Tag: Allah
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Islam’s Answer to Narcissism: What Psychology Borrowed and What Islam Already Knew, Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد There is a word that has found its way into Muslim conversations with remarkable frequency: narcissist. It is uttered in living rooms, a staple on Facebook, WhatsApp groups, and even Islamic circles as though it were a revelation from Allah sub’haanahu wa ta’ala. Yet few who wield it so confidently, and capriciously, pause to ask: where did this word…
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The First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah, A Season of Mercy You Cannot Afford to Miss, Imam Luqman Ahmad
اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ There are moments in the Islamic calendar that Allah subḥānahū wa ta’ālā singles out and elevates above all others — and among the most magnificent of these is the opening of Dhul Hijjah. The Prophet ﷺ declared that there are no days on which righteous deeds are…
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Islam, Human Experience, and the Language of Trauma: Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
I بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ Conversations about trauma, emotional pain, and the human experience are often charged because they touch the deepest parts of our lives. When we speak about the Prophet ﷺ, the Sahabah, or the early believers, we must do so with precision, reverence, and clarity. Not because…
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The Dilemma of Back American Imams in America
In Black Muslim America , frontline Imams are first responders. We don’t get to retreats, play hooky or play hide and go seek. As active and working Imams, we have to show up. We even have to show up online these days. Many of us do not even get to retire in this life. Most…
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The Forgotten Roots of Psychology in the Islamic Intellectual Tradition
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Long before psychology emerged as a formal scientific discipline in the modern West, Muslim scholars were already charting the inner landscape of the human being with remarkable precision. Their writings explored cognition, emotion, behavior, trauma, resilience, and the spiritual dimensions of the self. What we now call psychology was once known in the Islamic tradition as ʿilm al‑nafs —…
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The Mind Without God: Why Secular Psychology Alone Cannot Heal the Believer, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد In a time when the language of trauma, emotional pain, healing, mental abuse, and mental health has reached a fever pitch in Black Muslim America’s conversation with itself, an unmistakable trend has emerged: many Muslims now turn first—and often exclusively—to modern psychology and its practitioners for relief. For a growing number, the therapist’s office…
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Why Modern Psychology Without Allah Fails the Muslim Soul, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Modern psychology has achieved remarkable progress in understanding human behavior, emotion, and cognition. It has mapped neural pathways, decoded behavioral patterns, and offered tools for managing stress, trauma, and interpersonal conflict. Yet for all its sophistication, psychology as practiced in secular frameworks suffers from a fundamental blind spot: it attempts to explain the human being while…
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The Chain of Authenticity: Understanding the Ijazah and Its Traditions, Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد An ijāza (إجازة) is a formal certification or authorization in Islamic scholarship, granting a person permission to transmit specific Islamic knowledge, such as Quranic recitation, Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), or other religious texts. It serves as a chain of authenticated…
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Al‑Mawardi, Governance, and the Role of Ahl al‑Ḥall wa‑l‑ʿAqd: A Scholarly Rationale for Governance Amongst Philadelphia Muslims, by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد I. Introduction: Why Governance Is a Sharʿi Necessity From the earliest period of Islam, governance (al‑ḥukm) was not treated as a sociological convenience but as a Shar’i obligation necessary for the preservation of religion, justice, and social order. Imam Abu Hasan…
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The Evolution of Leadership: Why the Next Generation of Black American Muslim Imams Will Lead Differently in sha Allah, Imam Luqman Ahmad
The dream of a unified front, where Imams sit across from one another to solve the pressing issues of Black American Muslims and national governance, remains elusive for now, largely a dream. While the need for collaboration amongst Imams is high, the current landscape of leadership is often defined by fragmentation rather than cooperation. To understand why this generation struggles with unity, and why…
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 