OnGuard - For the Ummah, For the Truth

Afleveringen

1. "DON'T believe in yourself" | The strange power of admitting you're powerless (ft. Sh Mustafa Almansur)

   27 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 22 min

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   What if the biggest obstacle to your future isn't your circumstances, your resources, or your abilities — but the fact that you're relying on yourself? Lees meer

   In this deeply moving episode of OnGuard, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Sh Mustafa Almansur to explore the true meaning of īmān, tawakkul (trust in Allah), and the extraordinary possibilities that open up when we stop depending solely on ourselves.

   Sh Mustafa shares the emotional story of his estrangement from his son, and the seemingly irrational decision to travel thousands of miles to Saudi Arabia without knowing whether his son would even agree to see him.

   Together, they challenge some of our deepest assumptions about self-belief, anxiety, control, success, and what it actually means to trust Allāh.

   Is īmān simply something we possess, or something we actively do? Does tawakkul mean expecting Allah to give us what we want? And how can accepting that we don't control the outcome actually liberate us to take action?

   Drawing on the Qur'an, the life of the Prophet ﷺ, and powerful personal experiences, this conversation explores how a genuine relationship with Allah can transform what we believe is possible.

   **Sometimes, the moment you stop relying on yourself is the moment everything changes.**

   Watch, reflect, and share with someone who needs this reminder.

   Chapters:
   00:00:00 Introduction
   00:03:00 Why are Muslims struggling with fear and anxiety?
   00:06:10 Where is Allah in your calculations?
   00:12:00 Are you limiting what Allah can do for you?
   00:15:00 Changing ourselves and the Muslim Ummah
   00:18:00 Is this just positive thinking or the prosperity gospel?
   00:23:00 Does tawakkul guarantee worldly success?
   00:30:00 Īmān is not just something you believe
   00:35:00 Do you actually depend on Allāh?
   00:37:40 My son thought I abandoned him
   00:42:00 Why we demand guarantees before trusting Allāh
   00:45:00 Lessons from the Prophet ﷺ at the Battle of the Trench
   00:49:00 Knowing Allah versus experiencing His …

2. Jesus' Muslim Followers Could Rewrite Christian History (ft. Paul Williams)

   21 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 34 min

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   What if the greatest challenge to modern Christianity comes not from Islam — but from Christianity's own forgotten history? Lees meer

   Who really followed the teachings of Jesus (ʿĪsā عليه السلام)? His 'brother' James and the original disciples who knew him personally, or Paul, whose teachings came to dominate Christianity despite never meeting Jesus?

   In this fascinating episode of OnGuard, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Paul Williams of @BloggingTheology to uncover a largely forgotten chapter of Christian history — one with potentially revolutionary implications for how we understand the religion of Jesus.

   They explore the beliefs of the earliest followers of Jesus, the extraordinary significance of James, the rise of Pauline Christianity, and why the original Jesus movement may have had far more in common with Islam today than most people realise.

   But this conversation goes beyond Christian origins. Paul also challenges conventional Muslim approaches to daʿwah, reflects on his journey with Blogging Theology, and shares insights from his engagement with leading Christian academics.

   As Paul puts it, the implications could amount to a “Copernican revolution” in how we understand Christianity.

   Was the original religion of Jesus forgotten? And what happened to those who followed it?

   Watch the full conversation and decide for yourself.

   CHAPTERS
   00:00 Intro
   01:31 Are Muslims debating the wrong Christians?
   02:27 Is Christianity really declining?
   09:04 Should Muslims prioritise Christian daʿwah?
   13:17 A better way to invite Christians to Islam
   19:01 Dialogue, debates and finding common ground
   24:08 What's wrong with Christianity today?
   29:25 James: The forgotten brother of Jesus
   33:09 What religion did Jesus' first followers practise?
   38:49 James vs Paul: Two different religions?
   41:56 Who truly represented Jesus?
   47:46 The religion of Jesus vs the religion about Jesus
   51:02 Were Jesus' earliest followers Muslim?
   52:01 How Christians explain the differences
   55:00 T…

3. How DAWAH could become a SIN (ft. Sh Shaqur Rehman)

   15 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 40 min

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   What if your daʿwah is successful in the eyes of people — but rejected by Allāh? Lees meer

   In this powerful episode of OnGuard, Shaykh Shaqur Rehman joins us for a deep and unusually candid discussion about ikhlāṣ: sincerity for the sake of Allāh.

   But this isn't simply a reminder to “check your intentions”.

   What happens when the algorithm rewards you for being seen? When daʿwah becomes a personal brand? When views, followers, praise and influence begin affecting how you speak, what you post — and even why you post it?

   Could an outwardly good Islamic video earn no reward at all? Could the very likes and shares we celebrate become evidence against us?

   Shaykh Shaqur explores riyāʾ (showing off), sumʿah (seeking to be heard), the danger of celebrity daʿwah and “one-man shows”, why accountability matters, and how an intention can change even while performing a good deed.

   Most importantly, the discussion turns practical: how do we actually protect our hearts while doing public work for Islam?

   Through lessons from the Qurʾān and Sunnah, personal experiences, and remarkable examples from the Salaf, this is an urgent conversation for every Muslim who teaches, posts, speaks, campaigns, creates content — or simply wants their good deeds to be accepted by Allāh.

