Path & Present w/Baraka Blue

In this episode, we discuss Mohammad Rustom's new book, Inrushes of the Heart, which delves into the life and thought of the Muslim philosopher and Sufi master 'Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī. The conversation explores the book's insights into 'Ayn al-Quḍāt's original teachings on topics such as God, human agency, and spiritual practice. Path & Present is a long form conversation hosted by poet, emcee, and teaching-artist Baraka Blue with friends and guests including artists, musicians, authors, and scholars to collectively explore what it means to walk a path of awakening and spiritual discernment in the modern world. Topics covered include spirituality/religion/metaphysics, community, art/music, psychology, social justice, Islam and Muslims in the West, and earth stewardship. Path & Present Is a community endeavor produced for the sake of sharing the stories of our communities and amplifying the forces of positivity and goodness in the universe. It is made possible through the support of our sponsors such as SufiCorner as well as from our community. Support Our Podcast: Help us keep these conversations going by becoming a patron. Enjoy exclusive content and behind-the-scenes access while supporting our mission.

A. Helwa believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality. Her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love. With over 15 years of experience writing and speaking on Islam and spiritual development, A. Helwa draws from her personal experiences and traditional sources to help her readers access 'Divine love in everyday life.'

Dr. Carter is Assistant Professor and Kenan Rifai Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Department of Religious Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Carter has a special interest in Sufism, a passion that has been sparked by years of research and involvement amongst Black Muslim communities in the United States as well as Senegal. When it comes to the classroom, Dr. Carter loves to see his students engaged, especially when the conversation turns towards African-American Muslims in the Black Freedom Struggle to more recent events, such as the influence of Black Muslims in hip-hop music. As well as working towards the publication of his first book, “The Vast Oceans: Remembering God and Self on the Mustafawi Sufi Path,” Dr. Carter currently serves on the editorial team for the Journal of Africana Religions.

Dr. Abdallah Rothman is Professor of Islamic Psychology and Principal at Cambridge Muslim College, founder of Shifaa Integrative Counseling and co-founder and Executive Director of the International Association of Islamic Psychology. He was previously Visiting Professor of Psychology at George Washington University, Zaim University Istanbul, International Islamic University Islamabad, and Al-Neelain University Khartoum.

Time Magazine: The Many Lives of H. Rap Brown https://time.com/6111614/h-rap-brown-jamil-al-amin/ JAMIL AL-AMIN, IMAM (1943– ) A gifted rhetorician and civil rights activist, the American Muslim leader Jamil al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown, born in 1943) came to national prominence in the 1960s as an outspoken advocate of black power. In 1967, Brown succeeded Stokely Carmichael as leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a prominent African-American civil rights organization. Brown also became known for his advocacy of black self-defense and his saying that "violence is as American as cherry pie." In 1969, he published his most famous work, Die Nigger Die, a blistering critique of American racism. Because of Brown's radical rhetoric, he became a target of the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), which harassed many black leaders during this period. In 1972, Brown was apprehended on federal weapons charges, tried, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison. During his prison term, he converted to Islam under the auspices of Darul Islam, a predominately African-American Islamic group organized in the 1960s. He also adopted a new name, Jamil Abdullah al-Amin. Paroled in 1976, al-Amin moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he became the owner of a community store and an imam (leader) at a local mosque. Over the next two decades, he emerged as a Sunni Muslim leader with followers throughout the United States. Over thirty mosques recognized Imam Jamil as leader of a group called the National Islamic Community. Focusing on economic and social, as well as religious, empowerment, he also became known for his role in attempting to revitalize the West End of Atlanta. In March 2000, Imam al-Jamil was accused of murder in connection with the death of a police officer. But many American Muslims of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds defended Imam al-Jamil's innocence and offered him financial and moral support as he prepared for his trial. In March, 2002, he was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole despite the fact that another individual has admitted to committing the crime. The trial ultimately lasts for just three weeks, and despite contradictory factual and circumstantial evidence, the jury took less than 10 hours to reach a guilty verdict on all 13 counts. District Attorney Paul Howard calls for the death penalty. In Depth Biography:https://www.imamjamilactionnetwork.org/biography/chronology_of_life_and_work

#056: Hafez & The Persian Sufi Poetic Tradition w/ Nicholas Boylston by Baraka Blue

