 by: Ustadh ubaydullah evansResident Scholar, ALIM There is a humorous but wise anecdote which finds the great Winston Churchill being solicited to deliver a public address. The questioner apparently asked Churchill how much he would charge to give a lecture. When Churchill responded with his price, which the questioner found exorbitant, he said to the famed English statesman, “No, this would be a short lecture, approximately 20 minutes in length. Is there any way we can reduce that amount?” “In that case, then, I will require double my normal honorarium!” said Churchill cheekily.
The indication, however, is true: if the goal of speech–or writing for that matter–is clarity then brevity and conciseness represent greater challenges than longform content. For the past few years, I’ve been writing these blog posts for the ALIM constituency.
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 by: Ustadh Ubaydullah evansResident Scholar, ALIM Empathy fatigue is a reality. Even those who esteem the Prophetic ideal of universal mercy get burned out.
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansResident Scholar, ALIM  The Battle of Badr was a decisive military victory for the early Muslim community. After years of pacifist resistance in Makkah, the battle represented a new willingness on behalf of the community to defend its physical integrity. It was such a watershed moment in the history of the first community that presence at Badr became the greatest signifier of religious commitment.
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansResident Scholar, ALIM  In contradistinction to Madinah, the renown of Makkah predates the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). In fact, the prominence of Makkah predates the name Makkah itself. In the chapter of the Qur’an entitled The Family of Imran, God says, “Indeed, the first house of worship established for humanity was at Bakkah–a blessed sanctuary and a guide for all people.” [3:96].
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansResident Scholar, ALIM  The Haramayn (The Sanctuaries at Makkah and Madinah) have always represented a site of spiritual longing for Muslims. Classical Islam eschews representational imagery. So while it is uncommon to see depictions of prophets, angels, and saints in the homes and businesses of Muslims, the green dome (which marks the Mosque of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Kaa’ba are nearly ubiquitous.
By: Ubaydullah EvansALIM, Resident Scholar  We recently took a family vacation to Yosemite. This trip, organized by my wife Hadiyah and with her careful, meticulous planning, was a great blessing for our family. Additionally, we had the good fortune of enjoying the companionship of family friends. I could certainly write a reflection of funny anecdotes about the children–as the family with whom we vacationed had a son who got on wonderfully with our children. And predictably, I could toss out the stale bon mot about the gaping mouths and curious glances generated by a Black, Muslim family in rural California.
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM's First Scholar-in-Residence  Relevance is an important factor when assessing authority within religious communities. However, in the case of Sunni Islam it possesses added significance: In the absence of centralized, religiously binding authority (e.g. the Catholic Church) relevance can quickly become the sine qua non of religious authority. For many, pedigree and certification become meaningless if the authority in question is deemed “out of touch.”
Beyond Endurance: Rethinking the Meaning of ‘Allah Does Not Burden a Soul Beyond Its Capacity’10/13/2025 By: Ubaydullah EvansResident Scholar, ALIM 
My wife recently shared a short video with me of a dear friend and colleague discussing the Quranic verse “Allah does not place upon any soul more than it can bear…” [2:286]
By: Ubaydullah EvansALIM Resident Scholar  I have strong conviction about the religion of Islam. And precisely for that reason, the great diversity of religious expression among the human family is a source of inspiration for me. Consider the myriad systems of belief—theistic and non-theistic, celestial and terrestrial—human beings have engaged in our quest for meaning. All of them suggest a uniquely conscious creature, imbued with a soul and unsparing curiosity. In the Qur’an, we recite:
{“And they ask you [O Prophet], about the soul. Say, ‘The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And humankind has been given but little knowledge.’”}[17:85].  Following the recent release of a video testimony by Sister Nela about leaving Islam after 27 years, and the theological response by Sheikh Hamzah Raza, writer and activist Umar Lee invited Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans to offer his reflections.
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansResident Scholar, ALIM
I would describe myself as a casual fan of tennis. However, I thought it was common knowledge that Serena Williams, the recently retired American tennis legend, is one of the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time). So when I mentioned this to some die-hard tennis fans (all of whom were men), I was surprised to hear them reference the controversial statement of John Mcenroe, who said, “If Serena played on the male circuit, she would be like 700th in the world.”
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah evansResident Scholar, ALIM 
“Empty feminine packages...and blank slates,” this is how Umm Zakiyyah describes the self-effacing ethic Muslim women are expected to assume in their romantic partnerships. In her view, the Muslim community has arrived at this impoverished understanding of womanhood thru an inversion of Islamic teaching.
 The American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM) condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence that has been perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Israeli regime and its enablers. It is at once harrowing and humiliating for the American community to watch passively as the lethal machinery of modern warfare is deployed against a defenseless, civilian population.
By: Ustadh ubaydullah evansALIM Resident Scholar  Friday marked the first night of the blessed month of Ramadan. Mashallah, it appears that the three principal ways of determining the matla’ produced the same result: a) Global moonsighting b) Local moonsighting c) Astronomical calculation.
I was genuinely pleased at this outcome. In years past, I would celebrate the diversity of opinion on this issue. By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM Resident Scholar  It’s a strange phenomenon. Thinkers consistently evolve. However, the books, monographs, articles, recorded lectures, etc. through which we consume their ideas seem to live in perpetuity. As a result, an idea or theoretical framework might become foundational in our thinking while the scholar from whom we learned the idea, may come to view it as outmoded or passe.
