The Middle Ground Podcast

﷽ In our world today poverty is increasingly viewed through a single, reductive lens: as a problem to be solved or a charity case to be managed. This sentiment and view has extended, in my opinion, even to our Muslim community, where generosity and charitable giving are emphasized, to where I see a troubling tendency to reduce the poor to mere opportunities for spiritual gain. I don’t think this is done intentionally by any means; our community is one of tremendous charity. And yet, I can’t help feel that we’ve fallen into the modern trap of hyper utilitarianism. And so while the Qur’ān obligates charity, it does something far deeper and more profound: it dignifies the poor. It does not merely talks to the poor, it engages with them. And in doing so, it offers a radical corrective to how we think about poverty, dignity, and human worth. Care of the poor has become somewhat crestfallen in the West. This has lead to a well-meaning yet ultimately dehumanizing attitudes toward poverty where the poor are treated as instruments for our own moral betterment. This is especially true in religious communities and ours being no different. Their suffering has become a stage on which we perform piety. As a result, the poor are seen, not as full human beings with interior lives and spiritual agency, but as passive recipients of our zakāh, as mere spiritual stepping stones on our path to paradise. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This attitude, while often unintended, distorts the very role of charity in our lives as Muslims, rich and poor alike. It also risks reinforcing hierarchies and social stratification of power and worth that the Qur’ān openly and repeatedly critiques. In Sūrah al-An‘ām (6:52), Allah directly addresses this tendency: وَلَا تَطْرُدِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ ۖ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍۢ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَىْءٍۢ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ “Do not dismiss those poor believers who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His countenance. You are not accountable for their circumstances whatsoever, nor are they accountable for you. So do not dismiss them or you will be one of the wrongdoers.” This āyah (verse) was revealed, first, directly as a command to the Prophet ‎ﷺ, and second, in response to elites of Quraysh who demanded that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ exclude the poor believers from his company in order to gain their favor and allegiance. The Qur’ān commands the Prophet ‎ﷺ to refuse this transactionalism. In a radical turn, the Qur’ān actually honors the poor believers (by way of mentioning them) and extols their piety, honoring the very people their society has marginalized. Speaking With, Not Just ToOne of the many notable and extraordinary characterstic of the Qur’ān is the manner in which it engages its audience. The Qur’ān wields a style of discourse in which it speaks with its audience not just merely to them. In the case of the poor, Allāh speaks with those of lesser material means, not simple at them. It acknowledges their suffering, extols their sincerity, and praises their devotion. It commands the Prophet ‎ﷺ to honor them not with pity, but with the greeting of paradise (Qur’ān 6: 54): وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ “When the believers in Our revelations come to you, say, ‘Peace be upon you’.” This acknowledgement is not a superficial act of kindness. Nor is it merely a transaction that benefits those who give to “score brownie points”. Greater than all this, it is an actual foreshadowing of the eternal reward for those pious worshippers who happen to be materially poor. It is a divine acknowledgment, not of their poverty, but of their proximity and closeness to Allāh. In our modern moment and culture, one where those are less materially well-off are scoffed at and those who are in possessino of material wealth are deemed to be noble, not for their character or achievements, but by way of their wealth. This decadent model is challenged by the qrn, compelling and commanding us to do more than provide aid. It calls us to listen, honor, and genuinely engage those who have less. The poor are not to be background figures in our grand, personal narratives of virtue. They are central characters in Allāh’s creation. Devotion Over StatusWhat earns the praise of those poor believers in Sūrah al-Anʿām is not their destitution, but their devotion. Before formal rituals like the five daily prayers were mandated, these believers were already calling on Allāh day and night. According some some scholars, such as Ibn Juzayy, say this yadʿūna rabbahum bi al-ghadāti wa al-ʿashiyy was the daily prayer of those pious Muslims in Makkah—a difficult place at that time to do so—before it was mandated on the rest of the Muslim ‘Ummah. Their sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is highlighted as a sign of their pure hearts and nearness to Allāh. In other words, these were not poor believers but were believers who happened to be poor. Indeed, they were spiritually rich, a richness that was not transactional; it was relational. Their value was not in how they allowed others to give, but in how they themselves gave their hearts to Allāh. But all this praise and character didn’t come without the resentment of the wealthy and the elites, something the Qur’ān, again by way of its narrative, exposes. The elite of Quraysh could not bear to the thought of having to actually associate and mix with the poor let alone them being religiously favored. In verse 6:53, Allāh says: وَكَذَٰلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍۢ لِّيَقُولُوٓا۟ أَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنۢ بَيْنِنَآ ۗ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ “In this way We have tested some by means of others, so those kuffar amongst the Quraysh may exclaim indignantly, ‘Has Allāh favored these poor believers out of all of us nobles?’ Does Allāh not best recognize whom the grateful truly are? The test that the Qur’ān speaks of is that tendency of people to associate material wealth with character and worth. In this way the Quraysh were no different that our society today which places and almost transcendent value on wealth, its acquisition and its outward expression. The Qur’ān reminds them—and us—that wealth is a gift, not a badge of superiority. It is also a test, to see if we will be grateful and is not to be translated into a right for social dominance and human worth. Beyond the Charity ModelAnd so there is a risk, even to the well-intended, to recast charity in such a light as to eclipse the dignity of the poor themselves, reducing them to vehicles for our good deeds. Instead, the Qur’ān resists this moral economics. It reasserts that the poor are fully human, fully dignified, and are a worth part of the ‘Ummah. Their existence is not to justify our generosity or assuage our gilt. Their pain is not a public service project. They are servants of Allāh whose dignity exists regardless of whether they receive charity or not. A beautiful example of this is the way in which the Qur’ān commands the Prophet ‎ﷺ to extend to them the Greetings of Paradise, meaning their presence is honored, not just merely tolerated or managed. Re-Centering the Nobility of the Children of AdamIn this moment of artificial intelligence and its ascendancy as well as the looming singularity of merging man and machine, a moment in which humans are increasingly seen as a problem to, if not just manage, but outright get rid of, it is heartening to read the Qur’ānic discourse on the poor, a language a grammar often pregnant with theological significance. The Qur’ānic discourse reminds us that we ought not say, or think of people as “poor people” but instead as “people who happen to be poor.” We have a tendency, especially in English, to put the adjective first, as if poverty circumscribes the very limits of their human and godly potential vs being a mere describes of their condition. Towards Building a Community of DignitySo let’s ask ourselves, “what kind of community are we building if the poor are always on the receiving end of instruction but never of real engagement?” If we insist, even unwittingly, on situating their worth in their circumstances, and those circumstances conveniently allow us to feel relieved of guilt and acquire good deeds, then are we not developing a dysfunctional system with those who are materially less privileged? I believe the Qur’ān offers us something better: it gives us a vision of a community where dignity is not measured by wealth, where taqwā is not tied to social class, and wealth is not perceived as a sign of Allāh’s pleasure. Let us then remember and remind those who in tight circumstances that they needn’t wait for charity in order to be virtuous or possessed of human dignity. You can also watch the video, an excerpt from my Saturday Qur’ān class, Understanding the Qur’ān, on YouTube:

