In Good Faith

Like me, Dr Mamnun Khan has a big issue with how we understand basic terms such as "Muslim"... but we differ on the best practical way forward. Much of this discussion was dedicated to hashing out questions of identity, not just in terms of how we see ourselves, but also how we see and relate to others. Dr Mamnun is the author of Being British Muslims: Beyond Ethnocentric Religion and Id...

Watch my full conversation with Dr Bilal Hassam here .

A top clinical psychologist who speaks about the importance of putting God at the centre of discussions around mental health? That’s an unusual mix nowadays and it’s what got me interested in speaking with Dr Roger McFillin, who has over two decades of experience in his field but who is also rebelling against much of what is practised within it. He’s on a determined mission to expose the harsh tru...

I reflect briefly on the usage of the terms "Islam" and "Muslim" in revelation. The way in which these terms are understood has significant implications for how believers see themselves and how their public narratives are shaped. This is a short clip from Episode 1 of In Good Faith. You can watch or listen to the full episode here .

The last verse (110) of Chapter 18 (The Cave) of the Quran forces us to think about the true nature of our relationship with God. Do we yearn to encounter the divine, or do we shy away from the inevitable meeting? In this highlight clip, Azim Kidwai - CEO of Mercy Mission and Chairman of the Bradford District Community Foundation - reminds us that In the end, all earthly bonds will fall away, and...

In this conversation, I sat down with Dr Wajid Akhter to reflect on his first year as Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain. It was a sobering - and at times shocking - exchange. His verdict: Muslims are facing multiple, urgent, interconnected crises, yet they are not responding with the speed, coordination or seriousness the moment demands. We touched on a whole host of issues: from...

Most people feel trapped because they let past decisions, social expectations and fear define their future, instead of first identifying their true ideal. Real alignment begins when you strip away constraints, clarify what you would pursue if success were guaranteed and time were limited, and then move towards that vision gradually and intentionally. You can watch my full conversation on this topi...

Muslim legal tradition ended up crystallising in four schools of law: Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali. But does it need to be this way forever more? Some insist that no change is needed and that for a person to adhere unquestioningly to one of them is vital. Others claim that these schools remain invaluable in theory but they need radical revision in practice. Still others that they should...

The narrative for Muslims to migrate from so-called Western countries hasn't just been growing amongst bigots and haters... it's been gathering significant momentum amongst Muslims themselves. So what defines home? What's happening to people's sense of belonging? Is it really time to leave? In this highlight clip, we hear from Azim Kidwai, CEO of Mercy Mission and Chairman of the B...

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Professor Joel Hayward. We discussed the morality of modern warfare, including the latest indiscriminate versus precision weaponry, as well as issues of asymmetry, proportionality and diplomacy, especially in the context of Israel, Palestine and Sudan. Watch or listen to Part 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4o3Nch9kc1DfsdYyqsWeMX?si=37UTgZT1QSOeMjAkg...

I spoke with Mohammed Faris, one of the world's leading faith-based productivity experts, about what it actually means to be productive, achieving sincerity, the tyranny of clocks and watches, the restoration of the lunar calendar, overcoming regrets, remembering death... and a little about the future of this podcast! Mohammed is founder of The Productive Muslim Company - a faith-based trainin...

I spoke to one of the world's leading authorities on the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, about why war persists, the prophetic approach to conflict and diplomacy, the challenge of historical objectivity and methods of contextualising prophetic practice. Part 2 of this conversation will focus on contemporary questions that pertain to restraint, proportionality and accountabili...

🔽 DOWNLOAD a PDF summary of the key points of this conversation here: https://www.abrahamicrestoration.school/neovscovdownload I hosted Mohammed Nizami once again for a detailed compare-and-contrast of the neoliberal status quo with the Abrahamic covenantal vision. It's a whistle-stop tour through the various spheres of life, showing not just how unnatural and destructive modernity has become...

