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The Latest at The Usuli Institute (23 - 29 December 2022)
Surah 5: Al Ma'idah (Day 2) | Original English Commentary | Project Illumine
SURAH 5: AL MA'IDAH (DAY 2) Project Illumine Qur'anic Commentaries
USULI EXCERPT: The Challenge of Delivering a Khutbah: Experimental Knowledge
WANT THE PATH OF THE DIVINE? DON'T FOLLOW THE DEMONIC
Usuli Institute Khutbah, 23 December 2022
(Summary Description Below)
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Grace's Message
Greetings of Peace dear Friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I pray you are well and savoring the last precious moments of 2022! If you need a last minute tax write-off or want to finish the year off with a special gift to support our work, please consider donating to Usuli here! And may God reward you with much more and much better when it matters most! 

The end of the year is always a momentous occasion for reflection, rejuvenation, and inspiration for me. The time passed so quickly, but we have done a lot, thank God, and come a long way in the Project Illumine journey! We have learned so much and yes, our accountability has increased for that knowledge, but isn't that the point? I wouldn't want it any other way. I am beyond grateful for all that we have received, been able to share, and been fortunate to create, not the least of which was a new imprint, a new book, and a new outlook for so many people who were looking for something beyond the status quo - and found Usuli. I can't count the number of messages I have received that told me they prayed for guidance, help, or a different understanding of an issue and then found us online. Alhamdulillah (thank God)! As I have often said, there are so many people who feel alone in their outlook about the beauty of Islam - who feel they cannot relate to the irrational, unenlightened, or less than humane expressions of Islam they encounter - and who come upon our work to discover something that rings true with their heart and mind. This connection with us, and then by extension with all the others who have connected with us, creates a global networked community that comes together in beauty and dedication to the light of the Qur'an - and then they are not so alone any more. I pray that we are all planting seeds of beauty that will spread over time. 

The other thing that I love about end of year reflections are top ten lists! So, if you don't mind, I will share my own top ten list of the best things that happened at Usuli in 2022!

So here we go! 

10. Receiving unbelievably beautiful messages from all around the world about our impact from Pakistan to Australia to Singapore to Kashmir to Uzbekistan and beyond! We grew our global network of beautiful souls!

9. Adopt a Surah progress - only six surahs left to be adopted! We are so grateful for everyone who sponsored the publication of the Project Illumine commentaries! Whether you adopted a surah or not, everyone who supported our work is part of this project!

8. Finishing the Unpacking of the Boxes of the Usuli Library - The books still need organizing (it is a never-ending project!) but we open and sorted all the boxes of books!! Whew!

7. Launching Usuli Press: This is part of our mission - to produce spectacular books inside and out, in preparation for our legacy project, the entire collection of Project Illumine Commentaries (tafsir)!

6. Actually doing everything to succeed in publishing our first book, The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, edited by Josef Linnhoff. We learned so much and are proud of the outcome! Look what we were able to accomplish together! :)

5. The Share with a Friend Campaign - One important achievement inspired another! A blessed donor came forth to support our gifting this important book to anyone in the world who wanted it! 2267 books at last count with more in the queue! We have been empowered to spread more light and knowledge around the world through The Prophet's Pulpit! If you want one, email marwa@usuli.org!

4. 50 powerhouse khutbahs in 2022! Ready to populate future volumes of The Prophet's Pulpit! :)

3. Completing the tafsirs (deep dive commentaries) into 21 Surahs (chapters of the Qur'an) in 2022

2. 56 total Project Illumine Halaqas in 2022 (some surahs required multiple sessions, like the incredible halaqas on Surah al Nisa', Surah al Nur, Surah al Hajj, and Surah al Tawbah among so many more!)

And drumroll for #1 - the greatest thing that happened at Usuli in 2022.....

1. Dr. Abou El Fadl reaching Surah 5: Al Ma'idah, his 114th surah, after which he will have presented deep dives into the meanings of EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an - a 20+ year journey of teaching the Qur'an intensively! Now, we just need to complete the Project Illumine versions (Dr. Abou El Fadl's personal journey with the Qur'an)! Ninety-one down, 23 to go!

