Tuesday Talk with Yousef Casewit 1/28
Spiritual Resilience Amid War and Collapse: Reflections on the Mystics of al-Andalus
AIC BULLETIN
ACADEMIC LECTURE FORUM
Tuesday, January 28th @6pm CST
Speaker: Yousef Casewit
Associate Professor of Qur’anic Studies; University of Chicago, Divinity School
Lecture Topic:
Spiritual Resilience Amid War and Collapse: Reflections on the Mystics of al-Andalus
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM Light Reception | 6:30 PM Talk CST
Venue: American Islamic College
Registration: Free and open to the public. Parking Available.
In-person & live-streamed, registration required.
Join us for a night of intellectual and spiritual stimulation with Dr. Yousef Casewit and enjoy some delectable Pakistani hors d'oeuvres.
In this talk, Dr. Yousef Casewit reflects on contemporary lessons drawn from the writings of the Contemplatives (Mu’tabirun), a remarkable school of Islamic mysticism that emerged in 12th-century al-Andalus in a world beset by war, social inequalities, economic instability, and political turmoil. The ethos of spiritual resilience cultivated by the Contemplatives offers a profound resource for Muslims in the US grappling with the emotional toll and moral injuries of witnessing war crimes from afar while striving to effect meaningful change at home. Their integration of scriptural, intellectual, and spiritual traditions forged a holistic response to societal crises, demonstrating how spiritual practices, ethical leadership, engaged scholarship, justice-oriented spirituality, and community solidarity can counter despair and inspire transformative action.
Speaker: Yousef Casewit
Associate Professor of Qur’anic Studies; University of Chicago, Divinity School
Professor Casewit is a Qur’anic studies scholar. His research interests include intellectual history of North Africa and al-Andalus, Muslim perceptions of the Bible, and medieval commentaries on the ninety nine divine names.
He has several publications, most recently The Mystics of al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajān and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017), a study on Ibn Barrajan’s life and teachings. He is also the author of a critical edition of a Qur’an commentary by Ibn Barrajan (Brill, TSQ Series, 2016). Read More Here
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