We speak about the course Wisdom Crystallized: Sufi Metaphysics in 21 Verses. https://www.rumicenter.love/wisdom https://www.mohammedrustom.com Mohammed Rustom is Associate Professor of Islamic Philosophy and Islamic Studies in the College of the Humanities at Carleton University. He obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto in 2009, specializing in Islamic philosophy and literature. Professor Rustom has been the recipient of a number of academic distinctions and prizes, which include the Ibn ‘Arabi Society Latina’s Tarjuman Prize, The Institute of Ismaili Studies’ Annemarie Schimmel Fellowship, Iran’s World Prize for the Book of the Year, and Senior Fellowships courtesy of the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute’s Library of Arabic Literature and Humanities Research Fellowship programs. An internationally recognized scholar whose works have been translated into over ten languages, Professor Rustom’s research focuses on non-Western philosophy in general, and post-Avicennian Islamic philosophy in particular. He is author of The Triumph of Mercy: Philosophy and Scripture in Mulla Sadra (SUNY Press, 2012), co-editor of The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (HarperOne, 2015), and translator of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration (Islamic Texts Society, 2018). Dr. Rustom’s forthcoming books include a complete study of the worldview of the Sufi philosopher ‘Ayn al-Qudat Hamadani entitled, Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ‘Ayn al-Qudat (SUNY Press, 2021), and The Quintessence of Reality (NYU Press, 2022), which is a translation and Arabic edition of ‘Ayn al-Qudat’s robust defence of metaphysics, the Zubdat al-haqa’iq Dr. Rustom is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Sufi Studies (Brill), Commissioning Editor of the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society (JMIAS), and Editorial Board member of the Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press).

Oludamini Ogunnaike holds a PhD in African Studies and the Study of Religion from Harvard University, and is Assistant Professor of African Religious Thought at the University of Virginia. Oludamini Ogunnaike is a scholar of African, Islamic, and Religious Studies, with a focus on the intellectual and artistic dimensions of West African Sufism and Ifa, an indigenous Yoruba religious tradition. His work examines the postcolonial, colonial, and precolonial Islamic and indigenous religious traditions of West Africa, seeking to understand the philosophical dimensions of these traditions by approaching them and their proponents not merely as sources of ethnographic or historical data, but rather as distinct intellectual traditions and thinkers, and even as sources of theory and possible inspirations for methods of scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Oludamini is also working on an online database of West African Sufi Poetry and, along with Ayodeji Ogunnaike, is working on a similar database for the Odu Ifa (the sacred orature of Ifa). He recently published Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection: A Study of West African Arabic Madih Poetry and its Precedents

Dr. Sherman Jackson is the King Faisal Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture, and Professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California (USC). In this conversation, recorded February 2020, Dr. Jackson reflects on his seminal work, "Islam and the Blackamerican" nearly 20 years after it was written. He gives an overview of the central thesis in the book and then reflects on developments in the subsequent decades. We discuss changing demographics in the American Muslim community, immigration, 9/11, the backdrop of white supremacy, and Islamic tradition in context. We also touch on similarities and differences between Black and White trajectories to Islam, Hip-Hop, counter culture, and the dimension of social critique inherent in the phenomenon of conversion.

Dr. Abdallah Rothman is an Islamic Psychology researcher and practitioner. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC). In addition to his academic and clinical training in Western psychology, Abdallah studies and practices Islamic Psychology and is currently doing doctoral research in this area. His clinical practice as well as his academic research focus on approaching counseling from within an Islamic paradigm; and establishing an indigenous Islamic theoretical orientation to human psychology that is grounded in the knowledge of the soul from the Islamic tradition. He is the founder of Shifaa Integrative Counseling and the Executive Director of the International Association of Islamic Psychology. www.islamicpsychology.org www.shifaacounseling.com Academic Writings: kingston.academia.edu/AbdallahRothman Additional Resources from Dr. Rothman An Islamic Model of the Soul (Video) www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLVpQAxksnY Toward an Islamic Framework of the Soul (Paper): link.springer.com/article/10.1007/…10943-018-0651-x A uniquely Islamic theoretical framework for an Islamic psychology has yet to be established. To do so requires that we understand how human beings are conceptualized within the cosmology that characterizes the Islamic tradition. This paper presents a model of the soul from within an Islamic paradigm, generated through a grounded theory analysis of interviews with 18 key informants with relevant academic or religious expertise. The model elaborates aspects of a mechanism for the development of the soul that constitutes a potential foundation for an Islamic theory of human psychology and has particular relevance for Islamic approaches to psychotherapy.

