Why History Matters

Sunday April 12th | 7-9pm (UK time) | 6 weeks | Lecture + Discussion

Join us for a 6-week reading circle as we discuss  the book Why History Matters: Reviving Faith Through the Lens of History with its author Dr Yakoob Ahmed. Each two hour session will begin with a lecture by Dr Yakoob, followed by an open discussion. 






Can history serve as a source of meaning, belonging, and direction for Muslims today?


In his timely and accessible work, Dr Yakoob Ahmed presents a compelling case for reviving historical consciousness as both an intellectual and spiritual imperative. Drawing from the Qur'an, Sirah, and the Islamic tradition, he explores how history nurtures imãn, informs ethical knowledge production, and cultivates a living connection to the ummah across time.


Engaging themes from theology and civilisation to imagination and storytelling, Why History Matters? addresses the challenges Muslims face in approaching the past, while offering a methodology rooted in tradition and open to academic insight.


The book is a vital resource for students, educators, and readers seeking to reconnect the past with the present-and envision a future shaped by principled understanding. 


Published by Ketebe.



Read with the Author

Dr Yakoob Ahmed

Dr. Yakoob Ahmed holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and formerly served as an Associate Professor at Istanbul University's Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies Institute. He also spent a year at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Advanced Asian Studies. A specialist in Late Ottoman and intellectual history, Islamic consti-tutionalism, and nationalism, he regularly features on The Thinking Muslim Podcast, including episodes such as "Ottoman Decline & Muslim Collective Amnesia" and "10 Ottoman Myths Debunked." Не is now an independent researcher, preparing his new book on the late Ottoman ulama.

6-Week Reading Circle

Session details

  • Session one: Why Do Muslims Need to Study History?

  • Session two: The Qur’an and Sīrah as a Source for Analysis and Inspiration for Historians

  • Session three: An Islamic Ethos to Knowledge Production

  • Session four: Patterns and Paradigms: History as Cycles?

  • Session five: Studying Islamic History from a Civilisational Approach

  • Session six: The Blurring Lines Between Fiction and Reality

Sign up now

$99 | 6 sessions | 2 hours weekly

A one hour lecture by Dr Yakoob followed by one hour of discussion
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