about us


We are working for a new enlightenment and a new way to engage the world as faithful Muslims, insisting on Beauty and Reasonableness as the true measures that define our faith. 

 

The Blue Desert by Master Koichi Fuad Honda. Background to cover for Reasoning with God by Khaled Abou El Fadl
"The Blue Desert" by Koichi Fuad Honda (Background Image for Reasoning with God. The Arabic calligraphy in the artwork captures the entirety of the chapter in the Qur'an: Surah Luqman)

Beauty and Reasonableness are the defining principles of the school of thought of scholar and Islamic jurist, Khaled Abou El Fadl. Professor Abou El Fadl has dedicated a lifetime to the study of Islam, Islamic jurisprudence, Shari'ah (the path to and from God), international law and human rights, among many other subjects. Yet, few are aware of the massive corpus of scholarship he has produced, as well as their ultimately transformative nature.

 

For this reason, we have set out to amass this wealth of knowledge in one place and make it easier to access, navigate and learn from. We believe this is the way forward for the future of Islam: open-minded, engaged with modern reality, centered on truth and justice, full of love for all of humanity and creation, and motivated by the search for divinity and beauty in all avenues of life. For those who know his work, this engagement with the Islamic tradition represents the alternative to the often bleak and depressing current state of affairs among Muslims, and offers a hopeful, inspired and reassuring way out. 

 

Now more than ever, non-Muslims and Muslims alike have a vested interest in the future of Islam - whether it is to be understood as a beautiful moral and ethical message intended to elevate humanity; or an ugly ideology for the destruction of humanity.  

 

Because we passionately believe that Islam is about empowerment through human acts of virtue, this website is dedicated to all those who share our hopes and aspirations:

  • those who work to create beauty in the world;
  • those who believe in the power of goodness to resist hatred and evil; and
  • those who want a new way forward for Islam that is satisfying for both the heart and the mind.  

We believe this work will provide the knowledge, insight and understandings of how to live a fully empowered, virtuous and engaged life as a Muslim in the West, unencumbered by the unreasonable, and at the forefront of human endeavor in beauty, mercy, compassion, reasonableness and love for all humankind. 

 


Our vision

Our Vision is to present a new way of thinking about Islam, compelling and satisfying to the heart and the intellect, based on the best orthodox, humanistic, morally beautiful and reasonable Islamic scholarship of our times.


Our Mission and manifesto

Our Mission is to raise awareness, educate and increase the understanding of the methodologies, ideas and learned opinions of one of the best Islamic scholars of our times, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, whose work profoundly illuminates the way to live an engaged and elevated life as a Muslim in the West in our day and age.

 

The writings, lectures, and opinions - in other words, the collective testimony before God of this great scholar - make the grand case that Islam, Islamic law and Shari'ah (the path to and from God) should rightly be understood, lived and dedicated to the divine virtues of our shared humanity with others, and that our duty as Muslims is to represent the best of humanity in all we do.  This collective testimony is our manifesto, plain and simple.  

 


Our purpose

Our Purpose is to help navigate this vast wealth of knowledge in seeking an enlightened, humanistic and compassionately reasonable alternative to the status quo - away from the ugliness of oppressive and ignorant interpretations of Islam. We ask for God's guidance and blessing in this weighty task, and invite all to join us in working towards a collective journey to enlightenment, or as Dr. Abou El Fadl terms it, "a collective enterprise of goodness." (from Reasoning with God)

 



 

 Whatever your cause, we believe that the ideas of Khaled Abou El Fadl can help you affect positive change through Islam and beyond Islam to the rest of humanity. Whether you are new to his ideas or a long-time supporter, you will find a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and beauty here. Welcome!

 

*****

 

This website is solely owned and operated by Students, Supporters and Friends of Dr. Abou El Fadl, and is committed to the preservation and dissemination of his school of thought. Dr. Abou El Fadl is neither involved in nor responsible for any of the activities related to this website, including the conducting of any matters of business, or the making of any decisions regarding its policies. Dr. Abou El Fadl does not gain any financial benefit from the website, but has graciously allowed us permission to reproduce his works here.