Imam Omar Suleiman is a scholar, speaker, activist and writer based in the U.S. He is the founder and president of the think-tank, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an adjunct professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Southern Methodist University. He is also the resident scholar at Valley Ranch Islamic Center and Co-Chair Emeritus of Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square, a multi-faith coalition of religious leaders for peace and justice.

Imam Omar Suleiman is one of the creators of the internationally acclaimed ‘Inspiration Series’ – a series of short films that attempts to bring the sunnah of the Prophetﷺ to life. He was previously the imam of the Jefferson Muslim Association in New Orleans, where he also co-founded the East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association. He has been a strong advocate of community service, interfaith dialogue and social justice.

Imam Omar Suleiman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic law, a Master’s degree in Islamic Finance, a Master’s Degree in Political History and is in the process of completing his PhD from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Islamic Thought and Civilization.

Omar Suleiman

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Dr. Al-Akiti is the Kuwait Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK. He is also the Islamic Centre Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford and is a Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. He is the first Malay to be appointed to such a position in the university. Dr. Al-Akiti is also the Assistant Editor of the Journal of Islamic Studies

Dr. Al-Akiti trained as a theologian and philologist in both the Islamic and Western traditions. Educated originally by scholars of the Muslim world, he subsequently received a First Class degree in Scholastic Philosophy and History of Science from the Queen’s University of Belfast, where he was awarded various scholarships to read for his Masters degree and then DPhil in Medieval Arabic Thought as a Clarendon Scholar in 2008.

His book *Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless against the Killing of Civilians* (2005) first appeared as an online response to the London bombings in 2005, and gained huge popularity.

Dr. Afifi al-Akiti has been listed in the 500 Most Influential Muslims, since 2010. In 2011, he was conferred the Darjah Paduka Mahkota Perak (PMP), the Malaysian equivalent to the British CBE. In 2012, he was the sole recipient of the Darjah Dato' Paduka Cura Si-Manja Kini (DPCM) in the Sultan of Perak Birthday Honours List, gaining the Malaysian title of ‘Dato'.

Dr Afifi Al-Akiti

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Asma Afsaruddin is a professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University, Bloomington,. She specializes in the religious and political thought of Islam, Quran and hadith, Islamic intellectual history, and gender.

In addition to numerous articles, her books include *Contemporary Issues in Islam* (2015); *Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought and Praxis *(2013); *Islam, the State and Political Authority: Medieval Issues and Modern Concerns* (2011); and *The First Muslims: History and Memory *(2008).

Dr. Afsaruddin is a member of the academic council of Georgetown's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and of the American Academy of Liberal Education's board of trustees. She has received research funding from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, which named her a Carnegie Scholar in 2005. Dr. Afsaruddin earned her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University and previously taught at the University of Notre Dame and Harvard University.

Dalia Mogahed is a community researcher Pollster and research analyst, author, and advisor based in the U.S. She is the Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, where she leads the organization’s pioneering research and thought leadership programs on American Muslims.

Dalia Mogahed is former Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, where she led the analysis of surveys of Muslim communities worldwide. With John L. Esposito, she co-authored the book Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. President Barack Obama appointed Mogahed to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2009. 

Dalia Mogahed was invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about U.S. engagement with Muslim communities. Her 2016 TED talk was named one of the top TED talks that year. She is a frequent expert commentator in global media outlets and international forums. She is also the CEO of Mogahed Consulting.

Dr Asma Afsaruddin

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Dr. Craig Considine is an award-winning professor and the best-selling author of *The Humanity of Muhammadﷺ - A Christian View* (2020). Dr. Considine is recognized as an authority in interfaith dialogue. He has written seven books and multiple articles for the field of Christian-Muslim relations and Islamic studies.

Dr. Considine's opinions appear regularly in leading news and media outlets around the world. Dr. Considine also has directed the critically acclaimed documentary film *Journey into America* (2009), which documents the Muslim experience in America. As an undergraduate student, Dr. Considine worked closely under Professor Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies in the School of International Service, with whom he later partnered on the documentary.

Dr. Considine holds a PhD in sociology from Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, an MSc. in international relations from Royal Holloway, the University of London, and BA in international relations from American University in Washington, DC.

He is a practicing Roman Catholic of Irish, Italian, Scottish, and English descent and a native of Needham, Massachusetts.

