Isnad Academy Podcast

SUMUD | They Survived Apartheid Prison. They Said Israel Was Worse. 11.06.2026 1Std. 24Min.

Two men from the Cape who once stood against apartheid boarded a boat for Gaza. They were seized in international waters, held in an Israeli prison, and sent home. This is their witness.Former Ambassador Faizel Moosa and Mogamed Faeek Ariefdien sailed with the Global Sumud Flotilla on its Spring 2026 mission. In this Strong Believer special they sit with Shaykh Irshaad Sedick and tell the story the headlines could not carry. The decision to go and what it cost their families. The interception at sea. The brutality of the prison ships and Ktziot detention. The salah led under a rifle. The shouts they sent through the prison walls so the Palestinians inside would know they were not alone. And what sumud and sabr came to mean once they had paid for them in their own bodies.The boat was stopped. The witness was not.Guests:Former Ambassador Faizel Moosa, humanitarian, struggle veteran, son of the late Judge Essa Moosa.Mogamed Faeek Ariefdien, Cape Town stalwart of the anti apartheid struggle.Host: Shaykh Irshaad Sedick, Isnad Academy.⚠️ This episode contains accounts of violence and abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.#Sumud #Gaza #Palestine #GlobalSumudFlotilla #Flotilla #CapeTown #StrongBeliever #Sabr #FreePalestine #icjosh Chapter markers00:00 Cold open: human trafficked in a container00:57 Sumud and sabr: the opening03:01 Meet the guests04:53 Why we went: aid for the children06:17 The 10,000 still behind: leaving the Palestinians in prison07:21 Change it with the hand: the hadith that frames the episode09:38 Raising the world's awareness12:33 We stood on the holy grounds: redefining success14:33 The power of dua in the cell15:53 Was it a failure? Hudaybiyya and Fath Mubina17:03 The decision: getting your affairs in order19:46 Apartheid and Gaza: the same and not the same21:43 On the boat: the spirit of the convoy25:53 Dawah at sea: salah under a rifle33:35 Shot on deck while his family watched live37:08 The prison ships: containers, stun grenades, rubber bullets41:00 Singled out as South African: the ICJ in the interrogation43:00 Banu Nadir: destroyed by their own hands50:19 Even the babies are terrorists51:31 Whatever your passport says, you are Palestinian54:09 The container, the boots, and the last kick of a dying horse58:43 In the belly of the beast01:00:17 Let them hear that we are here01:02:14 Refusing to scream01:03:50 What will you tell Allah?01:05:33 Cyprus, the Western Cape, and the exit strategy01:07:48 What you can do: Coke, coal, and the West01:08:20 Wake up, Cape Town01:11:25 The land convoy and the silence of Muslim states01:14:36 Why I sail: I should have gone sooner01:18:55 Seeing injustice at home01:21:39 Closing: Surah al Nisa and a dua

Rooted - Episode 3 He Doesn't Go By Sheikh | Hafiz Raees Mohamad 05.06.2026 1Std. 18Min.

