Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah. ROOTED has kept going, and some of these went out inside an earlier post, so here they all are in one place. Four episodes have gone up since Mawlana Zakariyya Harnekar, and there is a fifth conversation outside the series I want you to see. All of them are free. Ep. 6 — He Knew Every Hafiz in Cape Town | Imam Fuad Samaai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l4v97tfTEQ Ep. 7 — “You Don’t Worship the Teacher” | Mawlana Zakariyah Philander The man at the front of the first madrasa I ever sat in, in Retreat, when I was eleven. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p84vZFLZ9C8 Ep. 8 — One of the Shortest Chains to Sahih al-Bukhari in the World | Mawlana Ashraf Lamara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKOMp9SZsFA Ep. 9 — Damascus, Through the Door of Du’a | Shaykhah Ruqayyah Samsodien She flew to Damascus at eighteen and hung a sign around her neck that read “I don’t speak English,” so that nobody would. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cuFJE4f6HQ And the beginning of something separate: A Child of the Jamaat, the first of my long conversations with Prof. Farid Esack on being a Muslim in South Africa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUwcDETGtqA The whole ROOTED playlist is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf_aPJtuAk9c I leave for Umrah on Tuesday in sha Allah and will be back on 5 October. Watch one of these while I am away and put whatever it raises in Ask the Shaykh — I will work through them on my return. Keep me and my family in your duas. Barakallahu feekum.

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, and welcome! Bismillah — we're so chuffed to have you here as one of our first members. Alhamdulillah, you're part of the very beginning of something special. So what's this space all about? Simply put: Isnad Academy is here to help you learn authentic Islam from trusted South African scholars whose knowledge is rooted in isnād — that unbroken chain going all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ. But it's not just knowledge for the sake of it. It's about living your deen with clarity, confidence and balance in today's world. Through online courses, talks and discussions, you'll learn directly from the scholars themselves. And along the way we'll share their stories too — through podcasts, videos and documentaries — so you connect not just with the knowledge, but with the people carrying it. Our dua for you? A generation of Muslims grounded in authentic knowledge, connected to trustworthy scholars, and able to navigate modern life with faith and conviction. To get going, introduce yourself below — drop your first name, your city, and one thing you're hoping to gain here. Then have a look around the Classroom and Calendar tabs, in sha Allah. May Allah place barakah in this journey. So glad you're here. 🤲 بارك الله فيكم