PODCAST · religion
The Middle Ground Podcast
by 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. www.imammarc.com
Episodes
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The Meaning of Struggle in Islām
﷽ al-Salāmu ʿalaykum and welcome to Episode 60 of the Middle Ground Podcast. The following is a short talk by I gave after Fajr Prayer on the meaning of struggle and the importance of making struggle meaningful. Allāh says in the Qurʾān: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ...
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Between Memory & Remembrance
﷽ Welcome to Episode 59 of the Middle Ground Podcast. The following is from my post-Fajr talk on October 11th, 2026, discussing memory and remembrance. The opening passages of Sūrah Yūnus and Sūrah al-Sajdah share several themes, including Allah’s creation of the heavens and the earth, His...
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The Coolness of the Eyes and Why This World Can Never Fully Satisfy Us
﷽ The great Muslim scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah, once said: الفقر لي وصف ذات لازم أبداً كما الغني أبداً وصف له ذاتي. “Neediness is an intrinsic attribute of mine, inseparable from me forever, just as self-sufficiency, forever, is an intrinsic attribute of Him.” This episode of the Middle Ground Podcast...
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Many Has One Destination and Many Paths
﷽ One of this world’s defining qualities is it’s filled with lies and deceptions. From make-up crises, predictions by so-called “experts”, non-stop political and cultural arguments, scandals, and endless speculation about what may happen next, it becomes fatiguing. Sūrah al-Nabaʾ cuts through…
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Guard Your Islām Like Your Life Depends On It
﷽ This episode is from our Friday Ḥalaqah. Picking up from where we left off in our khuṭbah today, we discussed not only how humans tend to only change when when presented with a crisis, we also talked about how change takes grit, determination and courage, as found in the statement of the…
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Following vs. Perfection: What Is the Sunnah?
﷽ In this episode I discuss my brief participation in the the conference, If He Were Among Us, put on by the Rahma Center in Lake Forest, CA. I noticed that many of the participants were asking about perfection as it related to following the Prophet ﷺ. I share a few reflections in this post-Fajr...
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Integrity in an Age of Unlived Words
﷽ By nature, we love an underdog. When a sports team “beats the odds” we love to cheer for them even if we were booing them just a week ago for losing. When momentum builds—whether in a political campaign, a business venture, or a spiritual/religious experience—it is easy to ride the bandwagon…
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Finding Your Security As A Muslim
﷽ Sūrat al-Maʿārij offers a sobering picture of the Day of Judgment: * a day when when a woman would abandon her own child; * a day when I man would offer his own mother as ransom to escape the Fire! But the Sūrah also teaches us how to live before that day arrives. Imam’s Corner is a...
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Riba, Robots, and the Panopticon!
﷽ It’s not just Muslims feeling the gaze of Big Brother these days: it seems everyone everywhere all the time is feeling like we’re all under the every-increasing watchful eye of the Surveillance State. There is no veil from this surveillance. So how should we as Muslims feel about this and what...
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Hope & Faith in a Time of Absurdity
﷽ Welcome [back!] to Episode 50 of the Middle Ground Podcast with Imam Marc Manley and brother Dawud Aleman. We discuss our absences, life in the intervening year or so, and how we still cultivate hope and faith in the ridiculous times we’re living in. Watch the podcast on YouTube as well: Imam’s...
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Ideology Burnout?
﷽ Welcome back to another episode of the Middle Ground Podcast. This one will be short and sweet as I share some feedback from a brother who reached explaining that he felt burnout and longing from ideological fatigue. Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and...
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Islamic Psychology?
﷽ al-Ḥamdulillāh it was my pleasure to speak at the 10th Annual Family Symposium for Muslim Family Foundation: Roots of Wellness, alongside Dr. Deana Helmy, sister Ahlam Gheith and Shaykh Ḥasan Radi. Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work…
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The Truth Will Set You Free
﷽ al-Ḥamdulillāh I was invited again by the gracious folks at Masjid al-Fatiha of America, located in Azusa, California. I’ve worked closely with this family-run masjid for years. Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free…
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Fear, Love, and Mercy in the Qur’ān
﷽ 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...
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How to Develop a Strong Relationship with the Qur’ān
﷽ 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...
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Are Non-Practicing Muslims Doing Islām Better Than Those That Do?
﷽ 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.…
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ʿAqīdah (Creed) Should Lead to Compassion
﷽ 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....
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Muslims and Mamdani - The Need for Religious Clarity on Political Matters
﷽ 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...
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Islām and Analog Determinism
﷽ 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...
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“We Were Here Already: Muslims & Sharī’ah in America”
﷽ 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…
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Live with Imam Marc Manley
Get full access to Imam’s Corner at www.imammarc.com/subscribe
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Feeling The Weight of the Prophet's Mantle
﷽ 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...
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The Believer Beyond Fatalism: Improvising with What Has Been Decreed For You (Qadr)
﷽ 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...
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The Forgotten Virtue in Avoiding Major Sins
﷽ 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...
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Everything Flows by God's Decree
﷽ 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...
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Ṣalāh (Prayer) – The Lifelong Journey to Jannah (Paradise)
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…
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Shayṭān Is Your Enemy
﷽ 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...
