Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 01. October 2021
A people have an energy. However one defines a unit of people, every unit of people has a prevailing energy. The energy is characteristic of a people, however defined, like a magnetic field generated in a locality and, like magnetic fields, are formed by numerous small particles within certain characteristics of the land. The energy that characterizes a people is the sum-total of the numerous individuals that define the collectivity. We Muslims have a number of cross-cutting identities. We are...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 24. September 2021
This khutbah will deal with a difficult and touchy subject. It is a subject that not only must be addressed but addressed frankly and honestly. Part of this khutbah will be technical, but it is not technical for the sake of technicality. When moral and ethical perspectives are obstructed because of the technicalities, it is the job of the moral scholar and the moral jurist to address these technicalities in order to make space for morality and decency. Recently, a well-known Muslim figure...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 12. January 2019
In Part 1 of the Usuli Institute Halaqa, before jumping into the Quranic Commentaries (tafsir) on Surah 101: al Qaria, Khaled Abou El Fadl adds more insight and afterthoughts following the previous halaqa on the Meaning, Purpose and Effect of Prayer from 22 December 2018. In the introduction, Director Grace Song shares more insights on what type of people convert to Islam, what they experience in the early stages of conversion, and how to survive the early experiences of being a Muslim convert....
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 22. December 2018
Part 1: In this special session at The Usuli Institute, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl explains the form and substance of the ritual prayer of Islam, what is known as the "backbone" of the faith, and discusses the meaning and significance of each of the component parts: the ablution, the standing, the bowing, the prostration, what is recited and much more. He delves into the deeper meaning, power and purpose of prayer, the way that prayer affects the energy of the space in which it occurs (as well as...