MAY A MUSLIM WHO HAS UNDERGONE SEX-CHANGE SURGERY IDENTIFY AS THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Question: A man at our mosque had sex-change surgery before his conversion to Islam and now identifies as a woman; He wears women’s attire and is allowed to pray in the women’s prayer space. Those around him affirm him in his
Answer to a Christian Challenge: Why Can Mary Have a Son Without A Consort but God Cannot?
Christian: “Why can’t God have a son? Muslims believe in the virgin birth. The Qur’an asks how could God have a son when He has no consort, but allows for Mary to have a son even though she had no
Martyrdom is Not a Military Strategy
By Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali Martyrdom is not a military strategy: This one is going to sting a little: Too many Muslims have, unfortunately, become accustomed to interpreting failure as success and success as failure. For example, some showcase Imam
Are Muslims Headed for A New Post-9/11 World?
by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali They say that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. I’m old enough to remember the state of the Muslim community in the US in the years leading up to 9/11. Tough talk from the pulpit
On Hijrah & Khilāfah: The Poverty of Contemporary Muslim Political Imagination (Part 2 of 2)
By Abdullah bin Hamid Ali Muslim scholars in the past fiercely debated the permissibility of Muslims remaining in lands conquered by Christians and others. And Mālikī scholars took the least accommodating view of Muslims “remaining” as residents in hostile territories (Dār
On Hijrah and Khilāfah: Part 1 of 2: (Abdullah bin Hamid Ali)
Why aren’t more Muslim countries taking in Palestinians and other Muslim refugees? And why are Western countries expected to take in so many? Such questions are meant to suggest inherent Western moral superiority. For if Muslim countries were so much
A MESSAGE TO ALL “ZAYTUNA” HATER-LOVERS (Abdullah bin Hamid Ali)
We were told by the Prophet--upon him Allah’s blessing and peace--that as man’s time on earth draws to an end, we would witness the pontifications of the Ruwaybidah. When asked “What are the Ruwaybidah?” he responded, “Trifling men (al-tāfih) who
The Requirements of an Authentic Intellectual Revival
Dr. Abdullah bin Hamīd Ali A speech delivered at the 1st Annual House of Wisdom Conference in Memphis, TN July 29-30, 2023 (Throughout this speech, I will be using the words ‘he’ and ‘man’ as gender inclusive terms. My hope is that
Review of Muhammad’s Heirs: The Rise of Muslim Scholarly Communities, by Jonathan E. Brockopp
Abdullah bin Hamid Ali American Journal of Islam and Society Muhammad’s Heirs: The Rise of Muslim Scholarly Communities, by JonathanE. Brockopp of Penn State University, begins anecdotally with an encounter with Moroccan students at the “University of Fez-Sais” (apparently the College of
Book Review: Reopening Muslim Minds by Mustafa Akyol
Journal of Islamic Philosophy Volume 12, 2021 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali Pages 75-101 https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil2021126 Mustafa Akyol’s Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance Press HERE to download PDF