Muslim Academic Community UK

09/10/2025

Just listen to this young man excelling in his own chosen field of expertise in a different cultural milieu and language. These are our role models. This how MAC-UK aspire to nurture future leaders in every walk of life.

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14/09/2025

Professor Dr Hind from Berkeley University, California talk on 'AI & Islam' was an absolute intellectual treat of the highest calibre. Her knowledge of Islamic history, understanding of the Quran, and tying the two with future technological trends was something never heard or read before by anyone in the audience. I have requested Professor Hind if it would be possible to have a video of her lecture on 'zamaan' which is the first lecture in her course at Berkeley University.

14/09/2025

MAC-UK 3rd Annual Conference Manchester 13/09/2025: Speakers' interactive session with the audience

Yesterday I attended one of the most inspiring and intellectually stimulating events. I am still trying to fully absorb the mind-boggling content. The ideas, the concepts, the real-life experiences and lessons were so deep and transformational that in all honesty they deserve and need another event to be discussed and deliberated.

The speakers, the content, and the interactive sessions were of the highest possible standards. The audience was excellent and fully engaged. Even after a very long and packed programme no one wanted to leave and Farid Khan had to literally usher everyone out of the building at the end of the day.

I am worried about how we would be able to do better than this next year.

Alhamdulillah !

08/09/2025

MAC-UK is happy to announce

Today I got the permission from the Publishers for the translation of the autobiography of Fatima Grimms from the German language into English and Urdu. I have already got a copy of the autobiography which is in the German. I will soon start working on it in collaboration with my dear friend Col (Rtd) Tahir Najib Raja.

Fatima Grimm, born Helga Lili Wolff, was the daughter of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS Karl Wolff. Fatima was born on July 25, 1934. On her 26th birthday in 1960, she took the shahadah to become a Muslim, in Munich. In the following decades, she wrote and translated several books and wrote numerous articles as a journalist. In addition, she worked on a German translation of the Quran in a group of mostly women, including Halima Frils and Eva-Maria El-Shabassy. The translation contains detailed comments from Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Asad, al-Qurtubi, Sayyid Qutb, Daryabadi, Ibn Katheer, Mawdudi, al-Suyuti and Abdul Hameed Siddiqi. It took her team 16 years to finish the work. A few weeks before his death in 1984, Grimms father Karl Wolff gave the Islamic profession of faith; at his grave his daughter gave the funeral prayer in the presence of representatives of the Islamic Center of Munich. Fatima Grimms passed away on May 6, 2013.

21/08/2025

This is what Muslims lost by the 14th Century. Intellectual vigour and tossing of diverse creative ideas and diversity of creative thinking ceased to be the driving force of the Muslim intellectual discourses after the 14th Century.

This is what MAC-UK is striving to rejuvenate.

The friend who made the future - How the Lunar Society in Birmingham which members included James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood and ...

11/08/2025

A superb insight so necessary for achieving the objectives and goals of MAC-UK

7 enlightening takeaways:

1. Networking Matters. Feibelman emphasizes the importance of building relationships. Dynamic connections open doors, providing opportunities that a degree alone cannot.

2. Diverse Skills are Key. Beyond research, he highlights the necessity of acquiring skills in communication and leadership. These are essential for making an impact.

3. Persistence Pays Off. The journey in academia is riddled with challenges. His message encourages resilience, reminding us that triumph often requires relentless effort.

4. Seek Mentorship. Feibelman's portrayal of mentorship as a beacon of guidance reinforced its importance. Learning from others' experiences can shortcut our path to success.

5. Accept Failure. He doesn't shy away from discussing setbacks, teaching that they're stepping stones rather than barriers.

6. Stay Curious. His passion for lifelong learning ignites a fire within, urging us to remain inquisitive and open-minded.

7. Impact Over Knowledge. Feibelman stresses that knowledge should serve a purpose. Making a difference in the world is the true essence of our work.

07/08/2025

MAC-UK 3rd Annual Conference Manchester 13th Sept, 2025

27/07/2025

A believer is like a cactus

One of the most grounded plants in the desert is the cactus (called _sabbar/sabr_ in Arabic) whose deep roots connect to subterranean aquifers and provide long-term stability in harsh conditions. The cactus inspired the concept of perseverance ( _sabaru_ , in plural action form): the ability to remain anchored and steadfast despite being battered repeatedly by unfavourable situations, environment, and climate just like a cactus.

