Harvard Divinity School

Instructor: Ali Asani This course offers an introductory survey of mystical traditions of Islam, popularly labelled as “Sufism.” It explores the fundamental concepts, practices, and institutions associated with these traditions, their historical...

Instructor: Khalil Abdur-Rashid This course, as part of the new HDS Initiative on Islamic Spiritual Life and Service, is intended for students preparing for vocation in a variety of settings in which they will provide Islamically-inspired service and...

Instructor: Alicia Izharuddin This course engages with critical issues in gender and emotions at the intersection of Muslim identity and culture. It brings to the fore interdisciplinary scholarship – spanning media studies, anthropology and sociology –...

Instructor: Yasir Fahmy This course will engage in a critical reading and analysis of Hadith Jibril. Also known as Umm Al-Hadith (or the mother of Prophetic narrations), this narration gathers the essential acts and practices that are to be performed...

Instructor: Mariam Sheibani Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) is known as “The Proof of Islam” and is widely considered to be the most influential philosopher, theologian, and mystic in Sunni Islam. This course will serve as an inquiry into al-Ghazālī’s...

Instructor: Ousmane Kane The aim of this seminar is to study the evolution of Islamic thought and political practices in Muslim societies from the 19th to the early 21st centuries.Attention will be devoted to the patterns of interaction between the Muslim...

Instructor: Diana Eck An exploration of the classical texts, spiritual teachings, epic narratives, and religious movements that have shaped a complex civilization for some three thousand years, from the Indus Valley to today. Readings in primary sources –...

Instructor: Ali Asani This course explores the doctrines and practices of the Ismailis, adherents of a minority branch of Shia Islam that recognizes the continuation of religious authority after the Prophet Muhammad through a particular line of his...

This course will engage in a critical reading and analysis of Hadith Jibril. Also known as Umm Al-Hadith (or the mother of Prophetic narrations), this narration gathers the essential acts and practices that are to be performed, internally and externally...

Instructor: Nicholas Boylston In this course we will explore the major genres of classical Persian Sufi poetry and prose. In addition to examining the formation of these genres and their contexts of composition, we will pursue a range of broader questions...