"History Repeats Itself" is a common trope we all hear but seem to restrict to events. When we study history, we should also look at the people who made it and take lessons where appropriate. For Muslims in general and Muslim men in particular, there are great lessons to be learned from many of the Ottoman Sultans. On this episode of the podcast, I welcome back Ottoman historian Dr. Yakoob Ahmed to discuss many of those lessons. You can learn more about Dr. Yakoob at https://alqasas.org/ Resourc...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Mawlana Kamil Uddin is an instructor at Darul Qasim College with a focus on the sciences of the Qu'ran. He obtained his Alimiyyah degree from the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, Illinois. In this episode, we discuss the importance the importance that Darul Qasim College has in the Islamic intellectual landscape and one of Darul Qasim's latest initiatives, the MARS Program. The MARS (Muslim Academic Revival Series) Program is an online initiative designed to facilitate adult learning acr...
Jul 24, 2024•58 min
On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Shaykh Mohammad ElShinawy to discuss the various scenarios Muslim men encounter when talking about religion with non-Muslims. We talk about what it means to be an atheist, what Christians really believe, and the internal struggles people go through that may hinder their acceptance of Islam. Shaykh Mohammad Elshinawy is a Graduate of English Literature at Brooklyn College, NYC. He studied at College of Hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah and ...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 15 min
In this short episode, Shaykh Saad Tasleem and I banter about our sneaker collecting hobby. We share fun stories about how we acquire our shoes and how we deal with wives who may not understand why we buy so many sneakers. Sneaker photo in thumbnail credited to: Joel Muniz from Unsplash ( https://unsplash.com/@jmuniz?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash) To support the channel, please consider becoming a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/sultansandsneakers...
May 27, 2024•22 min
Shaykh Saad Tasleem is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah Faculty of Shariah and is an instructor with AlMaghrib Institute. He also is the founder of a clothing brand, the Saad Tasleem Collection which can be found online at https://www.saadtasleem.com/ Losing parents is something we all have to come to grips with and its inevitability doesn't make it any easier to process. In this episode, Shaykh Saad tells us what he went through when he lost both his mother and father within a 33...
May 12, 2024•56 min
Shaykh Abdullah Oduro is a Ghanian-American convert to Islam who graduated from the Faculty of Shariah at the Islamic University of Madinah. He is also a Senior Fellow at Yaqeen Institute and hosts the Iman Cave YouTube series for Yaqeen. In this episode of the podcast, we talked about how men should utilize fitness to overcome the distress of divorce, how embracing discomfort is critical to masculine development, and much more. To learn more about Shaykh Abdullah and engage his work, you can go...
Apr 26, 2024•53 min
Imam Tom Facchine of Yaqeen Institute returns to the podcast to break down the concept of innovation in Islam. Tom talks about his studies at the Islamic University of Madinah and how his understanding evolved over the years. We specifically cover the issue of the Mawlid (the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)'s birth) and discuss it from various angles. Tom Facchine accepted Islam in his early twenties. He holds a BA in Political Science from Vassar College (2011) and a BA ...
Feb 22, 2024•48 min
For the second time on the podcast, I was joined by Dr. Yasir Qadhi. Shaykh Yasir is someone who needs little introduction as he is one of the leading Muslim public intellectuals in the world. We discussed topics such as: -His motivations in studying Islam -His mindset when juggling secular studies with his aspirations for higher Islamic studies -His favorite hobbies -What he would study today if he had more bandwidth -How he's managing social media and his approach to armchair critics Resources...
