Mr Ahmad Achtar
Email: a.achtar@heythrop.ac.uk
Telephone: 020 7795 4225
Ahmad is a lecturer in Islamic Studies and programme convenor of the BA Study of Religions and MA in Abrahamic Religions.
Biography:
BSc in physics from the University of Aleppo (Syria). After doing graduate studies in physics at Cambridge University. I studied at the Muslim College (London) and The School of Oriental and African Studies of University of London specialising in Qur’anic Studies.
Before joining Heythrop I taught on various courses in Islamic studies and Arabic language at the Muslim College, Leo Baeck College, Islamic College for Advanced Studies, Birkbeck College, SOAS and Open Theological College; University of Gloucestershire. Between (2005-2007) I worked as an academic advisor for Islamic Studies programme at Birkbeck London University.
Current Teaching:
I teach on the following modules:
Islam: Beliefs and Practices
Christian-Muslim relations
Philosophical and Theological Ethics (together with Dr. Anna Abram and Mr Jonathan Gorsky)
Sacred Texts and Their Interpretation (together with Dr. Michael Kirwan and Mr. Jonathan Gorsky)
Unity and Diversity in Islamic Thought
Spirituality & Mysticism in the Abrahamic Faiths (Together with Mr. Jonathan Gorsky and Dr. Dr Edward Howells)
Research Interests:
Metaphor and anthropomorphism in the Qur'an, Qur'anic Hermeneutics (Usul al-Tafsir), development of Islamic theology (Ilm al-Kalam) & Jurisprudence (Usul al- Fiqh), classical theory of Jihad, and interfaith dialogue.
Publications:
Challenging Al-Qa‛ida’s justification of terror in Just War on Terror?
A Christian and Muslim Response, edited by David Fisher and Brian Wicker, Ashgate, 2010, pp. 25-36.
Islam: Study Guide, University of London, (to be published in 2010)
Conference presentations, workshops and lectures:
‘Al-Zamakhshari’s Unique Hermeneutics of Anthropomorphic Verses in the Qur’an: Majaz Based on Kinaya and Takhyil’, paper presented at The Qur'an: Text, History & Culture, 12-14 November 2009, SOAS, University of London.
The treatment of Majaz in early Imami usul al-fiqh literature (al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Sharif al-Radi and al-Tusi) paper presented at The Third Workshop of the Network of British Researchers and Practitioners of Islamic Law “Diversity and Change in Islamic Law: Developments in Shi’ite Jurisprudence”, Thursday 4th and Friday 5th June 2009.
“transcending Anthropomorphism in Judaism and Islam: Saadia Gaon and al-Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar” and outlined the anthropomorphism present in Judaism and Islam, in particular within the philosophy of Saadia Gaon and Abd al-Jabbar’s approaches” paper presented at Jewish-Christian-Muslim Conference in Germany March 2009.
Prayer in Islam in a conference about “Prayer: Experiences from different Faith Traditions” organised by Living Theology London, Feb. 2009.
“Al-Baqillani’s contribution to usul al-fiqh: the case of majaz” presented at a workshop on Traditionalism and Modernism in Islamic Law, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies,
University of Exeter, November, 2008.
“Jihad as a spiritual struggle” delivered at “A Symposium on Prayer and Martyrdom in Muslim and Christian Traditions”, Leeds Trinity & All Saints University, November, 2008.
“Islam in History up to 1600 CE”, delivered at the V&A Museum London, September, 2008.
“Reconstruction of Al-Qadi Abd al-Jabbar’s views on Majaz”, presented at a workshop on Traditionalism and Modernism in Islamic Law, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies,
University of Exeter, June, 2008.
“Ijtihadi Muslim Voices on the Qur’an: Taha Abderrahmane’s Hermeneutics” presented at Conference of the British Society of the Middle East: ‘Do We Understand the Middle East” organised jointly by BRISMES and the London Middle East Institute, held at SOAS, 18th-19th April 2008.
“The Limits of Tolerance”, delivered at A Cumberland Lodge Conference on “Religion and secularism: a dynamic balance?” January/February 2008.
“The Importance and Use of the Qur’an” delivered at a conference on “Engaging with Islam Today: One Religion, Many Faces”, organised by Eudaemonia, University of Leeds, January, 2008.
“Arabic commentaries (tafasir) in the Borno Qur’ans”, presented at “The 3rd AHRC/SOAS Interdisciplinary Workshop on the Borno Qur'anic manuscripts”, SOAS, November, 2007.
“The Theology of Prophethood in Islamic Thought: The Prophet Muhammad” delivered at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London, February, 2006.
Work in progress:
Articles:
“Revisiting Majaz al-Qur’an of Abu Ubayda”.
“Development of theory of tropes (majaz) in Arabic Rhetoric up to Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani”.
Books:
Hermeneutics of Metaphor: Anthropomorphism in the Qur’an Fellowships and memberships:
Fellowships and memberships:
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, London.
Member of the Network of British Researchers and Practitioners of Islamic Law
Other Interests:
I am involved in Scriptural Reasoning practice and I am a member of SR University Group, Cambridge.