Illuminating Scriptural Connections: A Qur’anic Commentary on the Torah
Aga Khan Centre, London, N1C 4DN
Tuesday 10th November 2026
Join us for the launch of Illuminating Scriptural Connections: A Qur’anic Commentary on the Torah, published by the Jewish Publication Society. Co-authors Rick Sopher and Professor Abdulla Galadari will discuss the book with Dr Karen Bauer of The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and Professor Shari Lowin of Stonehill College. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow.
About the book
The book brings the Torah and the Qur’an into conversation. The authors read each of the Torah’s 54 weekly portions alongside passages from the Qur’an. They examine shared stories, prophetic figures, and themes such as creation, law, covenant, and divine mercy.
The authors also trace the long exchange between Jewish and Islamic scriptural traditions, including links with rabbinic literature. They revisit passages that some have read as sources of tension between the two faiths. In doing so, the book opens new paths for scriptural study and Jewish–Muslim dialogue.
Speakers
Rick Sopher
Rick Sopher is a Fellow of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. He is active in interfaith scriptural dialogue and in initiatives that build relations between Jewish and Muslim communities. In 2007, France named him a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur for his contribution to religious education.
Professor Abdulla Galadari
Professor Abdulla Galadari is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi. His publications include Qur’anic Hermeneutics: Between Science, History, and the Bible and Metaphors of Death and Resurrection in the Qur’an: An Intertextual Approach with Biblical and Rabbinic Literature.
Discussants
Dr Karen Bauer
Dr Karen Bauer is Associate Professor in the Qur’anic Studies Unit at IIS. Her research focuses on the Qur’an, Qur’anic interpretation, and the history of Islamic thought.
Professor Shari Lowin
Professor Shari Lowin is Professor of Islamic and Jewish Studies in the Religious Studies Department at Stonehill College, Massachusetts. Her research explores the interplay between Islamic and Jewish texts in the early Islamic period. She is the author of The Making of a Forefather: Abraham in Islamic and Jewish Exegetical Narratives.
This event will be filmed and live-streamed. IIS may edit and use the recording for marketing, educational, and archival purposes. By registering, you consent to these terms.
About the book
The book brings the Torah and the Qur’an into conversation. The authors read each of the Torah’s 54 weekly portions alongside passages from the Qur’an. They examine shared stories, prophetic figures, and themes such as creation, law, covenant, and divine mercy.
The authors also trace the long exchange between Jewish and Islamic scriptural traditions, including links with rabbinic literature. They revisit passages that some have read as sources of tension between the two faiths. In doing so, the book opens new paths for scriptural study and Jewish–Muslim dialogue.
Speakers
Rick Sopher
Rick Sopher is a Fellow of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. He is active in interfaith scriptural dialogue and in initiatives that build relations between Jewish and Muslim communities. In 2007, France named him a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur for his contribution to religious education.
Professor Abdulla Galadari
Professor Abdulla Galadari is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi. His publications include Qur’anic Hermeneutics: Between Science, History, and the Bible and Metaphors of Death and Resurrection in the Qur’an: An Intertextual Approach with Biblical and Rabbinic Literature.
Discussants
Dr Karen Bauer
Dr Karen Bauer is Associate Professor in the Qur’anic Studies Unit at IIS. Her research focuses on the Qur’an, Qur’anic interpretation, and the history of Islamic thought.
Professor Shari Lowin
Professor Shari Lowin is Professor of Islamic and Jewish Studies in the Religious Studies Department at Stonehill College, Massachusetts. Her research explores the interplay between Islamic and Jewish texts in the early Islamic period. She is the author of The Making of a Forefather: Abraham in Islamic and Jewish Exegetical Narratives.
This event will be filmed and live-streamed. IIS may edit and use the recording for marketing, educational, and archival purposes. By registering, you consent to these terms.
Price
Ticket price
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