It’s not enough to simply know matters of religion to make sense of Islam, it’s equally important to know about the world around us and what it entails in great details. Without this skill set, our interpretations will be stuck in the past based on a completely antiquated worldview. This episode discusses why this important and what we can do to help.

Muhammad Zakariya is one of the world's most famous and recognized masters of Arabic calligraphy. Dedicating his life to the art and craft, Zakariya has emerged as one of the leading advocates of the importance of Islamic art. For people of my generation he is remembered as the artist behind the famous "Eid Stamp." However, there is much more to the man and the master. While he continues to produce some of the most exquisite pieces of calligraphy, he is also training a new generation of young artists and calligraphers and accordingly is a major force for the preservation of this sacred art form.

Celebrating the birth of our beloved Prophet ﷺ has been a custom of Muslim communities ever since the time of the Companions. To celebrate and commemorate his birth is to ultimately show thanks and gratitude to God for sending him ﷺ to us as a mercy. There is much to be thankful and happy for on this blessed occasion and over the ages it has served as a source of great spiritual outpouring from scholars and sages to the average pious Muslim.

A follow up from my previous discussion on issues related to practicing Islam in the workplace. We spend an enormous time of our lives working and the transition from student to worker/employee can offer many challenges. This episode discuss some simple top-tier issues, and I hope to get deeper in a follow up episode or two. Enjoy!

An advantage and a challenge within Islamic law is the great diversity of opinions. This itself stems from the over 80 schools of jurisprudence that have existed throughout Islamic legal history. In this episode I explore how we can practically deal with this diversity and plurality and explain why it is one of the greatest blessings and assets we have.

This podcast is by request from a listener and focuses on issues related to practicing Islam in the workplace. We spend an enormous time of our lives working and the transition from student to worker/employee can offer many challenges. This episode discuss some simple top-tier issues, and I hope to get deeper in a follow up episode or two. Enjoy!

Ṣafar is the second month of the Islamic lunar calendar. There is a weak hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās that states, “On the last Wednesday of the month [of Ṣafar] there is a continual calamity.” In other hadiths it is mentioned that this is the day during which Pharaoh and his army perished, and the people of ‘Ād and Thumūd were destroyed. Accordingly, there emerged from these texts various supplications and prayers to meet these historic, calamitous events with prayers and devotion.

After the formation and codification of Islamic law, jurists turned to articulating what the meta-goals of the law were. These five meta-goals serve as a reminder to the jurist and layperson alike that any form of Islam that violates or harms one or more of these, is an Islam that is fundamentally incompatible with Prophetic guidance.

One of the greatest achievements of Islamic intellectual history is Uṣūl al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence). This is not only a science and discipline that helps us interpret the Quran and Sunna, it is also a system of thinking based on first principles. While we are heirs to this great tradition, we are also in need of updating and advancing this body of study to keep up the modern challenges.

Abrogation, while a technical subject in the science of jurisprudence, has a significant impact in how we understand the Quran today. In this episode I am openly promoting a certain interpretation that there is not abrogation in the Quran. While an acceptable interpretive opinion, it was always a minority one. This is changing today amongst senior clerics, and I hope this discussion makes it clear why.