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The Anti-Madhhab Paradox in Modern Black American Salafism, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد One of the most striking, and clearly ironic features of modern-day Salafi street culture is its loud, almost obsessive anti‑madhhab rhetoric. Spend ten minutes around a newly minted Salafi convert and you’ll hear the same slogans: “We don’t follow madhhabs. “We follow the Qur’an and Sunnah directly.” “Madhhabs cause division.” “Blind following is haram.” Yet here’s the paradox: Nearly every scholar they quote,…
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THE GLOBAL SALAFI INDUSTRY BUILT ON THE BACK OF BLACK AMERICAN MUSLIM CONVERTS, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Walk into almost any Black Muslim bookstore in America — from Philadelphia to Atlanta, from Detroit to Brooklyn — and you’ll see the same pattern: shelves lined with glossy paperbacks stamped with the same familiar branding. “Salafi this.” “Salafi that.” “The…
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The Basics of Classical Athari Aqeeda, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد I make a deliberate effort to avoid argumentation concerning Allah and matters of creed. Rather than debating, I prefer to explain my position clearly and in writing. Over the years, I have written about the harms of disputation over ʿAqeeda and the divisions…
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The Three Faces of Modern Salafism and Their Impact on Black American Muslim Life, Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Modern Salafism did not enter Black American Muslim life as a single, unified ideology. It arrived as a current, as a wave if you will. A global religious stream shaped by oil wealth, geopolitics, missionary institutions, and the intellectual anxieties of the modern Muslim…
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Why Arabic Still Matters: Protecting Our Connection to the Quran and the Sunnah of Rasoolillaah ﷺ, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد In every generation, Muslims have faced new challenges that test their understanding of faith. Today, one of those challenges is emerging quietly within parts of the Black American Muslim community: a growing suspicion toward the Arabic language and, by extension, toward the Arab…
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The Islamic Ruling on Attending the Funeral of non-Muslim relatives or non-Muslims in General, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Muslims praying over a deceased Muslim, burying him and attending his or her funeral is a communal obligation (fard kifaya). There is no difference of opinion on this according to the consensus of all Muslim scholars. However, a Muslim attending the funeral of a non-Muslim is a matter where scholars differ…
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Beyond Skin, Beyond Wounds: Why Black American Muslims Must Reject ‘Racial Islam’, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد The lived reality of Black American Muslims includes a distinct history, a unique set of social pressures, and a long record of struggle inside and outside the Muslim community. These realities deserve to be named honestly. They shape how we build…
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The Islamic Ruling on Zakatul Fitr (زكاة الفطر), by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد What is Zakatul Fitr? Zakatul Fitr, also known as Sadaqatul Fitr, is a mandatory charitable contribution that every Muslim must pay at the end of Ramadan, before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. It serves as a purification for the fasting person and…
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Who Holds the Key to the Kaʿbah? The Ancient Custodianship That Still Lives Today
Most Muslims know that the Kaʿbah is the holiest place on earth—but very few know who actually holds its key, who opens it, who oversees its care, and why that responsibility has remained in the same hands for over 1,400 years. This sacred duty is called al‑Hijābah or al‑Sadānah—the custodianship of the Kaʿbah. And it…
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 