The Adnan Husain Show

Adnan has a conversation with noted writer and religion scholar Reza Aslan on the 20th anniversary edition of his classic popular history of Islam, "No god but God: the Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam". Reza talks about his unique background and interests in religion, the reasons he wrote this work in the cauldron of Islamophobia during the "Global War on Terrorism" GWOT just a few years after 9/11 and after the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions and occupations. We talked about its reception then and the goals of examining Islam as a religion like any other and how that allowed for an appreciation of its diverse traditions, devotional streams, and cultural expressions while still having a coherent unity. Reza explained what has changed in his thinking over the 20 years and why/how misunderstanding and hostility toward Islam seems as virulent as ever. We also talked about future directions for this faith of nearly 2 billion. An engaging discussion about an important work that has been carefully updated. A must listen! Follow Reza's work: https://www.rezaaslan.com/ Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

In this episode, Adnan and Marc explore the most frequently mentioned of the names that serves both as an attribute and a sort of "proper name" in some fashion. We explored the meanings of the Arabic root R-H-M that gives rise to "rahmah" or mercy as a noun and the two adjectival attributes al-Rahman and al-Raheem, the names that are part of the invocation of chapters of the Qur'an. We considered the particular onological and psychological relationships surrounding al-Rahman as the most merciful or the most benificent. In addition, we wrestled with questions of theodicy. How can we reconcile the manifest cruelty and oppression humanity has wrought--something the angels in Qur'anic origin narratives objected to and charged that humans would sow corruption and shed blood in the world rather than serve as responsible stewards--with the cosmic foundations of the universe in rahma/mercy and the fact that God is pre-eminently understood and uniquely described as al-Rahman? What can this possibly mean in the face of the suffering of most of the world's population in deprivation, during a time of genocide in Palestine and Sudan, as well as in the suffering and difficulty we all face in our lives? This was a problem medieval mystics and theologians also tried to think through. Intriguingly, these included a sense of a profoundly necessary social empathy as a spiritual value of making the name al-Rahman real that impels sacrifice for the weak, defenseless, and suffering. We had to recognize the limits of these discourses however and consider further what this might mean for the contemporary human experience from psychological and spiritual perspectives. Many issues and concerns came up in the discussion and particularly in contending with how we can understand spiritual and psychological growth in the apparent contradiction of cosmic mercy in a cruel world. that will flow naturally into the next episode on al-Raheem, the compassionate. Thank you for joining us in this journey through the Names of God. We look forward to your comments and questions. Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Adnan's wide-ranging conversation with inspiring scholar and charismatic political activist/Green party gubernatorial candidate for California, Dr. Rudolph Butch Ware. We discussed Butch's biography and how it brought him to his groundbreaking historical scholarship on West African Islamic education, Sufi mystical and spiritual movements as anticolonial resistance and slave abolition struggles. We explored the connections between this profound and underappreciated history and the Atlantic and global resonances in the Black radical tradition and how this has informed his own politics and decisions to enter electoral politics. Finally, we learned about the gubernatorial campaign and the prospects for and opportunities within California's "jungle primary" for a Green Party breakthrough with candidate Butch Ware! Make sure to support his fight for Californians. If Zohran Mamdani can win in New York City, just think how big Butch's victory in California could be! https://www.butchware4gov.com/ Also on YT: https://youtu.be/D-89J7iPd-k Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

In this *UNLOCKED* collaborative episode originally exclusively for Red Scare substack subscribers and patrons of the Adnan Husain Show, Nick Estes and Adnan discuss the role spirituality in anti-colonial resistance movements. From the Ghost Dance to Sufi warriorism, spiritual resources are an important and often undertheorized form of struggle against colonial and imperial violence, dispossession, and racism. Enjoy this behind the scenes confabulation! To become a supporter: Patreon.com/adnanhusain or make a one-time contribution via buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain

Even if you missed the livestream and if you prefer listening to watching, I'm posting Monday Sept 29th's Office Hours "Resisting Melancholia: Arab Culture and Politics during the Genocide. It was an illuminating and interesting conversation w/Nihal El Aasar who shared her insightful reflections on culture and politics and the present moment. Enjoy! Normally these live episodes are only available on YouTube or in audio form for Patrons. Please consider supporting the show on patreon.com/adnanhusain! Your regular support helps sustain this show, allows more educational content creation, and keeps this channel free and available for those who cannot afford to support but benefit from it. You can also make a one-time donation via buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow And as audio podcast on all the major platforms: X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Adnan and Marc plunge into the "name" that is unique in being distinguished from all others as having no attribute or characteristic and almost definitionally contrasts with the human. How should the "human" and "divine" dichotomy be understood theologically and phenomenologically in this spiritual tradition of the 99 Names in Sufi Islam? We wrestled with these and other questions related to the spiritual meaning and experience of Allah with the help of Sufi writers al-Ghazali and al-Tilimsani. Marc cooked up a bouillabase through which the "ascending arc" of Akbari meditative practice could express itself, while Adnan puzzled over al-Ghazali's surprising confession that even in this name of the Divine Essence, the human strives for "ta'alluh" or assuming some quality of the Divine. The mysteries of spiritual experience were many in this episode. This initial foray will therefore involve a return to the Divine Being, Allah, after traveling through the 98 other names in our journey together. Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Adnan has a wonderful conversation with a remarkable radical activist, Elaine Mokhtefi, in this special collaborative edition w/Guerrilla History and its ongoing series of interviews with living historical revolutionaries. Elaine Mokhtefi is author of "Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers." This fascinating discussion retraces Elaine's early political engagement with the FLN mission to the UN, her decision to move to Algeria to help build the postcolonial nation after liberation from France, her experiences as a translator and journalist covering the transnational movements for liberation across the Global South, and work with the Black Panthers exiled in Algiers. She danced with Fanon, met radical third world leaders, and struggled for a better world. Now in her 90's, she remains an inspiring and committed activist. A lot to learn in this conversation! Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow And as audio podcast on all the major platforms: https://adnanhusainshow.libsyn.com X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Adnan discusses a crucial history of US subversion of Syria's sovereignty even before the conclusion of WW2 starting with interference and covert operations by the OSS precursor to the CIA and then through the entire Cold War with Dr. Patrick Higgins, a Middle East historian, co-editor of Liberated Texts and member of the Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective. His article "Gunning for Damascus: The US War on the Syrian Arab Republic" is mandatory reading and the state of the field on this dark history. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19436149.2023.2199487?scroll=top&needAccess=true#abstractart Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Normally, the audio of livestreams (Struggle Sessions and Office Hours) are exclusive to supporters on patreon.com/adnanhusain but this Struggle Session was so important and sizzling with insight, I'm making it available on the podcast feed. You can always watch these back on YouTube and X as videos, but if you like your audio, be sure to consider supporting and joining. Adnan was joined by Benji Schoendorff of Resistance is Fertile, Jared Ball of IMIXWHATILIKE and Black Liberation Media, and Nora Barrows-Friedmann of the Electronic Intifada. Nihal El Aasar couldn't make it but will join for an Office Hours soon and a future Struggle Session. This was a wonderful, intense, and insightful conversation with the panel and engaging discussion with audience. Here is the full audio. Enjoy! Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

The East is a Podcast hosted a collaborative conversation with multiple friends, airing grievances, covering multiple topics, discussing news and raising funds for Mohammed and his siblings amid evacuation orders. This stream featured Nick Estes from The Red Nation, Adnan Husain from The Adnan Husain Show and Guerrilla History podcast, Jared Ware from Millennials Are Killing Capitalism, and Mtume Gant of Within our Gates podcast. We are affectionately calling this a episode of "Red Millenials are Killing Adnan Within our Gates in the East!" But the main purpose was to: Support Mohammed from Gaza as he and his siblings seek to relocate to Southern Gaza amid evacuation orders: https://chuffed.org/project/120676-mohammed-from-gaza