And there were so many more amazing things that happened that didn't make the top ten! Thank you all for supporting and being with us on this incredible journey in 2022! I pray that 2023 will be a much better year for all of us insha'Allah! May God bless, protect, and guide you to the best way always and may we continue to work together to elevate ethics, critical thinking, and dignity through education through our mission at Usuli!

From our family to yours, we send our love and warmest wishes and prayers for the New Year and beyond insha'Allah!
 

I am so excited for tonight's Project Illumine halaqa installment of Surah 5: Al Ma'idah, Day 3! Hope to connect with you online soon insha'Allah (God willing)!
 
In Peace and Hope,
Grace

Executive Director
The Usuli Institute
grace@usuli.org

P.S. Apologies for the delayed edited and uploading of the latest khutbahs and halaqa due to travel! :)
Latest Khutbah
WANT THE PATH OF THE DIVINE? DON'T FOLLOW THE DEMONIC
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Founder of The Usuli Institute and
Distinguished Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
23 December 2022

In Surah al-Nur (Q 24), God reminds us in the most powerful and direct way of what is core to our ethical being.

O YOU who have attained to faith! Follow not Satan's footsteps: for he who follows Satan's footsteps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of abomination and all that runs counter to reason (al-fahsha wa al-munkar). And were it not for God's favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure. For [thus it is:] it is God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. Hence, [even if they have been wronged by slander,] let not those of you who have been graced with [God's] favour and ease of life ever become remiss in helping [the erring ones among] their near of kin, and the needy, and those who have forsaken the domain of evil for the sake of God, but let them pardon and forbear. [For,] do you not desire that God should forgive you your sins, seeing that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace?” (Q 24:21-22)

A more direct, more powerful message is not possible. It deserves pause. God reminds and exhorts believers not to follow the footsteps of Satan. In other words, not to take the path that God associates with the demonic. By definition, the demonic is the antithesis of the Divine. If the Divine is light, the demonic is darkness. If the Divine is mercy, the demonic is cruelty. If the Divine is rationality, the demonic is irrationality. If the Divine is justice, the demonic is injustice. Do not follow the path of the demonic.

“Follow not Satan’s footsteps” (Q 24:21). God summarizes the nature of the demonic in saying that the demonic exhorts, attracts, and draws people toward al-fahsha wa al-munkar (Q 24:21). Al-fahsha is the path of corruption and shame. Al-munkar is the path of what we innately and intuitively know is wrong, what the human being knows is not part of the light, but part of the darkness. God gives us a very powerful hint of this. God reminds us: “And were it not for God's favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure. For [thus it is:] it is God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing” (Q 24:21). Remember that the most precarious moral path is one in which we assume that whatever we embrace is consistent with Divinity, one in which our ego becomes the guardian of the truth and the guardian of the path. 

It is as if God puts us on notice that in order to understand the difference between the demonic and the Divine, we must anchor our search in humility. We need to anchor our search in something beyond our ego. We need to anchor our search in modesty, circumspection, cautiousness, and thoughtfulness about our path, because guidance cannot be built upon presumptuousness and arrogance. God then quickly reminds us that the pursuit of goodness and Divinity, and the avoidance of the demonic, is anchored upon taking care of others. We need to go beyond ourselves and think of the wellbeing of others, especially our “near of kin,” “the needy,” and all those who are dispossessed and displaced (Q 24:22). “But let them pardon and forbear” (Q 24:22): egoism and arrogance doom you to an attitude of vindictiveness and a never ending pettiness and anger toward others. 

The path of Divinity, in short, is to get over yourself. The path of Divinity is to transcend the egoism of the self, and to associate, empathize, and internalize the needs of others, whether they are family, the disempowered, the dispossessed, or the impoverished. The path of Divinity is one in which our attitude toward life is centered on a dynamic of forgiveness, not vindictiveness. And forgiveness itself is not possible without an attitude of benevolence, empathy, and goodness. 