Jan 31, 2024•53 min
Shaykh Hasib Noor is the Founder and Director of The Legacy Institute. He is also among the founders of Faith. Global, which is a global platform for creating faith-based community spaces. He studied Islam formally at the Islamic University of Madinah College of Islamic Law. He has a special interest in the archaelogical sites and historical landmarks related to the life events of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). As a resident of the holy city of Madinah, he is well known for his walkin...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Shaykh Mustafa Umar is a returning guest to the podcast; he is an Islamic scholar from Southern California who is the youngest executive member of the Fiqh Council of North America. He studied Islam in India, Egypt, France, and the UK. In this episode, we talk about the first annual Men's Conference he is helping to organize in Southern California. We discuss the importance of such an event due to the challenges Muslim men are facing. The Men's Conference will be held on January 13, 2024 at the ...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Dr. Haroon Sidat is a student of knowledge in the Islamic sciences. After completing the memorization of the Qu'ran, he completed the traditional Darsi-i Nizami curriculum and then pursued his secular education in Economics and Finance along with an MA in Education. He also has a PhD in Religion and Theology. He is a Research Associate at Cardiff University in the UK. In this episode of the podcast, we talked about the mindset required to construct a Jannah-focused life. We also discussed what i...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Shaykh Hamzah Maqbul is the resident scholar for Ribat, a center of Islamic education and dhikr based out of the greater Chicagoland area. He did his formal education at the University of Washington and pursued traditional Islamic studies across the Muslim world; in Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, U.A.E., and Pakistan. He is also currently collaborating with the Imam Ghazali Institute. In this timely episode of the podcast, we discuss various points regarding his recent treatise "Mawlawi's Gu...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Shaykh Ismail Kamdar is the founder of Islamic Self Help and Izzah Academy. He completed the Alimiyyah Program in 2006, and a BA in Islamic Studies in 2014, specializing in Fiqh, Tafsir, and History. Currently his full time day job is as Research Operations Manager at Yaqeen Institute. He is the author of over a dozen books in the fields of Islamic Studies and personal development. Due to his work in the personal development and self-help space, I walked him through a typical week for me and ask...
Oct 22, 2023•2 hr 24 min
Back on the episode for a second time is Dr. Mohamed Ghilan. He is someone who has managed to excel in both the Islamic sciences and his professional career and exemplifies a model of the "Deep Life". Mohamed has had a unique spiritual journey and is familiar with various methodologies of spirituality within Islam. For this reason, I wanted to have an open conversation about how one finds a spiritual path that works for them. You can learn more about his work at https://alandalusacademy.com/ Lea...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 48 min
My family and I attended the Al-Maqasid Summer Retreat from August 7, 2023 to August 13, 2023. It was one of the best experiences we have ever done together as a family. In this rare solo episode of the podcast, I share my full review. *One slight edit: In the episode I refer to Imam Ahmad Mashur Al-Haddad. The proper title he is referred to is: Habib Ahmad Mashur Al-Haddad. My apologies. You can learn more about Al-Maqasid at: https://www.almaqasid.org/ Please leave a 5 star review on Apple Pod...
Sep 01, 2023•51 min
Habeeb Quadri is the superintendent of MCCA (Muslim Community Center Academy) schools, one of the largest and long-standing Islamic schools in the country. He also serves as part-time staff at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In this episode, we discuss how he got into his field, issues surrounding modern-day education, how Islamic schools can keep leveling up, a father's role in their children's education, the legacy his father has built in Chicago, and how Habeeb came to terms with hi...
Aug 20, 2023•1 hr 18 min
In this episode of the podcast, I had the privilege of chatting with Dr. Salah Sharief, who is an entrepreneur, academic, and student of the Islamic sciences. He is the Founder and CEO of Kalaam Halal Audio and the Founder of Wordsmiths Editing. Currently, he is residing in Cairo, Egypt where he is continuing his pursuit of Islamic studies. We discussed several topics including productivity, time management, his relationship with Shaykh Akram Nadwi, the challenges of pursuing sacred knowledge in...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 26 min
Shaykh Ismail Alqadi is a Qari (professional reciter of the Qu'ran) from Amman, Jordan. He learned the various sciences related to the recitation of the Qu'ran from several teachers and has an ijazah and sanad in the ten different narrations of the Qu'ran. He also has a degree in Islamic studies majoring in Fiqh and Usul. In this podcast, Shaykh Ismail introduces the topic of maqamat, which refers to a system of melodic modes used to recite the Qu'ran. He walks us through examples of maqamat and...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 28 min
Mawlana Saaleh Baseer is a brilliant young scholar of Hanafi law and Mughal history from the Bay Area. After completing his memorization of the Qu'ran, he received his Alim degree from Darul Uloom Azaadville in South Africa. Afterwards he went on to pursue a Bachelor's degree from Columbia University where he majored in History. Most recently he has completed a Master's from the University of Chicago and is wrapping up his studies at Darul Qasim College where he has trained to be a mufti(scholar...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 10 min
On this episode of the podcast, I bring back Shaykh Umair Haseeb to talk all things Ramadan. What do we do if we don't prep at all? How do we navigate Ramadan when we're struggling with sins? How do sages of today approach Ramadan? Shaykh Umair is a graduate of Al-Qayrawayin University in Fes, Morocco and is currently serving as Director of Religious Affairs for Ta'leef Collective. (Re-released with improved audio on 3/26/2023, Original Release: 3/20/2023) Resources for "Sultans and Sneakers" Pa...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Dr. Yakoob Ahmed is an Ottoman historian with a specialization in late Ottomon history. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London and he currently teaches at Istanbul University in Turkiye. I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Yakoob after I attended a weekend seminar he did in Chicago on Ottoman history. We discussed his origin story, his identity as a "Londoner", how he developed empathy for others, and biases that Western academics...
