Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode Dr. Abou El Fadl discusses the Qurayshi elites inclination to “pragmatism” which privileged some and disempowered others, the origins of the migration to Abyssinia, the embarrassment of the migration for the Quraysh, and ‘Umar’s conversion and the prominent role of ‘Umar’s sister as the hero in the narrative.
0:00 – Intro
1:11 – Abu Qays ibn al-Aslat poet from the Aws tribe in Yathrib composed a poem calling for Mecca to make peace with the Muslims lest they fall into civil war like the Aws and Khazraj tribes
7:11 – Nudr ibn al-Harith attests to the Prophet’s character and not a poet or soothsayer, but defamed him anyway
16:20 – Quraysh refused to make peace with the Prophet because it would overturn the established norms of forbidding the disempowered to share power with the elite
20:56 – Prophet’s advocacy of the man whose merchandise was taken by Abu Hakam ibn al-Hisham
22:50 – Elite’s conception of “pragmatism” diminished the importance of truth; religious logic must be committed to ideals or else it becomes secularized
24:10 – Quraysh agree to intensify persecution of the Prophet and Muslims
24:53 – Challenge of the consumption of dead animals; Islamophobic polemics
29:04 – Quraysh: exclude the lower classes from Islam; Prophet refuses to accommodate the Quraysh
33:50 – How do we follow the Sunnah of the Prophet?
34:26 – Muslim movement to read Greek texts and translate them; How to understand the Islamic tradition?
38:00 – Muslims apostatized due to influence of anti-Islamic polemics because they did not studied logic
39:26 – Prophet says that migration in the cause of God are deserving of salvation; migration to Abyssinia. Why Abyssinia?
42:53 – Primary objective of migration should be one’s faith rather than for financial reasons and then develop identity anxieties
44:50 – Who migrated to Abyssinia?
46:36 – Migration began to undermine tribalism and unified people based on a cause
50:40 – ‘Umar’s conversion & narrative with his sister
1:17:40 – ‘Umar’s beating and the Arab asylum
1:24:33 – ‘Umar wanted to be vocal about being Muslim
If you are interested in visiting The Usuli Institute in Columbus, OH in-person please email shayan@usuli.org.
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🎥 Full list of our recorded khutbahs and their transcripts ~ bit.ly/usulikhutbahs
📰 The full list of articles referenced in this Khutbah can be found at usulinews.org
In this episode Dr. Abou El Fadl discusses the Qurayshi elites inclination to “pragmatism” which privileged some and disempowered others, the origins of the migration to Abyssinia, the embarrassment of the migration for the Quraysh, and ‘Umar’s conversion and the prominent role of ‘Umar’s sister as the hero in the narrative.
0:00 – Intro
1:11 – Abu Qays ibn al-Aslat poet from the Aws tribe in Yathrib composed a poem calling for Mecca to make peace with the Muslims lest they fall into civil war like the Aws and Khazraj tribes
7:11 – Nudr ibn al-Harith attests to the Prophet’s character and not a poet or soothsayer, but defamed him anyway
16:20 – Quraysh refused to make peace with the Prophet because it would overturn the established norms of forbidding the disempowered to share power with the elite
20:56 – Prophet’s advocacy of the man whose merchandise was taken by Abu Hakam ibn al-Hisham
22:50 – Elite’s conception of “pragmatism” diminished the importance of truth; religious logic must be committed to ideals or else it becomes secularized
24:10 – Quraysh agree to intensify persecution of the Prophet and Muslims
24:53 – Challenge of the consumption of dead animals; Islamophobic polemics
29:04 – Quraysh: exclude the lower classes from Islam; Prophet refuses to accommodate the Quraysh
33:50 – How do we follow the Sunnah of the Prophet?
34:26 – Muslim movement to read Greek texts and translate them; How to understand the Islamic tradition?
38:00 – Muslims apostatized due to influence of anti-Islamic polemics because they did not studied logic
39:26 – Prophet says that migration in the cause of God are deserving of salvation; migration to Abyssinia. Why Abyssinia?
42:53 – Primary objective of migration should be one’s faith rather than for financial reasons and then develop identity anxieties
44:50 – Who migrated to Abyssinia?
46:36 – Migration began to undermine tribalism and unified people based on a cause
50:40 – ‘Umar’s conversion & narrative with his sister
1:17:40 – ‘Umar’s beating and the Arab asylum
1:24:33 – ‘Umar wanted to be vocal about being Muslim
If you are interested in visiting The Usuli Institute in Columbus, OH in-person please email shayan@usuli.org.
Instagram ~ @usuliinstitute
Twitter ~ @usuliinstitute
Facebook ~ facebook.com/usuliinstitute
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER (scroll to the bottom)
usuli.org
📚 Usuli Press - Check out our publications on the current state of the Muslim world
The Prophet's Pulpit Trilogy ~ amzn.to/40PBtnt
The Palestine Sermons ~ amzn.to/3AOxXiu
Substack ~ substack.com/@theprophetspulpit
~ Spotify & Supercast ~
https://usuli.supercast.com!
🎥 Full list of our recorded khutbahs and their transcripts ~ bit.ly/usulikhutbahs
📰 The full list of articles referenced in this Khutbah can be found at usulinews.org
