In this first episode of a two-part conversation with the prolific and well-renowned Hamza Tzortzis, I got to pick his brains about the Quran. How should people approach and understand it today? How can and should it be contextualised? How do we separate between the universal and the particular?

Part 2 will focus entirely on his recently submitted PhD, entitled "A Theo-Philosophical Assessment of al-Iʿjāz al-ʿIlmī and the Multiplicity of Readings Approach."

--

Hamza is the founder and CEO of Sapience Institute. He is the author of the best-selling book: “The Divine Reality: God, Islam and The Mirage of Atheism”, which has been translated into over 10 languages. He has an MRes, MA and a PgCert in Philosophy from the University of London. He has studied Islamic Thought and Theology with a wide range of scholars.

--

Follow Sapience Institute: @SapienceInstitute

Follow Hamza: @HamzaTzortzisOfficial

Hamza's website: https://www.hamzatzortzis.com

--

(0:00) Trailer

(1:12) About Hamza's PhD

(2:41) How to introduce someone to the Quran

(15:52) Should we read in order or at random?

(26:41) The importance of living the Quran

(32:31) How to frame guidance for people today

(46:42) Paying attention to our worldview

(54:28) How to contextualise the Quran

(1:11:45) Case study: inheritance

(1:21:11) Case study: zakat threshold (nisab)

(1:35:56) Balancing realities and ideals

In this episode, Taimur Abdaal is back to quiz me about what it means to lead a truly authentic, God-centred life, especially in the context of work. For most of us, work occupies the bulk of our time, attention and energy. Unfortunately, for many of us, it also often ends up being unfulfilling and misaligned with our deepest values and our overall worldview. Can this tension be resolved in a way that is sustainable? I believe so... and this conversation will help show you how.

(0:00) Do we each have an authentic self?

(3:41) Seeing money and time in perspective

(10:04) Deciding what you don't want

(18:03) Assessing your real intentions

(23:27) Start adding value

(26:39) How do we know what God wants?

(32:27) Various possible outcomes

(38:11) My priorities vs the world's needs

(44:23) Using the Ikigai framework

(51:12) Case studies

(55:28) Tuning your own antenna

(59:17) Macro priorities today

Surkheel Sharif, aka Abu Aaliyah, founded and has been the director of the Jawziyyah Institute since 1999: a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultivating an Islam true to its time-honoured tradition, relevant to its current context, and of benefit to wider society.

He has authored the following works: More Fish Please & the Earth’s Complaint (2011), Fussing Over the 15th of Sha’ban & the Golden Rule of Differing (2011) and, most recently, A Muslim’s Guide to Modernity (2025). He has also translated a few texts from Arabic to English, notably The Exquisite Pearl (2000). He gained an MA in Islamic Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London, in 2009.

Find our more: https://thehumblei.com

Buy A Muslim's Guide to Modernity: https://turath.co.uk/products/a-muslims-guide-to-modernity

Article referenced at 1:04:35: https://thehumblei.com/2019/10/27/women-mosques-misogyny-to-misrepresentation/

(0:00) Trailer

(1:12) The meaning of Surkheel

(4:47) Early life and education

(16:27) Evolving community concerns

(29:53) How our attitude needs to change

(36:34) An assessment of the status quo

(48:44) The failures and future of scholarship

(59:55) Integrating macro and micro factors

(1:11:52) The need for imagination and conversation

(1:22:01) A vision for faith in Britain

(1:27:11) Future publications and final thoughts

I've long been a fan of the work of Peter Gould. Wise, humble and immensely talented, Peter shared many lessons and insights from his 20+ years of experience as a creator, entrepreneur and pioneer of heart-centred design. He also spoke about his long and wonderful journey in producing his beautiful new book - The Heart of Design - as well as the result of his latest collaboration - Tales of Khayaal.

Visit Peter's website: https://www.peter-gould.com

Read Peter's book: https://www.theheartofdesign.com/book

Follow Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergouldart/

(0:00) Trailer

(0:53) Peter's weekend

(2:40) Nature vs nurture

(4:51) The growth of intentional design

(9:31) Peter's favourite projects

(12:41) Dealing with creative block

(19:40) Peter's projects and planning process

(28:36) Peter's creative process

(36:29) The book publication journey

(42:53) Who is the book for?

