Swisscast With Suhaib Webb

Rashid Salim al-Khuri was a 2oth century poet and thinker. Of Lebanese descent, he lived in Brazil amongst a fledging immigrant community of Arab Christians and Muslims. Years ago, Muslims in San Palo invited him to come and speak about the birth of the Prophet (sa). In this episode, I share parts of his speech.

It is common for pious, passionate people to try and quell creativity in mosques and organizations. A mantra they commonly use is "The Prophet didn't do it!" Why is that a problem and how can we reorient our minds to a proper understanding of Islam, while tethering our passions to the balance of religious knowledge and understanding.

Moving Towards God: Sheikh Ahmed Zaruq’s Foundations of the Seeker #6

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In an age marked by outrage and trauma, keeping an eye on God is difficult. Sidi Ahmed Zarquq wrote about this five hundred years ago, laying down the foundations of the spiritual path, rooting them with our imaginations, understandings, and Islam’s sacred sources. In this course, you will learn how to understand the differences that rock the Muslim community, how to organize your time and set yourself up for a life of service and travel upon the path to God, “And to your Lord is the final stop.” Qur’an 53:42

As the American Muslim community has swerved from its early course, one that was led by passionate activists who were tethered to religious foundations, to one thirsting for acceptance, it may, out of an attempt at survival have adopted attitudes that run contrary to its faith's foundations. What are those challenges and how can we tend to them with compassion and discipline?

Sura Yasīn flips the scrip; it moves from addressing the Prophet and his community, to a story about a city similar to his; and now, suddenly it returns to teaching his community. Why? What does that tell us about the sophistication of the Qur'anic message and the deliberate excellence we need if we want to stand in the office of Prophethood?

How can we free our theology from the bounds caste in the late 60's, and most recently after 9/11? By releasing it, I mean, as Vincent W. Lloyd wrote, "To attempt to speak honestly in God's name." Why are efforts to wrestle our faith until it submits its voice to the notions of the left or the right a failure to uphold the balance and truth of prophethood,; and why are unchecked identity politics a threat to our unity as a community as well as the country when they are not nuanced and cleansed with the language and foundations of Faith and our scholarly heritage? That and more.

The names of Allah give a colourless, cold life meaning by allowing us to tone the world around us with the filter of diving guidance. In this sermon I share two names that will help college students start the year off right.

Being religious without investing in good character is high treason. The Prophet (sa) was sent to complete and perfect good character. This section of sura al-Hujurat instructs us on how to have a good character with faith.

What does it mean when

Locating yourself and Qur'an on the map of life is a challenge. What are the virtues of the Qur'an and how do you envision your relationship with it?

Adversity comes with faith, and between them, both lie tests and trials. What are some important qualities we can take from the earliest chapters of the Qur'an sent to the Prophet (sa) that will carry us through success and challenges?

Umma is a word we say often without consideration for its components and investment. While financial donations are still robust in communities, the numbers of trained, disciplined and organized volunteers are not. I address that, as well as a number of contemporary concerns around religious freedom in light of Sura Yasin

In this short section I address four components of religious education: Effective communication when teaching religion, benefiting and investing in communities, understanding and caring about issues important to those we live with and finding shared causes and humility in leadership.

God created the earth and the heavens as a home for us, filling it with infinite resources and talents. How can that serve us as we frame our attitude towards life, our talents and service to others?