Call for Papers
The Sage of Medina: The Thought, Life, and Teachings of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq.
Organiser: Leiden University Centre for Islamic Thought and History (LUCITH) with the support of the Shiʿa Research Institute (Toronto)
Conference Date: 2-3 December 2026
Conference Location: Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Abstract Deadline: 30 March 2026
In Muslim historical memory, Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, who lived in Medina in the early to mid-eighth century CE, is regarded as one of the preeminent authorities in Islamic learning in ḥadīth, law, and theology.The famed jurist of Iraq Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 767) is reported to have said of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, “I have not come across anyone more learned than Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad,” while the early Medinan jurist Mālik b. Anas (d. 795) is quoted as saying, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to the heart of any human being anyone more learned, more pious, and more devout than Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq.”
Despite the prominence of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and the paramount significance he holds in Shiʿi and Sunni law and ḥadīth, Sufi spirituality, and Qurʾanic exegesis, among other fields of study, far too little scholarly attention has been devoted to his life, teachings, ideas, and place in Muslim intellectual culture in both medieval and modern contexts.
This conference aims to create a venue for specialists in Islamic studies to examine Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his legacy as a jurist, theologian, philosopher, imam, ḥadīth scholar, exegete, and spiritual teacher. We welcome contributions from the fields of fiqh, tafsīr, ḥadīth, kalām, philosophy, and history that seek to investigate the intellectual and historical dimensions of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq.
Questions and topics that may inspire, but should not limit, proposed contributions include:
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and Islamic law and legal theory
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and Shiʿi ḥadīth
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and Sunni ḥadīth
- The place of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in Sufism
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq under the Umayyads and ʿAbbasids
- Did Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq find a madhhab?
- The philosophical and theological teachings of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq
- How did medieval biographical works from different theological traditions portray Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq?
- Did Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq leave behind a written legacy?
- What do you know about Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq’s students and networks?
- Specific views of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq on legal, philosophical, theological, and mystical topics
Proposed papers should present new research and must not have been previously published. An edited volume of selected papers is planned with an academic press soon after the conference.
Abstracts, which will be peer-reviewed prior to acceptance, should include the title of the proposed paper, a brief introduction to the topic, and a clearly articulated thesis with stated objectives and preliminary arguments. The conference will cover necessary expenses, including travel, accommodation, and meals during the conference.
For consideration of your proposal, please send a 300-word abstract in English to Ahab Bdaiwi at a.bdaiwi@hum.leidenuniv along with your full name and current association by 15 April, 2026.