In this episode, Adnan and Marc explore the most frequently mentioned of the names that serves both as an attribute and a sort of "proper name" in some fashion. We explored the meanings of the Arabic root R-H-M that gives rise to "rahmah" or mercy as a noun and the two adjectival attributes al-Rahman and al-Raheem, the names that are part of the invocation of chapters of the Qur'an. We considered the particular onological and psychological relationships surrounding al-Rahman as the most merciful or the most benificent. In addition, we wrestled with questions of theodicy. How can we reconcile the manifest cruelty and oppression humanity has wrought--something the angels in Qur'anic origin narratives objected to and charged that humans would sow corruption and shed blood in the world rather than serve as responsible stewards--with the cosmic foundations of the universe in rahma/mercy and the fact that God is pre-eminently understood and uniquely described as al-Rahman? What can this possibly mean in the face of the suffering of most of the world's population in deprivation, during a time of genocide in Palestine and Sudan, as well as in the suffering and difficulty we all face in our lives? This was a problem medieval mystics and theologians also tried to think through. Intriguingly, these included a sense of a profoundly necessary social empathy as a spiritual value of making the name al-Rahman real that impels sacrifice for the weak, defenseless, and suffering. We had to recognize the limits of these discourses however and consider further what this might mean for the contemporary human experience from psychological and spiritual perspectives. Many issues and concerns came up in the discussion and particularly in contending with how we can understand spiritual and psychological growth in the apparent contradiction of cosmic mercy in a cruel world. that will flow naturally into the next episode on al-Raheem, the compassionate. Thank you for joining us in this journey through the Names of God. We look forward to your comments and questions. Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org
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West African Sufi Resistance and Contemporary Freedom Struggles w/ Butch Ware
Adnan's wide-ranging conversation with inspiring scholar and charismatic political activist/Green party gubernatorial candidate for California, Dr. Rudolph Butch Ware. We discussed Butch's biography and how it brought him to his groundbreaking historical scholarship on West African Islamic education, Sufi mystical and spiritual movements as anticolonial resistance and slave abolition struggles. We explored the connections between this profound and underappreciated history and the Atlantic and global resonances in the Black radical tradition and how this has informed his own politics and decisions to enter electoral politics. Finally, we learned about the gubernatorial campaign and the prospects for and opportunities within California's "jungle primary" for a Green Party breakthrough with candidate Butch Ware! Make sure to support his fight for Californians. If Zohran Mamdani can win in New York City, just think how big Butch's victory in California could be! https://www.butchware4gov.com/ Also on YT: https://youtu.be/D-89J7iPd-k Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org
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*UNLOCKED!* Indigenous Spiritualities and Anticolonial Resistance Movements w/Nick Estes
In this *UNLOCKED* collaborative episode originally exclusively for Red Scare substack subscribers and patrons of the Adnan Husain Show, Nick Estes and Adnan discuss the role spirituality in anti-colonial resistance movements. From the Ghost Dance to Sufi warriorism, spiritual resources are an important and often undertheorized form of struggle against colonial and imperial violence, dispossession, and racism. Enjoy this behind the scenes confabulation! To become a supporter: Patreon.com/adnanhusain or make a one-time contribution via buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain
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UNLOCKED!! Office Hours #8 w/Nihal El Aasar: Full Audio
Even if you missed the livestream and if you prefer listening to watching, I'm posting Monday Sept 29th's Office Hours "Resisting Melancholia: Arab Culture and Politics during the Genocide. It was an illuminating and interesting conversation w/Nihal El Aasar who shared her insightful reflections on culture and politics and the present moment. Enjoy! Normally these live episodes are only available on YouTube or in audio form for Patrons. Please consider supporting the show on patreon.com/adnanhusain! Your regular support helps sustain this show, allows more educational content creation, and keeps this channel free and available for those who cannot afford to support but benefit from it. You can also make a one-time donation via buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow And as audio podcast on all the major platforms: X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org
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The Names of God (3): Allah or The Divine Being
Adnan and Marc plunge into the "name" that is unique in being distinguished from all others as having no attribute or characteristic and almost definitionally contrasts with the human. How should the "human" and "divine" dichotomy be understood theologically and phenomenologically in this spiritual tradition of the 99 Names in Sufi Islam? We wrestled with these and other questions related to the spiritual meaning and experience of Allah with the help of Sufi writers al-Ghazali and al-Tilimsani. Marc cooked up a bouillabase through which the "ascending arc" of Akbari meditative practice could express itself, while Adnan puzzled over al-Ghazali's surprising confession that even in this name of the Divine Essence, the human strives for "ta'alluh" or assuming some quality of the Divine. The mysteries of spiritual experience were many in this episode. This initial foray will therefore involve a return to the Divine Being, Allah, after traveling through the 98 other names in our journey together. Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org
Professor Adnan Husain, historian and scholar of religion, hosts a show spanning history, politics, global affairs, intellectual culture, as well as religion and spirituality. The format ranges from scholarly guest interviews, panel discussions, recorded lectures, and his own readings and commentary.
South Africa