Research Made Audible: a Yaqeen Papers Podcast

The way we imagine God affects how we relate to Him, ourselves, and to the world. Having a healthy and balanced perception of God, based on scripture and prophetic guidance, is essential for thriving. This paper introduces the topic of “God image” and attachment. 

What is your spiritual attachment style? Explore how our belief in divine love can affect our attachment to God, and how our image of God influences how we relate to Him.

The Prophet said, “No good deeds are better than those done in these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.”

As these days pass, don’t let their quietness fool you. Within them lies the chance to come closer to Allah in ways both seen and unseen. Whether through a whispered duʿa, a private fast, or an unseen act of charity—respond to the invitation. These are the best days of the year.

Learn more about how to make the most of the blessed month of Dhul Hijjah here. 

The Qur'an engages with the Bible and Torah in what is known as "intertextuality". How does the Qur'an both affirm and correct Christian and Jewish literature?

The exploration of intertextuality in the Qur’an elucidates how it interacts with Jewish and Christian texts, highlighting its role as the final divine revelation and ultimate guidance for humanity. The Qur’an’s narratives, often familiar to Jewish and Christian audiences, serve to impart moral and spiritual lessons through stories that resonate with these communities. This interaction with existing religious traditions exemplifies "intertextuality," where the Qur’an engages with other texts and traditions to convey its unique theological messages.

Is Islam pro-life, pro-choice, or both depending on the circumstances? And what implications does the answer to this question have for current political discourse? This essay seeks to offer a comprehensive look at how classical and contemporary Muslim  jurists have dealt with the subject in accordance with evolving methods, circumstances, and debates surrounding the topics of contraception and abortion.

Images of the yearly Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Makkah) continue to capture the attention of the world. As people witness the synchronization of actions and purpose of millions of pilgrims, they experience amazement and wonderment. People often ask, “Why is the Hajj important?” or “What is the purpose of pilgrimage rituals in this day and age?”

In this paper, we discuss the power of rituals in general and focus on the various benefits and significance of the Hajj rituals in particular. In the course of this discussion, we embark on a whirlwind tour of relevant material from anthropology, psychology, theology, jurisprudence, exegesis, philosophy, and—most importantly—Islamic spirituality.

Human beings were created with an internal drive to seek out purpose and to live for something greater than themselves. Explore the three levels of religious practice in Islam as expressed in the famous ḥadith of Gabriel: 1) Islām (outward submission to the will of Allah), 2) Īmān (faith), and 3) Iḥsān (spiritual excellence). 

Explore how the Qur’an, in particular, encourages us to be grateful by looking at the various contexts in which the concept of shukr arises. 

In doing so, we hope that you will not only walk away with divinely-rooted motivation to express shukr in your own life, but to reflect on how the Qur’an offers us truly comprehensive guidance in living our most satisfying lives.

Why would the Prophet ﷺ marry a child? That is the question many want answered, but before we begin to address it, we have to admit it is more than a mere question; rather, it is an accusation and judgment of character. Underneath the question lies the notion that we should be troubled by the age of ‘Aisha at marriage, that whatever her age was, it is concerning, and—worse than that—however great the Prophet ﷺ was, the age at which ‘Aisha was married to him is problematic.

The controversy over the age of ‘Aisha is, in fact, a quite recent phenomenon. It is quite simply an attempt to defame the Prophet ﷺ—as those of old attempted to do—by questioning his judgment and ethics in marrying ‘Aisha at as young as 9. But this attempt at defamation, like all others, falls flat.

Ḥayāʾ (healthy shame) is without doubt from among the foundational moral qualities, so much so that the Prophet ﷺ deemed it the very hallmark of Islam by saying, “Every religion has its signature character trait, and the signature character trait of Islam is ḥayāʾ.”

Note: The audio files are generated using AI technology. As such, the intonations and pronunciation of certain words may not reflect human speech patterns. For the original written research paper check out https://yaqeeninstitute.org

This paper is an english translation of Ibn al-Iraqi's book presenting 27 opinions on the timing of laylat al-qadr, and the various signs of laylat al-qadr, including where:

• the occurrence of laylat al-qadr has been abrogated (one opinion);
• the timing of laylat al-qadr is entirely hidden (one opinion);
• laylat al-qadr is a fixed night every year (23 opinions); and
• laylat al-qadr shifts from year to year (two opinions).

Note: The audio files are generated using AI technology. As such, the intonations and pronunciation of certain words may not reflect human speech patterns. For the original written research paper check out https://yaqeeninstitute.org