﷽ This morning I happened to have a conversation with a friend at Middle Ground after our Qur’ān class (Understanding the Qur’ān) in which I accidentally left the camera running but it was an auspicious mishap as it allowed me to record a candid conversation about a phenomena that’s been on my mind for sometime, what I call “the TED-Talkification of the Minbar”. Allāh tells us in the Qur’ān that the Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) and its subsequent prayer, are a remembrace: “O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed with haste to the remembrance of Allah and leave off all business.” – Qur’ān 62: 9 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوْمِ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ فَٱسْعَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلْبَيْعَ ۚ But instead of getting a reminder that is centered on remembering our Lord, we often get motivational speeches or life hacks. My friend commented that this trend and attitude of turning sacred sermons into self-help talks is due to the khaṭībs being young and that while that may have something to do with it I also believe that this is also partially directed and informed by boards who want “relevant” imāms, never seeming to stop and consider that the Qur’ān and the Sunnah are always relevant. And while I do acknowledge that there is room for critique when it comes to the delivery of a sermon this too is an issue I lay at the feet of our masājid and other religious institutions due to the fact that they will allow virtually anyone to give a khuṭbah, never giving a thought to the necessary training that ought to go into being a khatib; something far more than just having good intentions. When you consider the tremendous influence social media has on people and how they might mistake a khuṭbah for a motivational talk or present/substitute religious guidance as life hacks it’s not hard to see how we’ve arrived at this phenomena. This video was an exerpt from Episode 41 of the Middle Ground Podcast. You can watch that full video here: Subscribe now

