Let's Talk Religion

We follow up the last episode on Shankara & Advaita Vedanta by talking about the most influential response to that school. Sources/Suggested Reading: Bartley, C.J. (2002). "The Theology of Ramanuja - Realism and Religion". Routledge. Flood, Gavin (ed.) (2003). "The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism". Blackwell Publishing. "Sri Ramanuja Gita Bhashya - with text in Devangari & English renderin...

The much requested episode about Shankara is finally here. Sources/Suggeested Reading: Deutsch, Eliot (1973). “Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction”. University of Hawai’i Press. Deutsch, Eliot & Rohit Dalvi (2005). “Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta”. World Wisdoms Books. Suthren Hirst, J.G. (2005). “Samkara’s Advaita Vedanta: a way of teaching”. Routledge. “T...

This week we talk about the Hindu philosophical school(s) of "Vedanta". Sources/Further Reading: Brahma Sutra Basya by Shankaracharya. Published by Advaita Ashrama, India; New edition (1 Jan. 2000). The Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada's Karika & Sankara's Commentary. Published by Vedanta Press. Deutsch, Eliot (1986). "Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction". University of Hawaii Pre...

The earliest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism - The Vedas - is some of the oldest surviving religious literature in the world, and simultaneously some of the best preserved. In this episode, we talk about these fascinating texts as the first part in a new series on religion in India. Sources/Further Reading: Flood, Gavin (2003). "The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism". Blackwell publishing. J...

In this episode, we talk about the famous Andalusian philosopher Ibn Rushd. Sources/Further Reading: Kennedy, Hugh (1996). "Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus". Routledge. Genequand, Charles (1986). "Ibn Rushd's Methaphysics". Brill. "Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa nihayat al-Muqtasid" (The Distinguished Jurist's Primer) Vol. 1 by Ibn Rushd. Translated by Professor Imran Ahsan Kh...

Perhaps the most requested figure here - al-Ghazali - is finally getting a treatment! I talk about his life, some of his teachings, ideas and legacy and discuss some common misconceptions and opinions about him today. Sources/Further Reading: Al-Ghazali - "Deliverance from Error" (al-Munqidh min al-Dalal). Translated by Richard J. McCarthy. American University of Beirut. al-Ghazali - "The Incohere...

In this episode I will do my first deep dive into one of the many Sufi orders - the Naqshbandiyya. Sources/Further Reading: Abun-Nasr, Jamil (2007). "Muslim Communities of Grace - The sufi brotherhoods in Islamic religious life". Hurst & Company, London Malik, Jamal & John Hinnells (2006). "Sufism in the West". Routledge. Sorgenfrei, Simon (2016). "Sufism i Sverige". Nämnden för statligt s...

In this unusual episode, we explore the history of coffee and its connection to Sufism, as well as the similar origins of tea. Good to remember: While this episode is still based on the most widely accepted views by historians, research on the matter is somewhat lacking and this light-hearted episode should not be taken as gospel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long awaited second part of my series about music in the Islamic world! Sources/Further Reading: Hammarlund, Anders, Tord Olsson & Elizabeth Özdalga (1997). "Sufism, Music and Society in Turkey and the Middle East". Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul. Saeed, Yousuf. "Amir Khusrau and the Indo-Muslim Identity in the Art Music Practices of Pakistan". Schofield, Katherine Ruth (2003). "Hi...

In this first part of a new series, we talk about the earliest centuries of Islamic civilization - Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid caliphates - and the different forms of music that flourished at this time. Sources/Suggested Reading: al-Faruqi, Louis Ibsen (1985). "Music, Musicians and Muslim Law". Asian Music, Vol. 17, No. 17, p. 3-36. Avery, Kenneth S. (2004). "A Psychology of Early Sufi Sama': Liste...

