Great Books of Islam

Dr. Rami Koujah
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Religion & Spirituality

The Islamic intellectual tradition produced some of the most ambitious and original - philosophy, law, mysticism, political thought that changed the world. Great Books of Islam brings them off the shelf. I hold a PhD in Islamic law, theology, and ethics from Princeton, and I read these texts with the rigor they demand and an eye for what they say about the modern condition. Lectures, close readings, and conversations with leading scholars in the field. Big ideas, primary sources, and the search for what it means to be human. No dumbing down.

Episodes

  1. Jun 29

    Becoming Superhuman || "The Art of Being Human" by al-Raghib al-Isfahani (Ep. 3)

    Last time, we asked what being human is for. This time, we ask how far it can go. In this episode, we cover: - Reason and revelation aren't competing for the same job - they're the same faculty, just working from two different directions: one from outside us, one from within - How a single bad habit slowly shuts down the heart - step by step, until it can't be reached at all and how good habits do the exact reverse - Why you can't purify yourself through effort alone, but you also can't expect to be purified without making any effort - two opposite mistakes, both wrong - Why death isn't an ending but a second birth, and why a fully realized human being can actually outrank the angels - What it would really take to become"superhuman" This is Episode 3, the final installment of our 3-part series on The Art of Being Human.

  2. Jun 22

    The Purpose of Existence | "The Art of Being Human" by al-Raghib al-Isfahani (Ep. 2)

    Last time, we asked what a human being is. This time, we ask what it's for. In this episode, we cover: – Nature and scripture as two books – Nature as an externalized reflection of the self – The purpose of human existence – The original "DEI" argument – The definition of happiness – Why "just be a good person" isn't enough – A philosophy of religion – A social theory of human difference This is Episode 2 of our 3-part series on The Art of Being Human.

  3. Jun 16

    "The Art of Being Human" by al-Raghib al-Isfahani | Episode 1: What Is A Human Being?

    What does it mean to be human? A thousand years ago, a scholar in Baghdad asked the same question and wrote a book about it that feels startlingly relevant today. Al-Räghib al-Isfahäni's answer: being human is not a given - it's an achievement. You can have the biological form of a human being and still fall short of what humanity actually demands. Religion, for al-Raghib, is the art of that achievement - and The Art of Being Human is one of the great overlooked masterworks of the Islamic intellectual tradition, and one of the most serious Islamic responses to the crisis o meaning ever written. In this episode, we cover: -The human being as a microcosm of the universe -Why studying nature is the key to self-knowledge - and why self-knowledge is the key to everything else -The cosmic significance of human speech -How to achieve happiness in this life and the next - and why the two are not in tension -What religion is actually for - and why it's the antidote to the modern crisis of meaning This is Episode 1 of a 3-part series. Subscribe for Episodes 2 and 3.

  • 3 Episodes

About

The Islamic intellectual tradition produced some of the most ambitious and original - philosophy, law, mysticism, political thought that changed the world. Great Books of Islam brings them off the shelf. I hold a PhD in Islamic law, theology, and ethics from Princeton, and I read these texts with the rigor they demand and an eye for what they say about the modern condition. Lectures, close readings, and conversations with leading scholars in the field. Big ideas, primary sources, and the search for what it means to be human. No dumbing down.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Rami Koujah
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Rami Koujah
  • Show Website
    Great Books of Islam