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...), I joined a fractious, quarrelsome community. In that milieu, a new convert was seen as a potential acolyte for any number of groups; each of which had a distinct mission:
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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 It’s Wednesday, November 6th and 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—“immigrant” is such an imprecise term and is often used to refer to people of South Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, North African, Continental African, etc descent even when they were born and raised in the US! Nonetheless, as a discursive category it may still be useful…maybe.
I have always maintained that our context makes a full embrace of the Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace) 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 (upon him be peace). Relative chronological proximity as well as being the central religious figures of the two largest religious communities in the world have linked inextricably the Christ and the Prophet (upon them be peace). When prophethood is understood as a continuous process, beginning with Adam and culminating in the Prophet, the differences between the various Prophets of God (upon them be peace) are appreciated as alternations in form but not essence. In fact, speaking of Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad (upon them be peace), their lives and respective ministries, offer the perfect complement to one another. But where the wise see connection and harmony, those with less expansive understandings see contradiction and sometimes (due to being chronologically later) attribute inauthenticity to the Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace). Thus, the Prophet has been misunderstood among many Americans.
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.
We’ve had to provide theological frameworks to help people contextualize the Israeli-led genocide in a faith-affirming manner. The classical work by `Izz al-Dīn ibn Abdus-Salām, The Benefits of Tribulation has generated renewed interest in this regard. Personally, I too have had to wrestle with the meaning of the Israeli-led genocide. However, the issue for me hasn’t been theodicy. Though certainly gut-wrenching, I’m able to see the Hand of God in what is unfolding.
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. by: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM's First Scholar-in-Residence Landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport was the penultimate stage of our journey and already the adrenaline was starting to course through my veins. It was between the time of the Afternoon Prayer (Dhuhr) and the Late Afternoon Prayer (Asr). The weariness of travel, and at this point we had been traveling for an entire day, gave way to child-like ebullience. I was giddy. As my talbiya grew in intensity and purpose, I scanned my surroundings and took in the environment. This was the desert; barren, rocky, arid, and isolated. And yet there we were, with a million other pilgrims, voluntarily converging on this otherwise unremarkable destination. I reflected upon the verse:
By: Ustadh Ubaydullah evansALIM Core Scholar, Scholar-in-Residence When the question is: What book initially piqued your interest in Islam? Surprisingly, the Qur’ān (in any of its various translations) is not the most referenced book by Americans who eventually embrace Islam. That distinction actually belongs to the Autobiography of Malcolm X.
In fact, it has always been my contention that Malcolm fits perfectly into the traditional Islamic discourse around wilāya (an idea similar to sainthood within Roman Catholicism sans the beatification and canonization) and karāmāt (miracles). Within this understanding, Malcolm is a walī and the influence of his autobiography is his miracle. In all, I have personally encountered over 100 Muslims who have cited Malcolm’s story as their gateway into Islam—and I’m sure there are many more. By: Ustadh Ubaydullah EvansALIM Core Scholar, Scholar-in-Residence One of the most insightful religious reflections I ever heard was mentioned by an atheist. During the Q and A that directly followed my lecture, a questioner from the audience rose to speak. He was a middle-aged white man of slender build, dressed in business casual (chinos and a plaid button down shirt) clothing, and wearing glasses. I got the sense that he was a member of the faculty at the small college at which I was presenting. After thanking me for my remarks, which, if I recall correctly, were about Islam and Post-Modernity or something like that, he sought my permission to venture slightly off topic and ask a ‘personal’ question. Not knowing what to I expect, I forced a laugh and said, “well, it depends how personal.” After granting him permission, he identified himself as “an atheist but a seeker,” he then said, “I thought your remarks about religion were balanced. I’m clear about your conviction but it didn’t appear that you were attempting to evangelize [sic] the audience. I feel compelled to ask, what is the most challenging aspect of being a person of faith in the modern age?” The question was pithy and I don’t think any non-Muslim had ever posed it to me in such direct fashion.
by: Dr. Muneer FareedALIM Core Scholar Where are the Leaders!
This latest attack on Ghazza raises difficult questions pertaining to leadership, and brings into sharp relief, once again, the tension between the leaders we demand and those we deserve. We demand of our leaders that they speak truth to power, when in fact, we should try and limit our demands to that which plays to their strengths, bearing in mind that strengths vary from person to person. Unfortunately, some of our leaders are equally to blame: instead of trying to punch above their weight they too should limit themselves to their strengths, and work on curbing their urge to bask in the limelight. |
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