On July 14, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., Prof. Dr. Shahbaz Manj will give a lecture titled “Qur’an, Reason, and Modernity: Islamic Reformist Thought in South Asia.”
This lecture explores the emergence of Islamic modernist thought in South Asia, focusing on the relationship between Qur’anic interpretation, revelation, reason and modernity. It examines how reformist thinkers responded to the intellectual and social challenges of the modern age, with particular attention to the pioneering role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. By situating these developments in a broader comparative perspective, the talk highlights ongoing debates on religious reform and interpretation in contemporary Muslim societies.



Prof. Dr. Shahbaz Manj, Founding Chairperson of the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Education, Lahore, Pakistan, and currently serving as a Visiting Professor at the University of Göttingen, Germany.