Session 8 - 'I Saw Naught but the Beautiful': Some Unrecognized Theologies of Ashura

Part of a panel on “Studying the Philosophy and Meaning of Ashura in Academia: Historical and Contemporary Issues,” Harvard University, March 2022. Syed Hyder Akbar, Karen Ruffle, and Nicholas Boylston.

Lecturer: Nicholas Boylston, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Seattle University (affiliation at the date recorded)

Duration: 25 minutes

Date Recorded: March 2022

Subject: Within academia, there has been much research done on Ashura and its centrality in Shi’a Islam. However much of the field has focused on particular communal or ritual manifestations with less emphasis on the rich philosophical and theological interpretations of Imam Hussain’s life and legacy found in diverse Muslim societies throughout time. To move the literature forward, this panel addresses the question: how can the philosophy of Ashura and the values underpinning Imam Hussain’s actions be more deeply understood and investigated in academia from various disciplinary approaches?  How can we study the values, meanings, and philosophy of Ashura? What is the field of Islamic or regional studies lacking in this regard and what can we do as scholars and academics to help rectify these challenges in the state of the field?

Readings:

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Husayni Tehrani, The Radiance of Imam Husayn, al-islam.org.

Hyder, Syed Akbar. “Iqbal and Karbala.” Beyond Crisis. Routledge India, 2012. 392-420.

Kohi, Sayed Khalil. “The Prominent and Historical Role of the Sunnis in Promoting the Mourning of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, Especially Imam Hussain.” Вестник КазНУ. Серия историческая 104.1 (2022): 3-11.

.msagha:hover { background-color: yellow; } Sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of New York in memory of Marhum Mustafa Jaffer.

For any questions please email us at globalshiism@gmail.com