ICAIR

Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets in Islamic Law
2025-11-22 00:00 (Europe/London)
We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the ICAIR Islamic Futures Symposium on Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets in Islamic Law next week, inshaAllah.
Details:
📅 Saturday 22 November 2025
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 WF House, Moorhall Road, Harefield, UB9 6NS
The programme will begin with lunch at 1:00 PM, followed by a series of short presentations (around 20 minutes each) from Shaykh Alexander Khaleeli, Akber Datoo, Hasanain Dhalla, and Faisal Iqbal, accompanied by open discussions.
Please complete the following short form to confirm your attendance: https://forms.gle/vzZjthwYJYxKuucH6
We look forward to seeing you soon, inshaAllah!
The ICAIR Team

Awaiting with Action: Our Bond with Ahl al-Bayt (a) and the 12th Imam (aj) in Modern Times
2025-08-03 00:00
Join us for a special evening with Sayyid Muneer al-Khabbaz, as he explores what it truly means to connect with the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and live in meaningful anticipation of the 12th Imam (aj) — here and now, in our modern world.
🗓️ Sunday 3rd August
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 WF House, Moorhall Road, Harefield, UB9 6NS
👥 Organised by WF Islamic Education and ICAIR
🎫 Limited seats available — register now: https://icair.ac/event
🍽️ Dinner will be provided
🅿️ Parking available

ICAIR Annual Conference 2025: “Faith and the Future: Challenges and Opportunities”
2025-06-20 08:00 - 2025-06-22 17:00
Faith and the Future: Challenges and Opportunities
An international conference addressing the key challenges and opportunities facing the community in a rapidly changing world.
Join scholars, professionals, and community leaders for a weekend of presentations, workshops, and in-depth discussions on the most pressing issues facing those striving to live faithfully in today’s world.
Themes include:
Education | Artificial Intelligence | Biomedical Ethics
Ecology and Sustainability | Islamic Studies
20–22 June 2025
ISIJ of Toronto, 9000 Bathurst Street, Vaughan, ON
Hosted by ICAIR in partnership with the Shia Research Institute, NASIMCO, and The World Federation
More details coming soon: https://instagram.com/icair_ac

ICAIR Seminar: ‘What is Nahj al-Balagha About?’
2025-01-31 19:00 - 21:00
On Friday, January 31st 2025, the International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research (ICAIR) held an in-person seminar at The WF House, Moorhall Road, UB9 6NS, entitled “What is Nahj al-Balagha About?”
The session was presented by Dr George Warner, who guided attendees through a penetrating examination of Nahj al-Balagha—its scope, its silences, and the intentions of its compiler, al-Sharīf al-Raḍī.
Dr Warner invited the audience to consider what the collection includes and excludes, what it emphasises and what it leaves unsaid. In doing so, he situated Nahj al-Balagha within the historical and intellectual conditions of its compilation, tracing how al-Raḍī’s choices reflect broader ways in which the Imams were remembered, represented, and thought about.
Focusing on the ethical guidance contained within Nahj al-Balagha and the historical troubles it narrates, the discussion explored the kind of encounter with Imam ʿAlī (as) that al-Raḍī sought to create—for himself and for his readers—and how that vision has continued to resonate with timeless appeal.

ICAIR Seminar: Akhbarism and Usulism
2024-12-14 17:30 - 21:00
On Saturday, December 14th, the International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research (ICAIR) hosted an in-person seminar at The WF House, Moorhall Road, UB9 6NS, featuring Ayatollah Syed Aqeel al-Gharavi.
The session explored the enduring relevance of Akhbarism and Usulism—two pivotal intellectual traditions within Shi‘i Islam—and their influence on contemporary debates in Islamic thought.
Ayatollah al-Gharavi traced the historical development of these schools, clarifying common misconceptions and highlighting the sophisticated interplay between textual traditionalism and rational inquiry that has defined Shi‘i scholarship.
Moving beyond the conventional framing of Akhbaris as strict traditionalists and Usulis as rationalists, he presented a more nuanced picture of how these traditions have evolved and continue to shape legal and theological discourse today.

ICAIR Seminar: Shahida Bint al-Huda and Her Novels
2024-08-03 19:00 - 21:30
On Saturday, August 3rd, the International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research (ICAIR) hosted an in-person seminar at The WF House, Moorhall Road, UB9 6NS, titled “Shahida Bint al-Huda and Her Novels.”
The lecture was delivered by Dr Hawraa Al-Hassan, an affiliated researcher at the University of Cambridge, whose scholarship explores how modern Arabic fiction intersects with religion, nationalism, and social change.
Dr Al-Hassan discussed how Shahida Bint al-Huda — born Amina Haydar al-Sadr (1938–1980) — used fiction to articulate an Islamic moral vision during Iraq’s secular turn of the 1960s and 70s. Through her novels, she crafted relatable heroines who embodied faith and dignity, and subtly challenged the Baʿth regime’s portrayal of women.
Her work, Dr Al-Hassan noted, became both a space of resistance and a refuge for Iraq’s devout, nurturing a sense of identity at a time when religious expression was increasingly marginalised.
The seminar invited reflection on how Bint al-Huda’s writing continues to resonate today — as a reminder of the power of literature to preserve faith, shape conscience, and speak truth amid adversity.

Virtual Seminar: The Ethics of Karbala
2024-07-21 15:00 - 18:00
The Ethics of Karbala: A Virtual Seminar with Professor Cyrus Ali Zargar On Sunday, July 21st, the International Centre for Advanced Islamic Research (ICAIR) hosted a virtual seminar entitled “The Ethics of Karbala.”
The session featured Professor Cyrus Ali Zargar, Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Central Florida, who explored the ethical and philosophical dimensions of the Karbala narrative. Drawing from his recent book The Ethics of Karbala, Professor Zargar discussed how sacred narratives can shape moral character and cultivate a “warrior ethos” grounded in care, compassion, and selflessness.
His talk highlighted how a virtue-ethics approach can offer new insights into one of the most pivotal moments in Islamic history, engaging interdisciplinary perspectives that span global philosophy and religious studies.
