Islam in China: Professor James Frankel: Kowloon Masjid Dawah Committee :Nov 20, 2023

 YouTube Video: 

Excellent Lecture with Slides Presentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XryyGBM5_z8&t=287s

YouTube Video: Professor James D. Frankel's Journey to Islam: The Quran Motivation: March 25,2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ADpdeR7tIs&t=733s

Professor James D. Frankel was born into a Jewish family and raised with basic religious values. From a young age, he was deeply curious and constantly questioned rabbis about God and religious practices. However, when he couldn’t find satisfying answers, he began to drift away from Judaism and started searching for truth through other religions. He explored different beliefs, studying the Bible and developing love and respect for Jesus, but he could not accept him as God. His journey led him to Buddhism, the Upanishads, and various philosophies. Interestingly, although his close Pakistani friend had gifted him a copy of the Quran years earlier, it remained untouched on his shelf for a long time. Everything changed when he encountered a street dawah conversation that challenged him deeply. In an attempt to prove a point, he finally opened the Quran. Instead of what he expected, he found clarity, truth, and a powerful connection with Allah. That moment marked a turning point in his life, leading him to accept Islam and begin a completely new journey of faith.

Website: James D. Frankel

https://www.jamesdfrankel.com/

Amazon: Islam in China: James D. Frankel

https://www.amazon.com/Islam-China-James-D-Frankel/dp/1784539805

In China there are up to 25 million Muslims living in the country, representing over 1200 years of Chinese-Islamic relations. However, little is known about the historical and contemporary geopolitical relations between China and the Muslim world, or the situation for the diverse groups of Muslims living in China today. In this book, James Frankel studies the rich and dynamic history of Muslims in China from the Tang dynasty (618-907) to the present day. He shows that Muslims in China remain an internally diverse population separated geographically, ethnically, linguistically, economically, educationally, and along sectarian and kinship lines. But despite having its own local flavours and accents, Islam in China is recognisable as the same religious tradition practiced by approximately 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and Muslims in China are inextricably part of society, living alongside other minorities and amongst the great Han Chinese majority. Tracing 1200 years of history, this book shows that Muslim communities in China have undergone tremendous change, touched by the forces of Chinese history, the development of Islamic traditions outside China, and geopolitics. In highlighting the paradoxical situation in which Chinese Muslims have found themselves - living as both insiders and outsiders to Chinese society and state - the book examines why after so many centuries of habitation and naturalisation, Muslims in China are still stigmatized by their perceived alien origins. The book follows the ‘yin and yang’ of compatibility and difference and the connections and ruptures between two great civilisations.

James D. Frankel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies and Director of the Centre for the Study of Islamic Culture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Article PDF: Chinese–Islamic Connections: An Historical and Contemporary Overview: James D. Frankel-Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602004.2016.1248175

The Root Cause Of The Crisis In The Muslim World with Dr Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas: Blogging Theology-Feb 10, 2023

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/cZPYtSgVhMY?si=6kVo08FZGTDRhBUt

Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas: YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@SyedAliTawfi...

DescriptionThe official YouTube Channel of (Datuk) Dr Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas, a scion of an illustrious Malaysian scholar. Currently a Visiting Scholar at the Raja Zarith Sofiah Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (RZS-CASIS). He was a former Director-General of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM), a Kuala Lumpur-based think tank, and subsequently served in the private sector. He earned his BSc and MSc from the University of North Carolina, and his PhD from the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC). He has published several academic works, and has written many articles, and delivered lectures on a wide range of subjects at various venues both locally and internationally. In addition, he has been appointed member to a number of local advisory board.

Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas: Facebook:

facebook.com/pg/satalattas

Article: IQRA

https://theiqra.org/root-cause-crisis-in-muslim-world-dr-syed-ali-tawfik-al-attas/

