Episode 5: Do We Have Free Will? Part I

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.