Youshaa Patel: How to Think about Muslim Difference: Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS)- Oct 16,2023

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/jeLybyZcPv0?si=ZTxB1xlAy3t7Duks

Youshaa Patel, How to Think about Muslim Difference. Centre for the Study of Islam. Online Monday Majlis on the 16th of October Abstract Drawing on his recently published book (The Muslim Difference, Yale 2022), Youshaa Patel explores the vexing religious discourse of tashabbuh—Muslim imitation of others—a discourse that enjoined ordinary believers to embody and display their religious difference in public life, and was as crucial to the construction of Muslim identity and alterity during Islam's formative period as it is today. This lecture situates this discourse on Muslim difference within Islamic scripture and tradition, casting new light on contemporary debates in the West over visible expressions of Islam, from headscarves and beards to minarets and mosques.

Biography:

Youshaa Patel is associate professor of Religious Studies at Lafayette College (Easton, PA USA), and author of The Muslim Difference: Defining the Line between Believers and Unbelievers from Early Islam to the Present (Yale University Press 2022). His scholarship explores Islamic scripture and tradition, with a focus on how Islam has shaped—and been shaped—by Muslim interfaith encounters in the Middle East and beyond. His work has been supported by grants from Mellon, Fulbright, and the American Institute of Yemeni Studies, and includes extended research stays in India, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, and Syria where he studied the Islamic tradition with several of its modern-day custodians. Professor Patel is currently the Abdul Aziz Al-Mutawa visiting fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, an independent centre of the University of Oxford.

Amazon:The Muslim Difference: Defining the Line between Believers and Unbelievers from Early Islam to the Present -Youshaa Patel

https://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Difference-Defining-Believers-Unbelievers/dp/0300248962

A sweeping history of Muslim identity from its origins in late antiquity to the present
How did Muslims across time and place define the line between themselves and their neighbors? Youshaa Patel explores why the Prophet Muhammad first advised his followers to emulate Christians and Jews, but then allegedly reversed course, urging them to “be different!” He details how subsequent generations of Muslim scholars canonized the Prophet’s admonition into an influential doctrine against imitation that enjoined ordinary believers to embody and display their religious difference in public life.
Tracing this Islamic discourse from its origins in Arabia to Mamluk and Ottoman Damascus, colonial Egypt, and beyond, this sweeping intellectual and social history offers a panoramic view of Muslim identity, revealing unexpected intersections between religion and other markers of difference across ethnicity, gender, and status. Patel illustrates that contemporary debates in the West over visible expressions of Islam, from headscarves and beards to minarets and mosques, are just the latest iterations in a long history of how small differences have defined Muslim interreligious encounters.

YouTube Video:

Can Muslims Imitate Non-Muslims? An Islamic Examination with Prof Youshaa Patel (Part 1)- Blogging Theology - August 11,2023

https://youtu.be/8Hshzs_7bss?si=ZvWe47tW8ev9b6V6

YouTube Video:

Can Muslims Imitate Non-Muslims? An Islamic Examination with Prof Youshaa Patel (Part 2)- Blogging Theology - September 12,2023

https://youtu.be/ykWXsOxh_e0?si=fkD44glZPzg5hspl

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf:Safeguarding our Souls: Zaytuna College- Feb21&Feb 27,2026

 YouTube Video Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/live/qZhpUZDevt0?si=lo3aKx8Dp8WE_WCD

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf reads from " Weighing the Word:Reasoning the Quran as Revelation" by Peter Samsel and recommends Muslims to read this book. He then comments on Surah Ibrahim

YouTube Video Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/live/Nbx7wgsEsXk?si=dV5IMeLUp4Ljfv06

Amazon:" Weighing the Word:Reasoning the Quran as Revelation" by Peter Samsel 

https://www.amazon.com/Weighing-Word-Reasoning-Quran-Revelation/dp/1908092149

A comprehensive survey of traditional and contemporary views on the Qur'an, including textual, historical, sociological, philosophical, aesthetic, linguistic and experiential, brought together in an effort to ascertain whether Islam's sacred book is the word of God, as it claims to be, or not. Readers will find here the earliest ancient sources and the latest scientific studies uniquely confronted to shed objective light on this important topic.

