphate of Ali b. Abi Talib was one of the most eventful and transformative periods in early Islamic history. Overlapping with what later historians termed the first civil war (fitna) of Islam, this era raised fundamental questions about sovereignty, legitimacy, and communal identity—issues that continue to resonate in Muslim discourse today. This workshop centers on the socio-political base of Ali during his caliphate in the cosmopolitan city of Kufa, exploring the unique interplay of tribal, religious, and ethnic dynamics that characterized this imperial garrison city in seventh-century Iraq.

This workshop will examine the urban-tribal organization of Kufa, the city’s internal partisan divisions, and the development of emergent theocratic discourses. Special attention will be given to the complexity of Persian-Arab interactions and the status of the mawali (non-Arab Muslims), whose evolving roles significantly shaped both Ali’s constituency and the nascent Shiʿi movement. By analyzing these dynamics, the workshop seeks to shed new light on the ways in which Kufa functioned as a contested space for confessional, socio-political, and theocratic trendlines, ultimately influencing the trajectory of Islamic history and memory.

Combining contemporary scholarship with a close reading of primary sources, this workshop invites participants to reconsider the narrative of Ali’s caliphate through the lens of Kufan and early Islamic society, emphasizing the lasting significance of this pivotal historical moment.

Lunch and refreshments provided. Open to all. Limited seating - priority for HDS students and community.

Learn more at bit.ly/ali-kufa.

Sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of NY

Time: Thursday, October 30th, 1:00pm

Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Sagha, Associate, NELC, Harvard University

Location: Swartz Hall, 125

Registration Required. In-Person event.

The Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs at the Harvard Divinity School cordially invites you to participate in our unique workshop, "Ashura: The Life and Legacy of Imam Hussain." As one of the world’s largest annual human gatherings with millions in attendance, the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain has wide global implications and deep historical roots.

But who is Imam Hussain and why has his life resonated so deeply for millions of people across generations and continents? What was the philosophy of Imam Hussain and the context of his uprising and message? And, how have different communities, cultures, and peoples commemorated his sacrifice across time and geographic zones? The workshop explores Imam Hussain’s historical context, the impact of his martyrdom on the Muslim World, and how scholars have engaged with the historical and biographical sources pertaining to his life. The workshop provides attendees with a range of multimedia resources, including: academic lectures, philosophy of Ashura storytelling, sayings of the Imams, documentary resources, a special narrative rendition on the life of Imam Hussain, and more.

Over 21 lectures covering a variety of topics, including:
- An Overview of the Scholarly Study of Ashura and the Life of Imam Hussain
- Life of Imam Hussain (4 Hijri / 626 Common Era – 54/680)
- The Legacy of Karbala: Social and Political Reverberances after Ashura in

Premodern Islamic History
- The Ziyarat of Imam al-Husayn as Liturgical Text in Early Shi'i Hadith
- Ashura & Imamology in the Mirror of Being
- Imam Hussain and the Uprising of al-Mukhtar
- The Symbolism of Muharram Rituals in South Asia

Workshop Dates: July 7th - August 14th, 2025
Register by July 4th, 11:59PM EST.
Register here: bit.ly/ashuraworkshop25

This workshop, as part of the Project on Shi'ism's larger research track on the Life and Legacy of Imam Hussain, is sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of New York.

Register here: bit.ly/nobilityofhussain1

Accounts of the final stand of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, often celebrate one key virtue, karam, or “nobility.” This presentation explores nobility as a virtue, both in the context of the Battle of Karbala, and in the larger context of Islamic ethics. It investigates ways in which Karbala, as a memorialized instance of karam, comments on a socio-cultural rupture in the history of Islam.

Title: The Nobility of Hussain in Islamic Ethics: An Analysis of Karbala Narratives

Speaker: Dr. Cyrus Zargar (Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor, University of Central Florida)

Moderator: Dr. Nicholas Boylston (Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University)

Time: Friday, April 25, 11 AM
Location: HDS Divinity Hall, Room 211

This is an in person event with a hybrid option. Registration is required: bit.ly/nobilityofhussain1

Sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of NY.