As someone who entered Islam in the late Nineties (Subhanallah, it’s difficult to fathom where the time went. Wa-al-asr...), By: Ustadh Ubaydullah evansALIM Resident Scholar  2024 saw the passing of Frankie Beverly. The legendary, Philly-bred, soul singer and his band Maze were a part of the soundtrack of my childhood. When we attended cookouts as a family or when my mother was working in the kitchen you were sure to hear Frankie’s smooth baritone wafting through our home. Like all kids, of course, I feigned indifference and even a mild dislike for my mom’s music! In actuality, however, some of those records were thought-provoking and I still recall them fondly. Thinking of ‘24, I can hear Frankie singing over the last bridge on “Joy and Pain”:
by: Shirin khanExecutive Director & Co-Founder, ALIM  Assalamualaikum dear ALIM family. I pray this message finds you and your loved ones in good health and high spirits, InshaAllah. As we near the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting updates about what's happening at ALIM and what lies ahead!
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM Resident Scholar  For better or worse, meritocracy shapes many of our ideals concerning achievement. On the one hand, as the famed Ibn Khaldūn summarized in his Muqaddimah: The work ethic of a people is strongest when the fruits of their labor are safe from the reach of government usurpation. Simply put, when people believe that hard work results in success, they work hard. This is meritocracy at its commendable best.
On the other hand, an overemphasis on meritocracy may have the effect of minimizing the role of providence in success. Moreover, when success, and by extension prosperity, are separated from the Divine prerogative they are no longer embraced as tests and responsibilities. Quite the reverse, in the absence of an intentional acknowledgment of God’s favor, achievement—more than even appearance, talent, or status—can become a great source of delusion and ingratitude. If our individual worthiness, dedication, or ability has secured for us what we have, how do we view those who haven’t achieved as much? Are they definitively less worthy, unintelligent, or lazy? The Prophet (upon him be peace) said: By: Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans ALIM Scholar-in-Residence  The results are in. Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States of America. In the lead up to the election, conversations within the American Muslim community were tense and sometimes even caustic.
A Trump presidency and the impending policy (foreign and domestic) consequences likely to accompany it risk exacerbating tensions. Among the many potentially explosive conversations I observed online was the recurring Blackamerican versus immigrant exchange
 I have always maintained that our context makes a full embrace of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) difficult. Within our sacred history, Jesus Christ of Nazareth (upon him and his blessed mother be peace) is the direct predecessor of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
 Photo via Middle East Eye. This most recent iteration of the genocidal campaign of the ethno-nationalist Israeli state has led many Muslims to question our faith. For some, that interrogation has taken the form of theodicy: What is the utility of worshipping a God who either A) Pre-ordains and decrees something so horrific, B) is unable or unwilling to prevent these catastrophic events from taking place in spite of the fact that He is being appealed to by supplicants incessantly? And though we’ve had our work cut out for us, Islamic scholars/teachers/preachers have attempted to respond.
 One of the wittiest anecdotes I’ve come across within the Islamic tradition comes to us courtesy of the great polymath Imam Jalāl ud-Dīn as-Suyūṭī (d. 1505). He was once grilled concerning his supposed statement that he was at the same level of authority and legal scholarship as the 4 Imams (Abū Ḥanīfa, Mālik, ash-Shāfi’ī, ibn Ḥanbal). The great Suyūṭī reportedly held firm to his commitment to intellectual freedom, responding, “Yes! I have reached the level of a mujtahid muṭlaq (legist of unrestricted jurisdiction).” He continued, “in that, I am identical to Imam ash-Shāfi’ī. However, you will find that my opinion never diverges from his.” He offered in summary, “it’s not that I’m imitating (taqlīd) him; I just actually agree with everything he said!”
 In his esteemed collection of rigorously authenticated Prophetic traditions, Imam al-Bukhārī records the statement of the Prophet (upon him be peace): “The best deeds in the sight of God are those that are performed with the greatest consistency.”
The American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM) has been hosting its annual summer program for a quarter century. Needless to say, much has changed in 25 years. However, ALIM has demonstrated incredible consistency. We’ve remained committed to our mission. We empower Muslims through Islamic literacy.  By: Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans Scholar-in-Residence, ALIM  As a signifier of commitment to progressive values, the terms “diversity and inclusion” are nearly ubiquitous. The past decade or so has witnessed “diversity and inclusion” move from the Affirmative Action inspired charters of schools and businesses to a vibrant part of our media, art, and vernacular cultures. Put differently, we no longer only expect diversity and inclusion where we work or study; it’s something we’ve come to seek more broadly. Taken at face value, this shift toward plurality should inspire American Muslims with great satisfaction. Our faith affords inter- religious/cultural exchange and ultimately familiarity, spiritual value. The Qur’ān proclaims:
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM Scholar-in-Residence  Dr. Sherman Jackson is very eloquent, mashallah. In fact, so appreciated is his ability to “turn a phrase” that we jokingly use the term “Jacksonian” to describe the rhetorical flourishes for which he’s known. However, the most eloquent I’ve ever heard him is in response to a question about the “essence of Ramadan.” For Dr. Jackson, such a broad, open-ended question was like a pitch right down the middle of the plate. So in his simple response, “Ramadan is about being hungry” he appeared to bunt. A slight chuckle could be heard among the audience. For many, he had either ironically or jokingly stated the obvious.
Hunger is undoubtedly our most primal urge. It is at once the greatest unifying factor within our humanity and the source of our greatest disparity. And for all that could be correctly said concerning our advocacy around hunger: the obligation to fight it, to repudiate the greed that subjects so many of our fellow men and women to it involuntarily, the unacceptable callousness with which we turn a blind eye to those afflicted by hunger, it remains a perennial human universal. |
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Zelle: [email protected]
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