PDF: The Matheson Trust: Weighing the Word:Reasoning the Quran as Revelation-Peter Samsel 

https://www.themathesontrust.org/publications-files/mtexcerpt-weighing.pdf

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad: Growing Hope -Al Gazali's Book " Fear & Hope": Ramadan Reflections 2026 (1/4)-Cambridge Muslim College-Feb 20, 2026

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/0uzSH4W4FMw?si=leLDvkWlrHbUWPpo

In the first lecture of this year’s Ramadan Reflections, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad introduces our 2026 theme: Growing Hope. Amidst anxiety, pessimism, and global uncertainty, how do we cultivate sacred hope? Drawing on the teachings of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Book of Fear and Hope in the Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, this opening session explores hope not as fleeting optimism, but as a rooted spiritual station - a quality of the heart that can be nurtured and made permanent. Reflecting from within Cambridge Muslim College, the Shaykh considers the signs of renewal within the Ummah, the relevance of the classical tradition in modern times, and how believers can move from moments of hope to becoming people of hope. May this Ramadan be a month of patience, gratitude, and hearts oriented towards Divine mercy.

YouTube Podcast:

https://youtu.be/NAgcFqwLdoE?si=YK5fqchU0k_cc8Uk

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:Divine Oneness,Hope & Fear: Quran Tafsir based on Imam Ghazali's Ihya -July 31,2024

In this lesson of Renewal by the Book, Shaykh Faraz reviews verses from the Quran that correspond with the chapters on Divine Oneness, hope and fear in Imam Ghazali’s Ihya. There are verses that focus on hope and others on fear in the Quran and both are equally important to consider. The companions used to discuss the most hope inducing verses in the Quran and the most fear inducing verses in the Quran, so will this lesson. From each one can derive what this expresses about the Oneness of Allah and our relationship with him. قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [Quran, 39: 53] In this verse Allah guarantees that He forgives all sins if one repents from them and even if one does not repent then the matter is to Allah’s will to forgive the person even if they haven’t repented. As such, there is none that is as forgiving as Allah, He is the most Merciful.

Amazon: Al Ghazali:Hope & Fear (From Ihya Ulum al-Din): William McKane (Translator)

https://www.amazon.com/Al-Ghazali-Fear-Hope-Ihya-al-Din/dp/9670526094

Al-Ghazali : Fear and Hope (From Ihya Ulum al-Din) [#5476 1F2 PB 145pp,21 @7A,IBT Malaysia, English By William McKane. pastoral Psychology, Therapies] This is a translation of the third book from the fourth volume of Imam al-Ghazali’s magnum opus Ihya Ulum al-Din, concerning the means of salvation, that is, the techniques or therapies by which the cure of the soul is achieved. The principle objective is to outline the salutary employment of fear and hope in the cure of the soul. The book deals with a topic of pastoral psychology and is a good sample of the work of Imam al-Ghazali in so far as it illustrates some of the reasons why he has attained so commanding a position within Islam and exercised so great an influence on the course of theological thought. Content Preface Introduction Text The Argument of the Book The Book of Fear and Hope Part I Hope The essence of hope The merit of hope The therapy of hope Part II Fear The essence of fear The degrees of fear The divisions of fear The Merit of fear Dominance of fear and hope Therapy for inducing fear The Meaning of Su al-khatimah (the evil end) The fear of prophets and angels The fear of Companions, their students, the early muslim community and the sound in faith Index

PDF:Al Ghazali:Hope & Fear (From Ihya Ulum al-Din): William McKane (Translator)

https://www.ghazali.org/books/ih-33.pdf

Early Islam in Medina: Malik and His Muwatta: Prof.Yasin Dutton:Islamicate Book Review with Omar Anchassi-Dr Usaama al-Azami- Nov 13, 2021

 YouTube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/live/HQ_CDm7WnoQ?si=mQaI4IlgO856fKfr

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Islam-Medina-Malik-Muwatta/dp/1350261904

Early Islam in Medina: Malik and His Muwatta: Yasin Dutton:

