Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 12. August 2022
Greetings of Peace dear Friends, I pray you are well and enjoying the last blessed days of summer. It has passed all too quickly! First and foremost, it has been a particularly devastating time in Gaza as a result of the brutal, inhumane, and merciless Israeli bombardments yet again. If you are able to make a donation to help our brothers and sisters in Gaza, you will find a list of relief organizations below. May God come to the aid and comfort of those in need, and help us educate and empower...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 06. August 2022
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl presents his Quranic commentary on Surah 66: Al Tahrim as part of the ongoing Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series at The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org). Project Illumine is a year-long intensive immersion into the unique moral messages in each of the 114 surahs (chapters) of the Quran, the fruit of this scholar's lifetime relationship with the Quran. This is the eighty-second chapter in the series. This is not the traditional line-by-line exegesis, but a...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 05. August 2022
A reflective, Qur’anic human being is a human being that handles life on earth as God repeatedly reminds us to. When God asks us to engage in ta’aqqul (to reason), tafakkur (to ponder/reflect), and tadhakkur (to remember, literally: to do dhikr), it is, in essence, a constant reminder of the reflective life. That you are not simply like so much that is led by instinct and engineered by habit; you are not simply a phenomenon, something that manifests on this earth to enjoy a momentary burst...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 05. August 2022
Dearest Friends, Al salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatohu! I first must thank everyone for their prayers and kind messages as we have been struggling with illness in these past ten days or so that we went offline. Alhamdulillah, we are finally emerging out of the woods of darkness and Dr. Abou El Fadl is on the mend. I am very happy to report that we will be holding our virtual khutbah today and Project Illumine halaqa tomorrow! Yay!!! In addition, THIS SUNDAY AT 2 PM ET, Dr. Abou El...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 15. July 2022
Greetings of Peace dear Friends, I pray you are well and that you enjoyed a blessed Eid! Just a quick note to say that we will be away next week, so there will be no halaqas or khutbah the week of 18 July. We plan to be back in action on Tuesday, 26 July with our next halaqa God willing! I am looking forward to what we anticipate will be the conclusion of Surah 33: Al Ahzab (Day 4) tomorrow at 6 pm EST. In the meantime, I share with you this profound (as always) reflection on Surah Al Ahzab by...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 15. July 2022
This jumu’a, there are a considerable number of events and issues that are transpiring, all of direct concern for Muslims that we could speak about. But as with all affairs, we reflect upon the challenges that the world presents us with in light of the foundations that the divine revelation has left us with. There is, or at least there should be, a constant conversation in the mind of a believing, faithful Muslim between the lived experiences in the world and the wisdom imparted through...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 08. July 2022
Dear Friends, Al salamu alaykum and Eid Al Adha Mubarak! I pray that you and your loved ones enjoy a peaceful and loving Eid insha'Allah! We have been clicking along here through Project Illumine. This past week, we had the opportunity to revisit Surah 59: Al Hashr and Surah 24: Al Nur through our Q&A session, and also begin our engagement with Surah 33: Al Ahzab (Day 1). As I was reviewing my pages upon pages of handwritten notes on these surahs, I was overcome by the sheer amount learning...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 08. July 2022
We are approaching the days of Eid. The Eid known as the Eid-al Akbar, the bigger Eid. Of course, it is the Eid at the end of the pilgrimage period where Muslims are supposed to think and act in a way that goes beyond themselves and to take care of others. The whole point of Eid al-Adha, the Eid of sacrifice, is that we do not simply celebrate by taking care of our family or worrying about the happiness of our family, but we go beyond ourselves and make it a point to take care of those who are...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 06. July 2022
Day 1 of 5 Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl presents his Quranic commentary on Surah 33: Al Ahzab (Day 1) as part of the ongoing Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series at The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org). Project Illumine is a year-long intensive immersion into the unique moral messages in each of the 114 surahs (chapters) of the Quran, the fruit of this scholar's lifetime relationship with the Quran. This is the eighty-first chapter in the series. This is not the traditional line-by-line...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 01. July 2022
I start the khutbah by just noting that today is the beginning of the month of Dhul Hijjah. Dhul Hijjah is the 12th month of the year in the Islamic calendar, and so after Dhul Hijjah, we begin a new year in the Islamic calendar. And at the end of the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, begins Al Eid al Akbar or Al Eid al Adha. These are the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, in which hajj is wrapping up; because on the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah is the Wuquf al-Arafah, and then the 10th day is the...