Conference: „In Conversation with the Prophet Muhammad?“

The AIWG Research Group: „In conversation with the Prophet Muhammad?“ extends an invitation to an international conference on October 7 and 8, 2026, titled “In Conversation witthe Prophet Muhammad? The Hadith Between Existential Relevance and Discrepancy in History, Theology, and Pedagogy,” at the Center for Islamic Theology at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen.

The conference addresses the essential question of how hadiths — as transmitted accounts of the Prophet’s teachings — can be understood and experienced in various historical, theological, and pedagogical contexts as a medium for a dialogical encounter with the Prophet Muhammad. Two days, international scholars from seven different countries and various areas of expertise in Hadith studies present their perspectives on this issue in Tübingen.

The first day will address the hadith as a source for different approaches to the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The focus is on its relevance as a didactic resource in Islamic religious education, spiritual and postcolonial narratives about the Prophet’s life and teachings, as well as historical and computer-assisted methods for contextualization.

The second day is devoted to the textual characteristics of the Hadith, between transmitted testimony, discourse, and prophetic orality. In addition, the spiritual, identifying, and epistemological functions of hadith collections in various Islamic traditions will be examined, and hermeneutical approaches to controversial and seemingly contradictory traditions will be discussed.

Full details of the conference program can be found in the Conference_Hadith_Flyer .

 

Date

October 7 and 8, 2026

 

Venue

Center for Islamic Theology (ZITh)
Liebermeisterstraße18, 72076 Tübingen
2nd Floor, Rooms 224/225

 

Inquiries and registration via email to:

Dr. Besnik Sinani (besnik.sinani@uni-tuebingen.de)

Zeynep Taskiran (zeynep.taskiran@uni-tuebingen.de)