Stay ConnectedThis podcast aims to educate on the subject of religion from an academic perspective and to open up for informed discussions on the subject. You will find episodes discussing the big religions of the world and historical overviews of important figures from different religious traditions.
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Copyright: © Filip Holm
Was the legendary “Atlantis of the Sands” real? In this video, we explore the mystery of Iram of the Pillars, the lost city often linked to the ancient people of ʿĀd mentioned in the Qurʾān. We explore whether it was originally a city or the name of a people, and all the legends surrouding it until this very day.
Music by Filip Holm
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Al-Jallad, A.الجلادأ. (2025). The Epigraphy of the Tribe of ʿĀd [النقوش القديمة التي تذكر عاد]. Athīrat: Journal of Ancient Arabia, 1(1-2), 281-289. https://doi.org/10.1163/30504880-12340015
Clapp, Nicholas (1999). “The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands”. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Elmaz, Orhan (2018). “A Paradise in the Desert: Iram at the Intersection of One Thousand and One Nights, Quranic Exegesis, and Arabian History”. In “To the Madbar and Back Again: Studies in the Languages, Archaeology, and Cultures of Arabia, Dedicated to Michael C.A. Macdonald”. Edited by Laïla Nehmé &
Ahmad Al-Jallad. Brill.
Thomas, Bertram (1932). “Arabia Felix: Across the Empty Quarter of Arabia”. Jonathan Cape.
Thomas, Bertram (1933). “Ubar—the Atlantis of the sands of Rub’ Al Khali”. Journal of The Royal Central Asian Society, 20(2), 259–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068379308725252
Webb, P. A. (2019). Iram. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas, & E.
Rowson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam 3 (pp. 117-121). Brill.
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How did Abd al-Malik shape the development of Islam? This video explores the reign of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik, including his reforms, the construction of the Dome of the Rock, and his role in shaping early Islamic identity. Was he the most important caliph in Islamic history?
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Donner, Fred (2012). "Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam". Harvard University Press.
Dov Goitein, Shelomo (1950). "The Historical Background of the Erection of the Dome of the Rock". In Journal of the American Oriental Society , Apr. - Jun., 1950, Vol. 70, No. 2, pp. 104-108.
Elad, Amikam (2008). "֒ABD AL-MALIK AND THE DOME OF THE ROCK: A FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THEMUSLIM SOURCES". In JERUSALEM STUDIES IN ARABIC AND ISLAM 35 (2008).
Marsham, Andrew (2023). "The Umayyad Empire". Edinburgh University Press.
Robinson, Chase F. (2012). "'Abd al-Malik". Makers of the Muslim World. Oneworld Academic.
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Was the great Sufi thinker Ibn 'Arabi actually a kind of idealist philosopher? In this video we explore the metaphysics of the Akbari tradition and the famous doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud (Oneness of Being).
I examine Ibn ‘Arabi’s view that God (al-Haqq) is the only true Reality, while the universe is a divine self-disclosure within Being. Along the way we look at concepts like wujūd (Being), imagination (khayāl), the immutable entities (a‘yān thābita), and the idea that the world is a reflection of the divine attributes.
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Abdel-Hadi, Faris (2025). "Ibn 'Arabi's Religious Pluralism: Levels of Inclusivity". Routledge.
Addas, Claude (1993). "Quest for the Red Sulphur". The Islamic Texts Society.
Austin, R.W.J. (translated by) (1980). "The Bezels of Wisdom". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.
Chittick, William (1989). "The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn 'Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination".
Chittick, William (1998). "The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology". State University of New York Press.
Chittick, William (2005). "Ibn Arabi: Heir to the Prophets". OneWorld Publications.
Chodkiewicz, Michel (1993). "Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and sainthood in the doctrine of Ibn 'Arabi". Translated by Liadain Sherrard. The Islamic Texts Society.
Caner Dagli (translated by) (2004). Ibn 'Arabi - "The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam)". Great Books of the Islamic World. Kazi Pubns Inc.
Dyczkowski, Mark S.G. (1987). "The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism". SUNY Press.
https://hareesh.org/blogpage
Ibn Arabi - "The Universal Tree and the Four Birds (al-ittihad al-kawni). Translated by Angela Jaffray. Oxford: Anqa Publishing.
Ibn 'Arabi - "The Openings Revealed in Makkah: al-futuhat al-makkiyya". Translated by Eric Winkel. Volumes 1-7. Pir Press.
Kastrup, Bernardo (2019). "Idea of the World, The: A multi-disciplinary argument for the mental nature of reality". Iff Books.
Kastrup, Bernardo (2024). "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A straightforward summary of the 21st century’s only plausible metaphysics". Iff Books.
Muller-Ortega, Paul (1988). "The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir". SUNY Press.
Rory Dickson, William (2024). "Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi Philosophy". Anqa Publishing.
Singh, Jaideva (Translated by) (1990). "The Doctrine of Recognition: A Translation of the Pratyabhijnahrdayam with an Introduction and Notes, by Ksemaraja". SUNY Press.
Torella, Raffaele & Bettina Bäumer (2016). "Utpaladeva: Philosopher of Recognition". D.K. Printworld.
Torella, Rafaele (Translated by) (2013). "The Isvarapratyabhijnakarika of Utpaladeva: Critical edition and annoted translation". Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
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What is the “School of Love” in Sufism? In this video, we explore Madhhab-e Ishq — the Sufi path centered on divine love (ishq) as the highest way to know God. From the poetry of Rumi to the teachings of Ahmad Ghazali, discover how love became a spiritual methodology, a theology, and a transformative path within Islamic mysticism.