The most remarkable thing in this passage from Surah al-Nur is how innate and primordial the values of Divinity are to our very core. How sensible, intuitive, and natural is the understanding of the path of the demonic as the antithesis to the path of Divinity. The demonic is not forgiving, reasonable, rational, or benevolent. The demonic is not informed and knowledgeable. Indeed, the demonic is ignorant, quick to judgment, and all that represents darkness in human life.

Al-fahsha wa al-munkar (Q 24:21). Although the language of the Qur'an was natural to the Companions of the Prophet, and very close to their epistemological being, their awareness, and their consciousness, they still sought clarification from the Prophet. “How do we recognize the path of Divinity beyond caring for those who are needy, disempowered, displaced, and dispossessed? Even beyond forgiveness, is there a methodology that can help us to more concretely avoid ‘Satan’s footsteps,’ the path of the demonic?” The Prophet explained to his Companions that one is not truly a believer — meaning one has not truly submitted to the path of the Divine and avoided the path of the demonic — unless they treat people and interact with people in the way that they would want to be treated. If you were an orphan, the needy, a relative, the refugee, the displaced, dispossessed, or the indigent, what would you want? That is the path and the methodology for Divinity. 

When we speak from a position of self-entitlement, anchored in privilege and unable to think of what we would have demanded, expected, and wanted if we were like those who are suffering, this is exactly the warning about remaining “pure” (Q 24:21). If you can no longer empathize and internalize the suffering and need of others, then you are far closer to “Satan’s footsteps,” to the path of the demonic, than the path of Divinity. 

God does not follow the discourse on following the path of the demonic by saying, "Well, so long as you accept God and the Prophet as your savior, then you do not have to worry about the demonic." There is nothing in the Qur'an of that nature. In fact, we find in the Qur'an a direct challenge to the idea that if you accept anything as your savior, then you have attained salvation. Nothing in the Qur'an tells you that if you follow the sha’ir (Q 22:32; 5:2), you have attained salvation. The sha’ir are the basic rituals of Islam, and what God says about the sha’ir is that they are an exercise in piety (Q 22:32). Even if you practice the rituals of the sha’ir but are unable to avoid al-fahsha wa al-munkar and are oblivious to the needs of relatives, the needy, the dispossessed, the displaced, and you neither think about them nor ponder what they need or are going through; if you are a vindictive human being who contributes to corruption on earth rather than benevolence, forgiveness, kindness, and mercy, then the rituals will avail you nothing. You will be among those who uphold the rituals but still follow in the path of Satan.

God and his Prophet have emphasized so much that our relationship to Divinity and the quality of our relationship with God is fully contingent on how we care for and assist others. Not by superficial displays of symbolism or formalistic, outward acts, but by a genuine, pure ethic of care and kindness. When this is so clear in our Divine book, how is it that we Muslims find ourselves, day after day, in situations that are completely remote from this ethic of care that defines the path of Divinity?

Recently, I read about a boat filled with 160 Rohingya refugees, who, after having escaped Myanmar, were going to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a poor country, and the conditions of the refugee camps for the Rohingya in Bangladesh are horrible. In these camps, not only do refugees suffer extremely high rates of disease, infection, need, and starvation, but there is the constant threat of sexual assault and being trafficked by modern slavery rings. Many women and children end up being trafficked because of the extremely overcrowded and poor conditions of the refugee camps in Bangladesh. Many Rohingya try to escape these refugee camps in Bangladesh and ride the sea to try to reach Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore. These boats are not seaworthy. People often end up stuck on these boats for months at a time as the various countries refuse to take them in. As a result, many perish, dying on these boats from disease and starvation, because no country will allow these boats to come to port.

In this particular incident, 160 people are on board a boat that has been stuck at sea for three weeks. Human rights agencies are warning that people are dying. Women and children are dying in this overcrowded boat, without food or water, from starvation or disease. 20 people are suspected to have already died on this boat. I wish this was an exception. With a little bit of research, however, it turns out that this is a fairly common occurrence. In a previous incident, 300 Rohingya on a boat that escaped from Bangladesh trying to reach Indonesia ended up stranded at sea for six months. Eventually, Sri Lanka took that boat in. But by the time Sri Lanka did so, around 30 women and children had already perished during this six month period. The true number is suspected to be much higher.

