STUDY TEXT COURSE: ATHAR AL-ITTIJĀH AL-BALĀGHĪ [ON RHETORIC AND THEOLOGY]

Short study text course looking at the discourse on divine attributes in Islamic theology with Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ al-Ghursī[Konya,Türkey]

[PLEASE NOTE - The course is BOTH in person ONSITE in London and for those who can not attend in person can purchase the LIVE ONLINE STREAMING ticket to watch it from their device and those coming in person, should you not decide to attend person on the day or half the day, you will still recieve a link to the live online streaming, irrespective but are encouraged to attend in person if you have registered for that ticket, as this helps with allows room allocation, respectively for fellow participants].

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OFFER DEADLINE ENDs FRIDAY 12TH DECEMBER 2025 after which spaces become limited and prices increase - REGISTER ONLINE and you will receive final instructions.

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Islamic Courses with the support of Ebrahim College and al-Kalam Institute presents:

STUDY TEXT COURSE: ATHAR AL-ITTIJĀH AL-BALĀGHĪ [ON RHETORIC AND THEOLOGY]

With Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ al-Ghursī[Konya, Türkiye]

From The Impact of the Rhetorical Approach on Understanding Texts Suggestive of Anthropomorphism and Corporealism [Athar al-Ittijāh al-Balāghī fī Fahm al-Nuṣūṣ al-Mūhima li-lTashbīh wa-l-Tajsīm]

Chair: *Dr Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury [Cambridge Muslim College /Centre for Islamic Knowledge]

Translator: *Suhayl Maronsey [al-Kalam Institute - alkalam.org]

Date: Saturday 20th December 2025

Time: 9.30am - 4pm

Venue: Cann Hall Masjid, 145 Cann Hall Rd, London E11 3NJ

AUDIENCE: The course will be delivered in Arabic with English commentary AND primarily aimed at students of Islamic Sciences (ṭullāb al-ʿilm), Imams, Ulema and Islamic Studies academics.

This short study text course looks at the discourse on divine attributes in Islamic theology is vast and complex, intertwining with the intricacies of Qur’ānic hermeneutics, the subtleties of the Arabic language, and the historical context of theological debates. At the heart of this discourse lies the challenge of comprehending God's attributes without attributing human characteristics (tashbīh) or denying His attributes (taʿṭīl). This short introduction delves into the perspective of Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Ghursī, a contemporary scholar of the Islamic rational sciences(Konya), on understanding God’s attributes, drawing from the broader debates within Islamic theology and the insights provided by the rhetorical approach to Quranic interpretation. Al-Ghursī’s standpoint is to navigate the tension between affirming the transcendence of God and acknowledging the Qur’ānic descriptions of divine attributes. His views resonate with the classical theological stance that seeks to avoid anthropomorphism and corporealism without negating the attributes of God as described in the Qur’ān. This delicate balance is achieved through a nuanced approach to Qur’ānic hermeneutics, which al-Ghursī advocates for, emphasizing the importance of the Arabic language and rhetorical analysis in understanding the divine attributes, against non-Islamic influences, which is a cause for faulty theology and his perspective, informed by historical debates and contemporary challenges, offers a valuable insight into the ongoing dialogue within Islamic theology on comprehending the nature of the divine.

About the presenters:

*Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Gursi, is a senior theologian of the Ash'ari school and scholar of the rational sciences based in Konya, Türkiye, known for his expertise in traditional sciences, logic(mantiq), and reforming madrasa education. Born in Mardin, he began his formal Islamic education under his father, Shaykh Ahmed al-Ghursi, then spent the next years studying in various Islamic seminaries spread throughout eastern Turkey, in particular the Kurdish Schools and under the tutelage of Shaykh Muhammad al-Irbikandi. He has authored forty scholarly works, including commentaries on logic, and texts like the Alfiya of Ibn Malik in arabic grammar, Nukhba al-Fikr in hadith nomenclature, and Jawhara al-Tawhid in theology, and other subjects from al-Jazari, Ghazali and Iṣlāḥ al-madāris (Reconstruction of Seminaries). He critiques modern madrasa curricula, advocating for integrated learning whilst at the same time, contributing to the preservation and understanding of the Ottoman Islamic tradition via the Kurdish School of Rational Sciences. He also delivers classes for Dar al Fuqaha Seminary in Istanbul.

*Dr. Safaruk Chowdhury is the Academic Director of the Centre for Islamic Knowledge. He read Philosophy at King’s College London, where he also earned the Associate of King’s College (AKC) award. He then travelled to Cairo to study the traditional Islamic Studies curricula at Al-Azhar University. Returning to the UK, he completed his MA with distinction at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. His doctoral research, undertaken at SOAS, examined the eminent Sufi hagiographer and theoretician Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021) and was later published as A Sufi Apologist of Nishapur: The Life and Thought of Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, 2019). Dr. Chowdhury has authored numerous academic articles in Islamic philosophy and theology, particularly in the areas of ethics, metaphysics, logic, and epistemology. His most recent monograph, Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil (New York and Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press​, 2021), represents the first sustained treatment of the subject in Islamic Studies through the lens of analytic theology. He served as the lead researcher for the Beyond Foundationalism: New Horizons in Muslim Analytic Theology project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation in collaboration with the Cambridge Muslim College and the Aziz Foundation, which advanced new trajectories in Islamic epistemology. He has previously served as a lecturer at both SOAS and Birkbeck, University of London. In addition to managing the Islamic Analytic Theology website and maintaining an active research profile on Academia.edu, Dr. Chowdhury holds multiple academic and editorial positions. He is the Executive Editor of the Journal of Islamic Philosophy and the Ihya’ Journal of Islamic Thought, a Research Scholar at the Ibn Rushd Centre for Excellence and Research, a Lecturer at the Cambridge Muslim College, a Senior Instructor at the Whitethread Institute, and Chair of the Islamic Literary Society.

*Suhayl Maronsey [al-Kalam Institute - alkalam.org] is the Founder of the al-Kalam Institute - alkalam.org, which focusses on teaching of the Ottoman Islamic tradition via the Kurdish School of Rational Sciences. He is a student of Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Gursi.

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All welcome, limited spaces, pre-registration required!

DEADLINE FOR BOOKINGS APPLY after which prices increase

For more information call/tel: 07956735301 or email: info@islamiccourses.org

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* Please note, time and resources have been set aside to ensure the programme runs in a smooth and professional manner for the maximum benefit of participants and thus unless the programme has been postponed or cancelled, there are NO REFUNDS as part of the terms and condition policy.

*Lunch and refreshments can be purchased at cafe's or restaurant's near to the venue and NOT included in ticket price.

*The course is BOTH in person ONSITE in London and for those who can not attend in person can purchase the LIVE ONLINE STREAMING ticket to watch it from their device and those coming in person, should decide not to attend person on the day or half the day, you will still recieve a link to the live online streaming, irrespective but are encouraged to attend in person if you have registered for that ticket, as this helps with allows room allocation, respectively for fellow participants

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