Join us for this special launch event for Command and Creation: A Shi’i Cosmological Treatise, with author Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor in lively conversation with Dr Toby Mayer, both Senior Research Associates at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. The event is moderated by Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, series editor of the Ismaili Texts and Translations Series and Senior Research Fellow in the Shi'i Studies Unit.

Command and Creation is a critical edition and English translation of the only Persian work by Shahrastani. The central question of the sermon is how the world comes into being (khalq). This creation is connected with knowledge of God, and then the manifestation of God’s command (amr) in the material world.

The speakers will explore two major themes in the book, beginning with the evolution of religious law (sharīʿat) and its perfection in esoteric resurrection (qiyāmat). They will also consider the relationship between the role of the Imams and that of Prophets, and look at a conversation between Musa and Khidr in which the role of the founder of religious law (the prophet) is discussed alongside the role of the esoteric perfector of it (the qāʾim).

A small selection of refreshments will be available following the event. Please speak to staff if you have dietary requirements.

Date: 17 March 2022

Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm (UK)

Location: Aga Khan Centre, London and Online (Zoom)

Q&A: At any time during the conversation, online attendees can submit questions to the speakers through the Q&A option at the bottom of the control panel. As time allows, the moderator will pose as many questions as they can to the speakers during the Q&A session at the end of the presentation from audience members present both in-person and joining online.

Recording: Please note that the session will be recorded and published on the IIS website, and on the IIS YouTube channel.

Moderator: Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov (Senior Research Fellow, Shi'i Studies Unit, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK)