03 Muharram 1444 AH
وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُرَٰغَمًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَسَعَةًۭ ۚ وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
Anyone who migrates for God’s cause will find many a refuge and great plenty in the earth, and if anyone leaves home as a migrant towards God and His Messenger and is then overtaken by death, his reward from God is sure. God is most forgiving and most merciful.
4:100
Welcome to The Qarawiyyin Newsletter!
By the will of Allah, we have entered the new Hijri year, 1444 AH. With a new year comes new trials and tests, but also new opportunities and blessings. We pray that Allah fills it with His mercy and forgiveness.
July coincided with Eid ul Adha this year, so we ask Allah to accept the Hajj of all those blessed with the opportunity and to accept our ibadah. It also marks the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, with a further 50 bodies buried this year. May Allah have mercy on our martyrs.
Takbir of joy on the saddest day. Our sadness merges with our joy on Eid. It will be a long year before Eid is in July again. Until then, maybe we will be with our martyrs.
We were also given the tragic news of Sh. Muhammad AlShareef’s death, the founder of Al Maghrib Institute, a heavyweight within the Muslim community in the West. Here is a touching tribute by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi.
May Allah accept the relentless efforts of our beloved scholars & teachers in bringing the believers closer to their Lord. May every deed and utterance weigh heavy on their scales, and every life they change and soul they touch act as sadaqah jariyah.
Ameen.
Individualism & the destruction of community, Ilham I.
“While the cause of loneliness is often attributed to the breakdown of traditional family structures, the analysis goes little further, failing to address the rampant individualism & its roots in the secular liberal paradigm.”
Bogeymen and where to find them: Reading Bennabi, Sarah B.
"Bennabi identifies the source of this colonisibility as the loss of the “impulsion and living force of the Qur’an” in the hearts of Muslims ... not as a reduction in the iman of Muslims, but in their vision."
The problem with Vernacular Islam, Nayla M.
"Vernacular Islam tries to paint Islam as something that needs to be empirically confirmed. This frames the core of Islam as a culture, rather than a creed."
Podcast Ep. 22: How to Win Shahadas and Influence People
The ummah of Islam is growing, as are efforts to spread its message. Though da’wah is often seen as an outward-facing effort, the way it is conducted has serious implications for the faith of Muslims themselves. In this episode, new TQP staff members join the podcast to share their experiences with local da’wah culture, the online scene, da’wah training, and interfaith in non-Muslim majority societies. We discuss common pitfalls and inspiring successes in the world of calling people to Islam.
Listen to Episode 22 below, or find it on your favorite platform — including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more — here on Anchor.
Photos of Eid Al-Adha worldwide
You can find all previous book lists in the literature section on TQP website.
Islamicate Book Reviews - In a regular series of conversations, Dr Usaama al-Azami and Dr Omar Anchassi discuss books from the academic field of Islamic studies and reflect on what they mean for both the field, and Islam and Muslims in the modern world.
Book List: The Bosnian Genocide - This July marked 27 years since the Srebrenica Genocide. We compiled a list of books on Bosnian history and the genocide of the 1990s to help introduce English speakers to the Bosnian War and understand it from various angles. Torture, Humiliate, Kill: Inside the Bosnian Serb Camp System is a new release by Hikmet Karčić, and available open access!
Imam Tom Talks About His Favourite Books - Blogging Theology - Paul Williams hosts Imam Tom Facchine to discuss books, including The Order of Things (Foucault), Formations of the Secular (Asad) & Restating Orientalism (Hallaq).
As well as periodically updating our resource bank, here we share some other insightful contributions from prominent Muslim figures and organisations.
STATEMENT: Against Domestic Violence: The Female Scholarship Network In light of recent events, the Female Scholarship Network; a group of over 100 female Islamic scholars, teachers, and daa’iyyas across the world have issued a statement condemning the disease of domestic violence that has permeated the Muslim Ummah for far too long. May Allah's justice prevail.
EVENT: Ummatics Colloquium: Print and the Arabo-Islamic Renaissance The next colloquium on August 2 features Dr. Ahmed El Shamsy, who will be presenting a paper in relation to his important recent book, Rediscovering the Islamic Classics: How Editors and Print Culture Transformed an Intellectual Tradition. Dr. Omar Anchassi and Dr. Alex Thurston will provide their responses.
VIDEO: Rebellion in Islam with Professor Ovamir Anjum | Blogging Theology Paul William of Blogging Theology hosts Dr Ovamir Anjum to discuss the contentious topic of Rebellion in Islam - touching on topics of Justice, leadership and tyranny.
ARTICLE: Reflections and Advice From a Female Scholar | Shaykha Sarah Ahmed, Traversing Tradition Shaykha Sarah Ahmed reflects on her experience as a female scholar in the Western world, highlighting the realities on the ground - the limitations and obstacles but also the impact and rewards.
VIDEO: On Abrahamic Alliances | A Muslim Response | Imam Tom Facchine Imam Tom Facchine makes a short yet powerful statement on the idea of an ‘Abrahamic Alliance’, and how Muslims should navigate such an approach.
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Until next time, Assalaamu Alaykum