This presentation will examine the emergence of the Nizari Ismailism. This multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual global community of about five million is currently undergoing a transition in leadership after the death of their Harvard educated 49th imam, Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV (r. 1957-2025) last month and the succession of his son Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V.

On 17 Ramadan 559/15 August 1164, the fourth ruler of the polity declared the Qiyāmat-i buzurg (the Great Resurrection). The Nizari imamate became manifest with him and in the teachings of the Qiyāma, the sharīʿa was transcended and paradise attained. The true believers (ahl-i wāḥdat, people of unity) were to see themselves in presence of God. The doctrinal shifts initiated at this time transformed Nizari society and would continue to influence Islamicate conceptions of socio-political rule, soteriology and eschatology for centuries. The Nizari polity was decapitated by the Mongols in 1256 and their libraries destroyed. Three chronicles written over the next 70 years preserve fragments of Nizari daʿwa literature. In continuities of Sunni historiography and refutation of the Shiʿa and specifically the Ismailis, this writing construed the Nizaris as antinomian and heretical.

This lecture will examine the scholarship on Nizari Ismailism over the past century and the impacts of sources used in these studies. We will explore new approaches to distill historical and doctrinal information from antagonistic sources, including Nizari-Saljuq and Nizari-Mongol conflicts and relations. We will also sample re-readings of the biography of Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ and chart developments of doctrinal thought after the emergence of Nizari Ismailism.

Title: Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ and the Emergence of Nizari Ismailism

Speaker: Dr. Shiraz Hajiani (Alwaleed Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 2022-24)

Moderator: Dr. Mohammad Sagha (Lecturer in the Modern Middle East, Harvard University)

Time: Tuesday, April 1, 5 PM

Location: HDS Swartz Hall, Room 125

This is an in person event with a hybrid option. Registration is required: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchYzlfYtJ2TZPh7B__2Mn2dqKqAVqwC5pBNYyYTHdM41OD3A/viewform

Register here: bit.ly/sectarian_identity1

Although the sectarian labels of Sunni and Shi’a are widely used today to cover a range of identities and beliefs held by Muslims across the Islamic World, there are many foundational questions remaining over the origins of sectarian identity in Islam as well as its implications across time. The field has largely understudied theories of sectarianism and the precise applications of Sunni and Shi’a labels, including the content of their beliefs and the boundaries between them, largely remain an open debate to historians, political scientists, and others alike. This discussion will cover some of the main theoretical, methodological, and thematic issues relating to the study of sectarianism, Shi’a and Sunni identities, and the challenges in understanding what these labels mean over time and in the larger field of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.

Speakers:
Dr. Ahmed El Shamsy, Professor of Islamic Thought, University of Chicago
Dr. Mohammad Sagha, Lecturer in the Modern Middle East, Harvard University

Moderator: Dr. Mohsen Goudarzi, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Harvard Divinity School

Time: Friday, Nov. 15th, 3pm EST

Location: Swartz Hall, Room 120 (James Room East) + Online Option

This is an in person event with a hybrid option. Registration is required.

Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University
Harvard Divinity School
Mohammad Sagha
Mohsen Goudarzi
Ahmed El Shamsy

Register: bit.ly/peoples_islam

This talk explores the essence of Islam beyond the familiar narratives of empires, doctrines, and grand monuments. Shifting the focus from official histories and controlled narratives, it delves into a more personal and soulful Islam—one found in sacred sites, pilgrimage journeys, and the everyday lives of believers. Here, Islam is not confined to the palaces of rulers or dogmatic interpretations of theological texts but blossoms on prayer rugs, in the companionship of mystics, and along the pilgrim paths to shrines.