Ieasha Prime converted to Islam more than 20 years ago, after being an International Youth Ambassador to Morocco and Senegal. It was during this time in her youth that she officially began studying Islam. The year she returned from the youth ambassador’s program, she took an Islamic Studies course at the Islamic Center in Washington D.C. from the professor and scholar Mohammad Arafat. It was during this course, that Ms. Prime formally took Shahadah (profession of the Islamic faith). Since that time, she has spent her life as an educator, artist, activist and entrepreneur committed to the goal of empowering Muslim women to rise above their challenges to maximize their full potential of being female servants of Allah and vicegerents on this earth. After having participated in several circles of knowledge in the US, Ieasha decided to pursue religious studies abroad. She studied Arabic, Quran at the Fajr Institute and general Islamic studies in other institutes in Cairo, Egypt. After two years in Egypt, she moved to Hadramaut, Yemen and enrolled in Dar al Zahra, an Islamic University for Women. There she studied Aqeedah, Quran, Hadith, Arabic, Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Islamic law, Purification of the Heart and other religious related learning. Her lineage of scholarship from whom she received direct education can be traced directly back to the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alaihi wa Salaam) from Husseini lineage. Under the tutelage of her professors, she has established several circles of knowledge and continues to teach and lecture across the United States and abroad. In 1994, her passion to educate and empower Muslim women to be leaders in America led her to the creation of the non profit organization, Sisterhood In Action. SIA is an international women’s organization devoted to helping women rise above social challenges to actualize their full potential in life and society. The expansion of SIA gave Ieasha Prime access to a worldwide network of women and like minded organizations. Thus, her work and studies began to expand internationally. She has lectured and facilitated workshops for Muslim women, youth, and interfaith groups in high schools, universities, college campuses, churches, community centers and Masaajids around the country and the world. She served as the director of Islamic Studies at El- Iman Learning Center and Khadijah Academy, is the former Vice Principal at Al-Qalam Academy in Springfield, VA. and is now the Executive Director of Barakah, Inc. empowering women and youth with a foundation of Islam.

Amir Sulaiman is a poet, recording artist, Harvard Fellow, actor, screen writer and producer born in Rochester, New York. His poems cross subjects of love, tragedy as well as what it means to reconcile humanity with the unprecedented trials of modernity. He has performed his works across the US as well as many other countries including England, Belgium, Senegal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Australia, Iran and the Netherlands, and continues to tour world-wide. His recently published book of poetry, Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts met with critical acclaim, in addition to his latest album "The Opening," the third in a unique trilogy project, following "The Meccan Openings" (2011) and "The Medinan Openings" (2012). Amir was first introduced to a National audience in 2005 when he was featured for two seasons on Russell Simmons' groundbreaking series Def Poetry Jam on HBO.

Dr. Bilal Ware is a historian of Africa and Islam. He is professor at UC Santa Barbara. He earned his Ph.D. in 2004 at the University of Pennsylvania where he trained in African History, African-American History, and Islamic Intellectual History. His research spans the last thousand years, centering on West Africa, while reaching into the Mediterranean lands of Islam and the Atlantic worlds of the African Diaspora. Walking Quran: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469614311/the-walking-quran/ Jihad of the Pen: The Sufi Literature of West Africa: https://www.amazon.com/Jihad-Pen-Sufi-Literature-Africa/dp/9774168631

Mohammed Rustom is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Carleton University. He obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto in 2009, specializing in Islamic thought, Quranic exegesis, and Persian literature. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the NYUAD Library of Arabic Literature. Website: https://www.mohammedrustom.com Articles: https://www.mohammedrustom.com/articles/

Shems Friedlander is the author of ten books, including a number of books about Rumi. He is a painter, photographer, designer, filmmaker, and educator. Friedlander was Emeritus Professor at the American University in Cairo. He was selected as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World, in the field of Art and Culture, by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLmlQrfNQE88PBuv36ltlrQ

Mithat Özçakıl is a third generation dervish in the Mevlevi Sufi order, the order founded by Rumi, known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. He is a graduate student at Selcuk University in the Institute of Rumi Studies. He is also a part of the Sufi Music Ensemble in Konya and works at Irfan Civilization Research Center.

Youssef Kromah is an award-winning poet, best-selling author, dynamic speaker, community activist and international television host at Huda TV in Cairo, Egypt. He was first featured as a spoken-word poet on Russel Simmon’s HBO series Brave New Voices and later as a featured guest speaker on CNN’s Who’s Black in America, hosted by Soledad O’Brien. He is the founder of the Do It for The Deen initiative and an active youth leader in several Muslim communities. Youssef serves as a khatib for over 10 masjids in the Delaware Valley region, as well as assistant imam at Masjidullah in Philadelphia, Pa. Youssef is currently pursuing a degree in Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, with hopes of following a career track in Islamic Scholarship, while continuing his art, da’wah work and youth development initiatives.