In a time when anyone can upload an Islamic video and call themselves a scholar, Islam has always been carried differently — from teacher to student, across generations, all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ. That chain has a name: isnād.ROOTED is Isnad Academy's flagship interview series. Conversations with South Africa's qualified Islamic scholars — the people who went to the source and came home. Rooted in tradition. Routed through the chain.Our third guest carries the chain quietly. Hafiz Raees Mohamad memorised the Qur'an as a child, walked out of grade five to do it, and later travelled to Tareem, Yemen — where he studied at Dar al-Mustafa under the supervision of Habib Umar bin Hafiz. He is the author of The Road to Tareem, a book endorsed by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller as "a real gem." He holds a postgraduate diploma and MBA from Henley Business School, serves in an executive role at Old Mutual Investment Group, and is currently pursuing a PhD enhancing Michael Porter's strategy models using prophetic strategy.He answers to "Brother," not "Sheikh." That is the conversation.In this episode we cover:Why a Hafiz of the Qur'an and a Dar al-Mustafa graduate refuses the title of SheikhArriving in Yemen during civil war with no Arabic, no contacts, and one return ticketWhat twelve months in Dar al-Mustafa actually feels like from the insideThe morning Habib Umar told him "I think you're ready to leave"Writing The Road to Tareem and the Uber ride that started itWhy he came home without the turban, the lexicon, or the performanceHow prophetic strategy outperforms corporate strategy in real boardroomsThe Mawlid in Madinah that proved Tareem travels with youAdvice for the young brother in Cape Town who wants the knowledge but not the costumeIsnad Academy hosts South African qualified scholars and provides professionally recorded courses for the global Muslim community. Subscribe to stay connected to the chain.00:00 — Opening: To Be Rooted, To Be Routed00:43 — Introducing Hafiz Raees Mohamad02:01 — Why "Brother" and Not "Sheikh"04:08 — Who is Raees Mohamad in His Own Words06:07 — The Decision to Go to Tareem08:49 — Survival: Arriving in Yemen at Civil War14:05 — The First Two Months Felt Like Two Years18:21 — Writing The Road to Tareem21:55 — "I Want to Come Home" — The Call to His Mother26:39 — Speaking Arabic at the Mawlid27:39 — Breakfast with Habib Umar31:01 — "I Think You're Ready to Leave"32:14 — What Tareem Actually Did For Him33:55 — The Scholar Who Becomes a Businessman38:21 — When Your Non-Muslim Boss Asks If You Made Salah45:25 — Advice to a Freshly-Returned Graduate49:13 — The Community's Traditional IQ Has Risen52:54 — Tareem Without the Turban56:20 — What He Holds On To, Privately01:00:39 — The Spirituality of Tareem01:02:16 — The Madinah Mawlid: Tareem Travels With You01:05:53 — For a Young Person Considering Tareem01:08:31 — Quickfire Round01:09:56 — Advice to the Brother Who Wants This Life01:14:23 — A Month in Dar al-Mustafa Will Humble You01:16:38 — Shaykh Nuh Keller on *The Road to Tareem*01:17:30 — Be Your Own Person01:18:21 — The Book That Brought Him a Wife, a Scholarship, and a Career01:19:53 — Closing

Qurbani: Everything They Don't Teach You | with Mawlana Anees Kara 15.05.2026 49Min.

A practical, no-fiqh conversation about Qurbani with Mawlana Anees Kara of Maraisburg, Johannesburg. After nearly four decades in this work, Mawlana Anees brings the kind of practitioner knowledge that does not appear in any classical text or fatwa site: how to pick a healthy animal off the kraal, why some Qurbani meat tastes different and how to prevent it, the real difference between farm and home Qurbani, and the proper way to distribute meat with dignity.This is a standalone episode for the Eid al-Adha season. For fiqh questions about Qurbani, please refer to my other content on SeekersGuidance and on the Isnad Academy.Chapter markers below.About Mawlana Anees KaraMawlana Anees graduated from Darul Uloom Zakariyya in 2009 and serves as the masjid's Khatib in Maraisburg. He runs K.A.Z Livestock and Game Meat Traders - a family project that has operated for over 36 years.#Qurbani #EidAlAdha #IsnadAcademyChapter markers00:00 Introduction01:08 Meet Mawlana Anees Kahrah02:25 Where to actually buy your animal05:23 What an experienced eye looks for07:59 Honesty in weight and pricing10:54 Why lamb costs more than mutton12:54 The two reasons Qurbani meat gets a bad name15:25 Merino, Dorper, and the breeds question19:31 Bringing your animal home and treating it right27:35 Pros and cons of home versus farm Qurbani30:54 Tasting wild, tasting bloody: the real reason33:31 The post-slaughter process that fixes everything36:55 Giving your meat away with dignity38:47 The slaughter itself: knife, angle, technique42:42 Aspiring to slaughter for the first time46:38 Where to find Mawlana Anees48:11 Closing dua

ROOTED | Ep. 2 — "He Came Home Different" | Sh Muhammad West 08.05.2026 2Std. 2Min.