Dr Craig Considine

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Among the most profound aspects of Islam, was its aim to bring out the best in people’s character. Just like the prophets who came before him, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was sent to reshape people's lives and behavior in line with the belief in one Creator. Loving God (Allāh) meant being loving, attentive and compassionate to the people around you, from your own family to the wider family of the community.

### Care for the congregation

As a true servant of his community, the Prophetﷺ was fully aware of every individual’s situation and needs. He had an extraordinary ability to understand and accommodate others, even when it came to the congregational daily prayer. And while there was no one who spent more time and devotion in prayer than the Prophetﷺ, when he was leading the community of worshipers in the mosque, he was deeply conscious of all the people behind him. His congregation encompassed the elderly, women, young children, those who were new to Islam and people with disabilities, all of whom he took into thoughtful consideration.

>As a true servant of his community, the Prophetﷺ was fully aware of every individual’s situation and needs.

The Prophetﷺ once heard a child crying during the prayer, so he hastened it, wanting to alleviate the distress of both the mother and her child. In this gracious act, the Prophet conveyed a strong message: do not let the love of God lead you to the neglect of everyone else. Instead, your love of God should lead you to channel the mercy you seek from Him through your mercy to people.

### Expressing love

>It was through subtlety and intelligence, that Prophet Muhammadﷺ read and responded to each person and each situation.

It was the norm in seventh century pagan Arab society not to express one’s emotions or affection openly, even towards the closest members of the family. Telling someone you loved them, or even showing affection was looked down upon, and this led to a broad lack of understanding and absence of sensitivity to other people’s needs. But it was an attitude that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was to radically change in the most beautiful manner.

One of the ways he did this was in the affection he showed for his grandchildren. In the mosque, when the toddlers used to wander around and stumble over, he would descend from the pulpit in the middle of his sermon, pick them up, place them on his lap and continue to give his speech. Through this act of care, he showed his congregation that children are a vital part of the community and that they should be treated with love and gentleness.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ was also incredibly perceptive, and adjusted the way he communicated with people to help them understand whatever lesson he was imparting. Once, when the Prophetﷺ kissed his grandsons publicly, a man commented, “I have ten children and I've never kissed any of them.” The Prophetﷺ replied not with a rebuke, but in a way that would appeal to the man’s sensibilities. He told him that mercy in one’s heart is God-given. And when you neglect something that God has put inside of you, then you are neglecting a blessing of God. The Prophetﷺ thus planted a seed of change, encouraging the man to see the benefit of affection from a different lens.

It was through subtlety and intelligence, that Prophet Muhammadﷺ read and responded to each person and each situation, bringing out the best in people’s character and setting new norms in society.

### Empathy and sensitivity

>Prophet Muhammadﷺ always sought to bring relief to people and to connect with people at a level that most would overlook.

In the Quran (Qurʾān), God describes Prophet Muhammadﷺ as a “mercy to the worlds” and the beauty of this mercy and compassion translated into his everyday behavior with everyone around him.

He once appointed one of his pious Companions to lead the night prayer, yet after a few days, someone came to the Prophetﷺ complaining that this imam recited such lengthy passages from the Quran that it was difficult for him to stand for so long in prayer.

The Prophetﷺ, sensitive to the needs of the complainer and having the perceptiveness that others too may feel the same, gently told the imam, “Do not be among those that cause others to flee from the religion.” The Prophetﷺ was ever cognizant of the fact that people were at various spiritual and physical levels, and warned the imam not to be a barrier to their religious journey.

With a profound understanding of faith coupled with a deep understanding of his community, Prophet Muhammadﷺ always sought to bring relief to people and to connect with people at a level that most would overlook. Through the smallest of gestures, he could completely transform the energy of the situation, such as encouraging people to smile at each other, saying, “A smile in the face of your brother is a charity.” This was encouraged even if someone were to pass a cup of water to a needy person. In a simple yet insightful move, the Prophetﷺ removed the sense of feeling like a burden from the needy person, and created a more equitable scenario.

Having lived the life he did, the Prophetﷺ knew what it felt like to be an orphan, to be poor and vulnerable, to be treated with contempt and overlooked. It was from these experiences that a profound sense of empathy arose to foster not only a better situation for the person in question, but more broadly to forge a culture of consideration and care.

One telling description of the Prophetﷺ was that he was even better inside his home than outside it, meaning he did not separate his behavior with his family from his behavior with the community. Indeed, in private, away from the eyes of society, his manners were even more impeccable.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ imbued every role he held, whether as a leader, grandfather or friend, with empathy, love and understanding.

