Mohammed Magid is an outstanding figure in interfaith activities, Imam Magid is the Executive Director and Imam at the ADAMS Centre in Virginia, and former President of ISNA. He is an advocate for youth and women, and serves on the FBI’s Muslim, Sikh, and Arab Advisory Committee. In recognition of his efforts toward interfaith bridge building, Imam…

Over the last twelve years of her professional career, Sameera has worked closely with Muslim communities (and professionals who serve them), developing and facilitating programs and curricula in the field of sexual health education. In addition to building out the sexual health aspects of her work, Sameera is also a 200-hour Registered Yoga Instru…

This is a continuation of episode 100 where I get a chance to answer the remaining questions sent by all of you.By Tarek Elgawhary

Dr. Tarek Elgawhary is a scholar of Islam and comparative religions having studied at both Princeton University and al-Azhar Seminary. He is the creator of the Making Sense of Islam platform where he discusses issues related to Islam and mindfulness. More can be found at www.makingsenseofislam.com.By Tarek Elgawhary

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy is the Founder and Director of Madina Institute, an Islamic seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, with campuses in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sudan, and Malaysia. Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy is considered to be a Muhaddith; a scholar of Hadith sciences. He has authored books in Usul, Creed, Hadith…

Omar Matadar is currently the Director of the Qasid Institute. The word qasid is used to describe a path that is direct and smooth. This is the way we believe the Arabic language should be taught. The Qasid Institute for Arabic has quietly developed a reputation as one of the leading centers in the Middle East for Arabic language learning. A compre…

Mikhaael Mala is arising nashheed star and world-renown reciter and teacher of the Quran. He is currently based in Birmingham, UK.By Tarek Elgawhary

Sohaib N. Sultan is the first full-time Muslim Life Coordinator and Chaplain at Princeton University. Imam Sultan is a graduate of the Hartford Theological Seminary, and the author of The Koran for Dummies (2004), The Qur’an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selection Annotated and Explained (2007). He is a public lecturer and writer on Islam, Musli…

Born in London, Sanders began his career in photography in the mid-1960s, where he often recorded the faces of well-known musicians including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and The Rolling Stones. In the 1970s, his attention shifted, which led him to the traditional and spiritual universe of Islam. He converted to Islam in 1971. The same yea…

Michael Sugich is a native of Santa Barbara, California and studied at UCLA and the California Institute of the Arts. He was initiated into a traditional Sufi order in 1972. Since that time he has studied Sufi doctrine and practice with spiritual masters across the Arab and Islamic world. He lived for 23 years in the precincts of the sacred city of…

Zaid Shakir, a cofounder of Zaytuna College, is a prominent American Muslim scholar. He has taught courses in Arabic, Islamic spirituality, contemporary Muslim thought, Islamic history and politics, and Shafi’i fiqh at the College. He speaks and writes on a wide range of topics, and he travels frequently across the United States to support institut…

Muna AbuSulayman is an international development expert with over 25 years in cross sectorial work focusing on women empowerment, media, philanthropy, poverty alleviation, and community development. She is Partner with 3S Consulting focusing on improving philanthropy in the Middle East, and working to increase female empowerment and employment in M…

Mubin Shaikh is a former Muslim supremacist turned undercover operative for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET). Shaikh worked multiple CLASSIFIED infiltration operations, online and on the ground. The last investigation became public when the RCM…

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story" and Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed." Rabia is also co-producer and co-host of two podcasts, Undisclosed and the new podcast the Hidden Djinn, which just launched shortly after we recorded this int…

Navid is the Founder and CEO of Alchemiya.com, a video streaming service that showcases the best movies, dramas, docs and lifestyle content about Muslim life, culture, art, history, people, places and so much more. He is an award-winning Producer and Broadcast journalist, with over 25 years of experience in mainstream UK television and radio. Durin…

Dr. Walead Mohammed Mosaad is an internationally recognized scholar in Islamic studies and human development. His academic and traditional training has accorded him the opportunity to work with communities worldwide as a teacher and project driver. He is currently the Chair and Scholar-in-Residence of Sabeel Community, a community-oriented service …

