A Muslim and a Jew walk into a Zoom… (Timestamps below) I had the distinct privilege of interviewing my Muslim brother Ihsan Alexander, creator of Soul of Islam Radio and a luminous Sufism Youtuber. And what a pleasure it was. Ihsan shares his story, teaches us about the inner dimension of Islam, pushes us towards unity and harmony, guides us in staying true to our tradition while respecting and loving the traditions of others, tells of his corona Ramadan experience and the importance of innerness in religious practice, dispels myths about conflict between the inner and outer, shares his personal spiritual practice with us, shows us how we can escape from the self, become Nothing and ‘get out of our own way,’ and concludes with charging us to ‘be the way,’ to revitalize religion today as a path to light, love and unity. “To see beauty in the other, that is the path to God” – Ihsan
00:00 Interview with Ihsan
00:35 Introduction
02:11 Live with Ihsan
05:33 Ihsan’s Story and how he received his beautiful name
18:05 What is the inner dimension of Islam?
20:07 Are we all striving after the same unity?
21:23 Proselytism vs harmony? Do we need to convert each other?
23:25 Balancing religious individuality and integrity with religious pluralism and universalism?
30:04 How was Ramadan during Corona?
33:21 Internalized religion vs Religion on display
36:35 Is there tension between the body and soul, the spirit and the law, of Islam?
39:42 Do you find any tension between the internal and external in your own practice?
42:44 Is God conceptualized differently in Sufism vs ‘Orthodox’ Islam?
46:45 Ihsan’s personal spiritual practice
53:43 The inner, psychological experience of Zikr | Forgetting the self
56:42 Escaping from the self
59:20 The Paradox of a Youtube channel about Egolessness
1:05:37 Transforming Religion | Be the way
1:12:09 When to find more of Ihsan
1:14:23 Final words