In Good Faith

Dr Ali-Reza Bhojani is Assistant Professor in Islamic Ethics at the University of Birmingham, where he has been based since 2021. He has held previous academic posts at the Al-Mahdi Institute, the University of Nottingham, the University of Oxford, and the Markfield Institute for Education. He completed his PhD at the University of Durham and his thesis was published as Moral Rationalism and Shari...

In Part 2 of my conversation with Hamza Tzortzis, he speaks for the first time publicly about his recently submitted PhD thesis: A Theo-Philosophical Assessment of al-Iʿjāz al-ʿIlmī and the Multiplicity of Readings Approach. Using so-called scientific miracles to prove the divine origin of revelation has been an extremely popular way of bolstering the faith of existing believers, as well as encour...

In this first episode of a two-part conversation with the prolific and well-renowned Hamza Tzortzis, I got to pick his brains about the Quran. How should people approach and understand it today? How can and should it be contextualised? How do we separate between the universal and the particular? Part 2 will focus entirely on his recently submitted PhD, entitled "A Theo-Philosophical Assessment of...

In this episode, Taimur Abdaal is back to quiz me about what it means to lead a truly authentic, God-centred life, especially in the context of work. For most of us, work occupies the bulk of our time, attention and energy. Unfortunately, for many of us, it also often ends up being unfulfilling and misaligned with our deepest values and our overall worldview. Can this tension be resolved in a way...

Surkheel Sharif, aka Abu Aaliyah, founded and has been the director of the Jawziyyah Institute since 1999: a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultivating an Islam true to its time-honoured tradition, relevant to its current context, and of benefit to wider society. He has authored the following works: More Fish Please & the Earth’s Complaint (2011), Fussing Over the 15th of Sha’ban & t...

I've long been a fan of the work of Peter Gould. Wise, humble and immensely talented, Peter shared many lessons and insights from his 20+ years of experience as a creator, entrepreneur and pioneer of heart-centred design. He also spoke about his long and wonderful journey in producing his beautiful new book - The Heart of Design - as well as the result of his latest collaboration - Tales of Kh...

Chris Blauvelt is one of the most dynamic and creative faith-based social entrepreneurs around. Based in Detroit, Michigan, he is co-founder and CEO of LaunchGood, the world's largest faith-inspired crowdfunding platform. Since 2013 it has facilitated ~$1bn of giving across the world. We spent time discussing the past, present and future of LaunchGood... but first we talked in some detail abou...

Ibrahim Khan is Co-Founder of Islamic Finance Guru (IFG) and Cur8 Capital, IFG's investment platform. He's hosted me a few times on the IFG channel and so it was nice to return the favour. Follow Ibrahim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mibrahimkhan/ Find out more about IFG: https://www.islamicfinanceguru.com Find out more about Cur8 Capital: https://cur8.capital (0:00) Trailer (0:41) Does IFG...

⏰ Enrol now for a condensed, live online version of Transform My Prayer starting Sunday 3rd August. Four 60-minute sessions to help you fix your mindset, fix your words, fix your movements and fix your life! Visit https://tinyurl.com/tmplite and join 300+ others who’ve already signed up. In this episode of In Good Faith, Taimur is back… and this time we’re discussing some of his burning prayer qu...

For as long as I’ve known him, Dr Sohaib Saeed has been deeply immersed in all aspects of the study of the Qur’an. This was the first time I got to have a focused 1:1 discussion with him on challenging questions relating to the interpretation and contextualisation of revelation. I hope you enjoy and benefit from the conversation. After a BA and MSc in philosophy (Edinburgh), Dr Sohaib graduated fr...

Ramadan Tent Project (RTP) has long been one of my favourite social impact organisations. So it was a pleasure to catch up with its Founder and Chief Executive, Omar Salha, for the latest episode of In Good Faith. In our conversation, Omar not only gave a useful theoretical introduction to the concepts of cultural diplomacy, soft power and social capital, but illustrated his points with stories fr...

I sat down with Zara Mohammed to discuss her unique experience as a high profile community leader. Zara talks about the practicalities of government and media engagement and shares personal leadership lessons. She also reflects on what our community needs to do better in order to improve political and civil society participation. Finally we talk about her possible plans for the future. From 2021-2...

I sat down with Arfah Farooq - co-founder of Muslim Tech Fest (MTF) - a few days after the successful conference which took place in London on 21st June. We reflected on the past, present and future of MTF. We also discussed the latest developments in AI, handling ADHD, as well as parenting opportunities and challenges in relation to tech. Overall, loads of great insights from Arfah in this 10th e...

~ Apply discount code IQBAL20 for 20% off all artwork on https://muslimplicity.com ~My conversation with Dr Bilal Hassam was pretty wild, very insightful and lots of fun. We talked about what it means and what it takes to build a faith-based civilisation in the build up to the 22nd century, covering a vast array of topics in the process. This episode is packed with stories and gems of wisdom - not...

Dr Sahira Dar is a portfolio GP in Glasgow working in both the NHS and private sector. She is also President of the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA). Dr Sahira and I sat down ahead of the BIMA Conference on Saturday 28th June to discuss the organisation's work as well as challenges and opportunities for the future. She also talked about her work as Founder of Vibrant Scottish Mosques...

If you're a working professional who knows deep down that there's more to life than whatever you're up to right now, this one's for you! New guest hosts Ali Siddiqui and Fiyal Malik - who work in corporate law and financial services respectively - put their questions to me on finding our ultimate purpose. We covered a range of considerations and concerns, including how to set our i...

It was a pleasure catching up with scholar and social scientist Dr Haroon Sidat. Our conversation focused particularly on the past, present and future of religious scholarship and leadership. Haroon also shared many stories from his personal journey, including encounters with those who have inspired him and those who have threatened his life! (0:00) The importance of humour (2:02) Haroon’s early i...

Taimur just left with his mum for his first ever Hajj, the major pilgrimage to Mecca. A few days ago we sat down to see how his preparations were coming along and what he was hoping to get out of it all. I shared some reflections based on my own trips as well as, of course, from revelation itself - especially Chapter 2 (The Cow) and Chapter 22 (Pilgrimage). (0:00) Will Taimur shave his head? (1:43...

Azim Kidwai is CEO of Mercy Mission, Chairman of the Bradford District Community Foundation and, most of all, my best friend.  After we first met in 2010, Azim was the one who helped me transition from investment banking to taking the helm at National Zakat Foundation the following year. He's been the most wonderful mentor, colleague and comrade ever since. Azim doesn't do podcasts. So I'm honoure...

In this discussion, Taimur and I go deep into exploring the way we as believers use certain Arabic phrases in our day to day lives. Why is it that we say certain things in Arabic instead of English amongst ourselves? Do we say these phrases meaningfully? Why is it that we don't feel comfortable saying the English equivalents with those outside our community even when it's relevant to do so? We tac...

In this episode of In Good Faith, Taimur and I discuss the single most important action in the life of a believer: prayer (salat). After some initial reflections on the importance of meaningful communication through our prayer - and exploring some analogies to illustrate how it should fit coherently into our overall lives - we referred to a number of verses from revelation to see how God Himself e...

In this inaugural episode of In Good Faith, Iqbal Nasim — educator, speaker and writer on the topics of prayer, giving, leadership and revelation — is joined by guest host Taimur Abdaal. Together, they discuss what this new show is all about, focusing on the profound question: what does it mean to lead a truly God-centred life? This conversation examines the personal and societal implications of o...