Someone reached out to ask if we can consider non-beard wearing men and non-hijab wearing women believers and Muslims. Please listen for the quick, definitive response.By Tarek Elgawhary

Ahmed Younis is committed to the untested feasibility of what is possible through the process of always becoming. Ahmed was raised between Los Angeles, California and Cairo, Egypt. He is the Host of The Study with Ahmed Younis, a podcast that brings Art, Books, and Ideas to the challenges of our time. Dr. Younis focuses on the duality of personal a…

Abdul-Rehman Malik is an award winning journalist, educator and cultural organizer. In June 2019 he was appointed Lecturer and Associate Research Scholar at the Yale Divinity School. He also serves at the Program Coordinator at Yale University’s Council on Middle East Studies, and is responsible for developing curricula and partnerships with public…

Some of my thoughts on how to find a Shaykh. What sort of criteria should you use to take religious knowledge from someone? How do you know if someone is qualified and will not lead you astray? These and many more are the types of questions I seek to answer in this episode.By Tarek Elgawhary

Muddassar Ahmed is Managing Partner at Unitas Communications Ltd, a British strategic communications consultancy, where he’s led on projects for the United Nations, Amnesty International, the NFL, the Arab League, the U.S. State Department and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and many other governments, civil society and business organizat…

What constitutes halal meat and can we meat that's just "out there?" Take a listen and get the details on this oft asked question.By Tarek Elgawhary

Allie Khalfe, founder of the IslamicText Institute in Cape Town, is a pioneering author with the ability to translate classical and traditional Arabic texts into the English language in a way that grasps audiences on various levels. Recognized as an assiduous student of sacred knowledge, he spent over a decade at the feet of Shaykh Seraj and Shaykh…

Mona is an international comedian and Emcee who has performed, emceed, and produced comedy shows, competitions and events in major clubs, theaters and universities around the world since 2010.Mona is also a sought-after speaker for her experience using stand-up comedy as a transformative method for healing trauma & PTSD in various socio-political t…

This is a special episode to address the current COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that these thoughts and resources will help you all navigate this safely and that you emerge from this crises renewed and better than before.By Tarek Elgawhary

Khuram Zaman is the CEO of Fifth Tribe, a leading digital agency serving the Washington DC Metropolitan Area based out of the 1776 Startup Co-working Space. In his professional capacity, he has provided digital marketing services to clients as diverse as the Department of Defense, Kaiser Permanente, Oxfam America, Ernst and Young, and The Hult Priz…

"In Shaykh's Clothing" is a service and website to support survivors of spiritual abuse around the world, and to prevent spiritual abuse through education and preventative training in Islamic institutions. Services include coaching for those who have faced abuse, cult-exit and recovery coaching, and policy formation.…

Hena Khan is an award winning Pakistani American children’s author. Her middle grade novel Amina’s Voice was named a Best Book of 2017 by the Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, NPR, and others. She is the author of the Zayd Saleem: Chasing the Dream series: Power Forward, On Point, and Bounce Back. Hena has written several acclaimed picture books inc…

Umar Lee is a writer and activist from St Louis currently living in the Dallas metro area. He has been published in Politico, The Guardian, The Nation, Quartz, and other publications. Umar is also the host of the St Louis Speaks Podcast and The Unmosqued Khutbah. Books are available on Amazon.By Tarek Elgawhary

There is probably no more abused word in our contemporary religious discourse than bid'a/innovation. Is there room in Islam for innovation, iteration, nuance, etc. in our expression of faith? Is there room for cultural interpretations of faith practices? I try to answer these questions and more in this episode.…

"What does Islam say about music?" is perhaps one of the top 10 questions Muslims ask every day. This episode seeks to lay down some basic ground work, important scholarly references, and ultimately a straightforward answer. Enjoy!By Tarek Elgawhary

This particular episode was a suggestion from a listener. Diplomacy is a large, large topic and this episode in no way, shape, or form answers all the questions. Rather, it is meant to be a conversation starter. Enjoy!By Tarek Elgawhary

We all know the common complaint that Islam looks bad and is misrepresented. It doesn't help that it seems often times the worst elements of our community are those speaking on our behalf. If we ever hope for the Islam to make sense to us and to our children, it must be made to look good. Easier said than done, but at least we can lay out some fina…

