Open Madrasa

18/09/2026

When a Rapper Stands for Justice, Where Are the Believers?

This week’s Open Khuṭba reflects on justice, moral courage, and our responsibility to stand against oppression.

We look at the British government’s recent measures concerning illegal settlements in the West Bank, and American rapper Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour following controversy over his pro-Palestinian activism.

When artists are willing to risk their platforms to speak for the oppressed, it raises an uncomfortable question for us as believers:

Where are we when justice demands something from us?

Read full Khuṭba here: https://www.openmadrasa.org/when-a-rapper-stands-for-justice-where-are-the-believers

09/09/2026

This week’s Open Khuṭba: “The Names That Open Every Door”

If words shape the limits of what we can know, what does that mean for knowing God?

A journey from Adam being taught the names to the Divine Names through which we come to know the One whom no words can ever encompass.

Read the complete Khuṭba here: https://www.openmadrasa.org/the-names-that-open-every-door

02/09/2026

Is Your Niyya a Placebo?

Give someone a sugar pill and tell them it will make them better, and sometimes they actually feel better. Tell them it may make them worse, and sometimes they experience real side effects.

These are the placebo and nocebo effects: striking examples of how our beliefs and expectations can affect the body.

What does Islam have to say?

This week’s Open Khuṭba explores the fascinating relationship between belief, body, and faith.

Read the full khuṭba here:
https://www.openmadrasa.org/is-your-niyya-a-placebo

28/08/2026

This weeks Open Khutba: Joie de vivre - The Joy of Living. What does it mean to truly live? Read the full khutba here: http://openmadrasa.org/joie-de-vivre

20/08/2026

We have officially completed our year-long programme in Islamic Philosophy, culminating in a complete reading of the classical manual Hidāyat al-Ḥikmah.

We would like to thank our teachers, Shams Tameez and Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik, who guided students through all three parts of the text: Logic, Natural Philosophy, and Metaphysics.

For those who missed the first run, the entire programme is now available as a self-paced course, at a significantly discounted fee:

[https://www.openmadrasa.org/hikma](https://www.openmadrasa.org/hikma)

All praise belongs to Allah, at the beginning and at the end.

20/08/2026

Why my favourite place is the barber shop.

This weeks Open Khutba can be read here: https://www.openmadrasa.org/shamil-of-the-beloved

18/08/2026

16/08/2026

Don’t compare yourself to others. Be inspired by others, but never compare your Monday to someone else’s Friday. They’ve had five days to get ahead, and sometimes, five years. You’ll get there too, but one day at a time.

We often speak about compounding in the context of wealth and investments. But knowledge is also wealth, and so too is experience. I loved this quote when I first read it, because it’s not just that we gather individual pieces of knowledge. Each piece of knowledge compounds with what came before it, creating a synergy of wisdom. That can’t come easy. It takes time.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that the most beloved deeds are those that are small but consistent. There’s a reason for that. Small things, done consistently, compound. The same is true of learning.

Happy learning, folks.