A ceremony has been held at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) to launch the two-volume Persian translation of The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology by the translator, Mr Meysam Karami. The event took place on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, attended by the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, the university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, the Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Political, Security, and Social Affairs, Dr Ali Sadeghi, the Adviser to the Governor-General of Zanjan, Dr Rasoul Bayat, the Governor of Zanjan County, Mr Ali Kazemi, the university lecturer and former Member of Parliament, Dr Mohammadreza Khanmohammadi Khorrami, the academic in political science and international relations, Dr Seyyed Farshid Jafari, and a group of university lecturers, provincial officials, researchers, and individuals interested in culture and intellectual life.

Speakers discussed the book’s contribution to expanding Islamic theological studies and strengthening academic dialogue, stressing the importance of specialist translation, critical reassessment of the Islamic world’s intellectual heritage, and support for independent researchers. A video message from Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Daamaad was also shown.

Emphasis on universities’ cultural and social responsibilities

Welcoming the guests, the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, referred to the university’s position within the country’s higher education system and attributed its strong performance against quality indicators to the efforts of the university community.

He stressed that the university’s mission extended beyond education, research, and technology, describing social and cultural responsibility as a central part of universities’ work. He cited initiatives including the Science House and the Knowledge House. The Science House, he said, welcomed thousands of pupils from schools across the province each year, helping them understand scientific concepts through practical experience. This work had also received recognition for its contribution to science outreach. The Knowledge House, established through the efforts of the university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, and overseen by the charitable Sobouti Foundation, provided education and skills training for school pupils.

Building on earlier launches of cultural and intellectual works at the university, the IASBS President described the introduction of The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology as a continuation of this work. Recalling a visit to Maragheh during his tenure as Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, he also stressed the importance of establishing influential academic centres in the humanities and drawing on the expertise of distinguished scholars.

Discussing the research of the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, described the breadth of his bibliographical and translation work as noteworthy. Giving examples of the use of mathematical reasoning and scientific methods to explain questions, he stressed the need to draw on methodology, logical argument, and modern knowledge to strengthen the persuasive power of Islamic theology. In his view, science served the advancement of society when precision and methodological rigour were accompanied by ethical and human responsibility.

Video message on Islamic theology, reason, religion, and society

A video message from Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Daamaad was then shown. Ayatollah Mohaghegh Daamaad described theology as a discipline concerned with explaining faith rationally, defending beliefs through reasoned argument, and answering fundamental questions about God, humanity, the world, and the afterlife.

Ayatollah Mohaghegh Daamaad said Islamic theology had developed at the intersection of religious texts, philosophical reason, and social and political change. It was therefore a discipline capable of reassessment and expansion in response to the questions and challenges of each era. Distinguishing theology from Islamic jurisprudence and Quranic exegesis, he stressed its role in examining the foundations of belief and worldviews.

Referring to rationalist and textualist currents in the history of Islamic theology, Ayatollah Mohaghegh Damad described the tensions and dialogue between these approaches as sources of the field’s vitality. Citing verse 125 of Surah al-Nahl, he stressed the place of wisdom, good counsel, and reasoned dialogue in the Islamic tradition. He noted that Islamic theology had historically engaged in dialogue with other religions and continued to contribute to interfaith dialogue and responses to contemporary questions.

Ayatollah Mohaghegh Daamaad described the Persian translation of The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology as a research-based work of scholarly value that, through its coverage of different theological schools and currents, gave Persian-speaking readers access to a body of contemporary research in the field.

Recognition of scholarly endeavour and the importance of bibliography

The university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, discussed the breadth of the scholarly and publishing activities of the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, introducing some of his original works, translations, and critical editions. Reviewing examples of published books on the thought of al-Ghazali, the philosophy of Suhrawardi, the philosophy of Avicenna, Safavid history, and Sadrian philosophy, he described the scale and variety of this work as considerable.

The university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, also referred to numerous works by the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, on the social and political history of Islam, grammatical studies, Sufism, theology, local history, and textual editing. He stressed the need for the academic community to recognise researchers who, through sustained concentration and perseverance, collected, examined, and made specialist sources and texts available to readers.

Referring to the translator, Mr Meysam Karami’s sustained work in Khorramdarreh, Prof Sobouti described recognition of such efforts as part of the academic community’s responsibility. He also stressed the importance of preserving and reviving written sources to sustain research across the humanities.

Translation as a link between the production and transmission of knowledge

The Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Political, Security, and Social Affairs, Dr Ali Sadeghi, discussed translators’ role in transmitting knowledge. He noted that cultural history was shaped both by those who produced ideas and by those who carried knowledge across linguistic boundaries and made it accessible to others, thereby contributing substantially to the continuity and expansion of culture.

Dr Sadeghi described the translation of theological texts as a task extending beyond the substitution of words, stressing the need to understand historical contexts and specialist terminology and convey concepts faithfully. Translators, he said, needed to remain faithful to the original while enabling readers in the target language to understand its ideas accurately.

Referring to the breadth of work by the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, in philosophical and mystical thought and the social and political history of Islamic civilisation, the Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Political, Security, and Social Affairs stressed the importance of studying history beyond accounts centred on kings and wars. He cited studies of the history of Nishapur, Zaydi intellectual life, and networks of knowledge transmission as examples of research that could offer a more precise understanding of how Islamic civilisation developed.

Dr Sadeghi also described universities as places where perspectives could encounter one another, intellectual heritage could be reassessed, and new questions could be raised. Scholarly criticism of publications was essential to the development of knowledge, he said, as academic progress depended on evaluation and critical dialogue.

