Afsar Mohammad's An Evening with a Sufi (Red River, 2022) is a collection of Afsar's Telugu poems translated into to English by Asfar and Shamala Gallagher. The stunning poems in the collection capture the stark realities of religious landscape of post-partition South Asia and is set against the backdrop of a barren panorama of village life that is reeling f ... Show More
Oct 23
Theologies of Remembering: Modernity, Ambiguity, and Transcendence in Islamic Indonesia with Verena Hanna Meyer (U California Press, 2026)
The claim to moderate or modernist Islam in Indonesia is particularly contentious today, as these labels participate in the global politics of identity for Muslims past and present. Who gets to claim to be representative of an Islam that is modernist, progressive, or tolerant? Wh ... Show More
47m 45s
Oct 18
Islamic Ethics and Spiritual Sovereignty: Genres of Tradition in Muslim South Asia with Ali Altaf Mian (U Notre Dame Press, 2026)
Islamic Ethics and Spiritual Sovereignty: Genres of Tradition in Muslim South Asia (U Notre Dame 2026) explores the rich vast textual archive of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi, a South Asian Muslim theologian and Sufi. Mian’s deep and careful reading of Thanavi’s diverse genres of te ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 16
Governing Islam in Austria and Germany, with Farid Hafez
In this episode, hosts Claudia Radiven and Amina Easat-Daas were joined by Farid Hafez to discuss his most recently published book Governing Islam in Austria and Germany: From Colonial Times to the Present (Oxford UP, 2026). Hafez’s recent work centres on the comparative analysis ... Show More
47m 44s
Jul 2024
Philosophical Sufism in the Sokoto Caliphate: Two Poems of Shaykh Dan Tafa
Oludamini Ogunnaike is an assistant professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses on African and African Diasporic Religions as well as Islam, Islamic Philosophy, Spirituality, and Art. He holds a PhD in African Studies and the Study of Religion ... Show More
23m 20s
Jul 2024
E97: Imam Shafí Advise On Success, Marriage, Money, Envy & Travel w. Sh Ammar AlShukry
Sh. Ammar AlShukry recites beautiful poems that give insight into the life of Imam Shafi, one of the greatest Muslim scholars in history. Who surprisingly dealt with a lot of envy and hatred from other Muslims. He dealt with deep loneliness and speaks about the importance of trav ... Show More
2h 11m
Aug 2023
Ibn al-Farid - The Mystical Poet of Love
<p>Explore the mystical world of Sufi poetry with Ibn al-Farid, one of the greatest poets of the genre. In this episode, we delve into the life and works of this revered 13th-century poet, examining the spiritual and philosophical themes that make his poetry so enduring. From his ... Show More
36m 58s
Oct 2021
Poetry, the Language of Religion
To celebrate its 500th edition, Beyond Belief has recorded a special programme at the Contains Strong Language poetry festival in Coventry. From the stage of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to discuss the theme of ‘Poetry as the Language of Religion’, Ernie Rea is joined by a di ... Show More
39m 57s
Dec 2023
Rumi - The Most Famous Sufi Poet in the World
<p>Finally, we're talking about the incredibly significant Persian sufi poet Jalal al-din Rumi. This video provides an in-depth analysis of Rumi's life, poetic themes, literary contributions, and their significance in the context of Sufism and Persian literature. </p><br><p>Thank ... Show More
1h 19m
Jul 2017
Popular Sufism, Ottomans, and Safavids
In this episode we explore how Muslims experience the fall of the Caliphate and how in turn Islam is shaped by the historical circumstances. Building upon the scholarly Islam developed by the Seljuks, we talk about the fusion of internal spirituality in the form of Sufism with or ... Show More
41m 20s
<p>In this episode, we explore the famous persian sufi poem "Mantiq al-Tayr" or The Conference of the Birds, written by Fariduddin Attar.</p><br><p>Sources/Suggested Reading:</p><ul><li>'Attar, Fariduddin. "The Conference of the Birds". Translated by Afkham Darbandi & Dick Da ... Show More