Rhamis Kent is a consultant with formal training in mechanical engineering (University of Delaware, B.S.M.E. ’95) and permaculture-based regenerative whole systems design serving as a registered certified Permaculture Design instructor with PRI Australia. He also serves as a co-director of the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI), a member of Permaculture Sustainable Consulting Pty Ltd (PSC), and on the Supervisory Board of The Netherlands-registered non-profit Ecosystem Restoration Camps. As of September 2017, he serves as founder & director of Agroecological Natural Technology Systems Ltd. – a Companies House (UK) registered business (#10962612). Rhamis has taught Permaculture Design (formal Certification and short Intensive courses) in Palestine/Occupied West Bank, Greece, Ethiopia, Yemen, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Australia, and The United States (Michigan, California & Vermont). He has also performed additional consultancy work on projects in Spain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Somaliland, and Western Sahara.

You can link to the model that we discuss here: https://images.app.goo.gl/o9o5e1TqBHA26rEcA Dr. Abdallah Rothman is an Islamic Psychology researcher and practitioner. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC). In addition to his academic and clinical training in Western psychology, Abdallah studies and practices Islamic Psychology and is currently doing doctoral research in this area. His clinical practice as well as his academic research focus on approaching counseling from within an Islamic paradigm; and establishing an indigenous Islamic theoretical orientation to human psychology that is grounded in the knowledge of the soul from the Islamic tradition. He is the founder of Shifaa Integrative Counseling and the Executive Director of the International Association of Islamic Psychology. www.islamicpsychology.org www.shifaacounseling.com Academic Writings: kingston.academia.edu/AbdallahRothman Additional Resources from Dr. Rothman An Islamic Model of the Soul (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLVpQAxksnY Toward an Islamic Framework of the Soul (Paper): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-018-0651-x A uniquely Islamic theoretical framework for an Islamic psychology has yet to be established. To do so requires that we understand how human beings are conceptualized within the cosmology that characterizes the Islamic tradition. This paper presents a model of the soul from within an Islamic paradigm, generated through a grounded theory analysis of interviews with 18 key informants with relevant academic or religious expertise. The model elaborates aspects of a mechanism for the development of the soul that constitutes a potential foundation for an Islamic theory of human psychology and has particular relevance for Islamic approaches to psychotherapy.

Dr. Ali Hussain obtained his doctoral degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His research focuses on the image of Jesus Christ in the writings of Sufi mystics, specifically Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240). He is also the founder of Nostalgic Remembrance: Art in Memoirs, an initiative exploring the metaphysics of video games, film, music and many other aspects of contemporary culture through the lens of Islamic Mysticism (Sufism). ​NostalgicRemembrance.org

Hakim Archuletta has worked within the healing arts profession for over 30 years. He studied homeopathy and apprenticed with Dr. John Damonte in London in the early 70's. He continued these studies in Berkeley apprenticing with homeopathic doctors and working with the first Homeopathic Study group there. He continued his studies in the Middle East, England and North Africa in the mid 70's. In 1978, Hakim went to Pakistan at the invitation of Hakim Mohammad Said of the Hamdard Foundation and studied there with various Hakims (traditional Islamic doctors) supported by grants from the Bawani Trust. His main teacher was Hakim Taqiuddin Ahmad at the Nizami Dawakhana, where he also learned Pharmacy in the Unani tradition. There he earned the title of "Hakim". Returning to the Americas in 1980, he began teaching students privately and established a Family practice clinic in Santa Barbara California. He began extensive work as counselor, consultant and Hakim/Homeopath in Abiquiu, New Mexico and by traveling nationally for over ten years. This also included workshops on communication and community consensus building including special focus on youth. More recently he began to focus on trauma and was trained in the methods of Dr. Peter Levine and others. Today he lectures and teaches classes and workshops nationally. He has conducted workshops and lectured at University of California Berkeley, Harvard, Wellesley, Stanford, UCLA, University of Houston and many others. He has students and patients across the world. www.hakimarchuletta.com

Dr. Abdallah Rothman is an Islamic Psychology researcher and practitioner. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC). In addition to his academic and clinical training in Western psychology, Abdallah studies and practices Islamic Psychology and is currently doing doctoral research in this area. His clinical practice as well as his academic research focus on approaching counseling from within an Islamic paradigm; and establishing an indigenous Islamic theoretical orientation to human psychology that is grounded in the knowledge of the soul from the Islamic tradition. He is the founder of Shifaa Integrative Counseling and the Executive Director of the International Association of Islamic Psychology. www.islamicpsychology.org www.shifaacounseling.com Academic Writings: https://kingston.academia.edu/AbdallahRothman

Amir Sulaiman is a poet, recording artist, Harvard Fellow, actor, screen writer and producer born in Rochester, New York. His poems cross subjects of love, tragedy as well as what it means to reconcile humanity with the unprecedented trials of modernity. He has performed his works across the US as well as many other countries including England, Belgium, Senegal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Australia, Iran and the Netherlands, and continues to tour world-wide. His recently published book of poetry, Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts met with critical acclaim, in addition to his latest album "The Opening," the third in a unique trilogy project, following "The Meccan Openings" (2011) and "The Medinan Openings" (2012). Amir was first introduced to a National audience in 2005 when he was featured for two seasons on Russell Simmons' groundbreaking series Def Poetry Jam on HBO.