Pause and think. These are Muslims. I have already talked about this numerous times. Islamophobia has exploded on the scene. We have so many extremely wealthy, politically motivated Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists pouring money into creating this industry that demonizes Islam and Muslims. As a result, there is not only Islamophobia in Europe and the United States. It is not only Donald Trump who rides on an anti-Islamic, Islamophobic propaganda campaign, but we have genocides in China and Kashmir, pre-genocidal conditions in India, a genocide against the Rohingya, and steady waves of anti-Islamic bigotry and anti-Muslim racism, so much so that it even reaches into the realm of absurdity.

When a soccer player like Lionel Messi wears a robe that they call a bisht in the Gulf countries, we witness that the amount of hate directed at an article of clothing associated with Arab and Muslim culture, whether authentically or not, is astounding. It reveals that Islamophobia has truly fed a racism industry. Imagine if Messi would have worn a yarmulke, a sombrero, or any article of clothing associated with any other culture in the world that is not Arab or Islamic. No one would have dared to say a single word of criticism. Everyone would have intuitively known that to do so would be pure racism and bigotry.

Time and again, you have heard me talk about how the enemies of Islam have sunk billions of dollars into maligning this religion and planting, cultivating, and feeding hate against Muslims. You have heard me talk about how wealthy Muslims at every level are absent from the game. Wealthy Muslims spend money buying technology firms, sports groups, luxury items, and fancy mosques. But they are absent. The Qur'an and the entire Islamic tradition teach us that Muslims should take care and help those who are disempowered and in need, Muslim and non-Muslim. At a very basic level, we must feel and care for our fellow Muslims. What do you do, then, when you find that that is absent? What do you do with the truth that there is a considerable amount of racism in why we tolerate the abuse against the Rohingya? They are not White people. They are not like the masters or the colonizers. They look dark-skinned, poor, and undesirable. So the entire Muslim world sits and watches the genocide against the Rohingya, against the Kashmiris, against the Uyghurs.

What do you think will be the dynamic in the Hereafter when God tells us, "Your fellow Muslim brothers and sisters were stranded on a boat for six months, children and women dying, and at the end, Sri Lanka, a non-Muslim country, took them in. All the while, you Muslims were for the most part oblivious and absent"? Are we really going to tell God, "God, we followed in the footsteps of Divinity. God, we avoided the footsteps of Satan,” when God has made it very clear what is needed for us to have the plausible claim that we avoided the footsteps of the demonic?

What can look more demonic than being stranded on a boat? As they starved to death, as children perished, can you imagine the amount of du‘a’s that were uttered by these men, women, and children? Can you imagine the amount of pleading and begging with God to save them? Can you imagine what they thought about their fellow Muslims as the suffering continued, day after day? Have we avoided the footsteps of Satan? Have we avoided the demonic path? Have we clearly delineated, marked, and set out the path of Divinity? Have we clearly helped create an association in people's minds between the path of Divinity, beauty, and goodness? Or do we contribute to a largely confusing picture about the difference between the Divine and the demonic in the world in which we live?

What do we do with the Qur'anic message? What more can God do with us other than deny us free will and act for us? But if God denied us free will and then either rewarded or punished us, that would be the definition of injustice. With free will comes responsibility and accountability, and the only way that free will can maintain its moral status is to perform what is moral and ethical. God has made it clear that what is moral and ethical is to get beyond ourselves, to transcend our own pettiness, and to care where we should care.

Yet again, in the world in which we live, beginning December 18th at the start of Hanukkah, Jewish extremists converged on and violated the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque. Marking their eight days of Hanukkah, starting from December 18th, Jewish extremists made it a point to underscore that they neither recognize nor honor Muslim claims over the al-Aqsa Mosque and so they violated the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque to send a clear message to Muslims that our claims and our sanctities mean nothing to them.