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Emotional Intelligence

Throughout his life, Prophet Muhammadﷺ faced a breadth of hardships and challenges that played a crucial role in shaping his mental, emotional, and spiritual fortitude. His experiences forged the character of a man who shouldered the immense task of spreading the message of Islam and they enabled him to persevere through every storm.

### Resilience from birth

Instead of comfort and ease, Muhammadﷺ spent the first part of his childhood knowing difficulty and grief. He lost his father, Abdullah ('Abdallāh), even before he was born into a society that was built on patriarchal power. His mother, Amina (Āminah), was grief-stricken. Without a husband to support her, the young bride could not afford to pay a Bedouin wet nurse to care for her child, as was customary for her noble clan. Yet, a poor, kindly nomadic woman, named Halima (Ḥalīmah), offered to take the infant into her care.

>As a child, the Prophetﷺ had already endured the most difficult of circumstances. He understood what it meant to be in pain. He understood what it meant to be helpless and alone.
 
A few years later, Muhammadﷺ rejoined his beloved mother, but they were only to enjoy a brief time together, as she died from an illness when he was just six years old. Twice orphaned, he had to move on again to live with his paternal grandfather, but tragedy did not yet leave Muhammadﷺ, as his grandfather also passed away a few years later.

As a child, the Prophetﷺ had already endured the most difficult of circumstances. He understood what it meant to be in pain. He understood what it meant to be helpless and alone. His early experience of loss made him more attuned to his emotions from a young age, a bittersweet familiarity that would come back repeatedly in life. As an adult, he saw the passing of his beloved wife, Khadija (Khadījah), and he suffered the heartbreak of seeing his children die before him. He underwent all these traumas while being ridiculed and abused for spreading Islam. Yet each sorrow and challenge carved out resilience and compassion. Through his example, his people learned how to embrace vulnerability and steer through each test.

### The loss of baby Ibrahim

>Even through his pain, the Prophetﷺ taught his people that processing grief and being in touch with one’s emotions confirms their humanity and dependence on God (Allāh).

After living through so much loss, the Prophetﷺ was finally blessed with a son towards the end of his life, whom he named Ibrahim after the ancient Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm), the father of monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The whole community joyfully celebrated the birth, the first child born to the Prophetﷺ in Medina (Madīnah), where the early Muslims had migrated after fleeing persecution in their home city of Mecca (Makkah). But the joy, like the boy, was short lived. Soon Ibrahim became very ill, taking his last breath in his father’s arms. The Prophetﷺ openly showed his grief and vulnerability, with tears running down his face as he stood by his son’s grave.

The Prophet’sﷺ Companions were taken aback by his sadness, thinking a man of his standing and position, a leader on God’s mission could withstand the pain. One Companion gently said to him, “O Messenger of God, even you are weeping?” The Prophetﷺ replied, “This is mercy. The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say anything except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your separation.”

Even through his pain, the Prophetﷺ taught his people that processing grief and being in touch with one’s emotions confirms their humanity and dependence on God. Yet at the same time, he did not allow his emotions to overtake him, showing there is balance in everything, even sorrow. Through that tempered release, he taught them to find solace and deepen their faith in God.

### The woman with mental health needs

>This leader had no interest in being apart from his community;  he lived alongside them, eager to support them in any way he could.

While the Prophetﷺ dealt with his own difficulties, he never placed them above his growing community. He was always ready to serve each member, going out of his way to tend to their individual needs. There was a woman who was known to have mental health issues, and one day she came to the mosque, seeking the Prophet’sﷺ help. He showed her care, respect and attention, and knew she would need further support, so he offered to meet her wherever she wished.

The Prophetﷺ walked with the woman, listened patiently, and remained with her until she felt assured and was able to move on. This leader had no interest in being apart from his community; he lived alongside them, eager to support them in any way he could. Through his example, the Prophetﷺ showed his Companions how to be there for someone going through the different trials of life, whoever they are. He encouraged the Muslims to alleviate each other’s burdens, and never think they were too proud to help.

### Supporting people through anxiety and depression

>Prophet Muhammadﷺ embodied the Quran's (Qurʾān) assurance, “For indeed, with hardship comes ease,” always ready to help carry people through their trauma towards hope and relief.

The Prophetﷺ would never equate a person's sadness with a lack of faith. Far from dismissing people’s experiences and emotions, he sought to acknowledge their feelings, reassure them and help them find perspective and hope.