Cyrus Zargar is the Endowed Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor in Islamic Studies at the University of Central Florida. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in Near Eastern Studies in 2008. Zargar’s research interests include Classical Sufism, Islamic Philosophy, Arabic and Persian Sufi Literature, and Ethics in Literature and Film. He is the author of: The Polished Mirror: Storytelling and the Pursuit of Virtue in Islamic Philosophy and Sufism. London: Oneworld. Sufi Aesthetics: Beauty, Love, and the Human Form in the Writings of Ibn ʿArabi and ʿIraqi. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press.

Dr. Xavier is a professor of Religious Studies at Queens University in Ontario Canada. She works on contemporary global Islam and Sufism, with particular regional interests in North America (United States and Canada) and South Asia(Sri Lanka). She broadly examines how Sufism transforms and/or maintains continuity as it is transmitted to new regions, such as through migration, diaspora, literature, and popular culture (i.e., Rumi). In doing so, she engages sacred spaces (Sufi shrines), rituals, practices, and memory, in addition to gender dynamics. She is the author of Sacred Spaces and Transnational Networks in American Sufism: Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and Contemporary Shrine Cultures (2018), and the co-author of Contemporary Sufism: Piety, Politics and Popular Culture (2017). She is currently work on two book projects. The first is a case study on the development of Sufism in Toronto. For her second project, she is documenting Sufi shrines in Sri Lanka and its contemporary legacy, amidst growing anti-Sufism on the island.

Kabir Helminski is a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis, which traces its inspiration to Mevlana Rumi. He began his Mevlevi training as a student of the late Shaikh Suleyman Loras. In 1990 he was subsequently appointed a Shaikh. Under Kabir’s direction, the Mevlevi Order is working to apply traditional Sufi principles to the conditions of contemporary life. Kabir and his wife, Camille, founded and now direct The Threshold Society, a nonprofit educational foundation that has developed programs for practice and study within Sufism and spiritual psychology. He leads workshops and retreats for Sufis and the broader multifaith community. sufism.org

Zachary Markwith is the Executive Director of the Hub Foundation. He is also a doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He earned an MA (cum laude) in Comparative Religious Studies at the George Washington University and a BA in Islamic and Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research and teaching interests include Muslim sacred texts (Quran, Hadith, and ahadith qudsiyyah) and spiritual traditions (ihsan, 'irfan, and tasawwuf), intrafaith and interfaith relations and dialogue, just war and nonviolence. Prior to joining Hub Foundation, Markwith worked for several non-profit organizations, including the Covenants Initiative, Council on American-Islamic Relations, the International Peace Project, and Food Not Bombs. https://hub-foundation.org "Hub Foundation is a non-profit organization located in San Ramon, California. We strive to empower and inspire individuals and communities through providing greater access to education and other resources that nourish the mind, body, and soul. We aim to gather and uplift positive Muslim voices and people of all faiths who are committed to seeking knowledge, loving thy neighbor, and serving humanity. Hub Foundation supports conscientious and gifted students and teachers through providing scholarships and grants, hosting talks and roundtable discussions, and other philanthropic projects."

Rory Dickson is Assistant Professor of Islamic Religion and Culture at the University of Winnipeg, Canada. He researches Sufism (Contemporary Sufism, Sufism and Islam, Sufism in North America). You can find his books here: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2?ie=UTF8&text=William+Rory+Dickson&search-alias=books&field-author=William+Rory+Dickson&sort=relevancerank And other writings here: https://uwinnipeg.academia.edu/RoryDickson

Farooq Maseehuddin is the Founder of Tarjuma in Edmonton, Canada and has worked closely with Taleef Collective. His graduate research is a comparative study of Christian and Muslim communities in North America. https://tarjuma.ca Topics discussed include: History of Muslim community in North America - Unmosqued vs. Demosqued - Third Spaces - Social Media Culture - Internet Disruptions - Muslim, Evangelical, Hindu, Buddhist communities in North America - Virality as Authority - Religious Economies - Counter-publics