In this episode, we talk about the short-lived religion founded by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. Sources/Further Reading: Hornung, Erik (2001) "Akhenaten and the Religion of Light". Cornell University Press. Hoffmeier, James K. (2015). "Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism". Oxford University Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As requested by the audience, in this episode we talk about the very early development of Speculative Islamic theology, or "Kalam". Support me on Patreon if you so wish: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Sources/Suggested reading: Winter, Tim (2008). "The Cambridge Companion to Islamic Theology". Cambridge University Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we continue our series on some of the less known (and sometimes controversial) Sufis of the Middle Ages, we reach the Andalusian poet Abu-l Hasan al-Shushtari. He was a student of Ibn Sab'in but is also famous as a master-poet and Sufi master in his own right. Sources/Suggested Reading: Alvarez, Lourdes Maria (2009). "Abu-l Hasan al-Shushtari: Songs of Love and Devotion". In the "Classics of We...

In this episode, we talk about the controversial Andalusian Philosopher/Sufi Ibn Sab'in (d. 1270) and his teachings. Sources: Ceballos, Carlos Berbil (2015). "Journeying from the Apparent to Absolute Being: Ibn Sab'in and his predecessors". Journal of the Muhyddin Ibn 'Arabi Society Vol. 58. Cornell, Vincent J. (2007). "The All-Comprehensive Circle (al-Ihata): Soul, Intellect and the Oneness of Ex...

In this very long episode, I give an introduction to one of the most significant, yet often misunderstood thinkers and mystics in history - Ibn 'Arabi. Sources: Chittick, William (2005). "Ibn Arabi: Heir to the Prophets". OneWorld Publications. Chittick, William (1998). "The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology". State University of New York Press. Chittick, William (200...

In this latest episode I talk about the Ikhwan al-safa, or "Brethren of Purity" - a group of secretive philosophers and scholars who lived in medieval Basra, Iraq. Sources used: de Callatay, Godefroid (2006). "Ikhwan al-safa - a brotherhood of idealists on the fringes of Orthodox Islam". Oneworld Publications. Walker, Paul E. (2005). "The Isma'ilis". In "The Cambridge companion to Arabic Philosoph...

A new. long awaited historical review, this time dealing with the earliest of the Muslim philosophers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk about the 11th century Ismaili philosopher Nasir Khusraw and his major work "Jami' al-hikmatayn" or "The union of the two wisdoms". This is an audio version of my video on my YouTube channel "Let's Talk Religion". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is talk within the Muslim community (and outside) of the so-called "Quranists" or the movement "Quranism". In this episode I talk about, in very generalizing terms, what this term is referring to, and what its characteristics are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk about the third major branch of Islam, known as Ibadism, which is a major presence today in Oman, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It is a somewhat forgotten branch, but one that is also often viewed as a moderate and tolerant branch of the religion. Sources: Hoffman, Valerie J. (2012). The Essentials of Ibadi Islam. Syracuse University Press. Wilkinson, John C. (2010). Ibadism...

I see many videos talking about the differences between the Sunni and Shia, but most of them present a simplified version. In this episode, I try to give you a more comprehensive overview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I go through the scholarly discussion regarding the composition of the Hebrew Bible and, in particular, the Torah/Pentateuch. The main theory discussed is the so-called "Documentary hypothesis". Sources/interesting articles: https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2018/schmid-torah Matthieu Richelle, “Elusive scrolls. Could any hebrew literature have been written prior to the eighth century B.C....

In this episode, we finally explore the fifth largest religion in the world - Sikhism (more properly called "Sikhi"). Sources/Suggested Reading: Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (2013). "Sikhism: A guide for the Perplexed". Bloomsbury Academic. Singh, Patwant (1999). "The Sikhs". John Murray. Also try to get ahold of the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib". You can find translations of the scriptures online,...

The Hasidic movement is pretty famous. But few are aware of its deep mystical teachings and connections with Kabbalah. In this episode, we explore the early history of the Hasidim. This episode was written by Seth Weprin and co-written by me (Filip Holm). Sources/Suggested Reading: Idel, Moshe (1995). "Hasidism: Between Ecstacy and Magic". SUNY Press. Idel, Moshe. “Modes of Cleaving to the Letters...

This episode gives an overview of the so-called "Gnostics", particularly the group that is often otherwise known as the 'Sethians'. Sources/Suggested Reading: Brakke, David (2012). "Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity". Harvard University Press. King, Karen (2003). "What is Gnosticism?". Harvard University Press. Van den Broek, Roelof (2013). "Gnostic Religion in Antiquity"...