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PODCAST

The Middle Ground Podcast

The Middle Ground Podcast with Imam Marc Manley

This podcast will explore ideas important and pertinent to Muslims everywhere, especially in America, tackling challenges and hoping to inspire as we navigate this worldly life. imammarcmanley.substack.com

religion & spirituality islam

All Episodes

15:01

Fear, Love, and Mercy in the Qur’ān

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/09/24

﷽ Many Muslims today speak of “love”: for Allāh, for the Prophet ‎ﷺ, etc. And while having love for Allāh and the Prophet ‎ﷺ are indeed noble ambitions it would also seem that the current emphasis on love has come at the cost how we see obedience. It would seem for some Muslims today that talk of fearing Allāh and striving for obedience is akin to negativity. Others have conflated love with mercy. But the Qur’ān, however, addresses these qualities quite differently and separately.If we examine how

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4:55

How to Develop a Strong Relationship with the Qur’ān

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/09/23

﷽ So much of today’s “spiritual” discourse turns faith into a dopamine-trap where we seek to obtain, or in some cases, avoid, a certain mood. On this treadmill of mood chasing fear is always “bad,” love is always “good.” But what we are in need of today isn’t just obtaining the perfect “vibe” but instead, we need to be taught the skills which are necessary and conducive to contemplation and reflection. We need to return to a knowledge-based engagement with the Book of Islām which means we’re going

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12:52

Are Non-Practicing Muslims Doing Islām Better Than...

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/09/06

﷽Welcome to Episode 46 of the Middle Ground Podcast. In this episode I want to discuss a new (and disturbing) trend I’ve noticed in the social media landscape, namely Muslims making videos in which they claim the non-practicing Muslims are somehow actually “doing Islām more” than those who do. Can this be true? You can listen to the audio podcast or watch the video below.Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid

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27:01

ʿAqīdah (Creed) Should Lead to Compassion

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/08/31

﷽ Welcome to Episode 45 of the Middle Ground Podcast. For this episode I’m sharing an excerpt from my Saturday class on ʿaqīdah, otherwise known as “creed”; i.e., the things we Muslims must believe in and things we must reject. But the study of ʿaqīdah is much more than a list of do’s and don’ts. It should ultimately impact our character as well. I share a anecdote of a lesson I recently learned while visiting my 92-year-old father in the hospital.Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To

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22:35

Muslims and Mamdani - The Need for Religious Clarity...

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/06/28

﷽ Welcome to Episode 44 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Today, while driving to Jumu’ah, I wanted to share some thoughts of mine on the state of Muslim thinking and politics particularly as it relates to Zohran Mamdani’s bid for NYC mayor and the need for American Muslims to mature in their religious, and political, thinking.Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Imam’s Corner at

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73:13

Islām and Analog Determinism

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/06/11

﷽ Welcome to Episode 43 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Today I want to discuss the current paradox we’re living in: the paradox of “infinite” digital options. This paradox has left many (if not most) us more distracted, less fulfilled, and suffering from a kind of spiritual malnutrition. Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th Century philosopher, presaged the age of the “smart”-phone by warning of the dangers of losing our will to exert ourselves against external forces. What he foretold of nihilism now

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32:14

“We Were Here Already: Muslims & Sharī’ah in America”

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/06/02

﷽ Welcome back to the Middle Ground Podcast with Episode 42. Here, Imam Marc Manley takes into an important—and uncomfortable topic—that continues to stir headlines and town hall debates across America: Sharī’ah law. The issue here is not the fears and concerns of non-Muslims; as Imam Marc states, it’s not the obligation of Muslims to make non-Muslims comfortable with Muslims and Islām. Instead, the problem is the caricature of sharī’ah that’s being presented as factual in political campaigns and

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11:31

Live with Imam Marc Manley

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/05/31

Get full access to Imam’s Corner at imammarcmanley.substack.com/subscribe

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3:57

Feeling The Weight of the Prophet's Mantle

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/05/25

﷽ Before starting my Saturday Qur’ān class, Understanding the Qur’ān, where we read from Ibn Juzayy’s tafsīr, I shared a reflection on what it’s like to give a khuṭbah on the minbar, week after week. That there’s a weighty feeling of responsibility that comes with opening your mouth in not just a public space but most importantly a sacred one. Even after having given a khuṭbah nearly ever single Friday for over a decade, I still wrestle with the weight and the significance of standing in the place

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27:29

The Believer Beyond Fatalism: Improvising with What...