Meanwhile, in what has now become a routine event, two Palestinian brothers were killed by another Israeli extremist. They were run down and killed by a car whose driver intentionally targeted them in the Qalandia refugee camp in Jerusalem. What of Israeli justice? A recent report says, "In the past five years, in the numerous incidents where Israeli soldiers or Israeli settlers have been accused of abusing or murdering Palestinians, indictments have followed in less than 1% of the hundreds of complaints received." In fact, the story goes on to say that from 2017 to 2021, the Israeli military received 1,260 cases of alleged offenses committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians. 409 of these cases involved the killing of Palestinians. But, according to Israel's own data, criminal investigations were opened in just 248 cases and, ultimately, only 11 yielded indictments. Even among the indictments, only a small percentage got convicted. And in the overwhelming majority of cases, those convicted received a suspended sentence.

The report goes on to note that indictments and convictions overwhelmingly occur only in cases in which the abuse was caught on camera and there was no way around dismissing the allegations. Even then, however, it is extremely rare for an Israeli who has committed abuse or murder against a Palestinian to receive an actual prison sentence. In fact, the report notes that at least 150 Palestinians have been killed, making 2022 the deadliest year for Palestinians in 16 years. In one particular incident, Israeli soldiers were caught on camera zip-tying a 78-year-old Palestinian American, a U.S. citizen who happens to be Palestinian, and who was later found dead. No medical care was provided to the 78-year-old, and the soldiers who had custody of the man claimed they had no knowledge of how he died. Ultimately, nothing happened.

At the same time, despite these grim facts on the ground, Netanyahu has announced that he has high hopes that during his tenure he will conclude a peace deal with Saudi Arabia and that relations between Israel and the Gulf states will be the best they have ever been. This reeks of the demonic. Yet, we still have Muslims who are so oblivious, so unthinking, so uncaring, that they cannot have an analytical bone in their body to evaluate what the UAE and Saudi Arabia are doing with Israel, and what the effect of this will be upon their fellow Muslims and their occupied lands.

Remember that God tells us not to follow in the footsteps of Satan (Q 24:21). You have to have moral vigilance. You have to have a moral consciousness. You have to be able to tell the difference between making peace and betraying your holy sites and your Muslim brothers and sisters. You have to be able to ask yourself why is it that when Israel had the greatest success in signing the so-called “peace agreements” with Muslim countries, the same year was the deadliest year on record? Why is it that that same year, Israel annexed more lands than ever before? Why is it that that same year, Israel elected the most fanatic and extremist government in its history? Without some analytical core, without some moral discernment, we cannot claim to avoid the path of the demonic.

We invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. The Taliban have since returned to power, and Iraq is corrupt and not a democracy. We may pause and think, of course, "What was the American adventure in Iraq and Afghanistan for?" We have killed thousands. We also destroyed the lives of thousands of young Americans who were taught to butcher and then brought back to civilian life. We killed an unknown number of Afghans and Iraqis. Many perished in bombings, and many were killed and buried in the desert or in mountains. Only God knows the true numbers. Thousands upon thousands of Muslim lives were lost, and for what? We have created a divided Iraqi society between Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd which is the worst it has ever been. Part of dominating Iraq was to play one against the other — what colonizers have long been doing. And after murdering thousands upon thousands in Afghanistan, the Taliban are radicalized more than ever before.

Think of the long struggle of murder, counter murder, deaths, pillaging, and raping. What do you think is the result of all the sexual assaults committed in Afghanistan? It teaches Afghans to be more radical and militant. So, now the Taliban has banned Afghan women from attending universities. I am sure that in their mind they are still fighting imperialism and colonialism. In their mind, keeping Muslim women ignorant and illiterate is a blow against imperialism and colonialism. But what is truly sad is that the invasion was in the path of the demonic. What we did in Afghanistan was part of the demonic. The inability of Muslim countries to do anything about our imperialist policy in Afghanistan and Iraq was part of the demonic. What we have accomplished is part of the demonic, and what the Taliban has done in banning Muslim women from attending university is also in the path of the demonic. 

