what we do
Building upon the foundations of the rich and nuanced Islamic jurisprudential tradition, we apply God's timeless moral imperatives to our current world to advance human knowledge, challenge the status quo, and set a new standard for beauty, reasonableness and goodness in the world.
Advance Human Knowledge
The Islamic tradition once inspired Muslims to be at the forefront of human discovery and knowledge. Today, Muslims have been left behind in virtually all global conversations and play no role in the moral leadership of our times. By returning to the foundational virtues of the Islamic tradition, we seek to rekindle the spirit of exploration, renew the commitment to knowledge, and represent a moral message that inspires the world.
Challenge the Status Quo
As part of a dynamic and evolving tradition, Islamic jurisprudence must produce meaningful, relevant and beautifully appropriate prescriptions for each time, place and context it affects. We do not believe that God intended to confine Muslims or humanity to Islam's seventh century origins or meanings for all ages to come. We believe it is a collective duty to reinvestigate and apply the moral trajectory of the Islamic message to modern problems confronting humanity today to elicit the most compelling and virtuous approaches.
Set A New Standard
Islamic intellectual contributions must challenge, engage and inspire the other intellectual traditions of our times, religious or secular. It is not good enough only to speak to other Muslims. As an academic-based institution, our output must both meet and exceed the highest global standards of scholarship, and as importantly, offer authentic insights true to the humanistic values of the faith we represent.
USULI
[Ü-SOO-LEE]
Usul. Lit., the origins or foundations.
Usul al-fiqh. Islamic law: the principles upon which Islamic jurisprudence is based; or the jurisprudential methods of Islamic law.
The Usuli Institute. An Islamic education institute dedicated to reclaiming what it means to respond to the divine call for mercy, beauty, ethics and justice, for the benefit of all of humanity.
WHO WE ARE
Under the guidance of Islamic scholar and jurist, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, we are a team of dedicated academics, professionals and volunteers that are passionate about the beauty of the Islamic tradition. For more about Dr. Abou El Fadl and his written and spoken scholarship, visit www.searchforbeauty.org.