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The AMI PodcastAuthor: Al-Mahdi Institute
AMI Podcasts explore a range of different topics including the latest cutting-edge research within the field of Islamic Studies, book reviews by prominent authors and academics, and discussions among scholars of diverse faiths and denominations within Islam. Language: en Genres: Islam, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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A People's History of Islam: Tales of Mystics, Pilgrims and the Ordinary by Dr Hassan Abbas
Monday, 26 January, 2026
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 historiography, Dr Abbas explores Islam through the lived faith of pilgrims, mystics, poets, and everyday communities across centuries.Drawing on extensive travels to major pilgrimage sites — from Fez, Konya, and Baku to Lahore, Karbala, and Makkah — the seminar highlights how oral tradition, spirituality, and devotion preserve histories often absent from official archives. Dr Abbas also reflects on the role of mysticism alongside juridical tradition, the challenge of writing accessible yet rigorous scholarship, and the problem of sectarian framing in Western representations of Islam.Speaker:Dr Hassan Abbas is a Distinguished Professor of International Relations based in Washington, DC, and a Senior Advisor at Harvard University’s Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs. He is the author of The Prophet’s Heir (Yale University Press) and several other widely cited works on Islam and global affairs.
