In The Quest For More Knowledge

Intro: Bringing the Ummah Together: An Anthology of Our Aslaf 

Shaykh Amin Kholwadia introduces this year’s Ramadan Series: Our Aslāf Part 2. Despite their diverse backgrounds and lands, the Aslāf shared one message and devoted their lives to the dīn of Allah and His Prophet ﷺ.

In Our Aslāf Series Part 2, the scholars of Darul Qasim take you across the Muslim world from China to India, from West Africa to Bosnia highlighting remarkable men and women who carried the light of Islam with one unified devotion to the Qur’an and the Prophetic legacy.

Follow along and witness the beauty of our vast Islamic intellectual tradition rooted in revelation and expressed through scholarship, sacrifice, and service.

Episode 1: Ibn Baṭṭūṭa: Scholar, Qāḍī, and Traveler of the Ummah

Narrated by Mawlana Bilal Ali, we begin the Aslaf Series Part 2 with the remarkable journey of Ibn Battuta.

Born in Tangier in 1304, he set out for Ḥajj at 21 and went on to travel across North and West Africa, India, Central Asia, the Maldives, and even China. He served as a qāḍī in Delhi and the Maldives, witnessed the Black Death, and crossed the Sahara to Timbuktu. His travels were later compiled into the Rihla, one of the most important historical records of the medieval Islamic world. Through his journey, we witness a civilization united by the Qur’an, scholarship, and sacred purpose.

Episode 2: Maliki Law, Social Justice, and Statecraft: The Vision of Usman dan Fodio

Narrated by Dr. Firas Alkhateeb, this second episode of the Aslaf Series Part 2 explores the legacy of ʿUthmān dan Fodio, the 18th/19th century Mālikī ʿālim whose call to justice, farḍ ʿayn, and mass education reshaped West Africa.

His efforts led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate, a unifying force for Muslims in the region for generations.

Episode 3: The Radiant Pen of Damascus: The Life & Legacy of ʿĀʾisha al-Bāʿūniyya

Narrated by Dr. Sara Attar, this second episode of the Aslaf Series Part 2 explores the remarkable life of ʿĀʾisha al-Bāʿūniyya, born in 15th-century Damascus into a family of jurists and scholars. A ḥāfiẓa of the Qur’an, recipient of ijāzāt in ḥadīth and taṣawwuf, and later a renowned teacher in Cairo, she became one of the most prolific female authors in classical Arabic literature.

Her works wove together devotion, Sufi metaphysics, and poetic mastery, earning her recognition in her lifetime as both jurist and spiritual guide.

Episode 4: Architect of Ottoman Iftā’: Ebu Suud Efendi

What does it look like when scholarship shapes an empire?

Narrated by Mawlana Kamil Uddin, this episode of Aslaf Series Part 2 explores the life of Ebu Suʿūd Efendi, the Grand Mufti who systemized iftāʾ, elevated the office of Shaykh al-Islam, and helped align imperial law with the Sharīʿah across the vast lands of the Ottoman Empire.

Episode 5: Waqf That Built a City: Gāzī Ḫusrev Beğ and the Soul of Sarajevo

This episode of Aslaf Series Part 2 explores the legacy of Gāzī Ḫusrev Beğ, the Ottoman governor who transformed Sarajevo through a remarkable waqf. From the historic Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque to the Kuršumlija Madrasa, his endowment sustained scholars, students, travelers, and the spiritual life of the city for centuries.

A powerful reminder of how waqf institutions nurtured knowledge, service, and community across the Ottoman Empire.

Episode 6: The Han Kitāb: Islam in the Language of Confucius

This episode of Aslaf Series Part 2, Mawlana Asif explores the remarkable intellectual tradition of the Han Kitab, a body of works through which Chinese Muslim scholars articulated Islamic teachings using the philosophical language of Chinese civilization.

Focusing on the contributions of Wang Daiyu and Liu Zhi, this talk highlights how Islam was expressed through Confucian concepts while preserving its core theology. Their works stand as a powerful example of how Islam has historically engaged diverse cultures without compromising its message.

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