Sam Altman wants to create a ‘Digital God,’ but we’re just trying to get students to think for themselves.

Is generative AI the end of critical thinking? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon reports from the “English trenches,” where the “Death of the Essay” looms as students trade deep analysis for polished AI outputs. Omar explains the technical reality—why AI doesn’t “think,” but instead makes connections of human knowledge with an authoritative and lots of times “hallucinatory,” tone.

Nadir raises a vital concern for the Ummah: the danger of youth seeking fatwas and spiritual guidance from biased algorithms. We explore a provocative “power play”—applying the rigorous standards of Hadith science to verify the reliability of AI information.

From strategic chip wars in Taiwan to “Dead Internet Theory,” we discuss how these machines are re-wiring our world. In an era where liars are viewed as truth-tellers, how do we protect our spiritual foundations?

Readings and more...

Yaqeen Institute on AI

Muslims and AI

CFR - Ai and 2026

CNBC - MIT Job Study

TIME - Jobs and AI

The Guardian - Novelists’ Concern with AI

NPR - AI in Schools

Business Insider - Professors Assigns ChatGPT

Decoder - AI and the Education Crisis

“If you can get someone to believe in absurdities, they will commit atrocities.”

Is the chaos we are witnessing a bug in the system, or is it a feature? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon and Omar are joined by Nadir, unpacking a heavy news cycle, starting with the escalation of immigration enforcement. Haroon argues that the “lethality and harshness” aren’t accidental byproducts—they are the mandate. Nadir calls out the “hired goon” mentality of officers hiding behind masks and sunglasses , while Omar poses the ultimate philosophical dilemma: Do the ends ever justify the means when the entire “forest is on fire”?

We then zoom out to the global stage to analyze Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum and what it signals about the rupture of the US-led global order. Are we watching America isolate itself in real-time through tariffs and protectionism while the rest of the world moves on?

Finally, we explore “intrusive thoughts”—is history repeating itself, or is it scripted? And in a world of Machiavellian power plays and elite maneuvering , we remember that while they plan, Allah is the best of planners.

Notes:

* Fareed Zakaria's article.

* Omar's Bluesky conversation

How do we push back against a world of "pure excess"? In this episode, Haroon and Omar are rejoined by Nadir and Abu Hamza and dive into the "Knowledge of the Self" to find freedom in an age of AI and surveillance. We explore the necessity of a "Third Space"—a social environment that isn't quite home and isn't quite the mosque—and why most third space projects "fizzle out".

Join hosts Haroon and Omar with special guest Nadir as they connect the dots between modern geopolitics, the surveillance state, and the timeless power of faith. Is history repeating itself? We dive into the crisis in Venezuela and the cyclic nature of foreign intervention before shifting to the digital world. Does the convenience of Big Tech outweigh the harms of mass surveillance and addiction loops? Finally, we explore the "David and Goliath" mindset: how a small, principled group can overcome overwhelming odds, and why it's vital for Muslims to lead in media and technology rather than just going with the flow.

Show notes:

The Center for Humane Technology has lots of resources for families trying to navigate the technospehere. They had a hand in The Social Dilemma on Netflix. Here is the book Haroon kept mentioning: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/XGYkAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

In this episode, Haroon and Omar analyze the legal and moral contradictions of Western democracy through the theoretical candidacy of Zohran Mamdani. They examine the "Natural Born Citizen" requirement of Article II, questioning how "blood and soil" barriers in the U.S. Constitution exclude naturalized citizens from the highest office .

The hosts discuss the potential for such a candidacy to serve as a "rhetorical masterpiece" that challenges the American political imagination, even while facing legal barriers.

The conversation also addresses shifting geopolitical power, the extraction of Nicolás Maduro. The imperial mask is off, and the influence of figures like Peter Thiel and JD Vance on the future of the West.

In this caffeinated deep dive, hosts Haroon and Omar are joined by guests Abu Hamza and Nadir to ask: Is the Ummah settling for "good enough"? They explore the disconnect between traditional scholarship and a Western community distracted by Fortnite and the Metaverse, debating whether we’ve lost the "genius-level" ambition of our predecessors. From the "heresy" of Keurig coffee to the philosophy of Diogenes, the brothers discuss authentic integration and why we must be "rattled" out of our comfort zones to fulfill our Prophetic duties.

--

The two sources mentioned in this episode is the talks by Imam Zaid Shakir and Dr. Caner Dagli on YouTube and Dr. Sherman Jackson's article on Lamppost Productions.

Is the world actually ending, or does it just feel that way? Haroon and Omar compare the chaos of middle school classrooms to the chaos of American politics.

They discuss why billionaires are building bunkers in New Zealand, why common sense isn’t so common anymore, and why—despite the “dystopic” nature of the dunya—we can’t just run for the hills. Plus, a look back at their time at Zaytuna and why community is the only asset that doesn’t depreciate.

Greetings,

I recently penned an article about marriage. It was an outpouring of love to my wife. A few days before this recording, I disposed of a kidney stone. God that was a long ten days. Somewhere in there, I decided to talk about love.

Here it is.

I recently had no idea what to write looking at the blank Notion box. So, I wrote about that struggle: https://open.substack.com/pub/omarbayramoglu/p/a-blank-page?r=5m0h7o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

In speaking about it, I had a revelation when speaking about my wife and her Islamic geometric art class. Bam! A solution. Thanks, wife!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Trailer episode.

I forgot to mention the fourth reason. I met a professor down here in Southern Florida. we were talking about public speaking and how I don't really record myself. he smiled and told me. "Oh, so you can only speak in front of people."

I thought to myself, wow I'm arrogant.

So here I am trying to break this and hopefully attain some humility.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.