Let's Talk Religion

What is the “School of Love” in Sufism? In this video, we explore Madhhab-e Ishq — the Sufi path centered on divine love (ishq) as the highest way to know God. From the poetry of Rumi to the teachings of Ahmad Ghazali, discover how love became a spiritual methodology, a theology, and a transformative path within Islamic mysticism.

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Caner Dagli (translated by) (2004). Ibn 'Arabi - "The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam)". Great Books of the Islamic World. Kazi Pubns Inc.

Chittick, William & Peter Lamborn Wilson (translated by) (1982) "Fakhruddin Iraqi: Divine Flashes". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.

Ernst, Carl W. & Bruce B. Lawrence (2003). "Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and beyond". Palgrave Macmillan.

Ernst, Carl W (translated by) (2018). "Hallaj: Poems of a Sufi Martyr". Northwestern University Press.

Inayat Khan, Pir Zia (ed.) (2001). "A Pearl in Wine: Essays on the Life, Music & Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan". Omega Publications.

Knysh, Alexander (2000). "Islamic Mysticism: A Short History". Brill.

Lewis, Franklin D. (2000). "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West". Oneworld publications.

Lumbard, Joseph E.B. (2016). "Ahmad al-Ghazālī, Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love". SUNY Press.

Pourjavady, Nasrollah (translated by) (2015). "Sawanih: Inspirations from the World of Pure Spirits". Routledge.

Rustom, Muhammed (translated and edited by) (2022). "The Essence of Reality: A Defense of Philosophical Sufism". New York University Press.

Rustom, Muhammed (2024). "Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of Ayn al-Qudat". State University of New York Press.

Safi, Omid (2019). "Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition". Yale University Press.
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Zurvanism is a lesser-known feature of ancient Zoroastrianism that centers on Zurvan, the god of infinite time, and the cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. In this video, we explore the origins, beliefs, and historical influence of Zurvanism, what it is and isn't, and why it matters for understanding ancient Persian religion and dualism.

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Boyce, Mary (1957). "Some Reflections on Zurvanism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London , 1957, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1957), pp. 304-316. Cambridge University Press.

Boyce, Mary (2000). "Zoroastrians: Their Their Religious Beliefs and Practices". Routledge; 2nd edition.

Boyce, Mary (1996). "On the Orthodoxy of Sasanian Zoroastrianism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1996, Vol. 59, No. 1 (1996), pp. 11-28. Cambridge University Press.

Boyce, Mary (1990). "Some Some Further Reflections on Zurvanism". Iranica Varia: Papers in Honor of Professor Ehsan Yarshater. Brill.

Dahlén, Ashk (transl.) (2023). "Zarathustra: Sånger". h:ström.

Humbach, Helmut & Pallan Ichaporia (transl.) (1994). "The Heritage of Zarathushtra: A New Translation of His Gathas. Universitatsverlag Winter.

Moazami, Mahnaz (ed.) (2016). "Zoroastrianism: A collection of Articles from the Encyclopedia Iranica". ENCYCLOPAEDIA IRANICA FOUNDATION. 2 Volumes.

Rose, Jenny (2019). "Zoroastrianism: An Introduction". I.B. Tauris Introduction to Religions. Bloomsbury Academic.

Strausberg, Michael; & Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina (ed.) (2015). "The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism". Wiley-Blackwell.

Zaehner, R.C. (1955). "Zurvan: A Zoroastrian Dilemma". Oxford.

https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvanism/
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvan-deity/
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often seen as a modern invention—but its core ideas were explored over 1,100 years ago by the 9th-century scholar Abu Zayd al-Balkhi.

In this video, we explore al-Balkhi’s groundbreaking writings on mental health, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, and the connection between thoughts and behavior—ideas that closely resemble modern psychology and CBT.

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Nicholas of Cusa was a 15th-century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician whose ideas anticipated modern science and philosophy. In this video, we explore his life, key works, and radical concept of “learned ignorance,” as well as his views on infinity, knowledge and religious diversity. Discover why this forgotten medieval thinker still matters today.

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Bond. H. Lawrence (edited and translated by) (1997). "Nicholas of Cusa: Selected Spiritual Writings". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.

Hopkins, Jasper (translated by) (1986). "NICHOLAS OF CUSA’S DE PACE
FIDEI AND CRIBRATIO ALKORANI". Second edition. THE ARTHUR J. BANNING PRESS MINNEAPOLIS.

McGinn, Bernard. "The Presence of God" Series, in several volumes. Perhaps the best and most comprehensive introduction to Christian mysticism. Published by Crossroad Publishing Co.

Valkenberg, Pim (2011). "Sifting the Qur’an: Two Forms of Interreligious Hermeneutics in Nicholas of Cusa". In "Interreligious Hermeneutics in Pluralistic Europe", Currents of Encounter Online, Volume: 40. Brill.
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In this video, I explain the meaning of taqiyya in Islamic tradition & where it comes from. We look at its historical context, what scholars actually say about it historically and today.

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Hallaq, Wael (2004). "The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law". Cambridge University Press.

Hallaq, Wael (2009). "Sharia: Theory, Practice, Transformations". Cambridge University Press.

Stewart, Devin (2013). "Dissimulation in Sunni Islam and Morisco Taqiyya*". AL-QANTARA, XXXIV 2, 2013, pp. 439-490.

https://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/81133/?utm
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