The Missing Purpose (Ghayah): Why Our Communities Struggle to Transform
In several of my lectures and seminars, I’ve argued that Western Shi’i communities struggle to prioritize what the Islamic tradition actually expects…
reflections
Teaching Where You Are: Weaving Indigenous and Slow Principles and Pedagogies (Overview)
Today, I had a book presentation for one of my classes on Teaching Where You Are: Weaving Indigenous and Slow Principles and…
From the Signs of the Laity
Reflections & Thoughts | For those interested in this new format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in this post.…
Out of Seminary Educational Experiences: The Bakhtiari Nomads in the Shirez Canyon
When reflecting upon various learning and growth opportunities I experienced during my time in the seminary of Qom between 2012 to 2021,…
The Conference that Left Us Hanging & a Lone Afghan Soldier
On Tuesday November 24th, 2015 at 4 PM a seminar was being held at one of the smaller institutes in Qom. The…
Financial Struggles and Splitting Book Costs
By end of 2013, I had already visited and sat in the open gatherings of Ayatullah Sayyid Shubayri Zanjani, which would take…
Appreciating a Scholar – a Century Later
One of the scholars of the 19th century that I came across during my readings in 2014 and have always been fascinated…
An Unanswered Curiosity Regarding Shaykh Tusi
Was recently reading something related to Shaykh Tusi (d. 460/1067), and it reminded me of a point about his biography that I…
Have the Shi’a Forgotten the Prophet (p)?
Reflections & Thoughts | For those interested in this new format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in…
Humans in the Era of Awaiting
What is the nature of humans in the era of awaiting (intiẓār), or what ought to be their nature? If we were…
Imitating the Infallibles (i)
Reflections & Thoughts | For those interested in this new format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in this post.…
Role of Tribes in the Prophetic Seerah
Reflections & Thoughts | To know more about this format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in this post.…
Completion of Religion & Teachings of the Imams
Back in my mid-to-late teenage years, a question would often boggle my mind. If the religion of Islam was completed on the…
Ibn Abi al-Hadid and the Prophet’s Demise
Reflections & Thoughts | For those interested in this new format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in…
Shahadah and Halakah
Reflections & Thoughts After a number of unforeseen circumstances brought life in the seminary for myself and a number of other brothers…