(45:15) The burden of responsibility

(55:53) Universal relevance and concern

(1:05:51) Future plans and conclusion

Chris Blauvelt is one of the most dynamic and creative faith-based social entrepreneurs around. Based in Detroit, Michigan, he is co-founder and CEO of LaunchGood, the world's largest faith-inspired crowdfunding platform. Since 2013 it has facilitated ~$1bn of giving across the world.

We spent time discussing the past, present and future of LaunchGood... but first we talked in some detail about the potential of GUMmies and Chris's nascent idea of creating a digital nation.

Follow Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjblauvelt/

Check out LaunchGood: https://www.launchgood.com

(0:00) Trailer

(0:42) Chris's names

(3:34) Who are GUMmies?

(9:03) Our untapped potential

(13:40) The idea of a digital nation

(19:10) Is a tipping point coming?

(21:03) Power as a false god

(28:28) A vision for society or community?

(35:15) Different engagement mindsets

(40:43) Next steps for the digital nation

(44:19) The LaunchGood journey so far

(53:13) How to use discretionary funds

(1:04:14) Limits of LaunchGood's responsibility

(1:13:50) Mindset, patience and blessings

Ibrahim Khan is Co-Founder of Islamic Finance Guru (IFG) and Cur8 Capital, IFG's investment platform. He's hosted me a few times on the IFG channel and so it was nice to return the favour.

Follow Ibrahim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mibrahimkhan/

Find out more about IFG: https://www.islamicfinanceguru.com

Find out more about Cur8 Capital: https://cur8.capital

(0:00) Trailer

(0:41) Does IFG need a rebrand?

(3:50) Should “Islamic Finance” exist?

(16:51) Do Muslims want Islamic Finance?

(22:39) What does investing morally mean?

(28:02) What’s the problem with interest?

(32:06) Giving universal financial advice

(39:41) Do scholars need to revisit basic assumptions?

(42:47) How might systemic change emerge?

(58:31) Can you build a sound system on fiat money?

(1:03:56) Do we need a finance focused think tank?

(1:07:36) How can Cur8 Capital scale 10x from here?

(1:15:54) Ibrahim’s strengths and weaknesses

(1:19:29) Advice to those coming into the industry

(1:25:19) Ibrahim’s biggest worry and final thoughts

⏰ Enrol now for a condensed, live online version of Transform My Prayer starting Sunday 3rd August. Four 60-minute sessions to help you fix your mindset, fix your words, fix your movements and fix your life! Visit https://tinyurl.com/tmplite and join 300+ others who’ve already signed up.

In this episode of In Good Faith, Taimur is back… and this time we’re discussing some of his burning prayer questions. Specifically we talk about how to overcome the feeling of prayer as a burden, the symbolism of ablution (wudhu) and the deep significance of the words we say in the sitting position of the prayer… all with lots of practical tips and exercises you can start implementing today.

(0:00) Why is prayer obligatory?

(4:20) Transcending the feeling of obligation

(7:44) Noticing our initial mindset

(11:50) Gratitude, cycles and repetitions

(17:11) Remembering our constant need

(21:32) Living in wonder

(27:24) The symbolism of ablution (wudhu)

(32:27) Washing ourselves in public!

(36:40) Prayer as a natural activity

(39:26) Mentioning Abraham when sitting

(43:49) What are we asking for when we sit?

(50:36) Ending powerfully and purposefully

For as long as I’ve known him, Dr Sohaib Saeed has been deeply immersed in all aspects of the study of the Qur’an. This was the first time I got to have a focused 1:1 discussion with him on challenging questions relating to the interpretation and contextualisation of revelation. I hope you enjoy and benefit from the conversation.