Omid Safi is an American Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University, where he is the Director of Duke Islamic Studies Center, and a columnist for On Being. Dr. Safi specializes in Islamic mysticism (Sufism), contemporary Islamic thought and medieval Islamic history. He has served on the board of the Pluralism project at Harvard University and is the co-chair of the steering committee for the Study of Islam and the Islamic Mysticism Group at the American Academy of Religion. Before joining Duke University, Dr. Safi was a professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Website: https://onbeing.org/author/omid-safi/ Radical Love Book: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300225815/radical-love

Azhar is a standup comedian, actor, writer, playwright, and producer. He is one of Chicago's top standup comics; CNN called him "America's Funniest Muslim," and Georgetown University identified him as "one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World." In 2010, standup icon Dave Chappelle–for whom Azhar has opened over 50 times–commented "Azhar is untouchable. He's like a comedian from the future." He is a paid regular at the prestigious Comedy Cellar in New York City, and hosts a monthly standup show at his home club, Laugh Factory Chicago. As the co-founder of the international comedy showcase "Allah Made Me Funny–The Official Muslim Comedy Tour," he toured over 20 countries, on five continents.

Hunter Brown studied Art History and Physics at UC Berkeley. His core areas of research are early Buddhist art and ancient Asian art more generally. He is currently living in Bali and studying traditional Balinese Gamelan music. You can support Path & Present here: https://www.patreon.com/pathandpresent

Michael Sugich is a native of Santa Barbara, California and studied at UCLA and the California Institute of the Arts. He was initiated into a traditional Sufi order in 1972. Since that time he has studied Sufi doctrine and practice with spiritual masters across the Arab and Islamic world. He lived for 23 years in the precincts of the sacred city of Makkah Al Mukaramah where he kept company with many men of knowledge and illumination. He has written Palaces of India (Pavilion Books), a travel book, and Living in Makkah (Macdonald Publishers), a children's book, and, most recently a feature documentary film on the life of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Faisal: Legacy of a King. Michael Sugich is author of 'Signs on the Horizons: Meetings with Men of Knowledge and Illumination', a memoir of 40 years with Sufi saints of the 20th and 21st centuries. https://www.amazon.com/Signs-Horizons-Meetings-Knowledge-Illumination/dp/0989364011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481132772&sr=8-1&keywords=signs+on+the+horizons

Leonard Lewisohn is an American author, translator and lecturer in the area of Islamic studies and a specialist in Persian language and Sufi literature. He is the editor of Mawlana Rumi Review. He is a member of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in University of Exeter. Mawlana Rumi Review: http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/iais/research/centres/cpis/rumireview/ Some of Dr. Lewisohn's writings can be found here: https://exeter.academia.edu/LeonardLewisohn

Abdul-Rahman Malik is an award winning London-based journalist, educator and organiser. Toronto born, he is Programmes Manager for the Radical Middle Way, and Director of the Insight Film Festival. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio, offering Pause for Thought - contemporary perspectives on spirituality - on Radio 2’s flagship breakfast show and presenting documentaries for Radio 4 and the World Service. His most recent radio documentaries include “The Muhammadan Bean: The Secret History of Islam and Coffee” and “Finding Allah at 33rpm: My Search for Sacred Music”. https://about.me/abdulrehmanmalik

Antar Hanif (iAMSHOOTER) is a veteran photographer who has worked for many clients, including Ikea and Nike. More recently he has been focusing his lens in the fields of fashion and travel photography. We spoke about how your art/craft/work transforms the way you see the world, how travel changes one's vantage point, learning to ride a scooter in Bali without killing oneself, and more. http://www.iamshooter.com

Adisa Banjoko aka The Bishop is an author and educator based in the SF Bay Area. In 2006 he founded the 501c3 non-profit Hip-Hop Chess Federation Inc. They fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. He is also the chess and jiu-jitsu instructor at Zaytuna College. In 2016 he released the book Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess. It was recently selected to be preserved at the Cornell Hip-Hop Collection. www.hiphopchess.com

Michael Vicente Pérez is a professor of Sociocultural Anthropology at the University of Washington. His research interests include migration and displacement, ethnicity and nationalism, memory, violence, human rights, Muslim societies and Islam. https://anthropology.washington.edu/people/michael-vicente-perez

Ali Hussain is a doctoral candidate in Islamic studies in the department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan. His research focuses on Jesus in the thought and writings of the 12th/13th century Muslim mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi (d. 1240). He's also interested in sacred bodies as tools for mythic storytelling in Sufism. https://www.facebook.com/AkbariAliZHussain

Syed Muhiyuddin bin Husein Al-Attas graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Otago, New Zealand in 2011. Since 2012 he has been a student of contemporary Malaysian Philosopher Syed Naquib Al-Attas and his students, especially Prof Wan Mohd, at CASIS(Center for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation) concentrating his Master's thesis on Naquib Al-Attas' conception of the West. He has also taught introductory courses on Islamic philosophy, civilization and the worldview of Islam.

