The lecture will take place online via Zoom. It will start at 17:00 and end at 18:30 GMT.
About the lecture
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (ҹ糡) will host an online lecture on 11 November 2026 as part of the Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series (IHTLS). Dariouche Kechavarzi (Institut Français d’Islamologie / École Pratique des Hautes Études) will examine the figure of the ܱExaggerators’ or ‘extremists.’ A term of disapproval in classical Muslim sources against what they regarded as ‘heretical’ exaggeration in matters of doctrine. and its role in shaping early Shiʿi memory and the construction of heresy and orthodoxy in Islam, with Dr Mushegh Asatryan (University of Calgary) serving as discussant.
During the first two centuries of Islam, several movements associated with Shiʿism led revolts in Kūfa, opposing Umayyad and Abbasid authority and at times controlling significant areas of Iraq. Although these movements represent some of the earliest politico-religious formations in Islamic history, later canonical traditions often portrayed them as deviant or heretical.
From the late second/eighth century onward, polemical sources described these groups as ܱ, meaning “exaggerators.” Muslim heresiographers attributed to them doctrines such as belief in the messianic return (rajʿa) of the Imam, transmigration of souls (tanāsukh), antinomian practices, distinctive cosmogonies, esoteric readings of the Qurʾān, and claims concerning the supernatural status of the Imams.
This lecture seeks to move these groups out of the margins imposed by later narratives. By critically analysing heresiographical representations, it reconsiders the theological debates that shaped early Shiʿism during its formative stage. The presentation also offers a broader reflection on how categories such as “heresy” and “orthodoxy” were constructed within Islamic thought, and how these concepts continue to shape modern scholarship on early Islam.
Speaker
Dr Dariouche Kechavarzi
Researcher
Dariouche Kechavarzi holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris). His research explores the doctrinal history of early Shiʿism and its representation in heresiographical literature. His forthcoming dissertation, Heresy and Orthodoxy in Early Islam, examines how the memory of the Shiʿi ܱ shaped the emergence of an Islamic conception of heresy in the classical period. His interests include Islamic doxography, rational theology (첹峾From Arabic, lit. ‘Speech, discussion, argument’, translated as philosophical theology, refers to theological reflection using rational philosophical argumentation to study and express the content of the faith in a coherent…), and broader epistemological questions concerning the production and transmission of knowledge about religions.
Discussant
Dr Mushegh Asatryan
Associate Professor
Dr Mushegh Asatryan is a scholar of intellectual and social history of the Islamic Middle East at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on early Shiʿism, Islamic sectarianism, and Abbasid learnedculture.
Moderator
Orkhan Mir-Kasimov
Associate Professor
Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov is an Associate Professor at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. He is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and his teaching focuses on Islamic history, Shiʿi history and thought, and Islamic mysticism. Find out more on Dr Mir-Kasimov’s research and publications.
Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series
Designed to invite scholars of various international academic institutions, specialising in intellectual, social and political aspects of medieval and early modern Islamic societies, to present and discuss their research.
Find out more
Photo: , Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami Ganjavi. Calligrapher Ja’far Baisunghuri Iranian. Author Nizami. 835 AH/1431–32 CE.
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Views expressed in this lecture are those of the presenting scholars, not necessarily of ҹ糡, the Ismaili community or its leadership. Promotion of this lecture is not an explicit endorsement of the ideas presented.