The interview is hosted by Blogging Theology YouTube Channel by host Paul Williams and provides great insight for anyone who is interested to understand their Muslim society and broader global ummah and their crisis.
Dr. Syed Ali al-Attas is a giant among contemporary Muslim scholars of the world. Dr. Tawfik Al-Attas is the son of another great Muslim Scholar, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas considered one of the 500 most influential Muslims. The Editor of theIQRA, Sadiq M Alam had the good fortune of meeting him in Singapore while studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Dr. Attas identifies the root cause of the crisis in the Muslim world as Corruption of Knowledge, widespread ignorance has led to gross injustice and these injustices lead to confusion among Muslims. And this confusion gives rise to false leadership. This false leadership continues to add more confusion, adding to the problem, adding to more ignorance. This adds to more false leadership. The vicious cycle continues.
As an example, he gave a fantastic example of the corruption of knowledge and worldview using the Quran:
"We now, the Muslims today like to look on the Muslims in the past nostalgically as to how powerful we were, how much wealth we had, how big our Empire was, and things like this, how many scholars we had in the past; but we don't seem to learn anything from it, let alone learn anything from what the Quran is telling us. The emphasis on the Quran primarily is on ethics, is on faith, not on law. Law is a very very small minority of the entirety of the Quran and therefore today to emphasize those things as if that is what is paramount is a big injustice to themselves as well as injustice to the Quran." - Dr. Syed Ali al-Attas
The solution includes proper Education to counter this ignorance but it's recommended to watch the interview yourself. We have to understand the history, Muslims nowadays are just satisfied with the zahir aspect, that is the when and how; but they seem to ignore the batin aspect, the what and why.

Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas was laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery in Kuala Lumpur on March 9,2026- The Star

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/Mi9GbmXqr6s?si=zfKXuFzXJ9-aeqC-

YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/HnHSh3FlNQg?si=O1oIw5RSiTdF735o

Salat Al-Janazah (Islamic Funeral Prayer:Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas - TV Masjid At-Taqwa March 8,2026

YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/vzofhPs3FO8?si=wPYrCGqNvk1ShpCb

As-Sayyid ʿAlī Tawfīk al-ʿAṭṭās (Son) :Speech after the Funeral Prayer for Syed Muḥammad Naquīb al-ʿAṭṭās on 9 March 2026

“My name is As-Sayyid ʿAlī Tawfīk al-ʿAṭṭās. I am the eldest son of Professor Sayyid Muḥammad Naquīb al-ʿAṭṭās. I could stand up here and I could extol all of his virtues, and I could tell you all about the fact that he has guided thousands and thousands and thousands of Muslims. He’s dedicated his entire life to the religion of Islām, to education. I could tell you also that he was an unbelievable intellect, he was a towering mind. All of these things we already know. His works proved it. His writings, the fact that he spends his entire life educating the Muslims. I think I’d like to say another thing though, because I read a lot of comments online and I thank them, and they have all been saying how Prof. Al-ʿAṭṭās’ one of the greatest philosophers, one of the greatest minds… all of that is true. But I think we are missing something. Above from the fact that he is a towering mind, he was a man of action. He was a doer. Whatever he set his mind to he was determined to make it happen. His legacy is not just in intellectualism — it’s in art, in architecture, in humanities, in politics — in all fields, as early as 15 years old in 1946, he was asked to define the meaning of that political party which is called PEKEMBAR at the time. He was the one that designed the flag, that later became the symbol of unity for the government. He was also the man who brought Truth to the universities, the National University (of Malaysia). He was the first man to propose an Islāmic University, and that became fruitful in 1987 when the International Institute of Islāmic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) was founded by him. That was the true meaning of the Islāmic University. And look at the building (of ISTAC) itself. That was all his design. Every bit of it, he had his finger on it. Even the furniture, even the light fixtures, the tiles… every single thing was his own drawing. He had his hands on everything. The library that he built... 156 thousand volumes, all of it was done by him. This is what we have. This is the legacy that he leaves us. This is the trust that he gives us. My father was a good man. He did not tell lies. When he spoke, he spoke the Truth. When he was given an amānah, he held fast to it. When he made a promise, you could be sure he would keep it. His promise to the Muslim ummah, was to educate them. His promise to the Muslim ummah, was to ennoble us. To ennoble the Muslims. And he has done so. We say, Innā liLlāhi wa-ʾinnā ʾilayhi rājiʿūn… when we have suffered a great calamity. While we do mourn, we must not forget to celebrate him. We must not forget to celebrate what he left us.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart. My family thanks you. May Allāh bless you all. May Allāh comfort us. May Allāh Guide us. May Allāh put him in His ample Garden of Paradise. Āmīn Ya Rabb Al-ʿĀlamīn. Thank you very much. As-salāmu ʿalaykum.”

