Bottled Petrichor

We start off with a brief lecture on the Riddah Wars (Wars of Apostasy), Islamic Conquests/Expansion, and the Umayyad and Abbassid Caliphates. We then move on to some important questions: Why did the Muslims expand? Why were the Muslims successful against the larger Byzantine and Sassanian Empires? How did religious minorities respond to the Muslim expansion? What was conversion like in that early period? Was it forced? Were there any incentives to convert? What was the rate of conversion? Dr. Jessica Mutter is Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Bowdoin College. She earned her PhD at the University of Chicago (NELC) under the supervision of Dr. Fred Donner.

How did people practice religion before law was codified? How did courts  throughout history go about dealing with various crimes? Ḥudūd vs Ta'zir. What is ḥarām? What is makruh? Practically speaking, are these approximations of what we think God feels about our actions? How do we know what God likes or dislikes? Does a change in society necessitate a change in law: the case of inheritance. Were early Imams consistent thinkers? Islamic Law and Science. How does the Muslim jurist interact with a complex world? Was  Ijmāʿ  ever logistically possible? Do we need to invest in scholarship? Should scholars be held at a higher standard than others? Do scholars speak for God? What makes the ideal scholar in today's world?  

 Are methodologies man-made? Can you create your own? Are we too focused on the form of Islam and do we lose sight of its spirit? How involved is Islamic Law in a person's personal life? Has Islamic Law offered civilization anything new or beneficial? Role of custom in Islamic Law. Is there a scholarly class in Islam? How many of the primary sources can be accessed by the lay person and how many require the guidance of a scholar? Do scholars abuse their power? What's the difference between studying Islam in West and studying it in the East? What is Tradition and what is its role in achieving Truth?  

An introduction the development of Islamic Law. What is Ijmāʿ? What are the schools of Islamic Law and what are their methodologies? How well were these methodologies preserved? How critical were different schools of each other? How did methodologies in Islamic Law develop as other sciences developed? al-Shāfiʿī, Ḥadīth, and validating opinions to the outsider. The geographic distribution of the various schools of thought. The impact of the Salafi Movement on the Muslim world and the idea of following a Madhhab. Maqāṣid ash-Sharīʿa (purposes of the Shariah). The Law vs. Letter of the Law.  Bio of Shaykh Aamir:  https://nelc.uchicago.edu/aamir-bashir 

We conclude our conversation with Mufti Muntasir by discussing the overall historical reliability of Hadith, whether or not we need them, how important science is in authenticating, and more.

We further investigate Hadith, this time focusing our discussion on the companions of the Prophet.

We continue in this episode with a series of questions further investigating Hadith. Are there any underlying presuppositions when it comes to accepting the Hadith as reliable sources of what the Prophet said and did? Who critiqued Hadith and why? And much more. Map of Hadith scholars: https://ilmfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/4madhabs6hadithbooks1.png

Please join me as I discuss the history of Hadith (generally speaking, these are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) with Mufti Muntasir Zaman of Qalam Institute. In this first episode, the good Mufti gives us a brief introductory lesson on the compilation of these sayings. Mufti Muntasir's Website:  https://ahadithnotes.com/  Mufti Muntasir's Biography:  https://www.qalam.institute/muntasir-zaman