Category Archives: Podcast

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) | Part 3 of 3

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) is a poem composed by the great Tunisian scholar Yusuf ibn Muhammad at-Tawozari at-Tilimsanī (d. 1119 AD/513 AH). He was known for his mastery of the various Islamic sciences but his erudition and rhetorical abilities became his defining feature to the degree that he was known as ibn an-Nahawi (Son of the […]

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) | Part 2 of 3

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) is a poem composed by the great Tunisian scholar Yusuf ibn Muhammad at-Tawozari at-Tilimsanī (d. 1119 AD/513 AH). He was known for his mastery of the various Islamic sciences but his erudition and rhetorical abilities became his defining feature to the degree that he was known as ibn an-Nahawi (Son of the […]

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) | Part 1 of 3

The Reliever (al-Munfarijah) is a poem composed by the great Tunisian scholar Yusuf ibn Muhammad at-Tawozari at-Tilimsanī (d. 1119 AD/513 AH). He was known for his mastery of the various Islamic sciences but his erudition and rhetorical abilities became his defining feature to the degree that he was known as ibn an-Nahawi (Son of the […]

Ep 65. Radical Skin, Moderate Masks – Book Analysis

I usually reserve book discussions and reviews for Andalus Book Club. However, in this episode, I chose to go through a particular book, “Radical Skin, Moderate Masks” by Yassir Morsi, because it’s a good representation of how a new generation of Muslim activists and Muslims in academia are thinking about the world and our place […]

Ep 64. Rethinking Edutainment with ImanWire

Islamic edutainment has failed in many respects to engender an Islamic ethos within the average Muslim. Are celebrity speakers, the culture of Muslim fandom, and sound bytes of curated content just a hollow shell of education, with more style than substance? In this far-reaching conversation on the ImanWire Podcast, we discussed the phenomenon of Islamic […]

Ep 63. Muslim Activists on the Path of Lot’s Wife

  Muslim activists involved in social justice movements are navigating a scene in which they ally with groups such as those promoting LGBQIT practices to be normalized and some have become voices for same-sex marriage campaigns. In doing so, they have abandoned an essential Islamic duty to command good and forbid evil and reversed it. […]

Ep 62. Romanticizing Islam: Arabic, Sufism, and Hadras

The approach to the Islamic Tradition in general and to Sufism in specific that is adopted by Western Muslims drives many to partake in practices and in some cases life-altering life decisions that make one fall victim to a classic deception of Iblees packaged as a spiritual calling. The previous episode garnered a polarized reaction […]

Ep 61. Tariqa or Cult? When Spirituality is Pathology

The religious drive and desire for spiritual attainment can be exploited if one doesn’t know how to distinguish between the pursuit of Truth and the pursuit of experiencing a high. In this episode, the issue of pledging allegiance to a shaykh and a tariqa is discussed within the context of psychology and Islamic learning. Articles […]

(Bonus Episode) Friday Khutba: Shadows, Moonsighting, and How to Know God

Ritual acts of worship in Islam are intimately linked with natural phenomena, and with the current reliance upon technology, many have created an artificial division that has resulted in the deprivation of the spiritual dimension of these rituals. This bonus episode features a Friday khutba delivered on the first Friday after Ramadan 1439/2018 was concluded […]

Ep 60. Listener Interactions (Part 4): Hijab, Intention, and Tribulations

Is covering the hair for women really obligatory as part of the Hijab? How can one make their intention for the sake of God for everything without making it exhausting to continuously do so? Is working to improve one’s situation a sign of lacking acceptance of God’s tests to us? These questions and others from […]

Ep 59. The Inner Dimensions of Fasting (Part 5 of 5)

Fasting is a practice that according to the Quran has been prescribed upon Muslims as it has been prescribed upon those who have come before. At the external superficial level, it’s described as the abstaining from eating, drinking, and having intimate sexual relations from the break of dawn until sunset. However, there is much more to this […]

Ep 58. The Inner Dimensions of Fasting (Part 4 of 5)

Fasting is a practice that according to the Quran has been prescribed upon Muslims as it has been prescribed upon those who have come before. At the external superficial level, it’s described as the abstaining from eating, drinking, and having intimate sexual relations from the break of dawn until sunset. However, there is much more to this […]

Ep 57. The Inner Dimensions of Fasting (Part 3 of 5)

Fasting is a practice that according to the Quran has been prescribed upon Muslims as it has been prescribed upon those who have come before. At the external superficial level, it’s described as the abstaining from eating, drinking, and having intimate sexual relations from the break of dawn until sunset. However, there is much more to this […]

Ep 56. The Inner Dimensions of Fasting (Part 2 of 5)