Mar 18, 2023•1 hr 47 min
In this episode, I bring back my good friend Nabeel Azeez who's a Dubai based copywriter to talk about his latest project, "40 Hadith on Masculinity: How to be a Good Man". We discuss how he went about commissioning the project and tackled a few examples of things related to masculinity that content creators struggle with. We also discussed his foray into boxing and the "MuslimMan" brand he is cultivating. To purchase the book you can go to https://muslimman.com/book Resources for "Sultans and S...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 59 min
Jumha Aburezeq is an active entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of StoopidFit. To date, he's helped over 1000 people across the world gain freedom with their body, mind and food with his trademark 3 Phase Fat Loss System. To connect with Jumha and learn more about his programming, go to: https://stoopidfit.com/ Resources for "Sultans and Sneakers" Patreon: https://patreon.com/sultansandsneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/sultansandsneakers Instagram: https://instagram.com/sultansandsneakers ...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 42 min
John Kiser is a former international technology broker and author. He wrote "Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader, A Story of True Jihad". I had the chance to discuss the character of Emir Abd el-Kader with John and we talked about the lessons that people today can take away from his life. Currently, John enjoys raising pigs on his farm in Virginia (hence the title of the show). To learn more about John and his works, please go to www.johnwkiser.com His previous boo...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 39 min
Shaykh Umer Khan is a rare individual who has excelled in both corporate America as well as Islamic studies. Up until recently, he was the VP of Information Technology and Security at SpaceX, where he reported directly to Elon Musk. He recently left to become Chief Information and Security Officer at another firm. While progressing through his corporate career, Shaykh Umer decided to pursue his Islamic studies passion and has completed study of the Arabic language, memorization of the Qu'ran, tw...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 42 min
Andrew Tate's conversion to Islam has sparked a discourse in the Muslim community regarding the conversion of individuals who are coming to Islam from a past life that seems antithetical to Islamic teachings. In this panel, we discuss Tate's conversion from various angles with Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, Shaykh Mustafa Umar and Nabeel Azeez. All three of my panelists have been guests on the podcast so they need no introduction. Nabeel Azeez provides the unique perspective of having known Andrew ...
Nov 13, 2022•1 hr 44 min
Subhi Saadeh is a quality engineer, triathlete/marathoner, podcaster and coffee aficionado. He works in the pharmaceutical industry and is the host of the Combinate Podcast, a show that's focused on Quality in BioTech and MedTech. In this episode, we discuss Subhi's approach to work and learning. He shares how his discipline spreads out to other aspects of his life such as training for marathons and triathlons. Resources for 'Sultans and Sneakers' Patreon: https://patreon.com/sultansandsneakers ...
Nov 07, 2022•2 hr 20 min
Paul Williams is a blogger and bibliophile based out of London and the South of France. He hosts the popular YouTube channel Blogging Theology, which has reached over 170,000 subscribers at the time of this recording. In this episode we talk about why Blogging Theology has been so popular in the day and age of clickbait videos. We also explore how to understand Christians and Christianity through a Muslim lens and Paul provides valuable insight as a former Christian. To support this channel, ple...
Oct 04, 2022•55 min
After listening to Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism" on Audible, I went on a 30 day plan to reduce my social media intake. In this short episode, I talk about what I did and what the results were. You can learn more about the book here: https://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/
Sep 26, 2022•12 min
Shaykh Mustafa Umar is the founder and president of California Islamic University, the Director of Education and Outreach at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, an executive member of the Fiqh council of North America, and most recently a Research Fellow at Yaqeen Institute. He began his Islamic studies overseas in India and Egypt before obtaining a B.A. in Theology and Islamic Law from the European Institute of Islamic Sciences in France and an M.A. in Islamic Studies from the University of...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 50 min
