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Contact Dr Mohammed Ahmed on LinkedIn or Academia
Further Reading
1. Muslim-Jewish Harmony: A Politically-Contingent Reality
2. Islam and Judaism: Religious Attitudes and Identity in the Medinan Era
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:35) Recap of Part 1
(02:25) The fall of Granada and displacement of Muslim and Jews
(06:52) Why Christendom had antisemitic tendencies
(14:54) Christian Europe's antisemitism trickles into Ottoman lands
(18:44) Dönmeh - followers of Sabbatai Zevi
(25:08) Popular associations between Kabbalah, Jewry and Freemasonry
(26:47) Response of Arabs and the Jewish diaspora to Israel's creation
(29:30) Modern antisemitic tropes by Muslims
(33:04) Islam-friendly Anti-Zionism Rabbis
(36:59) Summing it all up
(40:32) Conclusion
Jan 1, 2024
42 min

Watch on YouTube
Contact Dr Mohammed Ahmed on LinkedIn or Academia
Further Reading
1. Muslim-Jewish Harmony: A Politically-Contingent Reality
2. Islam and Judaism: Religious Attitudes and Identity in the Medinan Era
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:15) References to Jews in the Quran
(06:41) Where is the term "Yahud" derived from?
(09:13) Brief sketch of early Jewish history
(15:06) Jews and Muslims in the Prophet's city
(24:17) Jews as dhimmis in the Rashidun Caliphate
(32:55) Jewish presence in the Hijaz
(36:32) Jews and Jizya under the Umayyads
(40:03) Jews in positions of power - rule or exception?
(45:45) La Convivencia - myth or fact?
(50:33) Jews under the Ottoman Millet system
(53:08) Conclusion
Jan 1, 2024
54 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:10) What is "Ontology"?
(27:35) What is "Epistemology"?
(46:40) The fallacy of the "Islamic Golden Period"
(59:40) Muslims need to change how they view their history
(01:12:10) Conclusion
Dec 28, 2023
1 hr 15 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:30) What is Theology?
(04:40) What is Aqeedah?
(11:00) Where does Kalam come from?
(16:17) How did differences in Aqeedah develop in early Islamic History?
(24:20) What was Mu'tazilism?
(35:33) What is the Aqeedah Tahawiyyah?
(37:15) Is there a correlation between the schools of Fiqh and Aqeedah?
(40:40) What other theological groups have existed in the past?
(47:55) Contribution of disagreements to the Islamic tradition
(49:25) Muslim Philosophers and their impact on Islamic theology
(52:25) Differences between mainstream schools of Aqeedah in Sunni Islam
(01:00:10) How relevant are abstract theological details for the lay person?
(01:06:10) Dr Ramon Harvey's books
Dec 28, 2023
1 hr 8 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) How were Ahadith recorded at the time of the Prophet (Peace and blessings upon him)?
(09:54) How did Hadith literature develop into the canonical collections we know today?
(15:54) Are Ahadith less reliable than the Qur'an due to later compilation?
(19:57) Is written word always more reliable than oral transmission?
(23:37) How can we be certain that Bukhari and Muslim are reliable?
(28:06) What is the size of the Hadith corpus?
(33:43) What are some other notable Hadith collections?
(36:42) How has Hadith scholarship evolved since the 5th century of Islam?
(39:19) How common is it to re-evaluate the authenticity of a Hadith?
(42:06) What is the unique contribution of Sheikh Al-Albani to Hadith Scholarship?
(47:21) What groups within Islam reject the reliability of Bukhari and Muslim?
(50:00) How has Orientalism and colonization influenced Muslims' engagement with Hadith?
(51:07) What reading material would you recommend for those new to Hadith?
Dec 28, 2023
54 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) What is Hermeneutics?
(05:10) What are the boundaries of Qur'anic Tafsir?
(10:14) Historically, what have been the genres of Qur'anic Tafsir?