The talk emphasizes the soul of Islam that endures in the midst of modern chaos and contradictions, thriving through human connections, spirituality, and cultural practices. It offers insights drawn from personal travels to key Muslim pilgrimage locations, capturing the vibrancy of faith in the presence of saints, poets, rebels, and ordinary people. This is a history not of kings or conquests, but of the soul—an Islam that belongs to believers and seekers, to pilgrims, to those who challenge the status quo, to those who find in it not only ritual but meaning, unity, and peace.

Speaker: Dr. Hassan Abbas, Distinguished Professor of International Relations at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies

Moderator: Dr. Payam Mohseni, Director of the Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs, Harvard Divinity School

Time: Monday, Nov. 4th, 2pm EST

Location: Swartz Hall, Room 125

This is an in-person event with an online hybrid option. Registration required.

Ali ibn Abi Talib is one of the most important figures in the textual history of the Qur'an. In addition to being one of the Prophet’s scribes, he is reported to have played a key role in compiling the Qur'an into a single book shortly after the Prophet’s death. As the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib copied the Uthmanic codex and distributed it across Muslim lands. It is also reported that his codex contained Qur'anic exegesis in the margins, meaning he was the first exegete of the Qur'an. According to Muslim accounts, Ali ibn Abi Talib recorded, preached, interpreted, and embodied the Qur'an from a young age until his death, which occurred from wounds he sustained while reciting the Qur'an in prayer. Known for his profound reverence for the Qur'an, his archenemy, Muawiya, used the Qur'an against him during the Battle of Siffin, which indicates that even his enemies acknowledged his close bond with the Qur'an and sought to test it. Aside from the Prophet, perhaps no other figure in Islamic history had a life so deeply entwined with the Qur'an. Yet, his contributions are rarely highlighted in studies on the textual history of the Qur'an. This presentation will explore Ali ibn Abi Talib's relationship with the Qur'an and the legacy he left behind.

Speaker: Dr. Seyfeddin Kara, Assistant Professor of Islamic Origins, University of Groningen

Moderator: Dr. Mohsen Goudarzi, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Harvard Divinity School

Time: Monday, Oct 28th, 4pm EST

This is an online event. Registration is required

Sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of NY

We are happy to announce our co-sponsorship of “A Book Talk on Nahj al-Balaghah, The Wisdom and Eloquence of Ali: Ethics, Aesthetics, Faith, and Politics in Early Islam” with speaker Tahera Qutbuddin from the University of Oxford on Wednesday, September 11th at 12pm EST.

Join us then in room 110 at the Barker Center by registering here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUnD7bOOUBIRF0GKZu2Ll1JIwYVBNdG2Swq_0VukzlNTL7zw/viewform

Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University
Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University
Committee on the Study of Religion
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University
Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs

The Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at the Harvard Divinity School is launching a new research focus on the diverse expressions of Twelver Shi’ism, Alevism, and Bektashism in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkic speaking worlds, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, and the Balkans.

The Project is inviting applications to participate in research in these domains for both contemporary and historical time periods. In particular, the Project focuses on indigenous expressions of Shi’i sociological and anthropological phenomenon, historical study, and cross-sectarian (Shi’i-Sunni) relations, especially in border regions and socio-cultural exchange. These fields of study can include but are not limited to relations between Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan; Ashura commemorations and pilgrimage practices; Ottoman-Safavid history; Shi’i literary output; daily life and ethnography; and theological thought.

We invite applications for voluntary research positions for students and researchers with proficient language backgrounds in one or more of the regional languages (Turkish, Azeri, Persian, Albanian, etc.).

Applications are due by August 23rd, 2024. You can apply at bit.ly/research_opportunity

The Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs at the Harvard Divinity School once again cordially invites you to participate in a workshop, "Ashura: The Life and Legacy of Imam Hussain."

The workshop, which takes place between this July 10th and August 10th, includes: academic lectures, philosophy of Ashura storytelling, sayings of the Imams, a special narrative rendition on the life of Imam Hussain, and more.

Register by July 9th, 11:59pm EST at bit.ly/ashura-harvard24 (Case sensitive)