Do I need to say that the Prophet said that education is the right of every Muslim man and woman? Do I need to say that there is no basis in Islamic law for banning women from obtaining an education, and that the only reason that people like the Taliban think they are scoring points for Islam is because of the way they were unnaturally and artificially radicalized and drawn to fanaticism as a result of the amount of violence and aggression they have grown up with? All of this is in the path of the demonic. We can only fight the demonic with moral consciousness and ethical anchoring. The only way is to listen carefully when God tells us that we must have an ethic of care, of speaking the truth, of caring for what is right, and of upholding what is good. Only that can help maintain us on the Straight Path (Q 1:6) 01:06:04], not the path of Satan (Q 24:21), as God has repeatedly warned us.


 

Latest Updates and News
THE "SHARE WITH A FRIEND" CAMPAIGN!!
Would you like a GIFT copy of The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam? Would you like to send a gift copy to a friend as well? Would you like to get copies for everyone in your Book Club so you can read and discuss it together? :) Just let us know and we will ship them to you - anywhere in the world! Send your name and full mailing address to marwa@usuli.org and we will take care of the rest!

I am so grateful to our very generous donor who has made it possible for us to send FREE GIFT copies of The Prophet's Pulpit literally anywhere in the world! May God elevate and multiply his rewards! He was so moved by this book that he made it his cause to get a copy in the hands of every Muslim who cares about the future of Islam. Let's help his cause and increase his blessings! :) Please help us spread this powerful articulation of beautiful, humanistic, and justice-oriented Islam!

This book is magical and the response has been incredible! We are blown away by the pictures and messages we receive from all parts of the world. The best antidote to Islamophobia is a powerful education, and this book is our way to fight back with knowledge.
 
 
Our "Share With A Friend" campaign is amazing! Each book comes with this lovely welcome and introduction card:
 
 
Help us get the word out! If you know Muslim journalists, academics, activists, politicians or influencers that would benefit, definitely let us know so we can send them a copy as well! May God bless our collective efforts!

PERPETUAL TRIBUTE TO GOD'S GIFT OF THE DOG!
I have written and shared a lot about our blessed dogs and my mission to elevate the position of dogs among Muslims. In hopes that Muslims will one day be at the forefront of loving, caring, and advocating for dogs, among the most blessed and divine creatures of God, I will leave this here -- Dr. Abou El Fadl's writings and views on dogs in the Islamic tradition: https://www.searchforbeauty.org/explore/dogs-in-islam/

*****

DONATE TO THE GAZA and Pakistan EMERGENCIES! HERE ARE SOME LINKS (Please share more with us that you recommend):
www.baitulmaal.org
www.lifeusa.org
www.irusa.org
www.islamicrelief.ca
www.umrelief.org
www.ifaw.org

For additional education and action:
www.jvp.org
www.bdsmovement.net

DISCOVER ISLAM ANEW!
People often ask me where to start if they want to take this journey with us from the beginning. My own recommended reading list begins with The Prophet's Pulpit (!). Next, the classics: The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of the Books; and The Great Theft: Wresting Islam from the Extremists. Then fourth would be And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses. Fifth would be Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age. AND of course, everything by Dr. Abou El Fadl either through the Usuli website or the online archive for Dr. Abou El Fadl's work at www.searchforbeauty.org

Want to stock up on three of those books while they are on sale? Here they are! In conjunction with our virtual events, our publisher is running special discounts on three of Dr. Abou El Fadl's amazing books! Take 30% off the paperback versions ONLY:

1) Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age Reg. $32.00 / Sale: $22.40

2) The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of the Books Reg. $54.00 / Sale: $37.80

3) And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses Reg. $43.99 / Sale: $30.79

ORDER NOW on Rowman.com and use code RLFANDF30 at the checkout!


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See you online soon insha'Allah! :)

GET YOUR COPY OF THE PROPHET'S PULPIT NOW!

This is the most important book you can read to capture the beautiful essence and power of what it means to be an ethical Muslim in 2022! Get one for yourself and your friends and make a difference in the world. 

NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK! The paperback and hardbacks are gorgeous! It is available at our Usuli Bookshop, supporting independent bookstores here (https://bookshop.org/shop/usuli)! 