Fasting is a practice that according to the Quran has been prescribed upon Muslims as it has been prescribed upon those who have come before. At the external superficial level, it’s described as the abstaining from eating, drinking, and having intimate sexual relations from the break of dawn until sunset. However, there is much more to this […]

Ep 55. The Inner Dimensions of Fasting (Part 1 of 5)

Fasting is a practice that according to the Quran has been prescribed upon Muslims as it has been prescribed upon those who have come before. At the external superficial level, it’s described as the abstaining from eating, drinking, and having intimate sexual relations from the break of dawn until sunset. However, there is much more to this […]

Ep 54. Blind Faith in Intellectual Circles

What passes off as “rational” today is nothing more than a cognitive exercise in the pursuit of rationalizing the fulfillment of whims and desires. Given the dominance of various -isms present in a variety of social movements, it is important to question their merit and to what degree can we be justified in participating in […]

Ep 53. Feminism and Leaving Social Media

The recent controversy surrounding Imam Zaid Shakir’s khutba on feminism speaks to the rise of an increasingly aggressive feminist movement in the Muslim community. In this informal episode, I offer some thoughts on this matter and address my recent change in social media engagement. Articles mentioned in this episode: Feminism and Use of the Secular […]

Ep 52. Masculine, Feminine, and a Cycle of Oppression

What does it mean to be a Muslim feminist? How does feminism align with Islamic theology? And what does toxic masculinity come? As these questions continue to be discussed by various figures, including Muslims, the cosmological and theological perspectives are often omitted from the conversation. In this episode is a reading of and commentary on […]

Ep 51. Free Speech or Free Bigotry?

Free speech is an often-invoked principle to justify vitriolic and hateful rhetoric against racial and religious groups. However, the philosophical argument for free speech does not necessarily support the form in which the principle of free speech is being invoked in these cases. Furthermore, current research suggests that the issue here is not about the […]

Ep 50. Listener Interactions (Part 3): Marriage, Yoga, and Hell

In this wide-ranging “Listener Interactions” episode, I cover a diverse array of subjects, including questions about education, career choices, marriage, Muslims doing yoga, and reconciling God’s attributes as the Merciful and the Just with eternal damnation in Hell.

Jerusalem is Worth Nothing…and Everything!

What is Jerusalem worth? What kind of attachment does being a Muslim entail to the Holy Land? The recent announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump that recognizes Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel has created massive outcries and lamentations over the grim prospects for peace. However, from a spiritual and Quranic standpoint, much good has […]

Ep 48. Scholars and Tyrants

Very few subjects are as polarizing for Muslims as the relationship between scholars and dictators. Many scholars are often discredited as “hypocrites” and “scholars of the sultan” when they praise rulers. However, the human element and context are lacking in this discussion. Topics addressed in this episode include the expectations average Muslims have of scholars […]

Ep 46. The Road to Spiritual is Physical

The body is a sacred trust from God and similar to other material possessions we have under our care in this world we will be asked about how we took care of it. How we physically look is a manifestation of how we treat our bodies, and how we treat our bodies manifests in our […]

Ep 45. What is Spiritual Abuse?

The relationship dynamic between the teacher and student, the religious leadership and community, between parents and their children, or even between spouses can fall into spiritually toxic patterns. The challenge is in knowing when spirituality becomes a weapon of abuse as opposed to a path to connecting with God. Topics addressed in this episode include […]

Ep 44. If God Exists, Where is He?

On September 15th, 2017 I was invited by the Muslim Student Association at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia to participate in a discussion panel the Peter Slezak, a philosopher of science. The general theme was the question “If God Exists, Where is He?” We spoke for close to 3 hours on […]

Ep 43. Created in a State of Weakness

The derivation and application of Islamic law rely primarily on a number of juristic principles that attempt to reflect what is understood to be divine will. That is why the Arabic term to describe it, Sharia, literally means “a way to the source”. Though some might find it arbitrary and unyielding in some aspects, there […]

Ep 42. Navigating Eid al-Ad’ha as a Vegan Muslim

Eid al-Ad’ha is a blessed and significant time in the Muslim calendar in which the great sacrifice of our father Abraham peace be upon him and his son is commemorated. It also presents an opportunity to clarify the epistemological difference between Muslim and non-Muslim vegans. The choice to give up the consumption of meat and other […]

Ep 40. The Male is NOT Like the Female

Modern culture can be characterized as one that elevates feeling over fact and equivocates between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. Islamic cosmology and the Quran teach that the male and the female are equal, yet different opposing parts of a whole. Their relationship is that of complementarity as opposed to sameness. Despite the indefatigable […]