OnGuard - For the Ummah, For the Truth

Is modern therapy really neutral?
Imam Abdullah Hasan argues that beneath many popular approaches to psychology, counselling and psychotherapy lie assumptions about what a human being is, what suffering means, what constitutes illness, and what healing should look like.
And when Muslims adopt those frameworks wholesale — then simply add Qur’anic verses, hadith or Islamic terminology — are we actually producing “Islamic psychology”? Or are we importing an entirely different worldview into Islam?
In this fascinating OnGuard conversation, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Imam Abdullah Hasan, who combines traditional Islamic scholarship with formal study in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.
They explore the philosophical foundations of Freud, Carl Rogers and modern therapy; why Imam Abdullah believes Muslims must build from an Islamic understanding of the qalb, nafs, rūḥ and fiṭrah; the development and criticism of psychiatric diagnosis; the “chemical imbalance” narrative around depression; pharmaceutical influence; grief and human suffering; trauma culture and self-diagnosis; the effect therapeutic language can have on families; and what an authentically Islamic approach to human flourishing might look like.
Imam Abdullah also shares the deeply personal experience of losing his mother, and explains why Islam does not promise us a life without pain — but gives suffering meaning, purpose and a path through it.
This is not an argument to ignore genuine suffering or deny people support. It is a challenge to Muslims to examine the assumptions underneath the solutions we are being offered — and to rediscover the extraordinarily rich understanding of the human being already contained within our own tradition.
Chapters
00:00 Coming up
02:44 Meet Imam Abdullah Hasan
04:47 Is modern psychology harming Muslims?
14:00 Building psychology from an Islamic worldview
28:52 What’s wrong with “Islamic CBT”?
31:46 Who decides what counts as mental illness?
43:11 The chemical imbalance theory and antidepressants
50:46 Can secular psychology really be “Islamised”?
65:00 Grief, depression and the meaning of suffering
75:51 Trauma, suicide and turning back to Allāh
84:10 Has therapy culture made us more fragile?
86:16 Should Muslims study psychology?
90:48 What is actually causing the mental health crisis?
95:05 Where to learn more from Imam Abdullah Hasan
99:54 A final warning to the Muslim community

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What makes a society truly civilised?
Is civilisation measured by wealth, military strength and global influence—or by the moral principles that restrain power and protect human dignity?
In this extended OnGuard conversation, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad to explore akhlāq: the Islamic understanding of character, morality and the way human beings relate to Allah, themselves, one another and the world around them.
They examine who has the authority to define right and wrong, why secular moral frameworks can produce radically different conclusions over time, and whether human reason and desire can ever provide a stable foundation for ethics.
The discussion then moves from the individual to the civilisational. Can a society flourish without morality? What happens when pleasure, greed, ribā, family breakdown and the pursuit of power become embedded within a nation? And why do powerful countries so often begin to resemble the very forces they once claimed to oppose?
Shaykh Haitham also explains why Muslims should aspire to civilisational strength—not for domination or oppression, but to protect justice, resist tyranny and prevent the weak from being exploited by those with greater power.
Drawing upon the Qur’an, the Prophetic mission and examples from Islamic history, this conversation presents akhlāq not merely as good manners or private spirituality, but as the moral foundation upon which individuals, families, communities and entire civilisations must be built.
A wide-ranging discussion on morality, power, justice, trust, ʿaqīdah, tawakkul, barakah—and what it really means to be civilised.
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In this special episode of OnGuard, Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits with the world-renowned Mauritanian scholar Shaykh Dr Mostafa al-Shaybani for a deeply personal conversation on da‘wah, sincerity, fame, the Qur’an, family, and the crisis of Muslim online influence.

Hamza asks the Shaykh to advise him directly — as someone involved in leadership, public da‘wah, online work, and mentoring others — on how Muslim speakers, activists, influencers and students should protect themselves from ego, ostentation, fame, algorithm-chasing and losing sight of the real purpose of calling people to Allāh.

The Shaykh’s answer is a powerful reminder: before public da‘wah must come private worship; before chasing followers must come sincerity; and before trying to “win” arguments must come a heart shaped by the Qur’an.

