Religion Seminar: Covenants in Islam (Prof Halim Rane)

Covenants in Islam: New Directions for Islamic Studies, International Relations, and Decolonial Thought

Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion and is projected to become the most widely followed by the latter half of this century. For some, this demographic shift provokes anxiety, shaped by decades of media, political, and even academic narratives that associate Islam and Muslims with violence and conflict. While such narratives have been contested, what has long been missing is a compelling, evidence-based framework that offers a fundamentally different understanding of Islam’s ethical and political foundations.

This lecture introduces groundbreaking scholarship on covenants in the Qurʾān and the Prophet Muhammad’s covenants with Christian and other communities—research that is reshaping contemporary understandings of interreligious relations, human security, and peaceful coexistence in Islam. Professor Halim Rane, a world-leading authority on the study of covenants in Islam, will present key findings on the Qurʾānic covenantal concepts of ʿahd and mīthāq, the Prophet’s covenantal diplomacy, and the historical legacy of Islamic covenantal governance. He will also explore the far-reaching implications of this paradigm for the field of Islamic Studies, responses to current crises of global justice and authority of international institutions, and prospects for decolonial thought.

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