Demonstrations & Protests, in Light of Islamic History and Teachings

This article is now available as a lecture. In recent days, the ongoing conflict in Palestine has spurred much anger and frustration at those who legitimise and carry out the besiegement and massacre of Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere; thus resulting in many Muslims, as the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, responding as the human body responds […]

The Politicization of Blasphemy

After decades of apathy we are finally seeing Muslims mobilizing and agitating against France for their continued anti-Muslim policies. Something that many of us have been calling for years. But these calls for boycott is not sitting well with some(or many) self-professed advocates of Laïcité(Secularism) and even some Muslims. Here is a summary of the […]

The Azhar Nasser Guide on Becoming a ‘Celebrity Sheikh’

In a 21st century world, the average anglophone Muslim is sure to eventually encounter the contemporary surge in Islamic ‘religious entertainment.’ Such novel expressions of Western Muslim identity are quite interesting: a sprinkle of virtuous inquiry for knowledge intertwined with a load of attention-grabbing entertainment and generic self-help instruction. This Western Muslim yearning for some […]

Creedal Disputes and Differences in the Ahlus Sunnah: A Reflection

Ever since the death of our Prophet(ﷺ) the Ummah has been plagued with disputes. From the first and second fitnah, to the rebellions, dynastic intrigues and coups, Islamic is hardly as rosy as nostalgic Daees would like it to be. Scholarly disputes have been just as bloody and bitter as well. Even within the “Ahlus […]

Naming Racism

Naming racism and all its interconnected parts, all the cogs in its machinery and all those who benefit from it is perhaps the greatest weapon we have in our fight against it. The framework developed almost completely by black CRT scholars with important contributions from the black civil rights movement gave the spectre of racism […]

Radical Skin Moderate Masks: Review

Before I begin, I must confess that this review is not as professional as it could have been if it was written by a formally trained academic. But nonetheless I feel the need to write this because the CRT-gate has gone on for too long. It is impossible to review this book without discussing the […]

Hamza Yusuf & The Sultan: Misreadings of History to Justify Obedience to Tyrants

As an Ummah we are in a strange situation today. Our social media is dominated by either endless stream of tragedies. Or teeth grinding controversy. Over the last week a video of Hamza Yusuf that was recorded back in 2016 went viral. Provoking rage and condemnations from Muslims and spurring on his ardent followers to […]

Hamza Yusuf & The Sultan: A Case Study in the Misuse of Prophetic Traditions

In the past few days, footage from Hamza Yusuf in a Sufi retreat in 2016 was widely circulated on social media, resulting in significant backlash and outrage from the Muslim community. In the clip, Hamza could be seen criticizing the Syrian revolution, claiming that the “humiliation” the Syrian people were experiencing was directly consequential to […]

The Realism of Hadith: An Authentic Human Experience

As transmitters of hadith are categorized on the basis of reliability with respect to their retention and recollection of reports, many contemporary skeptics of hadith find themselves questioning the utility of such a categorization. These contemporary concerns give rise to a plethora of questions: Are “reliable” transmitters infallible? How can one ensure that “reliable” transmitters […]

Rebirth of a nation: White Supremacist Violence, Myths and Catharsis

I decided to write this short article partly as a reflection on the massacres by white supremacists and partly as a response to Bin Hamid Ali’s tweets excusing and sanitising said massacres. ‘Rebirth’ is a slight misnomer because it supposes that white supremacy is not a continuous phenomenon that has existed before and since the […]