وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
9:71
Welcome to The Qarawiyyin Newsletter!
In our first edition, we round up some of our most popular content from last year for our new readers (and old readers who have a sentimental side). 2020 was a busy year for the Qarawiyyin Project; we published debut articles from new writers, reviewed books and television series, welcomed new team members, and featured our first Shaykha on the Qarawiyyin Podcast. See highlights and other recommended reads below, courtesy of our team.
These were our five most popular articles in 2020:
1) Refuting the Historical Negation of Hijab
In February, Aisha Hasan dissected a famous TEDx Talk that attempts to disprove the necessity of wearing hijab. The article questions common fallacious arguments advanced against the hijab, as well as how they distort the tradition of Islamic legal discourse.
2) “Why can’t Muslims take a joke?”
In September, Aaminah Y. questioned the narrative on Muslims' purported need to lighten up and the limits of humour in Islam.
3) Critiquing Influencer culture
In July, we examined the impact of influencer culture on a new generation of young people in the age of social media.
4) Gender series: “I just don’t think Muslim women should be working”
In November, we published an article exploring the alleged career vs motherhood dichotomy, introducing a new series dedicated to common gender debates.
5) The demoralised Muslim mind
In September, Nayla Majestya from Indonesia highlighted the rise of non-clinical depression amongst young Muslims, and how this can be solved through embodying a Mu’min (believer) mindset.
Podcast Ep. 11: Palestine – Revelation and Realpolitik | Dr. Aysha Wazwaz
In our most recent podcast episode, we welcomed Dr. Aysha Wazwaz for a discussion on Palestine. As we witness shifting rhetoric about the liberation of Palestine, normalisation efforts with the occupying force, and complicity from religious scholars in these efforts, we ask: what is the religious significance of Palestine? Why are Muslims dropping the banner of Palestine advocacy? What is the role of scholars in politics (and must we defer to them)?
Podcast Ep. 10: Young and Beautiful – The Qarawiyyin Project
In one of our most popular podcast episodes this year, the TQP team sat down to discuss beauty standards, the concept of jamal from an Islamic standpoint, and challenges Muslim women face navigating our hypervisual world.
We reviewed several books and partnered with keen bibliophiles to get their favourite recommendations.
Rediscovering Islamic History
Following Episode 9 of our podcast, we continued with an exploration into Islamic history with a dedicated book list for aspiring historians. Whether searching for answers to historical controversies or just looking for entertaining anecdotes, Islamic history provides something for everyone.
Islam & Systemic Anti-Blackness
In the wake of the protests following the murder of George Floyd in the United States, five TQP contributors reviewed some relevant books on systemic anti-Black racism and how Muslims can work to uproot it through Islam.
As well as periodically updating our resource bank, here we share some other insightful contributions from prominent Muslim figures and organisations.
Report: Creating a New Civilisation of Islam - Ayaan Institute
The Muslim world appears to be in crisis: divided into 53 Muslim majority nation-states, seemingly powerless, economically under-developed, dependent on the West, Russia, or China, and in never-ending conflict. How did we arrive at this situation and how can we change it? These are the central questions raised in Ayaan Institute’s flagship discussion paper.
Lecture Series: The Lives of the Four Imams - Ali Hammuda
Ali Hammuda traverses the lives of the four great Imams, whose monumental contributions to our faith and tradition are honoured till this day. He explores the lifestyles, etiquettes, experiences and qualities that made them who they are, in this eloquently narrated, comprehensive series starting with Imam Abu Hanifa.
If you’d like to feature in our next newsletter, let us know. Email us at contact@qarawiyyinproject.co or visit our website to find out more about our article submission process.
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Until next time, Assalaamu Alaykum.