The Thinking Muslim - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

The Thinking Muslim — Islam
The Thinking Muslim

A platform for the elevation of thinking and a call to enlightened action.

Linktree

https://linktr.ee/thinkingmuslimpodcast

Support Our Work

Become a member: Sustain the podcast with a monthly contribution and enjoy exclusive benefits – https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membership

Make a one‑time donation: Help us continue producing high‑quality content – https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/donate

Stay Connected

Newsletter – Subscribe to host Muhammad Jalal’s reflections and show updates – https://jalalayn.substack.com

Merchandise: Grab our signature Thinking Muslim mug – https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch

Follow Us

Website & archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com

X (Twitter): https://x.com/thinking_muslim

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-thinking-muslim/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/

Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim

Connect with the Host

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/jalalayn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jalalayns/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Muhammad Jalal 693942

Latest Episodes:

An Intelligent Guide to Zakat with Dr Osman Umarji Apr 16, 2022

Show notes

Zakat is often mischaracterised as merely the act of paying individual alms. In reality it is a sophisticated system of wealth redistribution and spiritual sacrifice that helps to nurture a true Muslim fraternity. It is customary to pay Zakat in Ramadan, as this is when the reward is greatest for all deeds but also the heightened sense of brotherhood and the absence of Shaytaan’s whispers asking us to hold back, means that charitable donations flood various causes.

But what is Zakat? To whom can it be paid? How do we calculate Zakat? Which organisations can we offer our money to? What if we have debt? These questions and more will be answered by my learned guest today. Dr Osman Umarji is a director at Yaqeen Institute, he is also a Professor in the School of Education at UC Irvine and has studied at Al Azhar university.

Thanks to the team: Riaz Hasan, Musab Muhammad, Reem Walid, Adeel Alam, Yusra Zainuddin, Ahaz Atif and Umar Abdul Salam.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia's War on Ukraine with Professor Joseph Kaminski Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominates the news. This audacious attack on a neighbouring country has shocked Europe with its sheer brutality. Of course, Muslims have experience of Russia’s tactics in war, from Grozny in Chechnya to East Aleppo and beyond – the Russian military machine is neither guided by morality nor humanity. In Aleppo alone, some 30,000 civilians were slaughtered, leaving the few that remained to painfully evacuate their city.

But when all is said about the double standards, Muslims are confronted with two big questions, how should we understand the crisis and how should we respond. Sadly on both counts many have opted to either embrace the left’s anti-imperialism narrative and in turn sound like they sympathise or support Putin’s actions.

This week invite back onto The Thinking Muslim, Professor of International Relations Joseph Kaminski from the International University of Sarajevo. Joseph speaks to me about the crisis, how to view the actions of America and the impact upon Muslims in Bosnia, who are once again facing a belligerent Serbian movement, supported by Russia. He also passionately discusses some of the takes that have been circulating the Muslim twitter-sphere.

Thanks to the team: Riaz Hasan, Musab Muhammad, Reem Walid, Adeel Alam, Yusra Zainuddin, Ahmed Serag, Ahaz Atif and Umar Abdul Salam.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trojan Horse Affair – Britain’s Anti-Terror Industry with Fahad Ansari and Dr Rob Faure Walker Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

We are back after a short pause.

Britain for the past 21 years has been overtaken by what can only be described as a national hysteria. The recent jaw-dropping investigation by the New York Times Serial podcast into the so-called Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham, revealed how this hysteria translated into a deep-seated national display of Islamophobia.

Fahad Ansari is a lawyer and public activist, who in his professional career has defended many Muslims who have fallen foul of Britain’s nationality laws, including very high-profile cases of citizenship deprivation.

Dr Rob Faure Walker is an academic and author specialising in critiquing Britain’s anti-terror educational policy, also known as Prevent. His book can be found here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-emergence-of-extremism/dr-rob-faure-walker/9781350199507

Thanks to the team: Riaz Hasan, Musab Muhammad, Reem Walid, Adeel Alam, Yusra Zainuddin, Ahmed Serag, Ahaz Atif and Umar Abdul Salam.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Jihad, Empire and Solidarity - a Conversation with Dr Darryl Li and Dr Ovamir Anjum Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

This past week marks twenty years since the opening of the infamous detention centre, Guantanamo Bay. It remains a symbol of the hollowness of the very values that underpin the liberal world order. Camp X ray was to house dangerous ‘jihadists’, a nebulous general term that is used to describe those foreign fighters that would for no 'explicable' reason travel to distant parts of the world to fight other peoples wars. Within time, the term came to explain a universal ideology, from Bosnia to Afghanistan, Palestine to Kashmir – those that crossed national boundaries to fight for an oppressed ummah were lumped into a singular narrative, stripped of acceptable political motives and removed of their humanity.

Dr Daryl Li is a practicing lawyer and anthropologist who has written a brilliant work on global jihad mobilisation in Bosnia. His book, titled The Universal Enemy: Jihad, Empire, and the Challenge of Solidarity, challenges the prevailing narrative – and attempts to ask more searching and important questions. Joining us is Professor Ovamir Anjum, who reflects on Dr Li’s work and the broader themes that come from it.

