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What are the Vedas?
Episode 35
The earliest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism - The Vedas - is some of the oldest surviving religious literature in the world, and simultaneous…
3 years, 10 months ago
Ibn Rushd (Averroes) - Champion of Reason
Episode 34
In this episode, we talk about the famous Andalusian philosopher Ibn Rushd.
Sources/Further Reading:
Kennedy, Hugh (1996). "Muslim Spain and Portugal: …3 years, 10 months ago
Al-Ghazali - The Reviver of Religious Sciences
Episode 33
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 a…
3 years, 11 months ago
Naqshbandiyya - The "Orthodox" Sufi Order?
Episode 32
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). "M…3 years, 11 months ago
The Mystical Origins of Coffee & Tea
Episode 31
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…
4 years ago
Music in the Islamic World (Part 2)
Episode 30
The long awaited second part of my series about music in the Islamic world!
Sources/Further Reading:
Hammarlund, Anders, Tord Olsson & Elizabeth Özdalg…4 years ago
Music in the Islamic World (Part 1)
Episode 29
In this first part of a new series, we talk about the earliest centuries of Islamic civilization - Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid caliphates - and the di…
4 years ago
The First Monotheistic Religion?
Episode 28
In this episode, we talk about the short-lived religion founded by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.
Sources/Further Reading:
Hornung, Erik (2001) "Akhen…
4 years ago
Reason vs. Literalism? Kalam & Early Islamic Theology
Episode 27
As requested by the audience, in this episode we talk about the very early development of Speculative Islamic theology, or "Kalam".
Support me on Patr…
4 years ago
Al-Shushtari: Sufi Poet of the People
Episode 26
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 …
4 years ago