In Good Faith

In this episode of In Good Faith, Taimur and I discuss the single most important action in the life of a believer: prayer (salat). After some initial reflections on the importance of meaningful communication through our prayer - and exploring some analogies to illustrate how it should fit coherently into our overall lives - we referred to a number of verses from revelation to see how God Himself explains this central topic.(0:00) - Prayer as connection (3:36) - The importance of meaningful communication with God (11:38) - Prayer in public and useful analogies for prayer (15:29) - Prayer as conscious engagement with scripture (17:35) - The restorative effect of prayer, plus another analogy(26:29) - The behavioural effect of prayer (28:57) - Prayer as an ancient prophetic practice (33:07) - Prayer as a cornerstone of social action and public advocacy (39:23) - Overcoming our split-brain approach to life  (43:00) - The connection between prayer, remembrance, contentment and paradise (46:49) - How not to pray and taking prayer seriously

In this inaugural episode of In Good Faith, Iqbal Nasim — educator, speaker and writer on the topics of prayer, giving, leadership and revelation — is joined by guest host Taimur Abdaal.Together, they discuss what this new show is all about, focusing on the profound question: what does it mean to lead a truly God-centred life?This conversation examines the personal and societal implications of orienting one’s life around divine guidance. With plenty of reflection on scripture, Iqbal and Taimur talk about how the prescriptions of faith are not arbitrary, but divinely calibrated for human flourishing. They consider the opportunities and challenges of the status quo and also discuss how revelation offers a framework for living with purpose, integrity and clarity in the modern world.An invitation to thoughtful, sincere inquiry, this episode sets the tone for a podcast that seeks to uncover the principles and practicalities of being truly faithful in the 21st century.(0:00) – Core principles of In Good Faith(6:38) – Iqbal's escape from investment banking (13:47) – Iqbal's journey from CEO of NZF to educator and podcaster(21:52) – Qualifications, authority and scholarship(28:42) – Islam as a state of devotion, not a fixed identity(37:49) – Restoring the universal tradition of Abraham(43:08) – Divine prescriptions and human flourishing (47:42) – Iqbal's worries about the podcast (50:49) – Vision, tradition and traditionalism(1:01:17) – Language, meaning and unity(1:09:12) – How to find out more