I've never been a fan of MyTenNights (MTN), the charity platform that has facilitated over $100m of donations by offering timed contributions on the Night of Decree (laylatul-qadr) in the month of Ramadan. Now it seems that the person who founded it, Ismael Dainehine, isn't too much of a fan of what he built either! We spoke about his recent and very significant turning point in how he understands...

In this conversation, I explore another perspective on the potential future of Bitcoin as sound money, this time with Harris Irfan, a veteran of the Islamic finance industry. We discussed some of the common arguments against Bitcoin as a possible medium of exchange as well as what the transition to a Bitcoin-based world might actually look like. Harris is the CEO of Cordoba Capital Markets and adv...

If you're thinking about the price of Bitcoin in terms of dollars or pounds... you're missing the point. The real power of Bitcoin, says investment expert Muhammed Yesilhark, lies in its intrinsic properties that make it a form of digital gold, i.e. a form of sound money that can protect your savings, help you win back your time and lead to more peaceful, prosperous and purposeful societies. If al...

I sat down with the wonderful Tarek El Diwany after the recent publication of the 4th Edition of his hugely influential book: The Problem With Interest. We revisited some familiar themes of his work - namely the great harms of interest-based economies and the ills of fiat money creation - as well as his views on Bitcoin as a form of sound money. Tarek also shared his thoughts on whether there is a...

Alcohol consumption has been rapidly declining in Britain, but the full benefits of this trend are yet to be fully understood and unlocked. To discuss what's been happening and what the future could look like, I spoke to the highly experienced Dr Jennifer Eggert, Director of Policy and Research at Equi, about the think tank's new report entitled: "A Teetotal Britain? Learning from Faith Communitie...

One of my central convictions and most contrarian ideas is that the ways in which we use the terms "Islam" and "Muslim" - not to mention their various transliterated derivatives such as "Islamic" and "non-Muslim" - are inauthentic, inaccurate, misleading and divisive. The identity and strategy of what is supposed to be a deeply faithful and universally impac...

Jehangir Malik OBE is Interim Director of the Asylum Reform Initiative, the alliance behind the Together With Refugees campaign coalition. He has over 30 years of leadership experience in local and national civil society institutions, notably having run both Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief UK, two of the country's most well-established, faith-based humanitarian organisations. I very much enjoyed Jeh...

Could the solution to the woes of modernity lie in an ancient story that Jews, Christians and Muslims have largely forgotten, and of which others may be completely unaware? That’s the view of my guest Mohammed Nizami, founder of the New School for Abrahamic Restoration. The aim of the New School is to revive a way of life rooted in God’s law, aligned with the created order, and capable of renewing...

Technological developments are reshaping our environments - and therefore our minds and souls - at an alarming rate. In this chat, Fahad Tasleem wonderfully makes the case for why a return to natural beauty is vital to preserve our connection with the divine. This conversation was originally intended to be a private one for Fahad Tasleem and I to get to know each other for the very first time. He...

Why are we in a meaning crisis when we are constantly surrounded by sources of meaning? To help us understand this issue more deeply I spoke with Dr Tubanur Yesilhark, Head of Operations at the International Foundation for Muslim Theology (IFMT). The main goal of the IFMT is to bring God-talk back into the centre of day-to-day life. The most recent project of the IFMT on Divine Revelation and Comm...

In the most open, heartfelt and vulnerable conversation of In Good Faith thus far, Salman Hasan shares his personal story of how he suffered from feelings of hypocrisy and unworthiness for years before finally finding a way to confront them in a hugely transformative manner. There's something here for anyone struggling with - but still seeking - a deep connection with the divine. Salman is Chi...

Dr William Barylo is a sociologist and visual artist using pictures and film to explore social issues from a decolonial and restorative perspective. He looks at how grassroots initiatives in Europe and North America navigate societal challenges. We sat down to discuss his latest publication: British Muslims in the Neoliberal Empire: Resisting, Healing, and Flourishing in the Metacolonial Era. Dr W...