Professor Dr. Malik Badri was born in Rufa’a, Sudan in 1932. He obtained his B.A. (with distinction) and his Masters from the American University of Beirut, in 1956 and 1958 respectively. He further obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Leicester, England in 1961 and his Postgraduate Certificate of Clinical Psychology from the Academic Department of Psychiatry of the Middlesex Hospital Medical School of London University in 1966. He was elected Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1977 and now he is the holder of the title of Chartered Psychologist C.Psychol from the same Society. In recognition to his contributions in his field he was awarded an honorary D.Sc. from the Ahfad University and was decorated by the President of Sudan in April of the year, 2003, with the medal of Shahid Zubair which is the highest award for academic excellence. Apart from being appointed as professor and dean in varies universities, such as Dean of the Faculties of Education in the University of Khartoum and Juba University and the Acting Dean of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization of the International Islamic University, Malaysia, he was also the founder of a number of departments of psychology and education such as the one he established in Imam Mohammad bin Saud University in Riyadh and the Applied Psychology Department of the University of Khartoum. Professor Badri also served as senior clinical psychologist in a number of hospitals and clinics in the Middle East and Africa and was the founder of the Psychological Clinic of the University of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1971. He has published widely in psychology and education and his works has been translated into many languages of the Islamic world. Dr. Badri was elected by UNESCO to be the expert in Bahirdar Ethiopia and was also given short appointments by the World Health Organization as a researcher and member of a committee in the field of traditional medical practices. At present he is Distinguished Professor of Clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology of the Ahfad University in Omdurman, Sudan. As of March 10, Professor Malik Badri has been appointed Holder of the prestigious Chair of Ibni Khaldun in the Faculty of Revealed Knowledge and Human Science of the International Islamic University in Malaysia.

Anse Tamara Gray is a scholar, translator, spiritual teacher, and publisher. She is the founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through individual empowerment, spiritual upbringing of women by women, and the revival of the female voice in scholarship. Anse Tamara Grey lived in Syria for twenty years, studying sacred knowledge and traveling along the road of tarbiya (spiritual upbringing). She is a doctoral student in the Leadership, Policy and Administration program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction, and works in the field of education, focusing on instruction, curriculum design and implementation, administration, and teacher training. www.rabata.org

Parvez and Zaki have a really cool podcast called 'Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience', with a wide range of interesting guests. We are co-releasing this episode on both of our podcasts. Be sure to check out their podcast here: https://diffusedcongruence.podbean.com

Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books; a public speaker and workshop leader; a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and ordained Interfaith Minister. He lives in Los Angeles, cohosts the Spirit Matters podcast, leads American Veda Tours and blogs regularly on Huffington Post and Spirituality & Health. http://philipgoldberg.com For more about the book: http://americanveda.com

Tyson Amir is a rapper, poet, musician, author and activist. He has also taught within the prison system for many years. He recently published his first book, 'Black Boy Poems'. www.tysonamir.com Between Huey & Malcolm poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDU-WtYcHfI&feature=share --- *We had some technical difficulties with this episode. Please forgive the audio distortion at certain points in the conversation.

Jamil Suleman is an artist, activist, and teacher. http://www.jamilsuleman.com He is also Seattle Jesus: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/meet-jamil-suleman-a-k-a-jesus-the-muslim-man-bringing-a-message-of-peace-to-seattle/ http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/09/19/24568537/spotted-muslim-jesus-takes-the-link-train

Kabir Helminski is a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis, which traces its inspiration to Mevlana Rumi. He began his Mevlevi training as a student of the late Shaikh Suleyman Loras. In 1990 he was subsequently appointed a Shaikh. Under Kabir’s direction, the Mevlevi Order is working to apply traditional Sufi principles to the conditions of contemporary life. Kabir and his wife, Camille, founded and now direct The Threshold Society, a nonprofit educational foundation that has developed programs for practice and study within Sufism and spiritual psychology. He leads workshops and retreats for Sufis and the broader multifaith community. The Threshold Society, rooted within the traditions of Sufism and inspired by the life and work of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi, is a non-profit educational foundation with the purpose of facilitating the experience of Divine Unity, Love, and Truth in the world. Sufism is a living tradition of human transformation through love and higher consciousness. Our fundamental framework is classical Sufism and the Qur’an as it has been understood over the centuries by the great Sufis. The Society is affiliated with the Mevlevi Order, and offers training programs, seminars and retreats around the world. Threshold Society Website: www.sufism.org