YouTube Video: 

https://www.youtube.com/live/CgTuzNyfdak?si=F9ASkmStNgGFwLst

Understanding Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas: His Philosophy & Legacy: The Ghazalian-March 11, 2026

Obituary:Naquib Al-Attas - New Age Islam - March 10,2026

The passing of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (5 September 1931 – 8 March 2026) marks the end of an era in Islamic intellectual history. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas was an important Muslim thinker who shaped the conversation about knowledge, civilization and Islam. For decades, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas stood as a rare figure who combined classical Islamic scholarship, philosophical reflection, historical insight and cultural creativity. His death leaves behind an intellectual legacy that will continue to influence Muslim thought for generations.

Read Full Article:https://www.newageislam.com/

Obituary:Remembering Royal Prof.Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas - Islamic Economics Project - March 9, 2026

On March 8, 2026, the global Muslim community and the world of philosophy mourned the passing of a titan. Royal Professor Tan Sri Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, who died at the age of 94, was a prolific academic and a stalwart in the Islamic intellectual tradition in the modern age. His death marks the end of an era, yet the resonance of his voice—a voice that masterfully bridged the depths of classical Islamic metaphysics with the rigors of modern philosophical inquiry—will echo for generations.

Full Article: https://islamiceconomicsproject.com/2026/03/09/naquib-al-attas/

Wikipedia Biography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Muhammad_Naquib_al-Attas

Imam Abdullah Cheng on Islam and Taiwan’s Overlooked Muslim Community | CONNECTED Podcast on Taiwan Plus- September 7,2025

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/XndImfll74I?si=DSqX8JDKuBacfi3i

Abdullah Cheng’s background often surprises people: he’s an imam of the Taipei Grand Mosque and a social media influencer educating people on Islam. On top of that, he’s a software engineer who created a halal ingredients scanner and a zakat calculator. We ask Abdullah about his journey and explore questions many have about Taiwan’s overlooked Muslim community — from halal food challenges and persisting social prejudices to Taiwan’s Muslim-friendly tourism.

Abdullah Cheng At-Taywani's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@at_taywani

I am Abdullah Cheng At-Taywani, a multifaceted Taiwanese Muslim who is also a software engineer, content creator, Da'ee, and Khateeb at the Taipei Grand Mosque. This channel offers my unique perspective as a Taiwanese Muslim, sharing insights on cultural identity and practical steps for the revival of Islam and Da'wah to the Chinese-speaking world.

YouTube Video Part 1: My Father's Discovery of Islam Became our Family's Blessing:Part1: True Path Network - February 5, 2026

https://youtu.be/L3Yc-cX7oYk?si=EmcHvTeacAq9iMXS

YouTube Video: Part 2

https://youtu.be/I_ICYZPJDbQ?si=WvA4Yv9j4qXSUUra

Abdullah, a second-generation Muslim, shares the remarkable story of how his father discovered Islam, and how that single journey transformed the faith and future of their entire family. Born into a Taiwanese-Chinese family with no concept of organised religion, Abdullah’s father grew up visiting temples and praying to ancestors. Everything changed when curiosity led him to enrol in the only Arabic course offered at his university—a decision that unknowingly set him on a life-altering path. As part of his studies, he spent time in Saudi Arabia, where he encountered Muslims for the first time, and later travelled to Türkiye. Inside a mosque there, he made a sincere prayer: “If this is truly meant for me, please guide me.” On his journey back to Taiwan, his heart felt at peace, and he knew. Soon after, he took his shahada at the Grand Mosque of Taipei. Though his parents were initially concerned, out of uncertainty, not Islamophobia—his decision sparked a powerful domino effect. One by one, his parents, sister, and wife also embraced Islam. Today, that butterfly effect continues. Abdullah now serves as the imam of the very same mosque where his father first took shahada.

Taipei Grand Mosque Website: English

https://www.taipeimosque.org.tw/index.php?lang=eng

YouTube Video: Imam Abdullah Cheng's Jummah Khutba in English & Chinese at Taipei Grand Mosque

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EUCiaueEkA&t=1528s

Article: Islam & Muslims in Taiwan:New Age Islam - April 14, 2014

https://www.newageislam.com/

PhD Thesis:  Islam in Translation: Muslim Reform and Transnational Networks in Modern China, 1908-1957-  Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Eroglu Sager, Zeyneb Hale. 2016.

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33493376

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- Part 1:Feb21, Part 2:Feb 27,Part3:March 11,March 17, 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

YouTube Video Part 3:

https://youtu.be/RGa87eIYKXo?si=XkzgVB4ZQZGk3qZB

YouTube Video Part 4:

https://youtu.be/RX973hJf_Ps?si=IY7qTrislaAcdVu3

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