Cambridge Muslim College was well-represented at this year’s British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS) annual conference, held at the Old Divinity School, St John’s College, University of Cambridge. The event brought together leading scholars from across the UK and beyond for two days of rigorous academic discussion and reflection on the state of Islamic studies today.
We were proud to see several of our faculty contribute to key discussions across a range of panels.
Dr Belal Alabbas presented twice during the conference. In the first instance, he contributed to a session on Hadith Hermeneutics, where he examined al-Dārimī’s treatment of ra’y in the transmission of hadith. He later returned to the platform in a panel on Ḥanafī and Hadith School Formations, offering a detailed exploration of the life and work of Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī.
Dr Ramon Harvey chaired this latter session and presented his own research on Abū Salama of Samarqand, focusing on the development of popular Sunnī Ḥanafī creed in 4th/10th-century Transoxiana. His contribution reflected the College’s dedication to historically informed and intellectually rigorous Islamic scholarship.
In the same panel, Dr Salman Younas examined the legacy of ʿĪsā b. Abān and his role in shaping the early Ḥanafī tradition. The panel, with all three scholars representing Cambridge Muslim College, demonstrated the depth and coherence of the College’s scholarship in the field of Islamic law and theology.
Dr Aaminah Patel also featured prominently in the conference, participating in the panel Interpreting the Divine. Her paper focused on theological themes in early Māturīdī tafsīr, particularly the notion of prophetic impeccability as reflected in the story of Adam. Her presentation exemplified CMC’s approach to bridging the classical Islamic tradition with contemporary academic inquiry.
The conference was also a chance for our faculty to engage in wider conversations on British Muslim identities, Islamic pedagogy, and the digital sphere, among other themes. With over a dozen simultaneous panels across both days, BRAIS 2025 reaffirmed the vitality and diversity of Islamic studies in the UK and beyond.
Cambridge Muslim College remains committed to contributing to these important conversations with clarity, rigour and relevance. We extend our thanks to BRAIS for hosting such a significant gathering and to all our colleagues who participated.