In a generation pulled in every direction, ROOTED is a series about the ones who stayed grounded. The scholars who sat at the feet of their teachers and carried the tradition home.Sh Muhammad West is one of the few in his generation who carries two worlds at once. A graduate of the Islamic University of Madina and a chartered accountant. The imam of one of the oldest masajid in the country, Boorhanol Islam in the Bo-Kaap, and the treasurer of the Muslim Judicial Council. He is the Madina graduate who refused to come home and cut himself off from the community he disagrees with on secondary matters. He chose the harder road, the road of staying in the room.In this conversation, we sit with the formation of a scholar in Jeddah and Madina, the texture of his return, the Athari and Shafi'i fault lines, the cost of refusing tribalism, the romantic but halal proposal, the autistic son who is the happiest person he knows, the burnout he is only now learning to name, and the institution he is now responsible for the finances of.We talk about the MJC honestly. What it is, what it is not, why our forefathers thought it was non-negotiable, and what the path forward looks like for an organisation eighty years old that is finally being asked to explain itself.A conversation between two scholars and a long-time colleague about formation, friction, and the institutional servant’s reckoning.This is your deen. You deserve to understand it.00:00 Cold open: just die as a Muslim00:22 Opening monologue02:25 Quick-fire opener07:43 Jeddah as a child10:50 Madina University from the inside13:18 Coming home in 201117:45 The parents' search across Malaysia, Egypt, Jeddah22:30 The mother's record27:40 The maternal grandfather and the Silo gym call33:30 The Madina student years39:20 Teaching the Sirah from a minority lens49:20 The Woolworths meeting52:00 Athari, Salafi, and the time and place for debate57:00 Sami Hamdi and the politics of Quran and Sunnah01:00:40 Palestine and the heart right now01:11:30 Just talk to Allah01:17:25 The Romantic Proposal01:21:00 The life of an alim's wife01:31:30 Burnout and sharpening the saw01:33:50 The MJC: what it actually is01:46:35 Baytul Ulama in the absence of a Khalifa01:55:50 Living with politics01:57:55 Final advice for the seeker02:00:00 The point of all of this#ROOTED #IsnadAcademy #IslamicScholarship

ROOTED | Ep. 1 — "He Went to the Source" | Shaykh Zaid Fataar Al-Azhari 25.04.2026 2Std. 11Min.