Thanks to the team: Riaz Hasan, Musab Muhammad, Reem Walid, Adeel Alam, Yusra Zainuddin, Ahmed Serag, Ahaz Atif and Umar Abdul Salam.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Importance of Community in Islam - With Dr Shadee Elmasry Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Today we invite back Dr Shadee Elmasry, Imam and community leader who has worked tirelessly at the local level to develop strong communities premised upon an Islamic framework. We ask Dr Shadee to spell out the importance of communities in Islam and how the modern maladies that come from individualism can be remedied.

Thanks to the team: Riaz Hasan, Musab Muhammad, Reem Walid, Adeel Alam, Yusra Zainuddin, Ahmed Serag, Ahaz Atif and Umar Abdul Salam.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

France's War in the Sahel - with Dr Alex Thurston Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

The Sahel, a region spanning the countries of West Africa, has been rocked by instability for the past few years. There is what the West calls an Islamist insurgency that has provoked international intervention, from France (the former colonial power) but also the United States. The region is one of the richest in the world in terms of natural resources, including oil, gold and uranium. Yet it’s one of the poorest in the world, the proceeds of these extractive industries rarely reaches the people.

This week, we talk to Dr Alex Thurston, a specialist in the region, and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati to explain why the Sahel is important. Alex has written extensively about the Sahel and is an authority, regularly contributing to reports and discussions.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ottoman Ulema 2: The Printing Press, Coffee and Secularisation with Dr Yakoob Ahmed Dec 04, 2021

Show notes

In this second part of an extended interview with Ottoman historian, Dr Yakoob Ahmed from Istanbul University, we take a look at some of the challenges and controversies that are associated with the ulema during the latter period of the Ottoman Empire. We ask Dr Ahmed to explain why it is said that the ulema were an obstruction to the progress of the Caliphate and scrutinise the claims that the ulema outlawed the printing press and coffee.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ottoman Ulema 1: Osman, The Caliphate & The Mamluks - With Dr Yakoob Ahmed Nov 26, 2021

Show notes

In this two part show we talk Dr Yakoob Ahmed from Istanbul University about the relationship between the ulema (scholars) and the Ottoman empire. Were they mere political apparatchiks, steeped in the power and patronage of powerful sultans?

In this first part we take a look at the Ottoman ulema in the early period, the issue of the 'caliphate', Sultan Fatih's ilmiyah reforms and Sultan Selim's defeat of the Mamluks and the response of the Arab ulema and the independence of the ulema system.

You can donate to the show here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US Liberalism & Islamic Exceptionalism with Dr Shadi Hamid Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

As you all know, this podcast is no stranger to dissecting the narrative forwarded by liberals in general and those within our community that self-identify as Muslim liberals. And if you know me you would know that I don’t particularly find the modernist narrative appealing nor elegant in their appeals to what I and I think most Muslims see as the ideas of an incoherent worldview that has undermined human societies the world over.

With these caveats in mind, this episode we dedicate to a discussion with an American Muslim liberal, Dr Shadi Hamid. I have followed his work for some years and although we part company on a number of issues, as you will hear, I do feel Shadi is a reluctant liberal, open to criticise not only those inconsistencies he witnesses but also he attempts to make sense of American foreign policy in light of his values and I am not sure he is always successful in reaching a satisfactory answer.

We discuss American liberalism, the trends towards nativism, exemplified in the near re-election of Donald Trump last year but also how he reconciles his liberal worldview with his Islamic faith, which I know he thinks a lot about.

Shadi has written a number of books on the Muslim world, this is where he made his name in American political and academic circles, so we spend time talking about the attitudes of Muslims in the Muslim world towards Islam as well as the often-simplistic way US policy treats the Middle East and Islamic parties.

For more links to Shadi Hamid's biography and works, please view the Insights page on the show

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Islamic Governance, Caliphates and Emirates - with Iyad Hilal and Kamal Hussain Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Since the demise of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim world has moved from one crisis to another. The parlous state of the ummah is now the subject of many discussions and numerous Islamic groups have attempted to find the magic formula to reverse this decline. Invariably and correctly, the subject of a return to Islamic governance has become a rallying call for many that seek to return to a place where the ummah was a leading one.

Yet recently, the rise of ISIS and the return to the Taliban government has given us two very different yet for some, very troubling models of how a shariah ruled state should run. Beyond these examples, contemporary Islamic study on the topic either negates well-known Islamic precedents found in our tradition or offers models of authoritarianism where a caliph has the control over all and is one step away from repression.

Today we have brought together two Islamic thinkers and scholars that have been working for some time on rethinking Islamic governance. Ustadh Iyad Hilal is no stranger to this show, he is an instructor at the al-Arqam Institute in California and is a regular imam and khateeb at Masajids across his state. Kamal Hussain is a lecturer and legal expert who recently delivered a paper to academics and scholars on ‘al Sultan-al Ummah’ the authority of the Ummah, he argues that this Islamic principle has been lost over time, with many theorists viewing the role of the people as no more than passive citizens in a caliphate structure.

An earlier version of this episode had some formatting errors. This has now been fixed.

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim

Website: thinkingmuslim.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Related Podcasts