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/05/22

﷽ Modern life pushes us into two extremes: a hamster wheel of "progression" or paralyzing fatalism. Islam offers a different paradigm. We discussed, as part of our Saturday morning Fajr Club, how believers can hold space for both divine decree and improvised action, rooted in sincerity and gratitude. Get full access to Imam’s Corner at imammarcmanley.substack.com/subscribe

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1:21

The Forgotten Virtue in Avoiding Major Sins

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/05/09

﷽ Many of us focus on repentance, but did you know there’s a reward simply for avoiding major sins? Allāh says in Sūrah al-Shūrā,وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ - وَٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَـٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا۟ هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ“What is with Allah is far better and more lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord; who avoid major sins and shameful deeds, and forgive when angered…” –

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4:00

Everything Flows by God's Decree

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/05/05

﷽ The following is an excerpt from my Sunday Arabic class, The Arabic Reader. I wanted to illustrate how pre-modern scholars of the Qur’ān, in this case Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, the author of the famous al-Risālah, commented on how everything “flows into existence according to the decree of Allāh”, itself a commentary on the Qur’ānic motif of "flowing rivers" in paradise. I illustrate how this resonates with ideas in quantum physics. So what can classical Islamic thought teach us, or rather,

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0:44

Ṣalāh (Prayer) – The Lifelong Journey to Jannah...

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2025/04/21

Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.﷽ Inadequacies – we all have them. And Shayṭān, the Accursed Devil, uses these to discourage us from repenting to our Lord, Who is Merciful, and demoralize us from persevering through our faults, sins, and mistakes, making us think that we’ll never make it. But our beloved Guide and Messenger ‎ﷺ warned us from thinking just our deeds alone could save us when he said,

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57:05

Shayṭān Is Your Enemy

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/12/02

﷽ Welcome to Episode 38 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Hosts Imam Marc Manley and brother Dawud Aleman. In this episode we reflect on the duality that on one hand Allāh tells us that Shaytan (Satan) is our "clear enemy" (عُدُوٌّ مُبِيْنٌ) and yet he remains hidden to us, at least directly. We also talk about the effects of “blue light” and what it means to be “alternative” as it relates to medical practices.Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work,

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56:10

Political Postmortem

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/12/02

﷽ Welcome to Episode 37 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Hosts Imam Marc Manley and brother Dawud Aleman.In this episode we what's ahead for Muslims in America now that the election is over. Will Trump fulfill his promises, for good or bad, or is he a lame duck president?Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.You can also watch this episode on YouTube: Get full access to Imam’s Corner at

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54:00

Politics and Optical Illusions

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/12/02

﷽ Welcome to Episode 36 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Hosts Imam Marc Manley and brother Dawud Aleman.In this episode we ask the question: if much of politics is about "the optics" then what happens if it's just an optical illusion?Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.You can also watch this episode on YouTube: Get full access to Imam’s Corner at imammarcmanley.substack.com/subscribe

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54:30

The Value of Character

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/12/02

﷽ Welcome to Episode 35 of the Middle Ground Podcast. Hosts Imam Marc Manley and brother Dawud Aleman.Values. They sound good but are they really as permanent and unchangeable as we think? And what's the difference between values and character?Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.You can also watch the episode on YouTube: Get full access to Imam’s Corner at imammarcmanley.substack.com/subscribe

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61:17

What Are the Limits in Islam?

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/11/22

﷽ Welcome to Episode Thirty Four of the Middle Ground Podcast. We’re your hosts Imām Marc and brother Dawud Aleman. Narratives. Arabic. Question: Can a Muslim cry? Can we do yoga or mindfulness meditation? What are the limits in Islam? Brother Dawud and myself explore the limits, if any, of emotional expression as Muslims.Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This episode can also be found on YouTube:

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0:58

#EveryDayArabic August 22nd~ 2024

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/08/22

﷽ Ever wonder why there seems to be two systems of classification for Arabic dictionaries? Pre-modern dictionaries have one system (the “bāb and faṣl” system, as we’ll see) and modern dictionaries have another. Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In modern dictionaries like Arabic-English Lexicon (1863), better know as Lane’s Lexicon, by British orientalist, Edward William Lane, or Arabisches

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34:23

The Journey Towards Learning Arabic

The Middle Ground Podcast ·

2024/08/21

﷽Welcome to Episode Thirty Three of the Middle Ground Podcast. We’re your hosts Imām Marc and brother Dawud Aleman. Narratives. Arabic. All Muslims prize this language. Everyone wants to learn it. But for so many of us, Arabic remains an elusive goal despite the Qur'an being revealed in it. Why?Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This episode can also be found on YouTube:In shā’ Allāh we hope to start

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