We live in a time when anyone can upload an Islamic video and call themselves a scholar. But Islam has never been carried that way. It has always moved from teacher to student, across generations, all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ. That chain has a name: isnād.ROOTED is Isnad Academy's flagship interview series — conversations with South Africa's qualified Islamic scholars. The people who went to the source and came home. Rooted in tradition. Routed through the chain.Our first guest embodies both.Shaykh Zaid ibn Riad Fataar Al-Azhari left Cape Town at the age of six for Cairo, where he would spend the better part of his life inside one of the oldest universities on earth. At Al-Azhar he memorised the Qur'an, completed his Diploma in Islamic Sciences, and earned his BA in Islamic Theology — specialising in Aqīdah and Philosophy. He studied privately with Egyptian scholars, receiving ijāzāt in Hadith and Aqīdah. He returned to Cape Town, completed his Masters at the Madina Institute with a thesis on Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd — Revelation versus Reason — and has been serving the community ever since as imam, teacher, and founder of Dar At-Tawhid Institute. He currently serves as Head of Department for Islamic Studies at the Oracle Academy.He is, in the truest sense, a scholar who went to the source — and came back to us.In this conversation we cover:— What it means to grow up as a Cape Town child inside the Azhar world — The moment knowledge stopped being something forced and became something wanted — What isnād actually is and why it matters in an age when any fatwa is a Google search away — The three levels of ijāzah — and what each one actually authorises you to do — Why sitting with a scholar gives you something no YouTube video, PDF, or AI can replicate — The nūr of prophethood — and why it only travels heart to heart — How the ādāb of the scholars changed Shaykh Zaid more than their knowledge did — A real talāq case that showed exactly why wisdom cannot come from a book alone — The difference between being religious and performing religiosity — What our generation of scholars carries differently — and what that demands of us — What to say to a young Muslim who wants knowledge but doesn't know where to start or who to trustThis is not a wellness podcast. This is not a highlight reel. This is a conversation about what it actually means to carry knowledge — and what Cape Town has quietly been producing for generations.ROOTED. Every episode, one scholar. One chain. One city at the bottom of Africa with more to offer the world than most people know.Isnad Academy is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Our mission is to connect the global Muslim community to authenticated Islamic scholarship — through live teaching, recorded courses, and platforms like ROOTED that make our scholars visible to the world.New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss the next conversation.#IsnadAcademy #ROOTED #IslamicScholarship #SouthAfrica #CapeTown #Azhar #Isnad #IslamicKnowledge #MuslimPodcast #Ulama00:00 — A Family Almost Broke Up (Cold Open)00:12 — Welcome to ROOTED | Series Introduction05:00 — Quick Fire: Coffee, Cairo & Astronomy09:45 — Cairo at Six: Growing Up as a Foreigner18:00 — The Quran is Everywhere in Egypt22:00 — When Knowledge Became a Choice31:00 — The Fish in the Tank: Entering the University38:00 — The Turning Point: The Ādāb of the Scholars44:00 — What is Isnād and Why Should You Care?51:00 — The Soul Operation57:00 — What is an Ijāzah? Three Levels Explained01:02:00 — What a Teacher Gives You That a PDF Cannot01:09:00 — The Nūr of Prophethood: Heart to Heart01:12:00 — Egypt's Politics and the Colonisers' Legacy01:23:00 — The FBI Story: Freedom We Take for Granted01:29:00 — Do We Carry the Tradition Differently?01:35:00 — The Worrying Trend: Religion as Fashion01:52:00 — The Exciting Trend: Scholars in the University02:03:00 — Final Advice to Young Seekers of Knowledge02:08:00 — What's Coming from Isnad Academy

The Disease Has a Name | The Strong Believer S2E1 17.04.2026 36Min.

The Muslim world is not confused. It is paralysed. And there is a difference. In this opening episode of Season 2, Shaykh Irshaad Sedick begins with a question asked outside a masjid after Isha: what am I supposed to do now? It is the question every Muslim is carrying. And the answer begins with a prophetic diagnosis that is 1,400 years old and more relevant today than it has ever been.We live in a time when the nations of the world have gathered. The feast the Prophet ﷺ described is not a metaphor anymore. It is the news.In the hadith of Thawban, narrated in Abu Dawud, the Prophet ﷺ foretold a time when the Ummah would be numerous but weak, like the foam on the ocean. Moved by every wave, unable to move anything else. He named the cause: wahn. And when the companions asked what wahn was, he said: hubb al-dunya wa karahiyyat al-mawt. Love of this world and hatred of death.That is the diagnosis. It has been sitting in our books for fourteen centuries. The question this season asks is: are we finally brave enough to face the cure?The cure is strength. Not strength as a motivational concept. Strength as a prophetic prescription. The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, even though there is goodness in both.Season 2 of The Strong Believer focuses on intellectual strength: how we build the kind of mind that can read this world clearly, think with the Quran as its foundation, and navigate what is coming without being broken by it.This episode covers:The question every Muslim is carrying right now and what it really meansThe hadith of Thawban and the prophetic diagnosis of the UmmahWahn in its contemporary forms: managed numbness, the guilt cycle, the waitingThe strong believer hadith as the direct prescriptionThe Quran as an intellectual foundation: one scholar's journey from a train to Darul NaeemWhat hubb al-dunya actually looks like in an ordinary Muslim life in 2026What karahiyyat al-mawt looks like when nobody is asking you to dieHadiths referenced: Hadith of Thawban on wahn — Abu Dawud Al-Mu'min al-Qawiyy — Muslim Al-Kayyis man dana nafsahu — Tirmidhi

After Ramadan: Istiqamah, Acceptance, and the Fight to Keep Going 24.03.2026 42Min.

