Second Annual Kazimi Lecture in Shi’i Studies

Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Shi’ism and Sufism: A Morphological and Historical Survey

December 7, 2020

How did Shi’ism and Sufism become distinct schools of religion and spirituality after the rise of Islam?

As part of the second annual Kazimi Lecture in Shi’i Studies at Rice, distinguished scholar of Islamic religion Seyyed Hossein Nasr shared how their shared doctrines of esoterism and sanctity are interpreted in different ways at different times, and how they have interacted with and influenced each other over time. His Dec. 7, 2020 talk was titled "Shi’ism and Sufism: A Morphological and Historical Survey."

Jeffrey J. Kripal, associate dean of faculty and graduate studies in the School of Humanities at Rice University and the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought in the Department of Religion, introduced Dr. Nasr and moderated a conversation with the University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University.

The event was made possible through a generous gift from the children of Syed Safdar and Samina Kazimi and organized by the School of Humanities Dean’s Office and the Department of Transnational Asian Studies.