In Arabic, "cactus" is typically translated as "صَبَّار" (ṣabbār). The word also carries the meaning of the virtue "patience". Additionally, the fruit of the prickly pear cactus is known as "تِينَةُ البَر" (tīnat al-bar), which translates to "fig of the wilderness".

Now reflect on the life and existence of a cactus plant in the harsh and challenging conditions of the desert. How a cactus is battered and hit day after day by the scorching heat and dry winds of a desert. How its deep roots and tough and rough prickly stem and leaves face and survive all these challenges with resilience and perseverance waiting for the rain, sometimes waiting for years. And how with very little rain it immediately blossoms and manifests its most beautiful inner latent potential of producing the most beautiful flowers, transforming the barren desert into one of Allah's most beautiful creations.

A true believer's life and existence are like a cactus plant in the desert. He is deeply rooted, like a cactus, in imaan, and faces the challenges of life with the resilience of a cactus in the desert, waiting with patience for the opportune time to arrive. When the circumstances become conducive he blossoms, just like a cactus in a desert after a rainfall, making the best of the opportunity at hand. He then transforms the world around him into a beautiful place that reflects the glory and the majesty of Allah.

02/07/2025

"If your country is governed by the most stupid people, it is vital for you to continue going up personally while your nation and your country is going down because your country will inevitably collapse and it will be in need of people like you, people who managed to improve themselves while everything else was falling and deteriorating."

[Mehmet Murat ildan]

14/06/2025

The following is a message by a young thinking doctor and entrepreneur to a group of young professionals who are working on professional and academic excellence among young Muslim professionals. Below the message is my reply to him on the group:

[ Salaam all

While I wholeheartedly value the mission of this group to promote excellence in our professions and in society, I’ve realized that for now, I need to step back and reorient. My focus at this stage is to detach from the noise of neoliberal life, simplify, and rebuild from a more inward place, one that listens to the ruh, prioritizes silence and slowness, and aligns with the prophetic rhythm of life.

This isn’t a rejection of ambition, but rather a reminder to myself that true excellence (ihsan) begins with being present with Allah and with myself. I hope to return at some point, but for now, I’ll be taking a break from the group to focus on this journey. - Yaser Javed ]

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Yaser

I am so happy to read the above message. This is the journey of the human soul.

The human soul is sent into this world to observe, experience, and analyse. Then arrive at some understanding and conclusion about life. Following this then to go into solitude to refine and redefine all that that has been understood. At the end of this stage of sincere introspection and reflection, the soul starts perceiving the reality of human existence. When this understanding is matured, the human soul is ordained to go back into the world and rearrange the existential reality of its life according to the truth it has understood.

That is what the life journey of the Prophet (pbuh) was as well. Even after the Night of Ascension (the night of Miraaj), when the entire reality was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh), instead of the Prophet (pbuh) staying in Heaven, he was ordained by Allah to go back to the world and redefine the world according to the Will of Allah.

So

You are now on the same journey of the soul. You have arrived at the stage of introspection and reflection.

Going by experience, it will take you three to five years to re-enter the world with your new understanding of life and its purpose.

You cannot complete this journey without the Quran. You have to pick up the lens of the Quran to start dissecting life with it.

May Allah be your Guide. Amin

Altaf

21/04/2025

When Fatima Grimm's autobiography's German publisher and potential translator, German scholar Claudia Azizah Seise, asked me why I wish to translate the book and who will be the publisher, the following was my reply:

[ Fatima Grimm's is an inspirational life. It will be unfair on the non German speaking seekers of Truth not to know about Fatima's journey towards Truth and finally finding it. It is also very important for non German speaking people who have found their way towards Truth to know about the difficulties other people encounter embarking on a similar journey. We wish to tell Fatima's story to a wider, if possible, global audience.

This is an individual effort with very limited funding available. Hence, we will be publishing the English translation of the book somewhere affordable. Most likely, we will publish the book in Pakistan with a well reputable publisher. ]

Becoming Muslim was only the first step. And to keep that inner peace needs constant working, learning, trusting in God. I learned that it was extremely...

16/04/2025

"AI and Character Building in Medical Education": Sharing a video summary of the lecture delivered at a recent conference by Dr Suhail Chughtai, who is part of Muslim Academic Community - UK.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝗜, Dr. Suhail Chughtai was invi...