

Podcast Ep. 24: House of Cards | Building Spiritual Resilience
The strength of one’s connection to Islam can waver. Attacks on our spiritual strength can come from within or without, but there are common strategies for withstanding challenges to our iman from all sides. In Episode 24, the team sits down to discuss how we can attain spiritual resilience, especially in light of how countless women see their status in the Muslim community as undervalued and dispensable. How … Continue reading Podcast Ep. 24: House of Cards | Building Spiritual Resilience

Book List: Rabīʿ al-Awwal
There is no shortage of writing devoted to the most praised, the greatest of all mankind: Rasūlallāh ﷺ. Works on sīrah alone number in the thousands. To mark this Rabīʿ al-Awwal, we have compiled a list of books focusing on Prophet Muḥammad’s ﷺ life, teachings and rights upon us. Whilst Martin Lings and The Sealed Nectar are household names, below are a few titles that … Continue reading Book List: Rabīʿ al-Awwal

Podcast Ep. 23: American Muslim Exceptionalism | Butheina Hamdah
Which comes first: nation or ummah? On Ep. 23, Butheina Hamdah joins us to discuss her research on American Muslim exceptionalism. We examine the impact of American exceptionalism on the Muslim psyche, as well as how American Muslims perceive the broader ummah. As calls for an indigenous Islam in America gain traction, questions of nationalism’s compatibility with an ummatic worldview come to the fore. Butheina … Continue reading Podcast Ep. 23: American Muslim Exceptionalism | Butheina Hamdah

A Meditation on Death in Istanbul
Xiwen Yang This short piece has its origin in my grandmother’s passing, who lived her whole life in a small town in south-western China and left for another realm in 2019, may Allah forgive her. Throughout my childhood, she protected my spirit, stirred my imagination, and cheered for my pursuits. I miss her, night and day. Her departure weighs on my heart and forces me … Continue reading A Meditation on Death in Istanbul

Book List: Muslim Fiction
Ayah Aboelela Creatively using words to inspire Islamic values holds a long tradition. Perhaps one of the earliest examples is when the Prophet ﷺ encouraged Hassān ibn Thābit to compose poetry, saying “Verily Ruh-ul- Qudus would continue to help you so long as you put up a defence on behalf of Allah and His Messenger.”[1] However, in the modern era, novels with Muslim characters are … Continue reading Book List: Muslim Fiction