(18:41) How has the popularity of "Tafsir based on educated opinion" varied historically?
(34:24) Do the earliest Tafsir works have greater epistemological significance than later ones?
(41:15) Are opinions valid due to Tafsir consensus? Is challenging consensus possible?
(51:39) Could the works of Hadith, Seerah, Qira'at and Fiqh be affected by a 'selection bias'?
(57:10) How should we navigate a Tafsir where the author propagates heterodox theological views?
(01:06:00) For beginners, what works of Qur'an translation and Tafsir would you recommend?
Dec 28, 2023
1 hr 14 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) What do we mean by scriptural preservation?
(02:52) What are the Qira'at and Ahruf?
(10:08) Do the 7 Ahruf still exist today?
(11:58) Are the Qira'at recited today all come from a single Harf?
(12:25) What are the origins of the 10 Qira'at common today?
(14:27) How was the Qur'an compiled from the time of the Prophet ﷺ to the rule of Uthman?
(26:16) Did the manuscript compiled at the time of Abu Bakr preserve multiple Ahruf?
(31:13) How to explain the differing readings and manuscripts of the Companions?
(35:40) Why did Uthman destroy alternative manuscripts after his official compilation?
(38:34) What is the Sana'a Palimpsest?
(42:10) Was the ordering of the Surahs in the manuscripts preserved?
(47:39) Do non-Uthmanic manuscripts exist, and are there signs of attempts to destroy them?
(51:12) How have the Qur'anic manuscripts evolved after the Uthmanic compilation?
(58:59) What does Western scholarship say about the compilation and preservation of the Qur'an?
Dec 28, 2023
1 hr 5 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) What is Orientalism?
(05:02) Is Orientalism still relevant today?
(07:30) How has Orientalism distorted Western consciousness regarding Islam and Muslims?
(10:53) What came first, Orientalism or political domination?
(14:59) How has Orientalism impacted Muslims since the Enlightenment?
(19:08) Have religious movements in the Islamic World been influenced by Orientalist narratives?
(20:36) Has political domination of the Orient always been the subject of Orientalism?
(24:09) How did 'Christian' become 'Judeo-Christian'?
(26:09) How have the perceptions of Western elite and laymen, regarding Muslims, changed over time?
(34:03) Did Western academia marginalize Islamic epistemology in the pre-colonial era?
(37:41) What Orientalist concepts have been absorbed by Muslims today?
(43:14) Are Orientalism and the political and epistemic subjugation of the 'Other' unprecedented?
(46:25) Why did the Mongol invasion not damage the Muslims as much as Western colonisation?
Dec 3, 2022
51 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Why is periodization of history important?
(05:56) How does periodization affect contextual understanding of history?
(08:46) Comparison of Islamic Golden Age with European Dark Ages have in Islamic History
(11:44) How does the use of political events as 'historical pivots' affect Muslims' view of their history?
(17:34) What are some other historical pivots that can be used to understand history?
(22:13) How have Muslim historians present history through the ages?
(25:46) Should Muslim historians adopt the modern-day Eurocentric periodization of history?
(31:28) How would you periodise the past 14 centuries of Islamic History?
(34:56) Where do you draw the line between Classical and Medieval Islam?
(39:39) Top-down vs Bottom-up approach to history
(41:52) How will future historians talk about us?
(47:35) How may we interpret the periodization of history in the Hadith of Nouman ibn Bashir?
Dec 3, 2022
52 min

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) What are the different approaches to framing Islamic History?
(15:55) Thematic Approaches to Islamic History
(18:27) Periodical Approaches to Islamic History
(22:35) The dynamism of Islam beyond the Formative Approach
(31:51) How should Muslims understand the current phase of their history
(37:06) How has colonisation affected Muslims' confidence in their own historical narratives?
(42:19) Have Caliphate and Christendom always be in conflict ?
(51:31) What are the geographical boundaries of the Islamic World?
Dec 3, 2022
58 min
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