In this post Ramadan reminder, Shaykh Irshaad Sedick reflects on one of the most important questions facing every believer after Eid: what happens after Ramadan?Drawing on the verses of Surah Fussilat, the glad tidings given to those who say “Our Lord is Allah” and then remain steadfast, this talk explores the meaning of istiqamah, not as perfection, but as constantly getting back up and returning to Allah. Ramadan is not the finish line. It is the training ground. The real event is life itself.This episode reflects on acceptance, the six days of Shawwal, the danger of going back to old habits, the priority of salah and staying away from haram, and the wisdom of setting small, sustainable acts of worship that can remain with us until the next Ramadan.A timely reminder for anyone asking how to preserve the gifts of Ramadan and continue the journey with sincerity, humility, and hope.Chapter markers00:00 Opening praise, verses, and hadith02:03 Reflecting after Ramadan and asking Allah for acceptance02:57 The practice of the salaf after Ramadan04:21 What happens after the honeymoon of Ramadan?04:46 We do not worship Ramadan, we worship Allah06:24 Salah is not piety, it is the bare minimum07:00 Shaytan is back, and the real fight begins07:18 Ramadan as training, not the competition08:25 The race analogy: training for the real event09:44 The boxing analogy: get back up again12:16 The meaning of istiqamah13:19 Istiqamah is not perfection15:03 We are not angels, we are human beings who keep trying16:27 Surah Fussilat and the angels at the time of death17:42 Do not fear and do not grieve19:27 Glad tidings of Jannah before leaving this world20:42 We were your allies in this world and the next21:02 In Jannah you will have whatever your souls desire22:42 Allah alone is our Rabb23:21 They slipped, but they kept getting back up24:12 Ask Allah for a good death25:01 Now we are in the ring25:36 The six days of Shawwal26:56 Warming down after Ramadan27:44 Can the six fasts be separate or must they be consecutive?28:44 Combining qada with the six days of Shawwal31:42 You cannot maintain Ramadan exactly outside Ramadan33:17 Do not drop everything because you cannot keep everything34:03 Focus on the bare minimum first34:49 Stay away from haram and guard your salah35:25 Set a ridiculously easy quota37:24 Small consistency grows into something great38:31 Use your five daily salahs as your ladder of growth40:06 Why we fail: we set the bar too high40:37 Build slowly and keep improving41:18 Final dua and closing

The Ummah in Turbulent Times: Clarity on Iran, Israel, and the Region 04.03.2026 44Min.

In this episode, I sit with Mln. Ebrahim Moosa from the Palestine Information Network for a frank conversation on the current escalation in the region and what it means for the wider Ummah.This is the full, raw recording as it was captured. It is not edited for tone, platform sensitivities, or soundbites. The aim is clarity: identifying the aggressor-victim framing, resisting oversimplification, and keeping our moral compass anchored while the timeline shifts fast.We also speak about:How public confusion is forming and why it is understandableThe danger of making any state a barometer for PalestineHolding political clarity without collapsing into theological confusionJustice, consistency, and the responsibility of speech in crisisRamadan: worship, dua, and meaningful action without escapismListen with care, verify claims, and keep your heart anchored to Allah in a moment designed to disorient.

Unbroken: Mawlana Ebrahim Moosa on Gaza, Resistance, and Responsibility 17.10.2025 1Std. 1Min.