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Political Postmortem
﷽ 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...
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Politics and Optical Illusions
﷽ 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...
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The Value of Character
﷽ 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...
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What Are the Limits in Islam?
﷽ 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...
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#EveryDayArabic August 22nd 2024
﷽ 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...
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The Journey Towards Learning Arabic
﷽ 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?...
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The Unseen Reality
﷽ Welcome to Episode Thirty Two of the Middle Ground Podcast. We’re your hosts Imām Marc and brother Dawud Aleman. Narratives. Are Jinn just fables? Is the Unseen real or just a metaphor? We'll discuss this and more Imam’s Corner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support...
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The Power of Narrative
﷽ Welcome to Episode Thirty One of the Middle Ground Podcast. We’re your hosts Imām Marc and brother Dawud Aleman. Narratives. They're everywhere and it seems that everyone has one or at least they're trying to sell you one. But what is it? And why should Muslims have one? This episode can also…
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Who Can You Trust?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Nine of the Middle Ground Podcast. We’re your hosts Imām Marc and brother Dawud Aleman. In the day and age of personalities and influencers, how and who can you trust when it comes to taking religious knowledge? As usual, we discuss all topics in light of the Qur’ān…
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Mercy From God or Sympathy From Man?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Eight of the Middle Ground Podcast. Running solo for this episode, I’m your host, Imam Marc from Middle Ground. In the last 24 hours I had three enlightening encounters: a post on Instagram, a counseling appointment, and a consultation for marriage. All three provided...
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All the World Is A Stage
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Seven of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman. As the poet Shaykh Zubayr, a.k.a., William Shakespeare once said, "All the word's a stage". From the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump to politics in America in…
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Are You For Real?!
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Six of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman. In this episode we'll asking the question, “Is reality a simulation? Are we in French philosopher Jean Baudrillard's ‘Simulacra and Simulation’? We're not saying it's aliens ... As usual, we...
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Sound Belief?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Five of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman. In this episode we'll be looking at the relation between sound and light and how understanding this and contemplating it gives us deeper insights into God's majesty and creation. As usual…
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The End of Empire?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Four of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman. In this we explore what it means for us as Muslims to be at the end of American/western empire. We look at the writings of investor Ray Dalio and ask if his predictions are accurate or...
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Dear Jamal...
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty Three of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman. In this episode our hearts are heavy with the passing of our beloved brother Jamal (Alexander) Ramsey, may Allāh have mercy on him. Brother Jamal was quite beloved by everyone in the...
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AI In Shā’ Allāh?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty One of the Middle Ground Podcast. Myself, Imam Marc, and brother Dawud Aleman, are your hosts for exploring the topic of Artificial Intelligence. Should we fear it? Is it all bad? Are we all going to lose our jobs or become the victims of Skynet? As usual, we discuss…
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Living in a Toxic World?
﷽ Welcome to Episode Twenty of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. In this episode we discuss the increasingly toxic world we live in and the consequences as a society of being completely divorced from how our food and medicine is produced. As usual, we…
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Muslim Youth Standing For Justice
﷽ Welcome to Episode Nineteen of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. We’re excited to accounce that we’re now streaming the MGP on YouTube. Head over to our YouTube channel and subscribe so you’ll be notified for the next live stream. In this episode we…
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A Guide On Considering Islām
﷽ Welcome to Episode Eighteen of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. We discuss a recent encounter of a young man who came to Middle Ground, seeking some clarification on how to explore the truth-claims of Islām, to which I introduced the idea of Christianity...
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Every Soul Shall Taste Death
﷽ Welcome to Episode Seventeen of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. We discuss my recent heart attack, facing mortality, and what change, if any, has it had on me. As usual, we discuss all topics in light of the Qur’ān and statements from the Prophet, ﷺ.…
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Fasting For Allāh's Sake
﷽ Welcome to Episode Sixteen of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. We discuss Ramaḍān, fasting (ṣiyām/ṣawm), ṣabr (perseverance), as well as some of our first experiences with fasting when we were new Muslims, and what it’s like to withdrawal from the world…
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Investing In Ourselves
﷽ Welcome to Episode Fifteen of the Middle Ground Podcast. I am joined again by my brother Dawud Aleman. We discuss economics via UK inequality economist Gary Stevenson, investing, and the importance of Muslims cultivating resources for themselves and the communities they live in. As usual, we...
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Israeli Propaganda & Western Hypocrisy
﷽ Welcome to Episode Fourteen of the Middle Ground Podcast. This episode is a recording of a talk I gave at Kitaab Academy’s Aqsa Conference. As usual, we discuss all topics in light of the Qur’ān and statements from the Prophet, ﷺ. Other references in this episode: * Sūrah al-Mā’idah v. 55…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
www.imammarc.com
HOSTED BY
The Middle Ground Podcast with Imam Marc Manley
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How many episodes does The Middle Ground Podcast have?
The Middle Ground Podcast currently has 62 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Middle Ground Podcast about?
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. www.imammarc.com
How often does The Middle Ground Podcast release new episodes?
The Middle Ground Podcast has 62 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts The Middle Ground Podcast?
The Middle Ground Podcast is created and hosted by The Middle Ground Podcast with Imam Marc Manley.
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