Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

Juz’ 1 with Imam Tom Facchine | Diseases of the Heart, Identity, & the Choices We Make

In Surah al-Baqarah, Allah introduces three categories of people (the believers, the disbelievers, and the hypocrites) and three categories of creation (angels, jinns, and humans). Through the stories of Bani Isra’il, Allah draws parallels between these categories, the state of our hearts, and what truly separates believers from everyone else.

Hosts Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro are joined by Imam Tom Facchine in this year’s first episode of Qur’an 30for30 to take a new look at Juz 1 to help us reconstruct our worldview and make the most out of this Ramadan.

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0:00 – Introduction
4:47 – Dr. Omar Suleiman reflects on three categories of people in Surah al-Baqarah
7:45 – The three categories of creation (angels, humans, and jinn)
10:24 – The parallels between the two categorizations
11:42 – The difference between the questioning of Bani Isra’il and of the angels
13:24 – Sh. Abdullah Oduro reflects on the story behind the name of the second chapter – “al-Baqarah”
17:13 – Allah’s categorization of rocks and how they relate to hearts of humans
19:50 – How to soften your heart in Ramadan
21:08 – The parallels between the categorizations of people and their hearts
22:34 – Imam Tom reflects on the pitfalls of taking faith as identity
25:28 – The central problem of Bani Isra’il
28:42 – Extreme focus on identity can be a type of tribalism
30:00 – What it really means to have faith

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine (pronounced fa-KEEN-ee) converted to Islam in 2010 as he was finishing his BA in Political Science. For the next few years he studied Islam and Arabic with local teachers while working with Muslim youth, founding and directing youth groups in two different communities. In 2015 he was accepted into the University of Madinah and is now close to completing a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law. In addition to youth group activities, for the past two years Tom has directed an after school program for young Muslims called the Ramadan Academy, which operates out of the GCLEA mosque in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Tom’s academic and personal background brings a unique dual ability to relate to mainstream Western cultural norms and engage them from a traditional Islamic perspective. His unique teaching style is highly interactive and brings high-level concepts to a level that even children can understand. He is passionate about building relationships with Muslim youth and giving them the tools and confidence to live as observant, well-adjusted people of faith in our times.

Sh. Abdullah Oduro

Sh. Abdullah Oduro

Fellow, Head of Convert Resources | Abdullah Oduro is a first generation Ghanian native that converted to Islam in 1997. He graduated from the College of Islamic Law from the University of AlMadinah in 2007. He conducts public speeches, sermons, lectures, and workshops around the US on Islamic Law, self-improvement, and convert life. He is currently the Imam at the Islamic Center of Coppell and Lewisville in Dallas, TX. He resides in Dallas, TX with his wife and four children.

Having recently joined Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research as a Scholar, Shaykh Abdullah leads a team providing unique and comprehensive resources for new Muslim converts and institutional convert care.

Dr. Omar Suleiman

Dr. Omar Suleiman

President | Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Southern Methodist University.