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Arguing Over Aqeeda in Black Muslim America, a Disaster in the Making, Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
Actually it’s more like a disaster already made. Our obsession with aqeeda inquisition and aqeeda wrangling is not something we came up with on our own. In fact, the role that aqeeda plays in our division, in our domestic dialogue, in our masjid politics, and in our priority assignment, is not organic; it is totally…
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An Introduction to the Different Types of Books of Hadith by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
There are many ways to approach hadith study. Primarily as Muslims, we want to know and understand what the Prophet ﷺ did and said so we can obey him and follow him.
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Iran, Israel, the Second Coming of Jesus (AS), and Judeo‑Christian Zionism
By Imam Luqman Ahmad The phrase “Judeo‑Christian” entered English usage in the nineteenth century and became a distinct political and cultural idiom in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Early adopters—liberal Protestant and Catholic intellectuals—sought to emphasize common moral and historical ground between Judaism and Christianity as a bulwark against rising fascism and domestic antisemitism. During…
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Imam al-Shafi’i and the Synthesis of Traditions, Explaining the Shaafi’i Madhhab, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد The Shafi’i school occupies a distinctive place in the history of Islamic jurisprudence, representing a synthesis of the two major legal traditions that preceded it: the Medinan tradition of Malik and the Iraqi tradition of Abū Ḥanīfa. Its founder, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shāfiʿī (150-204 AH/767-820 CE), was uniquely positioned to achieve this synthesis through his training…
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Trump, Megalomania, and His Emerging Presidential God Complex
Recent events have certainly pushed the intersection of his presidency and religious rhetoric into uncharted territory. While “challenging God” is a significant theological claim, his recent actions toward religious figures and his use of self-divinizing imagery have and should spark a serious global debate about where Trumps gloated confidence ends and something more extreme begins. Here is the current context…
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THE URGENT NEED FOR BLACK AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES TO ESTABLISH COMPREHENSIVE CIVIL GOVERNANCE, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Black American Muslim communities have maintained vibrant masjid life for decades—establishing places of worship, appointing Imams, collecting zakat, and organizing Jumuʿah and Eid prayers. Yet despite this long-standing presence, we still lack a unified, comprehensive system of civil governance that addresses…
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When Scholars Spoke Truth: Why American Muslims Must Build Their Own Scholarly Class, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Throughout Islamic history, scholars have often been placed in difficult positions when their religious integrity brought them into tension with political authorities. This is not a flaw of Islam — it is a reality of human power. Real‑time scholarship sometimes requires…
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Context Matters: Why American Muslims Must Think Locally and Learn Globally, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد A scholar of Islam is a scholar of Islam — whether he is from here or from abroad. And it is important to acknowledge that Islamic studies has always included both Muslim and non‑Muslim scholars. So, the idea that we “reject…
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Why Black American Muslims need to be talking about order, and governance, and talking about it now, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Throughout much of Islamic history after the Khulafa al-Rashidoon, the roles of the ‘alim (scholar) and the sultan (ruler) were often separate. The Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman empires, among others, were largely led by political and military figures who, while (ideally)…
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Why Muslim Communities must document and record it’s history, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد When we document the story of a masjid or a community, we are doing far more than preserving dates and names. We are capturing decisions, their consequences, the moments of unity, and the fractures of discord. We record what worked—and just…
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An Open Letter (Naseeha) to the Imams at the upcoming “From Faith to Power” Summit: from Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Dear Respected Imams, leaders, and organizers of the upcoming African American “From Faith to Power” summit, Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatallahi wa barakaatuh. This letter is meant as naseeha to imams of this conference, focusing on the vital role of Black American Muslim…
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The Distinct Trajectory of Salafism in Black America: Why it was Different from Other Muslim Societies, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد “People act according to what they know. And people know according to what they have lived.” — Ibn al‑Qayyim The story of Salafism in Black America cannot be understood by simply tracing the movement’s doctrinal origins or its global spread. It must be…
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 