Seminar: Ijtihad and Reformation

Muslims face many challenges all over the world. One ongoing issue is the differences within various sects of Islam about the authenticity and accuracy of legal and social interpretations of Islamic teachings and traditions. The book Shi-ism Revisted: Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times (watch the video below) explores this very topic, and its author, Dr. Liyakat Takim, will be joining OIL to lead an interactive seminar to explore your questions.

Please join us on 21 January 2023, where Dr Takim will highlight the major concerns and possibilities he discovered through his research, and where he will challenge us to engage deeply on this perennially relevant topic. This is your opportunity to listen firsthand to an expert who spent several years exploring the importance and intricacies of the subject, while voicing your concerns among your peers. 

When: Saturday 21 January 2023 @ 2pm

Where: MARC, 9000 Bathurst St, Thornhill

This event was recorded. Watch the video here.

Please listen to a brief summary of Dr Takim’s ideas in the video below, then bring your own ideas and questions on the issue to the seminar. It will surely be very educational and beneficial to all. Here are some questions to ponder in advance of the interactive event:

1. 1. 1. 1. Can the social laws of 7th- and 8th-century Arabia still be applied in the 21st century and be relevant to the needs of modern Muslims?
         2. Is it acceptable to re-examine the framework of Ijtihad (independent reasoning)?
         3. What areas of Islamic law should be re-examined without violating the essential spirit of legal, ethical and moral principles of Islam?
         4. What are the tensions between those who believe and those who don’t believe that social laws can and need to be reformed?

Press the red PLAY button to watch a video of Dr Takim talking about his book. 

About Dr Liyakat Takim:

Dr Liyakat Takim is the Sharjah Chair in Global Islam at McMaster University in Canada. He is the author of a number of books, including, The Heirs of the Prophet: Charisma and Religious Authority in Shi’ite Islam, Shi’ism in America, and Shia Islam in North America. He has written on a wide range of topics such as reformation in Islam, Qur’anic exegesis, Shi’ism in the diaspora, Islamophobia, and the treatment of women in Islamic law.

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