In Good Faith

The idea of a “Muslim community” will remain a myth for as long as its zakat remains disorganised, scattered and imbalanced… which is exactly the situation today.
Drawing on my decade of experience in running a zakat institution, and my reflections on revelation and prophetic example, I propose ways forward that help make sense of what zakat is and what we need to do to unlock its immense power.

(00:00) What does zakat mean?
(05:58) The salat-zakat combo
(18:40) Purpose of zakat
(27:45) Centralisation & representation
(52:10) Why zakat should be local
(56:22) Welfare & admin categories
(1:14:31) Soft & hard power categories
(1:35:35) Revising rates & thresholds
(1:47:25) Voluntary giving

On the day that Ramadan Tent Project (RTP) hosted its first event for the breaking of the fast (iftar) at Silverstone - home of the British Grand Prix - here's a flashback to my conversation with Omar Salha in May 2025 to understand more about RTP's Open Iftar initiative.
Watch the full episode here.

Dr Sohaib Saeed lays out a useful approach to help make sense of revelation.Watch the full episode here.

It was an honour to host Dr Yasir Qadhi, a prolific public intellectual and someone I respect deeply for his courage to speak his mind, often in the face of much hostility.

I picked his brain on several issues: sectarianism and division, whether religious labels are helpful or harmful, patriotism and emigration, theophany and salvation, as well as exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism.

Check out Dr Yasir’s Lighthouse series here.

(00:00) Maturation & changing one’s mind
(07:15) Sectarianism, division & hate
(17:14) Relevance & diversity
(24:52) Labels: harmful or helpful?
(30:53) Culture, loyalty & patriotism
(40:50) Ironies of emigration (hijrah)
(46:33) Theophany & salvation
(58:33) Non-dogmatic faith & sincere rejection
(1:12:07) Insularity vs universality
(1:20:33) Modern theology project

Women and young people are still often excluded or underestimated in community leadership, forcing many women to create their own institutions rather than wait for permission or support. While progress and visibility have improved, deep structural and cultural barriers remain especially around leadership design, funding, and real accountability making change slower than rhetoric suggests.

Watch or listen to the full episode ⁠here⁠.