This book considers the transmission of the Sunna through the lens of the great Madinan legal scholar, Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH/795 CE), in his renowned book al-Muwatta’, or 'The well-trodden path'. It considers not only the legal judgements preserved in this book, but also the key scholars involved in the transmission of these judgements, namely, Malik’s teachers and students. These different transmissions provide very strong evidence for the reliability of Malik’s transmission of the Sunna. Overriding these textual considerations is the concept of ‘amal, or the Practice of the People of Medina. This is accepted as a prime source by Malik and those following him, but is effectively rejected by the other schools, who prefer hadith (textual reports) as an indication of Sunna. Given the contested nature of ‘amal in both ancient and modern times, and the general unawareness of it in contemporary Islamic studies, this source receives extended treatment here. This allows for a deeper understanding of the nature of Islamic law and its development, and, by extension, of Islam itself.

Review

“Yasin Dutton's Early Islam in Medina is a survey of the traditional as well as modern scholarship on the nature of legal interpretation and practice in early Islam before the consolidation of the formal schools of law. Eschewing complex historical and legal debates that have rendered scholarship on early Islam impenetrable to a general audience, Dutton's text fills a lacuna by offering an accessible defence of the Malikite school and its foundation in Madinan practice rather than hadith texts.” ―Ovamir Anjum, Imam Khattab Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Toledo, USA

“A great analysis on the school of Medina and the impact and content of the Muwatta, which is essential to understanding the development of Islamic law in the early period.” ―Hamza Yusuf, President and Senior Faculty Member, Zaytuna College, USA

“Professor Dutton has built on his extensive work in this area to gift contemporary scholarship yet another key contribution…This book is highly recommended to all those interested in the Qur'an…those readers who would hope to imagine post-colonial Islamic futures…[and] may be of benefit to those who would seek a revival and renewal of their own practice of Islam.” ―The Muslim World Book Review
About the Author

Yasin Dutton is Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK, and Emeritus Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Biography

https://www.cambridgemuslimcollege.ac.uk/about/people/faculty/professor-yasin-dutton/

Amazon: Islamic Law in Context:Omar Anchassi (Editor)

This volume surveys the diversity of Islamic legal thought and practice, a 1500 - year tradition that has been cultivated throughout the Islamic world. It features translations of Islamic legal texts from across the spectrum of literary genres (including legal theory, judicial handbooks, pamphlets) that represent the range of temporal, geographic and linguistic contexts in which Islamic law has been, and continues to be, developed. Each text has been chosen and translated by a specialist. It is accompanied by an accessible introduction that places the author and text in historical and legal contexts and explains the state of the relevant field of study. An introduction to each section offers an overview of the genre and provides a useful bibliography. The volume will enable all researchers of Islamic law - established academics, undergraduate students, and general readers - to understand the tremendous and sometimes bewildering diversity of Islamic law, as well the continuities and common features that bind it together.

Omar Anchassi is a scholar of Islamic intellectual history with a focus on the disciplines of law (fiqh), theology and Qur'an commentary. He has published on violence, slavery, gender and sexuality in Islamic thought and practice in prestigious venues including Islamic Law and Society, and Edinburgh and Cambridge University Presses. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, and was previously an Early Career Fellow in Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. For three years, he served as Treasurer of BRAIS (the British Association for Islamic Studies).

YouTube Video:Professor Yasin Dutton - Growing Hope (1/4)Cambridge Muslim College-2/19/2026

https://youtu.be/vyoJIIvHVTw?si=IzNu3xEIzxO-uNyv

In this episode, Professor Yasin Dutton explores the Qur’anic concept of hope (rajāʾ) through the verse, “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have a beautiful example” (33:21). Reflecting on the meaning of uswah ḥasanah, he examines what it means to take the Prophet ﷺ - and also Prophet Ibrahim (ʿalayhi as-salām) - as models for those who hope for Allah and the Last Day. A thoughtful reminder that true hope is rooted in remembrance, steadfastness, and living consciously with the Hereafter in view.

YouTube Video:  

https://youtu.be/tXg5b2nYp1Q?si=GFXwHJkwwj61SJrY

Two English Muslims Discuss the Origin of Islamic Law with Professor Yasin Dutton: Blogging Theology- May 27,2023