Find me and my music here:
https://linktr.ee/filipholm
Support Let's Talk Religion on Patreon:
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Caner Dagli (translated by) (2004). Ibn 'Arabi - "The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam)". Great Books of the Islamic World. Kazi Pubns Inc.
Chittick, William & Peter Lamborn Wilson (translated by) (1982) "Fakhruddin Iraqi: Divine Flashes". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.
Ernst, Carl W. & Bruce B. Lawrence (2003). "Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and beyond". Palgrave Macmillan.
Ernst, Carl W (translated by) (2018). "Hallaj: Poems of a Sufi Martyr". Northwestern University Press.
Inayat Khan, Pir Zia (ed.) (2001). "A Pearl in Wine: Essays on the Life, Music & Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan". Omega Publications.
Knysh, Alexander (2000). "Islamic Mysticism: A Short History". Brill.
Lewis, Franklin D. (2000). "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West". Oneworld publications.
Lumbard, Joseph E.B. (2016). "Ahmad al-Ghazālī, Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love". SUNY Press.
Pourjavady, Nasrollah (translated by) (2015). "Sawanih: Inspirations from the World of Pure Spirits". Routledge.
Rustom, Muhammed (translated and edited by) (2022). "The Essence of Reality: A Defense of Philosophical Sufism". New York University Press.
Rustom, Muhammed (2024). "Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of Ayn al-Qudat". State University of New York Press.
Safi, Omid (2019). "Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition". Yale University Press.
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Zurvanism is a lesser-known feature of ancient Zoroastrianism that centers on Zurvan, the god of infinite time, and the cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. In this video, we explore the origins, beliefs, and historical influence of Zurvanism, what it is and isn't, and why it matters for understanding ancient Persian religion and dualism.
Check out Soul Roots:
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Boyce, Mary (1957). "Some Reflections on Zurvanism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London , 1957, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1957), pp. 304-316. Cambridge University Press.
Boyce, Mary (2000). "Zoroastrians: Their Their Religious Beliefs and Practices". Routledge; 2nd edition.
Boyce, Mary (1996). "On the Orthodoxy of Sasanian Zoroastrianism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1996, Vol. 59, No. 1 (1996), pp. 11-28. Cambridge University Press.
Boyce, Mary (1990). "Some Some Further Reflections on Zurvanism". Iranica Varia: Papers in Honor of Professor Ehsan Yarshater. Brill.
Dahlén, Ashk (transl.) (2023). "Zarathustra: Sånger". h:ström.
Humbach, Helmut & Pallan Ichaporia (transl.) (1994). "The Heritage of Zarathushtra: A New Translation of His Gathas. Universitatsverlag Winter.
Moazami, Mahnaz (ed.) (2016). "Zoroastrianism: A collection of Articles from the Encyclopedia Iranica". ENCYCLOPAEDIA IRANICA FOUNDATION. 2 Volumes.
Rose, Jenny (2019). "Zoroastrianism: An Introduction". I.B. Tauris Introduction to Religions. Bloomsbury Academic.
Strausberg, Michael; & Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina (ed.) (2015). "The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism". Wiley-Blackwell.
Zaehner, R.C. (1955). "Zurvan: A Zoroastrian Dilemma". Oxford.
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvanism/
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvan-deity/
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often seen as a modern invention—but its core ideas were explored over 1,100 years ago by the 9th-century scholar Abu Zayd al-Balkhi.
In this video, we explore al-Balkhi’s groundbreaking writings on mental health, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, and the connection between thoughts and behavior—ideas that closely resemble modern psychology and CBT.
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Nicholas of Cusa was a 15th-century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician whose ideas anticipated modern science and philosophy. In this video, we explore his life, key works, and radical concept of “learned ignorance,” as well as his views on infinity, knowledge and religious diversity. Discover why this forgotten medieval thinker still matters today.
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Bond. H. Lawrence (edited and translated by) (1997). "Nicholas of Cusa: Selected Spiritual Writings". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.
Hopkins, Jasper (translated by) (1986). "NICHOLAS OF CUSA’S DE PACE
FIDEI AND CRIBRATIO ALKORANI". Second edition. THE ARTHUR J. BANNING PRESS MINNEAPOLIS.
McGinn, Bernard. "The Presence of God" Series, in several volumes. Perhaps the best and most comprehensive introduction to Christian mysticism. Published by Crossroad Publishing Co.
Valkenberg, Pim (2011). "Sifting the Qur’an: Two Forms of Interreligious Hermeneutics in Nicholas of Cusa". In "Interreligious Hermeneutics in Pluralistic Europe", Currents of Encounter Online, Volume: 40. Brill.
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In this video, I explain the meaning of taqiyya in Islamic tradition & where it comes from. We look at its historical context, what scholars actually say about it historically and today.
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Hallaq, Wael (2004). "The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law". Cambridge University Press.
Hallaq, Wael (2009). "Sharia: Theory, Practice, Transformations". Cambridge University Press.
Stewart, Devin (2013). "Dissimulation in Sunni Islam and Morisco Taqiyya*". AL-QANTARA, XXXIV 2, 2013, pp. 439-490.
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/81133/?utm
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What is Sharia law, really? In this video, we break down the meaning of Sharia, explain where it comes from, and discuss some of the most misunderstandings you’ve probably heard online.
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Sources/Recommended Reading:
Hallaq, Wael (2004). "The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law". Cambridge University Press.
Hallaq, Wael (2009). "Sharia: Theory, Practice, Transformations". Cambridge University Press.
Kamali, Mohammad Hashim, 'Shariah: Meaning, Definition, History, and Sources', Shariah and the Halal Industry (New York, 2021; online edn, Oxford Academic, 19 Aug. 2021).
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