Expanding the international presence of humanities research

The university lecturer and former Member of Parliament, Dr Mohammadreza Khanmohammadi Khorrami, recalled different stages of his education and teaching career. He spoke about the academic standing of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) and the role of the university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, in attracting distinguished academics and establishing its scholarly reputation.

Drawing on his experience of engagement with international academic institutions, Dr Khanmohammadi stressed the need to increase Iranian researchers’ presence in respected international journals in fields such as philosophy, mysticism, Islamic jurisprudence, and theology. He said that, just as basic sciences and engineering had achieved success in international publishing, the humanities needed sustained, purposeful work and reputable publications to introduce Iran’s intellectual and research strengths to global audiences.

Dr Khanmohammadi also recalled the public recognition and respect shown to the translator’s late father, Mr Rahim Karami. He described this as evidence of the lasting place of teachers’ educational influence, ethical conduct, and service in collective memory.

Supporting researchers as an investment in the future of knowledge

The university lecturer and Adviser to the Governor-General of Zanjan, Dr Rasoul Bayat, distinguished between a book launch and a critical discussion of a book, stressing the importance of recognising authors’ efforts and scholarly journeys. Referring to the sustained research of the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, he described his perseverance and daily commitment to reading and research as noteworthy.

Dr Bayat, discussed the translator, Mr Meysam Karami’s, specialist library in Khorramdarreh, including its extensive collection of books, manuscript microfilms, and research notes. He described these resources as the result of years of sustained effort to collect and organise knowledge.

Dr Bayat also made reference to the tradition of honouring distinguished scholars and cultural figures in the translator, Mr Meysam Karami’s, works, describing it as a way to preserve the memory and scholarly legacy of earlier generations. The Adviser to the Governor-General of Zanjan further stressed the need for officials to address independent researchers’ living conditions and provide suitable circumstances for their work. He described such support as a contribution to preserving the country’s scholarly resources.

Critical reassessment of intellectual heritage opens new perspectives

The academic in political science and international relations, Dr Seyyed Farshid Jafari, discussed differences between the methodologies of the natural sciences and the humanities. He explained that research in the humanities and social sciences required a continual return to texts, historical experiences, and earlier ideas. This process could move beyond repetition: a critical reassessment of sources could generate new questions and open fresh perspectives on existing issues.

Dr Jafari placed the work of the translator, Mr Meysam Karami, within Iran’s tradition of bibliography, textual editing, and the revival of written heritage. Recalling several prominent figures in this field, he stressed the importance of sustaining that tradition. Dr Jafari, also shared childhood memories of his acquaintance with the Karami family, highlighting the role of family and upbringing in directing talent towards sustained scholarly work.

Years of research and the translation of The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology

The book’s translator, Mr Meysam Karami, began by paying tribute to Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mousa Shobeiri Zanjani and recalling his scholarship, including his work on the biographies and reliability of hadith transmitters. He then thanked the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, and the university for making the ceremony possible.

Mr Karami recalled his late father, Mr Rahim Karami’s, support for his research. He said that, after learning of his interest in and need for a valuable collection of scholarly sources, his father had given him his retirement gratuity to enable him to buy it. He described this as an example of his family’s unstinting support for his research.

Discussing his research in Khorramdarreh, Mr Karami described assembling an extensive collection of specialist sources, books, manuscript microfilms, and subject notes. He said the collection was the result of years of sustained daily work on historical and intellectual texts and sources.

He also made reference to several forthcoming research projects, including a collection on Sibawayh and an extensive study of Abu al-Qasim al-Ghushayri. He stressed the importance of direct access to sources, collation of manuscripts, and close examination of texts in producing reliable scholarship.

Explaining the translation process for The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology, Mr Karami said that conveying specialist terms and concepts accurately had required continual checking against sources and repeated revision. The work covered subjects including different schools of Islamic theology, the ideas of prominent theologians, and theology’s historical connections with other intellectual and religious traditions. It could therefore help Persian-speaking readers become more familiar with contemporary research in the field.

Criticising some weaknesses in university research practices, Mr Karami stressed the need for originality, accuracy, and depth in theses and scholarly publications. Effective research, he said, required extensive reading of sources, methodological rigour, and care to avoid reproducing unsupported material. Mr Karami then recounted a historical account of the standing of knowledge and scholars in Iran, stressing the importance of honouring the scholarly tradition and supporting research.

Book unveiled and translator honoured

In the final part of the ceremony, the two-volume Persian translation of The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology was unveiled in the presence of the university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, the Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Political, Security, and Social Affairs, Dr Ali Sadeghi, Dr Ali Mardani, the Governor of Zanjan County, Mr Ali Kazemi, the university lecturer and former Member of Parliament, Dr Mohammadreza Khanmohammadi Khorrami, the university lecturer and Adviser to the Governor-General of Zanjan, Dr Rasoul Bayat, Prof Homayoun Ataei, Prof Houshang Jafari, and the book’s translator, Mr Meysam Karami.

Mr Karami, presented the first copy to the university’s founder, Prof Yousef Sobouti, in recognition of his academic standing and service. The Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Political, Security, and Social Affairs, Dr Ali Sadeghi, presented a commemorative plaque from the Governor-General of Zanjan, while the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, presented a certificate of appreciation from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS). Mr Karami also received a plaque and gifts from Dr Ali Mardani and the Governor of Zanjan County, Mr Ali Kazemi.

The ceremony concluded with faculty members, officials, and other guests gathering for a commemorative photograph.