It’s that time in the Muslim calendar! The month of Ramadan! Do you partake in it? Do you look forward to it? Do you dread it? Do you find purpose in it, or does it seem like an imposition? In this episode we suggest some ways to shift our lens and make the best of it.

In this episode we dive deeper into rationality. What is reason founded on? To what extent can we use our reason in relation to the dictates of revelation? We talk about the existential crisis that Muslims sometimes suffer when antiquated legal rulings do not meet their current needs. We finish by answering a listener question about knowing whether Islam is the right path for them.

Part two of the “good qualities” series where we delve into the virtues that beautify a person. We talk about truthfulness, veiling flaws (our own and those of others), and sincerity of character. We talk about patience, thankfulness, praise of God and trust in God. We touch on forgiveness, empathy and modesty. Don’t miss our “Guess Who Said It!” quiz at the end of the episode.

In this episode we begin talking about the “good qualities” that mature a human being. We explore the concept of “tazkiah” (purification of the self). We describe how this purification process has three aspects and we debate if they are equally important.  We discuss how people conceive of God differently while some cannot rationally believe in God at all. We finish with verses from the Qur’an that encourage moral behavior. To be continued in part 2.

In this episode we try to answer the question—who speaks for Islam? We talk about the importance of the intellect as evidenced by the Qur’an itself. We question why the Muslim community is so obsessed with “halal” (permissible) and “haram” (impermissible). Lastly, we look at the duty of scholars and their audience towards each other.

In this episode we begin by exploring the concept of “The Five Pillars of Islam.” Where does this concept come from is it a useful or a limiting notion? We talk a little about Arab society before Muhammad’s message and what practices were already present. We question whether Arabs were really so ignorant before the Qur’anic revelation, as is the implication when some refer to “jahiliyyah” or “age of ignorance.”  We talk about the five daily prayers in the Islamic tradition, and the importance of prayer not only in Islam, but in the other monotheistic traditions. Lastly, we discuss some of the spiritual aspects of prayer.

Today we continue exploring how we think of God and the conscious and unconscious images we tend to form. We talk about the male pronoun and we question whether it’s simply a linguist limitation or a patriarchal tendency. We discuss the “99 names of God.” We explore the term “unbeliever” and also the concept of heaven and hell. Lastly, Dr. Shafti posits that the Qur’an has a subject, a purpose, and a style, and he differentiates between these three.

Today we take an unconventional approach to defining Islam. We look at how the Qur’an refers to previous Jewish Prophets as “Muslim”, meaning “ones who are submitted to God’s will” rather than “followers of the Prophet Muhammad” as is commonly understood today. The idea of submission is taken a step further when we look at verses that refer to all of nature as submitted, implying that the cosmos is following a Divine order. We explore whether human beings are distinct from other animals. We question whether religiosity is really any kind of indication of goodness. Lastly, we talk about a tendency to appropriate the idea of God for our own means.