Imad Khan

Imad Khan is a research student at SOAS University of London in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. His background is in the literary-theological study of the Quran. 

His current work investigates beliefs about the power of affective speech in pre-Islamic culture and how the Quran reshapes these ideas in its own representation of the spoken word. This involves deriving epistemological principles from pre-Islamic poetry and oration in both their earthly and supernatural qualities. These serve to better understand the Quranic concept of qalb (heart) as the seat of emotion and sound reasoning, how the heart can be inspired by natural and supernatural speech, and how human beings are expected to form correct beliefs.  

Imad completed his undergraduate degree at King’s College London (BA English) and his master’s degree at the University of York (MA Medieval Studies). Following several years of Arabic study, including a twelve-months advanced training course in Classical Arabic (Qasid Institute, Amman), he commenced doctoral research at SOAS. 

Working across literature, theology, and history, he has contributed to several interdisciplinary projects. He supported a research project for the now published neuro-theological book Why We Gather by Joshua Cockayne and Gideon Salter. He also co-created the proposed BA World Philosophies module Global Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art. He is currently a contributor to the ICLA comparative literature project Languages of Love. His memberships include the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion and the Royal Historical Society. 

• Quranic epistemology
• I'jaz al-Qur'an (Quranic inimitability)
• Comparative poetics
• Pre-Islamic Arabia
• Belief formation
• Scriptural translation