The AMI Podcast

Is Imam Ali a source of division or the grounds for friendship among Muslims?How did a man who asked that his killer's ropes be loosened in his dying moments become the most contested figure in Islamic history?In this episode of Thinking Islam, we explore Dr Hassan Abbas's acclaimed book, "The Prophet's Heir" through the lens of a policy maker and conflict resolution scholar. Drawing from both Shi'a and Sunni sources, Dr Abbas tells the story of Imam Ali not as a sectarian narrative but as a bridge between traditions. We examine the political dynamics of Saqifa, Ali's radical economic justice, the bias in Western scholarship of Islam, and the paradox of a warrior whose defining qualities were dialogue, selflessness, and forgiveness. In his final moments, struck by a poisoned sword, Ali asked that his killer be treated well, a measure of the justice and forgiveness that Dr Abbas argues makes Ali's legacy not a source of division but a possibility for renewal and unity.Dr Hassan Abbas is Distinguished Professor of International Relations at the National Defence University in Washington, D.C. and a senior adviser at Harvard University's Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs. His research focuses on countering political and religious extremism, rule-of-law reforms, and the intersections of security, politics, and faith in South Asia and the Middle East. "The Prophet's Heir: The Life of Ali ibn Abi Talib," published by Yale University Press, has been widely praised across traditions.Audio Chapters: 0:00 – Highlights 01:32 – Writing a Book on Imam Ali 8:04 – Using Both Shi'a and Sunni Sources 17:23 – The Bias in Western Scholarship 25:35 – An Uncritical Version of Imam Ali? 32:00 – Saqifa Through the Lens of a Policy Maker 43:47 – Did the Companions Fail the Test? 51:28 – Imam Ali as a Diplomat 56:45 – Imam Ali & Economic Justice 1:07:15 – Imam Ali, Dialogue & Egalitarianism 1:16:02 – Imam Ali's Legacy 1:21:05 – Thinking Islam Question

How does listening to the Qur'an differ from reading it? What does it mean to approach the Qur'an not with your mind but with your whole existence?In this episode of Thinking Islam, Dr Abdolkarim Soroush proposes an existential encounter with the Qur'an, one that asks us to set aside our assumptions and approach it not as a book of law or philosophy but as maw'iẓa (admonition) that speaks to the whole being. This conversation explores the difference between reading and listening, why Rumi's Mathnawi is called the Persian Qur'an, and what it means to have a pure heart as a precondition for understanding the Qur’an. We delve into how kufr in the Qur'an is not about non-belief but about arrogance before truth, and why, as Dr Soroush tells us, the companion according to Sufis is everything.Dr Abdolkarim Soroush is a distinguished philosopher of religion and a leading voice in Islamic intellectual reform. A Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland and former Professor at the University of Tehran, he has held visiting positions at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities. Dr Soroush is renowned for his influential work on prophetic experience and his contributions to contemporary Islamic philosophy and Qur'anic hermeneutics.
Audio Chapters:
0:00 - Highlights
01:30 - Relation between Qur’an & Its Reader
07:20 - Uneven depth of the Qur’an
13:09 - Reading vs Listening to Qur’an
24:44 - Existential Reading of the Qur’an
32:36 - Losing the Sense of Maw’iza in Translation
39:33 - Rumi’s Mathnawi: A Persian Qur’an
44:50 - Pure Heart & Qur’an
49:17 - Love & Companionship
55:19 - Is Qur’an not a Kitab?
58:32 - Thinking Islam Question

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.

Can mourning become a pathway to the divine?
Has the modern world sanitised death, and does Muharram insist we don’t look away?
Drawing from his forthcoming book Senses of Mourning, Dr Babak Rahimi of UC San Diego asks a question many have wondered, but few have explored: why do Shi'as keep mourning? This episode reveals mourning not as passive grief but as active devotion, a technique for connecting to God through the body, the senses, and collective memory. We explore how modernity's devotion to pleasure has pushed death to the margins, how Muharram insists we confront what modern life conceals, and why the senses are not obstacles to the sacred but pathways toward it. From the festive dimensions of grief to the standardisation of ritual by state and digital platforms, this conversation moves through the space where philosophy meets performance, and where the body becomes a site of hope.
Dr Babak Rahimi is an Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Religion at UC San Diego, where he directs the Program for the Study of Religion and the Middle East Studies Program. His research focuses on sensory religion, public sphere theory, and the historical contexts of early modern Islamicate societies. He is the author of "Theatre-State" and "The Formation of the Early Modern Public Sphere in Iran" (Brill, 2011) and editor of "Performing Iran" (I.B. Tauris, 2021).
Audio Chapters:
0:00 – Highlights
01:30 – Why Muharram Performances?
5:50 – Mourning as Religiosity?
18:06 – Mourning as Technique
26:02 – Muharram as Festive Events
36:01 – Role of Senses in Muharram Devotion
46:14 – Panja and Symbolism
51:00 – Memory as a Sense?
57:00 – Gender and Muharram Performances
59:50 – Self-Flagellation as Performance?
1:06:40 – Muharram and the Other
1:11:00 – Why Western Thinkers?
1:19:40 – Modern World and the Sense of Smell
1:24:27 – Digital and the Standardisation of Muharram Rituals
1:38:28 – Thinking Islam Question

📖 Get the Book: "Senses of Mourning" by Dr. Babak Rahimi
🔗 Penn Press: https://www.pennpress.org/9781512828344/senses-of-mourning/
🔗 Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Senses-Mourning-Moharram-Performances-Qajar/dp/1512828343

Dr Nisha explores how digital technologies are reshaping religious life in contemporary India. Challenging the strict divide between the secular and the religious, she argues that digital media has given rise to new hybrid forms of belief, practice, and spiritual experience.