This is essential viewing for anyone involved in da‘wah, Islamic content, community work, teaching, activism, or public Muslim discourse.

Chapters:

00:00 Hamza asks for sincere mentorship
02:44 Private worship and the weight of da‘wah
06:37 Why are you calling people to Allāh?
08:10 The Qur’an is guidance, not just barakah
12:10 Surah al-Baqarah and reshaping the Muslim mind
17:18 Tadabbur: the Qur’an as transformation
21:22 Reading sīrah as Qur’anic guidance
22:40 Your da‘wah starts at home
24:47 Fame: the enemy of the da‘i
29:40 Basīrah, hikmah and long-term da‘wah
36:10 Qur’an, marriage and the da‘i’s inner life
42:29 Let the Qur’an choose your da‘wah priorities
44:11 Followers, hearts and success from Allāh
46:38 Hamza’s journey back to the Qur’an

Subscribe to Islam21c for more conversations on faith, family, da‘wah, politics, society and the challenges facing Muslims today.

Share this episode with anyone involved in da‘wah, Islamic content, community leadership or Muslim public discourse.

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What happens when Muslim men and women are separated from their fitrah, their roles, their families — and each other?

In this OnGuard podcast, Shaykh Shaqur Rehman joins us for a deep discussion on the Power of a Muslim Woman, the role of motherhood and wifehood in Islamic civilisation, the crisis facing Muslim families, and how modern society has reshaped the way men and women see themselves.

This is not just a discussion about feminism, university, marriage, or gender roles. It is about the heart of the Muslim home, the future of the Ummah, and the urgent need to rebuild men, women, families, and communities upon submission to Allāh.

We discuss how colonialism, liberal modernity, materialism, online discourse, broken family structures, and schooling from a young age have shaped Muslim men and women — and what it takes to undo that damage through tarbiyah, leadership, sisterhood, brotherhood, haya, family, and community.

Chapters:
00:00 Reclaiming the Power of a Muslim Woman
12:06 How the Muslim family was hijacked
20:38 Real Islamic masculinity and male leadership
34:04 How society reprogrammed men and women
49:11 Muslim women, media and da’wah
01:00:10 Motherhood, wifehood and the path to Jannah
01:06:17 University, apostasy and protecting the dīn
01:22:38 Rebuilding families, tribes and communities

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What happens when you know Islam is true… but still feel empty inside?

In this powerful episode of OnGuard, Hamza Tzortzis speaks to Imran Hussein about anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, nihilism, and the search for meaning in a world full of distractions.

Imran shares his deeply personal journey through an existential crisis, describing the moment life seemed to lose its meaning — and how turning back to Allah transformed darkness into clarity. But this is not just a story about “mental health”. It is a conversation about iman, purpose, knowledge, the heart, and why intellectual certainty alone is not always enough to keep a person grounded.

Why do so many Muslims feel spiritually disconnected despite believing in Islam?
How should we understand anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts and depression through an Islamic lens?
What does it mean to seek help without shame?
And how can we hold on to hope when everything feels dark?

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt lost, numb, anxious, overwhelmed, or distant from Allah — and for anyone trying to support someone who is.

This podcast is part of our broader anti-suicide campaign, Hold On.
Hold on to life. Hold on to hope. Hold on to the mercy of Allāh.

Subscribe to Islam21c for more conversations on Islam, society, belief, family, mental health, and the challenges facing Muslims today.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:08 Introducing Imran Hussein and the Hold On campaign
02:36 Losing meaning: the questions that would not go away
06:37 Anxiety, derealisation, and the search for answers
11:53 The desperate du’a and the Qur’an moment
16:07 From relief to da’wah
18:15 When anxiety returned: why knowledge alone is not enough
25:47 Understanding anxiety, doubts, and obsessive cycles
30:23 Practical and spiritual tools for anxiety
37:42 Getting help, letting thoughts pass, and prophetic guidance
48:17 Reframing anxiety as a test from Allāh
52:12 Grief, hope, and never despairing of Allah’s mercy
55:49 How family, friends, and brotherhood can help
01:03:27 Hold on to hope and Allah’s mercy
01:05:16 Final reflections

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