People often came to the Prophetﷺ to share their grief, because they knew they would never be belittled, but that they would be taken seriously, listened to and respected. The Prophetﷺ was ready to offer his sympathy and support as well as offering prayers to help them move forward.

There was a young man from among the community who was suffering from depression. He came to the Prophetﷺ, saying he no longer wanted to live. The Prophetﷺ with his usual comforting demeanor, attentive manner and reassuring presence, gently asked him, “You want to die while I am among you?” The Prophetﷺ lifted the young man out of his depression and gave him a supplication that acknowledged the hardship he was going through and assured him of the love and solace that flowed from God.

The number of supplications and prayers about grief and anxiety that the Prophetﷺ gave to people proved he acknowledged and addressed mental health issues. Prophet Muhammadﷺ embodied the Quranic assurance, “For indeed, with hardship comes ease,” always ready to help carry people through their trauma towards hope and relief.

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Mental Health

The goals of peace and compassion are paramount in the Islamic sacred text of the Quran (Qurʾān), which states that God (Allāh) guides to “the ways of peace” (Chapter 5, verse 16) and affirms that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was sent only as a “mercy to the worlds” (Chapter 21, verse 107). True to his role, the Prophetﷺ was always eager to encourage compassion over conflict and stipulated the need for mercy over revenge.

### Clemency to the captives

When Prophet Muhammadﷺ began to spread the message of Islam from the year 610, the early Muslims faced brutal opposition from the Quraysh, the pagan ruling elite in Mecca (Makkah). After suffering thirteen long years of persecution, a divine revelation finally came to the Prophetﷺ, directing the fledgling community to defend themselves.

>Ever authentic to his noble character, Prophet Muhammadﷺ chose to act with clemency even when he had been wronged.

The first and most significant of the battles between the Muslims and their enemies was the Battle of Badr, named after the valley where it took place. Even though the Prophet’sﷺ army was far fewer in number, they gained a decisive victory over the pagan Quraysh, taking many captives.

Despite the history of torture and abuse that the minority Muslim community had suffered, the Prophetﷺ did not seek retribution, but preferred to show his enemy captives leniency. He told the Muslims to treat the captives well, and to feed them the same food that they ate themselves.

The Prophet’sﷺ eagerness to show compassion also translated into his readiness to free the captives. He told them that even if they did not have the financial means to ransom themselves, they could teach ten illiterate people to read, which he would accept as alternative ransom. Ever authentic to his noble character, Prophet Muhammadﷺ chose to act with clemency, even when he had been wronged.

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_Despite enduring years of persecution from the city’s pagan elite, the Prophetﷺ led his victorious army in a peaceful conquest of Mecca._
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### The merciful conquest of Mecca

>Even in this role reversal of power and authority, the Prophetﷺ showed an astonishing willingness to forgive his enemies.

After having endured ridicule, persecution and exile at the hands of the Meccan ruling tribe, the Muslims built a new community and home in the city of Medina (Madīnah). Years later, the Prophetﷺ returned to Mecca with an army of 10,000 soldiers, one of the largest armies Arabia had ever seen.

Even in this role reversal of power and authority, the Prophetﷺ showed an astonishing willingness to forgive his enemies. Despite returning to a city where he had been humiliated, where his family and friends killed, and where he and his followers had been driven out of their homes, he had no desire to see a cycle of revenge and bloodshed prevail. The Prophetﷺ used the power of mercy to reinforce and reframe authority, showing great strength through his great compassion.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ went even further to secure stability and harmony, by honoring his former enemies as allies in an extraordinarily wise move that brought them into the fold of the very community they had previously been attacking. Instead of mentioning their previous acts, the Prophetﷺ assured them there was no blame on them on this day of mercy.

The Prophetﷺ set a crucial example to the Muslims: that there is far greater value in forgiveness than in revenge. And that the remedy for injustice and the cycle of abuse is moving the community forward, as one whole, together.

### Justice for others

>Prophet Muhammadﷺ was so committed to seeking justice for others that he did not allow his own grievances to stand in the way.

While the Prophetﷺ always leaned towards mercy, he never dismissed the rightful claims of those who had been wronged.

A man from outside of Mecca once came to him complaining that his money had been taken away by the tyrannical pagan leader, Abu Jahl (Abū Jahl), not knowing that Abu Jahl was the Prophet’sﷺ bitterest enemy.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ was so committed to seeking justice for others that he did not allow his own grievances to stand in the way. The Prophetﷺ had suffered constant abuse from Abu Jahl, and had lost family and followers to him, and yet instead of denying the man who had sought his help, the Prophetﷺ went to the house of Abu Jahl, knocked on his door, and told him to pay the foreigner his due.

