Lecture Series on
History of Islamic Thought and Civilization, MIT

🌐 Virtual, in Farsi | English Subs

🔹Tuesdays 8:30-10:15 pm (ET), Starting April 15, 2025
Lecture (in Farsi, Eng Subs), "The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", 10 Sessions
Speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
About Speaker:
https://www.ias.edu/hs/ansari

Abstract:
In this series of lectures, we will briefly discuss the history of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. The term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah," although dating back to the third century, its usage to refer to the beliefs of a religious school in Islam can ultimately be traced back to the early fourth century AH in Khorasan. This, while the formation of this school as a comprehensive religious and political identity was the result of a series of events and transformations that took shape in the middle of the fifth century and, thereafter, the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah" became commonly used. In this way, Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, as a comprehensive identity, emerged for the four Sunni jurisprudential schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali, as well as the two theological schools of Ash'ari and Maturidi only in the sixth century AH. In this series of lectures, we will discuss the early roots of the elements related to "Sunnah" and "Jama'ah," which date back to the second and third centuries AH, and also the role of political power in its formation, as well as the relationship between knowledge and power in this process, God willing.

Zoom Webinar (lecture series):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/93933325521
Meeting ID: 939 3332 5521

YouTube Live:
https://www.youtube.com/@AhlulbaytIslamicSociety

🟥 Lecture is recorded in YouTube and can be watched later on our channel with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate.

#sunnah_wa_jamaah
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZJPDyDM-A&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 1
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
Apr 15, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 1:
In this session, as the first meeting and an introduction to the discussion, detailed topics were raised regarding the historical relations between Shi'ism and various Sunni schools both within Iran and outside of it, as well as the historical relationships among the different Sunni schools themselves.

In this context, we discussed the point that what is referred to today as "Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah" (Sunnis) is the result of a historical evolution involving the merging and separation of older theological and jurisprudential schools. Even today, it is not possible to consider all Sunnis as a single, unified body in terms of belief, jurisprudence, or political/religious thought.

Regarding Iran, we discussed how Iran’s fate diverged from that of Egypt, the Levant, and the Ottoman Empire due to the rise of Shi'ism and the formation of a national government rooted in Iranian Shi'ism. As a result, Iran did not face the same fate as the countries that emerged from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAOo8MGPAw4&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 2
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
Apr 22, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 2:
In this session, we addressed two topics. First, we discussed that Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah is a theological and doctrinal school that gradually took shape in response to the theological and doctrinal tendencies of the first few centuries. Therefore, it is a later phenomenon compared to the existence of other schools such as Shi'a, Mu'tazila, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, and so on.

Second, we talked about the Umayyad era and how the concepts of "Sunnah" and "Jama'ah" gradually gained meaning starting from that period. The main discussion on this topic will, God willing, take place in the third session.

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSpWJPvj9_0&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 3
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
Apr 29, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 3:
In this session, we discussed the role of the Umayyad government, and specifically Mu'awiyah, in shaping concepts such as "Sunnah (tradition)", "tāʿah (obedience)," "bid‘ah (innovation), and "jama‘ah (community)", and how a class of scholars from the Levant during the era of the Companions and especially the Followers (Tabi‘in) played a central role in constructing a system of religious and theological beliefs that later came to be known as "Sunnah." We examined how, in the face of opposition to the Umayyad caliphate, any form of dissent was labeled as "bid‘ah", and how a version of "Sunnah" aligned with Umayyad ideology was reinforced within certain theological schools as a response to such opposition.

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF9noChFPRs&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 4
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
May 6, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 4:
In this session, we read and analyzed several important documents. These documents, all belonging to scholars of the Umayyad period and the people of the Levant in the first two centuries of Islam, can explain their perspective on 'tradition (Sunnah)', 'community (jama'ah)', and the issue of the caliphate — and how the legacy of these ideas later maintained its presence in various forms within the schools of the 'Great Majority' (Suwād al-Aʿẓam).

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv1QhuOhWKo&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 5
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
May 13, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 5:
In this session, we examined the views of the Umayyads and the School of Sham (Syria) regarding the caliphate of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and Mu'awiyah's claim to the caliphate. We also reviewed documents that show how, under the influence of the School of Sham, even up to the time of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the caliphate of Imam Ali was not universally accepted by all adherents of the Sunni tradition.

On the other hand, we discussed how Mu'awiyah’s claim to the caliphate gradually became a subject of controversy, and despite opposition from a segment of the Sunni community, the School of Sham—especially later the Hanbalis—attempted to legitimize his caliphate.

We also discussed how, later on, Sunni scholars sought to justify the wars among the Sahabah (companions)—an effort that ultimately led to the development of the ‘Adalat al-Sahabah (theory of the justice of the companions).

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m80Z5ex1Nyw&list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=1s

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 6
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
May 19, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 6:
In this session, by examining a number of the most important documents and texts from the 3rd century AH, we showed that contrary to the claim made from the late 3rd century AH onward, "tradition" (sunnah) in the context of the caliphate was established as a reaction to what was later labeled as "innovation" (bid‘ah). For two centuries, those who were later referred to as the ancestors of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama‘ah held different views regarding the order of the caliphate, the merit and justice of the Companions, and the wars of the "fitnah" (civil strife). Within this constructed tradition, some individuals were considered Shi'a, although they were not truly Shi'a, in order to preserve the image of a consistent and unbroken "tradition" reaching back to the Prophet (PBUH). We stated that "innovations" emerged earlier than "traditions."

#sunnah_wa_jamaah

https://youtu.be/eIfaaOtdO_U?list=PLRagz8v-1fF7hvJEPcEyp_xo0h7wSkz9N&t=7

"The History of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah", Lecture 7
speaker, Dr. Hassan Ansari
May 27, 2025

🟥 Lecture in Farsi, can be watched with closed caption (CC) and auto-translate on our channel.

Session 7:
In this session, we discussed the history of orthodox Sunni Islam regarding two topics: the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulafā' al-Rāshidīn) and the preference of the companions and caliphs. By revisiting documents from the third century, we showed how the scholars of Hadith and Sunnah made significant efforts to establish an orthodox position, despite differing beliefs about the caliphate. They aimed to create a structured preference for the caliphs and the subject of the wars during the period, which was referred to as the 'First Fitna.' Their goal was to establish this as an orthodoxy, categorizing it as 'Sunnah' in opposition to 'Bida' (innovation). This process involved marginalizing opposing views and beliefs from the domain of Sunnah. This transformation was particularly solidified during the period of the Mihnah (the inquisition) and the opposition of the Hadith scholars to the religious policies of the caliph Mamun and his successors. As a result, a new concept of the caliphate/political power emerged, and in the discussion of preference, they effectively positioned themselves as representatives of a 'preference tradition' that was concerned with criteria aimed at consolidating the political and religious authority of the Hadith scholars and the Ahl al-Sunnah (people of the tradition). In this framework, the companions of the Prophet (Sahabah) were assumed to be both just and the predecessors ('Salaf') of the Sunnah.

#sunnah_wa_jamaah