REVIEWS OF THE BOOK
There are some great reviews so far on Amazon - if you have read it and can leave a 5-star review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any place that allows you to leave a review, we would be most grateful, especially before the Islamophobes jump on the bandwagon and decide to start writing negative reviews to undermine sales (yes, it happens). 

Also, if you or someone you know would be interested in reviewing or writing about the book for a journal, newspaper, blog or other media outlet, let me know and we can send you a review copy. Same for professors who would like an examination copy for possible adoption in a course. Any questions, write to me. :) Time for an intellectual revolution!

USULI MERCH!
If you would like an Usuli T-shirt (available in black or white), we are happy to sell them at cost! Here are the details: If you live in the U.S., they are $20 and will be shipped to you directly from Canva.com. If you live outside of the U.S., we will receive your order and ship to you for an additional shipping and handling fee of $10, so $30 total. Send your payment via PayPal (@UsuliInstitute) and indicate in the notes the size (S-M-L-XL-XXL) and shipping address (with phone number) if different from your billing address. Let me know if you have any questions! 


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Between live-streamed weekly khutbahs, original English language Quranic commentary (tafsir) halaqas twice per week during the Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series, and a wealth of other free educational resources on our multimedia platforms, The Usuli Institute produces critical knowledge for Muslims to navigate the challenges of our world while anchored in the timeless moral and ethical virtues of our rich, nuanced and beautiful faith tradition.
 
PUBLISHING KNOWLEDGE: 
We are working towards publishing the first complete English Commentary on the Quran in the last 40+ years insha'Allah (God willing)! This would be a major achievement and legacy for future generations to be able to reconnect with God's Book in a meaningful and modern way, but it will take a massive investment of time and money. Transcription, editing and publishing costs will be completely donor-funded. Currently, we spend over $1500 per week on transcription costs alone between two halaqas and our weekly khutbah. We offer all of our virtual content for free. 
 
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BE A PART OF PROJECT ILLUMINE AND THE USULI MISSION! BECOME A MONTHLY SUPPORTER!
Have you benefitted from our work? Do you believe in our mission? If you can make a sustaining, monthly donation, you can help us to continue doing our valuable work long-term! A monthly donation ensures you are supporting knowledge and earning blessings all year round! May God return your investment with more and much better! www.usuli.org/donate 


INVEST IN OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE BY BECOMING A MONTHLY, SUSTAINING SUPPORTER!

WHAT: Publishing a New English-language Commentary (Tafsir) on the Qur’an 

WHO: Tafsir by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl of The Usuli Institute

WHEN: The work to turn this entire tafsir into a published volume is happening NOW!

HOW: Support our efforts at www.usuli.org/donate

WHERE: The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org) This English commentary project first kicked off in the summer of 2020 when Dr. Abou El Fadl decided to teach his approach to the Qur’an through a series of classes (halaqas) called Project Illumine. Since then, the project has grown substantially with an international audience tuning in weekly to view the halaqas for free on YouTube. The classes are currently ongoing, with 81 surahs covered since the start of the project. With each halaqa, the surahs are being transcribed by a professional transcription company and edited with the goal of publishing the first complete multi-volume Qur'anic commentary in over 40 years.

WHY THIS PROJECT IS IMPORTANT: It is a smart, beautiful, and common-sense approach to the Qur’an for an English-speaking audience, steeped in the Islamic tradition of ethics and morality. Dr. Abou El Fadl's commentary combines his vast knowledge of the classical tradition as well as contemporary thought, and offers spiritual, theological, and ethical insights. Most importantly, his commentary underscores the relevance of the Qur’an for our day and age. Social justice, human rights, women's rights, climate change and Islamophobia are just some topics touched upon in this tafsir.

WHY YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS IMPORTANT: The goal of this commentary is to reignite passion for the Qur’an and show that, as a living revelation, its message speaks directly to the issues Muslims are faced with today. 

