In Good Faith

Sahel, a religious scholar emphasizing chivalry and Islamic legal protections for women; Zahra, a senior community leader campaigning for women’s leadership; Saleha, a fiqh teacher reviving women’s religious education; and Omar Salah, a community practitioner sharing lived experience. They discuss mosque access, cultural versus scriptural practices, women’s leadership and programming, and designing inclusive mosque spaces.

Sohail Hanif, CEO and scholar of Islamic law focusing on structured community solutions. Saleha Islam Bukhari, educator and Sharia consultant who answers public questions on faith. Omar Salha, cultural diplomat who runs the Ramadan Tent Project to spark invitation. Zia Salik, charity leader with expertise in humanitarian mobilisation. They debate belonging, public narratives, invitation through Ramadan, empathy-led practice, and place-based community coordination.

Saad Yacoob, a PhD candidate researching Muhammad Iqbal and revival of Islamic creative thought, explores Iqbal’s critique of stagnation and calls for renewed creative confidence. He discusses ijtihad, tensions between spirituality and jurisprudence, modernity’s moral failures, civilizational depression, and practical ethics like taqwa and patience. The conversation surveys revival, language, economics, and reclaiming a universal vision.

Dr Sohaib Saeed, Islamic scholar focused on Qur'anic studies, explains implications of the Quran being revealed in Arabic. Short takes explore whether Arabic is intrinsically superior or historically contingent. They debate the idea of a linguistic miracle as a time-bound rhetorical challenge, parallels with Musa's contests, and how critics responded when they could not match the text.

A deep dive into what zakat really means and why it pairs with prayer. Discussion of pooling funds, local focus, and elected governance for effective distribution. Exploration of categories, administrative funding, and using zakat for social influence and institution building. Covers rates, thresholds, and balancing local and international priorities.

Omar Salha, founder and director of the Ramadan Tent Project, leads a UK festival and Open Iftar initiative that creates public Ramadan experiences. He discusses RTP’s journey from pop-up iftars to landmark venues, making Ramadan relatable to wider communities, festival programming and arts, and building inclusive spaces that boost pride and belonging.

Dr Sohaib Saeed, academic and Quran scholar who promotes accessible tafsir and tadabbur. He explains five lenses for reading the Quran: the importance of wording and Arabic, historical and natural contexts, how personal experience shapes understanding, cross-text connections, and extracting general lessons. Short reflections on teaching reflection and avoiding reductionist soundbites.

Yasir Qadhi, American-trained Islamic scholar and public intellectual, reflects on moving beyond sectarian certainties and embracing theological diversity. He discusses labels and their risks, patriotism versus ultimate loyalty, the realities of emigration, salvation and mercy, and a modern theology project aimed at making Islamic thought relevant in diverse contexts.

The conversation spotlights how women form their own organisations when shut out of formal leadership. It examines funding shortfalls and cultural barriers that stall real progress. Practical obstacles like childcare and unpaid expectations are called out. It highlights young people reshaping influence online and being mobilised by major events.

A lively take on how schooling struggles to keep up with rapid tech changes. Discussion of uneven pilot program adoption and why some schools move faster. A debate about AI making students lazy versus boosting learning. Exploration of AI tutors that personalize lessons for large classes. A focus on human skills like creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and compassion.