After a BA and MSc in philosophy (Edinburgh), Dr Sohaib graduated from Al-Azhar (Faculty of Theology, Cairo) in Tafsīr and Quranic Sciences. He then completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, under the supervision of the renowned Quran translator M.A.S. Abdel Haleem; the book based on his thesis is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press: Explaining the Qur’an Through the Qur’an.Dr. Sohaib is well known for his translations of classical works of tafsīr. The first volume of The Great Exegesis by Imam Razi was a recipient of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation in 2018, further volumes will follow from Ibn ‘Ashur Centre. He has also written for academic journals and collections including the Journal of Qur’anic Studies, the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (Brill Online) and The Handbook of Qur’anic Hermeneutics (De Gruyter).

Since 2016, he has been the senior tafsīr consultant for Bayyinah Institute, which now benefits from the broader team at Ibn ‘Ashur Centre. In 2021, he took on a key responsibility at Quran.Foundation, overseeing content and quality at the major website Quran.com and its sister site QuranReflect.

Follow Dr Sohaib: https://x.com/tafsirdoctor

Learn more about the Ibn Ashur Centre here: https://www.ibnashur.com

Check out Qur'an in a Year here: https://quran.com/calendar

(0:00) Trailer and Introduction

(1:46) Barriers to understanding revelation

(14:52) Is revelation the only source of truth?

(21:27) Contextualisation and reflection

(29:53) Five lenses to ponder the Qur'an

(58:15) Qur'anic education for children

(1:02:43) Is the Qur'an clear?

(1:11:53) Having vision and a sense of priority

(1:18:10) Is Arabic superior to other languages?

(1:28:34) Is transliteration damaging?

(1:44:52) Qur'an in a Year and future plans

Ramadan Tent Project (RTP) has long been one of my favourite social impact organisations. So it was a pleasure to catch up with its Founder and Chief Executive, Omar Salha, for the latest episode of In Good Faith.

In our conversation, Omar not only gave a useful theoretical introduction to the concepts of cultural diplomacy, soft power and social capital, but illustrated his points with stories from his own experience as well as from the past. In addition to the themes of belonging and integration, Omar also provided insight into the evolution of RTP thus far as well as its likely trajectory going forward.

Omar is one of a rare breed of leaders who have had the ability to build institutions alongside achieving academic prowess. Amongst other accomplishments, Omar was awarded the PhD Nohoudh Scholarship at SOAS University of London for the study of the integration of Muslims in British society.

Follow Omar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarsalha/

Check out Ramadan Tent Project here: https://www.ramadantentproject.com

(0:00) Trailer

(1:02) What is cultural diplomacy?

(9:50) Soft power and social capital

(24:17) Belonging and integration

(36:38) Muslim interest vs public interest

(41:24) Stories of service and soft power

(50:19) About Ramadan Tent Project

(1:04:53) How to scale RTP

(1:19:11) The challenge of fundraising

(1:28:40) Powerful leadership lessons

I sat down with Zara Mohammed to discuss her unique experience as a high profile community leader. Zara talks about the practicalities of government and media engagement and shares personal leadership lessons. She also reflects on what our community needs to do better in order to improve political and civil society participation. Finally we talk about her possible plans for the future.

From 2021-25, Zara was the first woman, the youngest person, and the first Scot to serve as Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the UK’s largest and most diverse Muslim umbrella body. She was also President of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) from 2016-17. Zara currently leads a consultancy focused on developing leadership excellence, strengthening governance, and advancing workplace inclusion.

Follow Zara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaramohammed1/

Check out her current work: https://zara-mohammed.com

Learn more about the MCB: https://mcb.org.uk

(0:00) Trailer

(0:59) The burdens of leadership

(4:22) Zara's 2018 run-in with Iqbal (!)

(14:18) Becoming Secretary General of MCB

(19:52) How to handle media engagement

(24:44) Why won't the government engage with MCB?

(35:59) Avoiding insularity and building alliances

(42:02) Why should anyone donate to MCB?

(48:32) Zara's advice to her successor

(50:56) FOSIS and the future of umbrella organisations

(58:04) Female leaders and young leaders

(1:09:32) Zara's sources of support

(1:16:10) Deciding on Zara's future

(1:24:57) Muslim community or communities?

(1:28:21) Further democratising MCB membership

(1:33:20) Closing thoughts

My speech at the 2018 MCB conference which is referenced at the beginning and end of our discussion is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EWfn9fIkQ