WHAT YOUR DONATION WILL SUPPORT:

Costs of Publication including:
Transcription
Editing
Printing
Book Interior and Cover Design 
Publishing House
Labor

ABOUT DR. KHALED ABOU EL FADL

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law, and one of the world’s leading authorities on Shari'ah, Islamic law, and Islam. He was also formerly the Chair of the Islamic Studies Interdepartmental Program at UCLA.  He has served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch. Among his many honors and distinctions, Dr. Abou El Fadl received the University of Oslo Human Rights Award in 2007, and the 2020 Martin Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion by the American Academy of Religion (AAR). A prolific scholar and prominent public intellectual, Dr. Abou El Fadl is the author of Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age; The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists; Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women; Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law; And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses; Islam and the Challenge of Democracy; The Place of Tolerance in Islam; and The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of the Books. 

ADOPT A SURAH
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT
 surahs have already been adopted to date! Some AMAZING surahs that we have already covered in Project Illumine are still available to be sponsored! Adopt a Surah is your chance to sponsor the publication of a chapter of the Project Illumine Tafsir, and earn special blessings for anyone who benefits from the knowledge of the tafsir, and your "adopted" surah in particular! To check what surahs are still available, click here. Join this very special and blessed group of sponsors.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP! IT'S EASY! AMAZON SMILE AND PAYPAL PURCHASES!
Do you make purchases on Amazon? You can designate The Institute for Advanced Usuli Studies as your charity on Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) so that every time you buy something on Amazon, the Usuli Institute benefits! You can also designate us as your charity of choice when you make purchases through the PayPal Giving Fund! May God bless you for all of your support!

For More Learning

QUICK LINKS:

We have covered NINETY ONE out of 114 surahs though Project Illumine! For Quick Links to all of the surahs and halaqas we have presented at Usuli, click here.

We have been giving Weekly Virtual Friday Khutbahs since January 2019! For Quick Links to all previous Friday khutbahs, click here:

JOIN OUR INTERACTIVE GROUP:

Interested in getting more connected at the Usuli Institute? Apply to be a part of our Project Illumine Interactive Group! As a member, you will join us virtually online so that Dr. Abou El Fadl can see you, and possibly answer your questions during the halaqa sessions. We have a limited number of spaces available, please email us at info@usuli.org and tell us about yourself (your background, interests, how you came across the Usuli Institute, and anything else you would like to share!) As a member of the interactive group, you can submit questions through the chat function during the Q&A, and these get priority after the Project Illumine Fellows who are attending in person. Also, after the halaqa if time permits, we try to spend a little time connecting with members of the interactive group to say hello and connect virtually at a personal level.
 

ARTICLES WE REFERENCE AND MORE RESOURCES:

USULINEWS.WORDPRESS.COM

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ROSS for maintaining this tremendously valuable site! Find the links to articles and references mentioned in Usuli khutbahs and more!

https://usulinews.wordpress.com/


Great independent news sources for an alternative to corporate funded media:
CJ Werleman's Patreon Page
www.democracynow.org
www.theintercept.com
www.mintpressnews.org
www.commondreams.org
www.propublica.org
www.newlinesmag.com
https://thecradle.co/ (includes Pepe Escobar, Sharmine Narwani)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/ The Chris Hedges Report
https://taibbi.substack.com/ Matt Taibbi, a very seasoned journalist (Rolling Stone Magazine), publishes on a variety of topics.
https://consortiumnews.com/ an independent media outlet promoted by Chris Hedges.
www.counterpunch.org
https://bylinetimes.com/

www.electronicintifada.net
www.breakingpoints.com with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti
https://ifamericansknew.org/ Israel-Palestine news with Alison Weir

If you have other independent news outlets that you recommend, let me know and we can add them to our reference list!


LISTEN TO PROJECT ILLUMINE ON AUDIO AT OUR SOUNDCLOUD CHANNEL!

The Usuli Institute SoundCloud Channel


Playlist: Project Illumine: The Light of the Quran


FOR MORE ON DR. ABOU EL FADL'S SCHOLARSHIP

Check out this searchable online archive with scholarship and much more!
www.searchforbeauty.org

Copyright © 2022 The Usuli Institute, All rights reserved.


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