In doing so, the Prophetﷺ encouraged his own enemy to show compassion and justice to a man he barely knew, even though that same compassion and justice had not been shown to him. Such was the clemency of the Prophetﷺ, that even while he was being oppressed, he encouraged a just act from his own enemy.

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_The day at Taif when the Prophetﷺ was relentlessly abused and pelted with rocks was described as the most difficult day of his life._
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### The trial at Taif

>The Prophetﷺ was able to maintain the spirit of forgiveness and forbearance even in the most testing of circumstances, never losing sight of his divine mission.

Aisha (ʿĀʾishah), the Prophet’sﷺ wife, once asked him what had been the worst day of his life out of the multitude of tribulations he faced over the years before he migrated to Medina to build a new home.

The Prophetﷺ replied that it was the day at Taif (Ṭāʾif), a town he had fervently hoped to find better receptivity to the message of Islam. He had decided to make his way to this town after having suffered persecution from the Meccan elite, and after having grieved over the loss of his beloved first wife and his uncle, two of his greatest supporters.

In the aftermath of after these tragedies and trials, the Prophetﷺ hiked for days through the mountains to reach Taif. The townspeople and their children lined up on either side of a path that stretched for three miles, hurling rocks, abusing and humiliating the Prophetﷺ with every step he took.

Blood streamed down his face and body, reaching his sandals, and yet even in the midst of enduring this terrible treatment, the Prophetﷺ maintained perspective. He did not seek retribution, instead he chose compassion and hope, praying that the children of Taif would be different in the future. And so, the Prophetﷺ was able to maintain the spirit of forgiveness and forbearance even in the most testing of circumstances, never losing sight of his divine mission.

### The sword in the tree

>The Prophetﷺ let him go, teaching him that real power lay in showing mercy.

The Prophetﷺ would never allow himself to be overtaken by anger or vengeance, because his mission was solely to channel the will and mercy of God. Even in the heat of a moment, in the space between a transgression and a retaliation, his ability to show mercy was instantaneous.

One such moment occurred when Prophet Muhammadﷺ was taking a nap under a tree in Medina, and his sword was hanging in its branches when a hostile man grabbed the sword and stood menacingly above the Prophetﷺ. The man said, “Who is going to stop me from killing you now?” And the Prophetﷺ looked up at him and said that God alone would stop him. He said this with such confidence that the man dropped the sword and the Prophetﷺ overturned him, picked up the sword and said, “Who's going to stop me from killing you now?” The man begged for his life, and the Prophetﷺ let him go, teaching him that real power lay in showing mercy.

### The man, the pillar and the turn of heart

>The Prophetﷺ, in his foresight, had been giving his enemy a chance to observe the Muslim community, the very people he had been persecuting.

The Prophetﷺ always used wisdom and foresight when it came to dealing with enemies, and this played out in the story of a hostile tribal leader who once came to Medina, full of hatred and seeking to inflict harm on the Prophetﷺ. The man was captured and tied to one of the pillars in the mosque, and the Prophetﷺ asked him what he had to say for himself. The tribal leader replied that he was powerful and wealthy and that if he was hurt, then blood would spill, but if the Prophetﷺ were to show kindness then he would be a grateful man.

The Prophetﷺ decided to leave him where he was, and came the next day, asking him the same question, and getting the same answer. By the third day, after receiving the same answer again, the Prophetﷺ let him go. This confused the Companions. They questioned why Prophet Muhammadﷺ would let such a powerful and dangerous man go when he could easily come back and harm them.

But instead of returning with more malice and manpower, the leader returned ready to embrace Islam. The Prophetﷺ, in his foresight, had been giving his enemy a chance to observe the Muslim community, the very people he had been persecuting. The Prophetﷺ wanted to give him time to transform hate into familiarity and understanding.

In constantly seeking to cultivate a peaceable environment, the Prophetﷺ enabled a space where the best ideals and the best of character could be nurtured. Even when confronted with the worst of people, Prophet Muhammadﷺ showed insight, deep understanding and ultimately mercy, which was his greatest gift to the world.

Omar Suleiman

Emotional Intelligence

The Family Man

Mental Health

The Perseverer

Compassion to Enemies

The Peacemaker