16. January 2017

The Epistemology of the Truth in Modern Islam By Khaled Abou El Fadl[1] Abstract: There is a serious problem with arguing that God intended to lock the epistemology of the seventh century into the immutable text of the Qur’an, and then intended to hold Muslims hostage to this epistemological framework for all ages to come. Among other things, this would limit the dynamism and effectiveness of Divine text because the Qur’an would be forever locked within a knowledge paradigm that is very...

15. January 2017

Egypt’s Secularized Intelligentsia and the Guardians of Truth By Khaled Abou El Fadl Initially, I was tempted to write an essay wrestling with the question of why the liberal and secular intelligentsia betrayed the Egyptian revolution. There is an extensive list of Egyptian intellectuals such as Sa‘d al-Din Ibrahim, Ibrahim Eissa, Bassem Youssef and many others who have carefully constructed themselves into emblematic figures standing for secular and liberal values. But what has transpired...

18. December 2016

Description: Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl explains the history and rise of white-nationalism and the forces that gave rise to the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. He explains the various arguments that justify the vilification of Islam, including arguments around the "clash of civilizations" thesis, the so-called superiority of the "West," and the redefinition and use of the notion of "Judeo-Christian values" as a cover for racism, bigotry and white privilege. He...

21. November 2016

Some months ago, I wrote an article warning that if Donald Trump wins the United States elections, it would be the end of the world as we know it. Sadly, as Trump prepares to take office, we now stand at the cusp of a momentous unfolding. President-elect Trump has already tapped the likes of Sarah Palin, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Walid Phares and Frank Gaffney to guide his policies towards the world - and especially the Muslim world. The thing uniting those mentioned and many others...

10. November 2016

Shari‘ah and Human Rights by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl* Abstract: This chapter identifies some of the main obstacles that hinder serious Islamic engagement with the field of human rights, and analyzes potentialities within Islamic doctrine for realizing a vision of human rights. This chapter will focus on potentialities—the doctrinal aspects in Muslim thought, and particularly Shari’ah, which could legitimize, promote, or subvert the emergence of a human rights practice in Muslim cultures....

29. April 2016

One of the most important Friday khutbahs ever delivered by Dr. Abou El Fadl. He discusses the gift of wisdom from God and how a true Muslim that exists in a state of wisdom exists in a constant state of growth and development, spiritually and intellectually, not just physically. If you are not moving and growing, but instead are stagnant and unchanging, you are effectively dead. The Islam that is popular today is one of a constant repetition of the same set of ideas and language, which is not...

08. April 2016

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl delivers the Friday khutbah (sermon) for the Institute of Advanced Usuli Studies. In this week's khutbah, he continues his focus on the ethics of Islam and explains why the ethic of Islam goes beyond the Golden Rule of treating others as we want to be treated.

01. April 2016

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl delivers the Friday khutbah (sermon) for the Institute of Advanced Usuli Studies. He addresses the question of whether the Muslim ummah has failed because they are using faith as an instrument of injustice or faith as an intoxicant for unjust purposes. He reminds Muslims of the original elevated commands on justice, creating goodness, and, as the Prophet Muhammad defined as fundamental for all Muslims, treating others as we want to be treated--and much more.