We frequently hear the statement that Islam is valid for all time, place, and circumstance. Yet, the key underlying question associated with that statement is do we actually understand Islam at all? How can we ensure that our understanding is correct? More importantly, how can we pass it on if we don't understand it? In this episode I want to look …

This was a hard episode for me to put together. There is so much back-and-forth today about issues of gender relations, how Islam treats women, inherit inequality of the Sharia towards women, etc. While this is not traditionally a first principle jurists speak of, I believe strongly that we need to include to help weed out practices that are not co…

Muslims talk about charity a lot, but mostly in the context of the community in need of charitable help. As a first principle, however, charity is more than financial assistance, it is a state of being aimed at helping people in need. In this episode I explore this concept hoping that we can all be more charitable and giving of our selves.…

While I covered models of coexistence previously on this podcast, here I take several steps back to consider the concept of coexistence from a principle point of view. If we can understand that we all have more in common than we think, the ability to coexist not only becomes easy, but the only natural option.…

The Hajj pilgrimage is the largest communal devotional act Muslims preform. While it is the trip of a lifetime, the blessings surrounding it are not limited to those on the actual pilgrimage. This episodes highlights the importance of the first ten days of Dhul Hijja and offers advice on how we can maximize the great rewards laying in wait.…

This episode is a brief commentary on َQuran 45:23. It explores the power of the lower self and how only by turning to God can we dig ourselves out of the hole we so often find ourselves.By Tarek Elgawhary

Why are some people passionate about issues that we might not care about? Why are some people willing to fight one another, indeed go to war against one another based on differing ideas? This episode provides a brief sketch on the power of perspective and time in flaming conflict, or quelling it.By Tarek Elgawhary

In this episode I address the role of Islam in high-politics and low-politics (defined by me in the beginning of the episode). Faith, understood and practiced truthfully should engender a patriotic spirit. Why and how are some of the questions I try bring up and answer.By Tarek Elgawhary

Eid al-Fitr is the culmination of the massive achievement of Ramadan. In this episode I offer some points on how to really make the most of this special day. Enjoy!By Tarek Elgawhary

The Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) is the peak of Ramadan and a tremendous opportunity for us to not only turn to God with sincere devotion and repentance, but to begin a new chapter in our lives. However, while we are used to hearing about the immense merits of this important night, it's easy to be overwhelmed and not actually know what to do. In…

The Battle of Badr is the most important and decisive battle from the life of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace). It occurred shortly after the Prophet migrated to Madina from Mecca and took place during the first Ramadan fasted by the early Muslim community. There has always been a special relationship between Ramadan and conquest thro…

Ramadan is the peak of the Islamic calendar. It is the greatest opportunity we have to reset our spiritual system. While we let the body feast throughout the year, Ramadan is the greatest opportunity to let the soul feast. This episode is an overview that provides a simple framework of how to get the most out the month.…

We do not live alone. We are constantly interacting, communicating, and dialoguing with others. Yes, the term "interfaith dialogue" frequently comes up in the context of religion, but in this episode I have something much more broad than that in mind. After all, these are our first principles meant to provide guidance for us in all aspects of our l…

The eve of the 15th of Sh’aban is one of the most significant and spiritually important times in the Muslim calendar. It is a night that the salaf used to seek out and honor with pious devotion and sincere supplication. What follows is a very simple overview of the importance of this event and recommendations for observing it.…

We cannot be who we are or do the things we do except through and by the natural world around us. The Quran and Hadith literature are replete with references to the animated nature of the environment, to the duty we owe the environment, and to the obligation to keep its balance. The environment is one of the meta principles of Islam, and since the …

The boundaries of civilizations and religions are fundamentally porous. It is common for them to speak to one another, to benefit from one another, and to work in tandem for common goals. Islam, as both a religion and civilization, is no exception and has been very open historically to learning and benefiting from others. In this episode I dissect …

In our current context it is common to hear discussions about the compatibility or non compatibility of Islam with certain trends. While there is no doubt that these conversations have always occurred, they seem to happen more today than ever before. In this episode I want us to start thinking about what we already know and believe about Islam, but…