In this powerful and timely conversation, Shaykh Irshaad Sedick sits down with Mawlānā Ebrahim Moosa of the Palestine Information Network to reflect on the newly declared ceasefire after two years of genocide in Gaza.Together they unpack:What this “ceasefire” really means — and what it doesn’t.How the people of Gaza remain unbroken despite unimaginable loss.The hypocrisy of global politics and the ongoing battle of narratives.The moral duty of Muslims worldwide to pursue justice and accountability.The urgent need for the Ummah to build its own power, platforms, and institutions.This is not the end of the story — it’s the beginning of our reckoning.Listen as two South African scholars and activists discuss faith, resistance, and the future of the struggle for Palestine.🎧 Recorded October 16, 2025 – Cape Town

Umma in Motion - Sami Hamdi Unfiltered in South Africa 27.06.2025 34Min.

In this gripping and urgent conversation, M. Irshaad Sedick sits down with analyst and political commentator Sami Hamdi for an unflinching look at the Gaza genocide, global power games, and the silence of Muslim leaders. This isn’t about headlines, it’s about what’s happening behind closed doors, and what we, as the Umma, must do about it.From Iran and Trump’s foreign policy to the betrayal of Palestine by those sworn to defend it, Sami exposes hard truths with clarity and conviction. He explains why the ICJ case matters, how South Africa stood tall when others remained seated, and what real action, not just emotion, looks like.This is not just a video. It’s a wake-up call. If you believe in justice, if you believe in dignity, if you believe in the power of the people, watch this. Share it. And be part of the Umma in motion.🕊️ Support the cause.🎟️ Join us in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg.📢 Let’s turn outrage into organized action.For the Buy One Get One Free, Cape Town offer, Whatsapp 0721026363

A Life of Learning with Mln Taha Karaan's Oldest Graduate - Mln Sedick Bailey 21.06.2025 43Min.

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, we sit down with Mawlana Sedick Bailey, a 78-year-old scholar and the oldest graduate of the late Mawlana Taha Karaan (may Allah have mercy on him). Mawlana Bailey shares his remarkable journey of seeking knowledge across decades, reflecting on what it means to be a lifelong learner in service of faith and community.We discuss: • His early days of study and what drew him to sacred knowledge • The impact and legacy of his teacher, Mln Taha Karaan • How he continues to learn and grow even in his late seventies • The role of humility, patience, and purpose in the pursuit of ‘ilmWhether you’re a young student or a seasoned teacher, Mawlana Bailey’s story is a powerful reminder: it is never too late to learn, and the path of knowledge is lifelong.

Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Tariq - M. Irshaad Sedick 14.03.2025 36Min.

Part Nine of Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Tariq - M. Irshaad SedickRamadan 1446/2025Account Name: Isnad Academy Absa Cheque Account Number: 4100949184 Branch 632005Ref: Donate

Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Buruj - M. Irshaad Sedick 12.03.2025 1Std.

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Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Inshiqaq - M. Irshaad Sedick 10.03.2025 51Min.

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Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Mutaffifin - M. Irshaad Sedick 07.03.2025 51Min.

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Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Infitar - M. Irshaad Sedick 06.03.2025 43Min.

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Understanding Juz Amma - Sura ‘Takwir - M. Irshaad Sedick 04.03.2025 46Min.

Part Four of Understanding Juz Amma - Sura ‘Takwir - M. Irshaad SedickRamadan 1446/2025

Understanding Juz Amma - Sura ‘Abasa - M. Irshaad Sedick 04.03.2025 48Min.

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Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Nazi'at - M. Irshaad Sedick 03.03.2025 49Min.

Part Two of Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Nazi'at - M. Irshaad SedickRamadan 1446/2025

Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Naba - M. Irshaad Sedick 01.03.2025 54Min.

Part One of Understanding Juz Amma - Sura Naba - M. Irshaad SedickRamadan 1446/2025Gaza Iftar & SuhurGoodwill International FoundationFNB Cheque: 6283 2797 205Reference: GazaMore Info Contact: 064 9000 570