﷽ I gave the khuṭbah at Middle Ground yesterday and it was a continuation of last week’s khuṭbah in which I highlighted the grand purpose of life (وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ) from Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt, “and I did not create the Jinn nor humans except that they worship Me.” and also tying to this the two verses from Sūrah al-Baqarah in which Allāh shows that our creation and our fasting in the month of Ramaḍān is for the purpose of practicing taqwa, with both verses (21 and 183) repeating the refrain, “so that you will become people of taqwa” (لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ). I utilized these three verses to substantiate a purpose of life as well as a method of living that purpose. Today I continued by highlighting that there is a rhythm to Islām, to taqwa, a rhythm very much absent from modern life (see the two short videos above). Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Social media is awash with pundits all warning of a pending artificial intelligence apocalypse with each pundit having their theories. But as Muslims reality is not subject to interpretation outside of one general overarching truth: Allāh is in control of the affairs of His creation and therefore all actions and occurrences in His creation must be understood to be, one, underneath His authority, and two, serving His ultimate agenda. Additionally these two truths will be readily seen in the actions of the world around us if we would only stop to ponder. Many speculate as to the how of said apocalypse but few ask the why. Why should we humans be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence? Secular pundits, with no few Muslims amongst them, proffer that it is due to a cabal of elites who “run the world” but Allāh decisively states in the Qur’ān that He and He alone “conducts the affairs of the world” (أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۖ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ ۖ). Another explanation, in my opinion, is far more likely, and is easily supported by the Qur’ān itself. In Sūrah al-Mā’idah, Allāh states, O believers! Whoever among you abandons their faith, Allah will replace them with others who love Him and are loved by Him. They will be humble with the believers but firm towards the disbelievers, struggling in the Way of Allah; fearing no blame from anyone. This is the favor of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing (يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِى ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍۢ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُۥٓ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ يُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَآئِمٍۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ). Placing the blame for the state of the world on the faults of others is easy to do and it wouldn’t be the first time that a group of believers tried to do so but given the state of the world and the hearts of the people, hearts which are deeply steeped in distraction and doubling down on rejecting their Creator then it is little wonder that we could be replaced, with AI and the “cabal” being little more than a tool by which Allāh the Exalted fulfills His Word. You can watch the full khuṭbah here:

The following khutbah was delivered by Imam Marc on Friday, November 15th, 2019 at Middle Ground. ????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ??????????? ????????? ????? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????????? ???? ??????????? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????? ??????? ??????? ? ???????? ??? ????? ??????? ???????? ??? ????????? ? ???? ???????? ???????? ????????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????????? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ???????? ? ????? ??????? ???? ??????? ??????? “You have an excellent model in the Messenger of Allah, for all who put their hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much. When the believers saw the confederacy of Arab tribes they said: ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us. Allah and His Messenger told us the truth.’ It only increased them in faith and in submission. Among the believers there are men and women who have been true to the contract they made with Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pact by death and some are still waiting to do so, not having changed in any way at all. So that Allah might recompense the sincerely true for their sincerity and punish the hypocrites, if He wills, or turn towards them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Qur’an, 33: 21-23 ????????? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ??????????? ?????????? ????????? ?????????? ?????????? “By Time, man is lost, except those who believe and do good deeds and mutually help one another towards the truth and perseverance.” Qur’an, 103: 1-3

Imam Marc continues reading from Ibn al-Qayyim’s Miftah Dar al-Sa’adah, on knowledge. ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ????????? ???????? ??????????? ? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????????? “Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.” — Qur’an 3: 18

In this khutbah by Imam Marc, he discusses how we need to work for barakah (blessings) instead of “hustling”.

Imam Marc continues his class on knowledge, discussing points from one of Ibn al-Qayyim’s works.

Imam Marc continues his Saturday course discussing knowledge and its important place in Muslim life. This is part four.

The following is a khutbah delivered by Imam Marc on Oct. 18th, 2019. He discusses stress and how we can use Islam to give us the proper perspective on it in life.

In this long-awaited Part II, Imam Marc and Imam Suhaib Webb discuss the new film, “Joker” and some theological and Islamic perspectives on it.

Imam Marc continues his Saturday course discussing knowledge and its important place in Muslim life.

Friday khutbah delivered by Imam Marc at Middle Ground on October 4th, 2019.

From September 14th, 2019, Imam Marc continues his class, “Islam In-Depth”, discussing knowledge and Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya.

A khutbah delivered by Imam Marc at Middle Ground on September 13th, 2019. ?????? ?? ???? ??? ???? “Shyness does not bring anything except good.” — Riyadh al-Salihin

The following khutbah was delivered by Imam Marc at Middle Ground on Friday, September 6th, 2019. ?????? ????????? ????????? ????? ?????????? ???????????????? ? ??????? ?????????? ????? ???????? ????????? “And when your Lord announced, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you increase, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe’.” — Qur’an 14: 7

From time to time Imam Marc shares some of his short talks after Fajr salah. This one discusses the contrast of belief and “having no hope in meeting Allah” as discussed in the first portion of Surah Yunus (Jonah), the 10th chapter of the Qur’an.

From Imam Marc’s Saturday class, this session starts a new segment on knowledge and its importance to Muslims.

“A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet ?, was asked (by al-Aswad), ‘What kinds of things did the Prophet ? used to do in his house?’ She replied, ‘He worked for his family, meaning in the service of his family. However, when it the time for prayer came, he went out to the prayer’.” Recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, #676.

Imam Marc delivers a khutbah speaking to the high station that is, “we hear and obey”.

Imam Marc shares a reflection on the 24th chapter of the Qur’an, verses 45-52, as a guidepost for our spiritual aspirations and our relationship with All?h.