backfromfajr

Alaa and Hala
  • 4.0 (4)
  • ISLAM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A philosophical podcast that dismantles cultural misconceptions about Islam and approaches various topics from an academic lens while weaving in our life experiences. Join us as we discuss areas we all interact with or have encountered in passing! Let us sit down and believe for a while.

Episodes

  1. 04/26/2025

    Soul Bytes Ep 1: Feeling the Ramad

    In the first episode of our new, more laid-back and freeform series, Soul Bytes, we reflect on our spiritual struggles and mindset shift during what was the busiest Ramadan ever for us. We explore how our relationship with tawakkul ebbs and flows and the constant rat-race against the limited time we had for Ibadah and our responsibilities.

    56 min

  2. 03/08/2024

    Episode 10: Jihad al-Nafs (The Struggle of the Self)

    As we enter Ramadan, our thoughts are occupied with how we can improve ourselves to get closer to God. How can we learn about "the self" to understand our relationship with God? We explore these concepts in this episode. First, we break down the term Jihad al-Nafs and explore an Islamic philosopher's (Mulla Sadra) perspective on this matter. Then, we delve into our struggles when engaging in Jihad al-Nafs, what we have learned over time and the importance of centering the Muslim community in our actions.

    1h 6m

  3. 01/06/2023

    Episode 9: Islam and AI

    AI is almost all we talk about in our major, Cognitive Science, so we decided to explore it in this episode. First, we give a debriefing on the basics of AI and it’s history such as what it means for AI to be intelligent. Then we entertain potential sci-fi possibilities such as transhumanism and The Singularity. And as always, we integrate the Islamic perspective on AI, exploring its ethicality and the potential impacts it can have on our Muslim community.

    1h 9m

  4. 04/08/2022

    Episode 8: How the Education System Failed Us

    In season 2 we’re focusing inwards, taking more nuanced perspectives on the self and focusing on topics related to our majors (Cognitive Science), like AI, the self and identity. In the first episode of the season we talk about the education system, its flaws and the culture of education advocated by Islam. It is our obligation as Muslims to seek knowledge but we must also be conscious of where we get our information and how we are being taught.

    1h 19m

  5. 09/17/2021

    Episode 7: Taffakur as a Form of Self-Care

    As university starts up again and we adjust to the new abnormal, we're continuously reminded to do acts of self-care. However, what does that look like? What does Islam have to say about it? We talk about our own approaches to self-care and how it differs depending on where we are in our lives. Also, we'll highlight how valuable taffakur [contemplation] and seeking knowledge is to your mental and spiritual health.

    46 min

  6. 09/03/2021

    Episode 6: Do We Have Free Will? Part II

    This episode is part 2 of our two part series where we explore free will and determination. In this episode we explore the different Islamic as well as Buddhist philosophies surrounding free will and our own beliefs.

    1h 11m

  7. 08/13/2021

    Episode 5: Do We Have Free Will? Part I

    This episode is part one of a two-part series where we explore free will and predetermination. In this episode, we prove our free will by analysing God's names, Al-Aleem (The All-Knowing) and Al-Jabbar (The Compeller), where we come to further understand the reason things are the way they are and how to work harder towards our hereafter.

    1h 1m

  8. 07/16/2021

    Episode 4: Can Anyone Be Creative?

    In this episode we discuss what Islam and several Islamic philosophers have said on creativity. We take you through the creative process of backfromfajr and the doubts that we encounter along the way with any creative process. Exploring yourself and putting yourself out there creatively is difficult but a beautiful process that is part of our human nature.

    45 min

  9. 07/09/2021

    Episode 3: Forgiveness

    In this episode we explore the concept of forgiveness. What we can learn from God as The Most-Forgiving, how to apply it to our daily lives and learning to forgive others and ourselves.

    43 min

  10. 07/02/2021

    Episode 2: The "Ideal" Muslim

    In this week's episode we discuss the components that curate what we believe to be the Ideal Muslim; utilizing what the Qur'an, several hadiths and Ibn 'Arabi have said. We are then joined by a guest to discuss the differences between living in a Muslim country and a non-Muslim country and if becoming the Ideal Muslim is attainable.

    53 min

  11. 06/25/2021

    Episode 1: How We Expect Muslim Women To Act

    In this week's episode we explore Khadijah's life and highlight the current cultural differences that we encounter. We then move on to share our personal struggles whether it be personally inflicted or cultural; touching on our pursuit of education and our experiences with hijab

    45 min

  12. 06/25/2021

    Episode 0: The Voices Behind backfromfajr

    Get to know us and why we started this podcast !

    3 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

A philosophical podcast that dismantles cultural misconceptions about Islam and approaches various topics from an academic lens while weaving in our life experiences. Join us as we discuss areas we all interact with or have encountered in passing! Let us sit down and believe for a while.

Information

  • Creator
    Alaa and Hala
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alaa Yehia, Hala Sheta 2021
  • Show Website
    backfromfajr