Virginia Aisha Gray Henry is the director of Fons Vitae, a publishing house devoted to world spirituality. She is a writer and film producer under contract with the Book Foundation, and co-founder and trustee of the Islamic Texts Society of Cambridge, England. She has served as a contributing editor for Parabola magazine for over a decade. She has taught filmmaking at Dalton and Fordham University and world religions and art history at the Cairo American College, Cambridge University, Centre College and the Abbey of Gethsemane. In 1994 she arranged for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to speak in Louisville, and has in April 2006 organized the Dalai Lama interfaith congress in San Francisco in which the his main focus was to meet with Muslim dignitaries from the world over. Fons Vitae is currently engaged in the monumental task of bringing out Ghazali’s Ihya in readable english for parents and teachers as well as adapting it for children with workbooks, school curricula and an instructional DVD. fonsvitae.com ghazalichildren.org

Michael Sugich is a native of Santa Barbara, California and studied at UCLA and the California Institute of the Arts. He was initiated into a traditional Sufi order in 1972. Since that time he has studied Sufi doctrine and practice with spiritual masters across the Arab and Islamic world. He lived for 23 years in the precincts of the sacred city of Makkah Al Mukaramah where he kept company with many men of knowledge and illumination. He has written Palaces of India (Pavilion Books), a travel book, and Living in Makkah (Macdonald Publishers), a children's book, and, most recently a feature documentary film on the life of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Faisal: Legacy of a King. Michael Sugich is author of 'Signs on the Horizons: Meetings with Men of Knowledge and Illumination', a memoir of 40 years with Sufi saints of the 20th and 21st centuries. https://www.amazon.com/Signs-Horizons-Meetings-Knowledge-Illumination/dp/0989364011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481132772&sr=8-1&keywords=signs+on+the+horizons Peter Sanders is the world’s pre-eminent photographer of the Muslim world. For more than 45 years, he has captured over half a million images reflecting a rich traditional civilization filled with warmth, humanity and compassion. He began his career in the 1960s as one of London’s leading rock and roll photographers, and his images of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, among others, are today considered classics of the period. Peter Sanders is presently finalising work on ‘Meetings with Mountains’, a unique photographic record of Muslim saints from around the world. http://petersanders.com

W. Rory Dickson is Assistant Professor of Islamic religion and culture at the University of Winnipeg. His interests are in Sufism, Contemporary Islam, and philosophy. He is the author of the new book Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation. In this book, William Rory Dickson explores Sufism as a developing tradition in North America, one that exists in diverse and beguiling forms. Sufism’s broad-minded traditions of philosophy, poetry, and spiritual practice infused Islamic civilization for centuries and drew the attention of interested Westerners. By the early twentieth century, Sufism was being practiced in North America. Today’s North American Sufism can appear either explicitly Islamic or seemingly devoid of Islamic religiosity. Dickson provides indispensable background on Sufism’s relation to Islamic orthodoxy and to Western esoteric traditions, and its historical development in North America. The book goes on to chart the directions that North American Sufism is currently taking, directions largely chosen by Sufi leaders. The views of ten North American Sufi leaders are explored in depth and their perspectives on Islam, authority, gender, and tradition are put in conversation with one another. A more detailed picture of North American Sufism emerges, challenging previous scholarly classifications of Sufi groups, and highlighting Sufism’s fluidity, diversity, and dynamism. The book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Sufism-North-America-Transformation/dp/1438457561/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&dpID=51VPmRghYKL&dpPl=1&keywords=living%20sufism&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1471928412&ref=plSrch&ref_=mp_s_a_1_1&sr=8-1

This podcast was recorded at America's Islamic History Museum, in Washington, D.C. with the founder and curator of the museum, Amir Muhammad a.k.a. "The People's Historian." http://www.aihmuseum.org/home.html **Path & Present** Is a community endeavor produced for the sake of sharing the stories of our communities and amplifying the forces of positivity and goodness in the universe. It is made possible through community support. You can give a donation of any amount via paypal to connect@barakablue.com. Thank you for the support** Special thanks to the Yaro Collective for organizing this event. Amir Muhammad is a researcher, historian, author, and poet whose works have gained him international recognition. He is the president, co-founder and curator of America’s Islamic Heritage Museum, a division of Collections & Stories of American Muslims, Inc. (Traveling Exhibit, Archives, & Museum), established in 1996. He is among the foremost historians and researchers of the Islamic experience in the United States as well as one of the leading activists in creating public awareness of America’s rich Islamic history. America's Islamic Heritage Museum is the principal project of Collections & Stories of American Muslims, Inc. CSAM was established in 1996, it is dedicated to preserving and fostering educational community engagement programs and opportunities that provide access to, and understanding of, the history of Muslim Americans.