   Chapters
   00:00 Can your daʿwah become a sin?
   01:12 Ikhlāṣ in the age of algorithms
   05:10 How Shayṭān targets our intentions
   12:49 What does ikhlāṣ actually mean?
   18:52 The crunch moment: sincerity when it hurts
   25:18 Riyāʾ, public deeds and “faking it”
   34:25 “Build the ʿabd first”
   37:43 The problem with one-man daʿwah
   43:32 Lesser shirk and speaking for an audience
   51:58 When a good deed becomes sinful
   58:22 Riyāʾ and sumʿah in the social-media age
   01:05:18 Why does it have to be a “big deed”?
   01:09:41 Protecting your intention as an online daee
   01:21:11 Why your private worship matters
   01:30:19 Extraordinary examples of ikhlāṣ from the Salaf
   01:38:37 A final warning for the digital age

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4. MEN DON'T TALK - A Muslim Therapist on What’s Really Happening to Men

   26 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 40 min

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   Muslim men are struggling with anxiety, depression, loneliness, addiction and pressures that often remain completely hidden from the people around them. But why do so many men suffer in silence — and what should Muslims actually do about it? Lees meer

   In this episode of OnGuard, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Ahmed Tomal of Tawfiq Therapy for a frank discussion about the mental health challenges facing Muslim men today.

   They explore anxiety, depression, loneliness, addiction, relationships, suicidal thoughts, emotional suppression and the difficulty many men have in asking for help. Ahmed also breaks down what therapy can genuinely offer — while warning against uncritically importing assumptions and ideologies from modern therapeutic culture into an Islamic framework.

   Can a man be strong and still admit he is struggling? How should husbands communicate when stress begins damaging their marriages? What does useful therapy actually look like? And how can Islam, family, community and professional support work together before somebody reaches breaking point?

   A candid and practical conversation about what Muslim men may be going through behind closed doors — and why simply saying “I’m fine” may not be enough.

   Chapters:
   00:00 Introduction
   02:30 Meet Ahmed Tomal
   03:39 Can mental-health language be weaponised?
   06:34 Why focus on Muslim men?
   07:12 What Muslim men are struggling with
   09:33 Depression and suicidal ideation
   10:44 How anxiety is treated
   15:55 Exposure-response prevention and Prophet Musa
   22:06 Hamza’s experience with boxing anxiety
   27:32 Childhood experiences and coping mechanisms
   34:39 Suppressed emotions, anger and relationships
   47:53 Understanding depression
   59:19 Responding directly to suicidal thoughts
   1:00:08 What happens during therapy?
   1:08:00 Therapy, ideology and Islamic values
   1:12:42 Suicide rates in Muslim communities
   1:16:59 Is “toxic masculinity” the right term?
   1:24:46 Islamic guidance on emotions and grief
   1:30:52 Why Muslim men avoid seek…

5. What Muslim Mental Health Gurus Aren’t Telling You (ft. Imam Abdullah Hasan)

   15 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 43 min

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   Is modern therapy really neutral?
   Imam Abdullah Hasan argues that beneath many popular approaches to psychology, counselling and psychotherapy lie assumptions about what a human being is, what suffering means, what constitutes illness, and what healing should look like.
   And when Muslims adopt those frameworks wholesale — then simply add Qur’anic verses, hadith or Islamic terminology — are we actually producing “Islamic psychology”? Or are we importing an entirely different worldview into Islam?
   In this fascinating OnGuard conversation, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Imam Abdullah Hasan, who combines traditional Islamic scholarship with formal study in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.
   They explore the philosophical foundations of Freud, Carl Rogers and modern therapy; why Imam Abdullah believes Muslims must build from an Islamic understanding of the qalb, nafs, rūḥ and fiṭrah; the development and criticism of psychiatric diagnosis; the “chemical imbalance” narrative around depression; pharmaceutical influence; grief and human suffering; trauma culture and self-diagnosis; the effect therapeutic language can have on families; and what an authentically Islamic approach to human flourishing might look like.
   Imam Abdullah also shares the deeply personal experience of losing his mother, and explains why Islam does not promise us a life without pain — but gives suffering meaning, purpose and a path through it.
   This is not an argument to ignore genuine suffering or deny people support. It is a challenge to Muslims to examine the assumptions underneath the solutions we are being offered — and to rediscover the extraordinarily rich understanding of the human being already contained within our own tradition.
   Chapters
   00:00 Coming up
   02:44 Meet Imam Abdullah Hasan
   04:47 Is modern psychology harming Muslims?
   14:00 Building psychology from an Islamic worldview
   28:52 What’s wrong with “Islamic CBT”?
   31:46 Who decides what counts as mental illness?
   43:11 The che… Lees meer

6. Is the West civilised? This is why "right' and "wrong" keep changing (ft. Sh Dr Haitham al-Haddad)

   26 juli 2026 · 2 uur 4 min

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   What makes a society truly civilised? Lees meer

   Is civilisation measured by wealth, military strength and global influence—or by the moral principles that restrain power and protect human dignity?

   In this extended OnGuard conversation, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad to explore akhlāq: the Islamic understanding of character, morality and the way human beings relate to Allah, themselves, one another and the world around them.

   They examine who has the authority to define right and wrong, why secular moral frameworks can produce radically different conclusions over time, and whether human reason and desire can ever provide a stable foundation for ethics.

   The discussion then moves from the individual to the civilisational. Can a society flourish without morality? What happens when pleasure, greed, ribā, family breakdown and the pursuit of power become embedded within a nation? And why do powerful countries so often begin to resemble the very forces they once claimed to oppose?

   Shaykh Haitham also explains why Muslims should aspire to civilisational strength—not for domination or oppression, but to protect justice, resist tyranny and prevent the weak from being exploited by those with greater power.

   Drawing upon the Qur’an, the Prophetic mission and examples from Islamic history, this conversation presents akhlāq not merely as good manners or private spirituality, but as the moral foundation upon which individuals, families, communities and entire civilisations must be built.

   A wide-ranging discussion on morality, power, justice, trust, ʿaqīdah, tawakkul, barakah—and what it really means to be civilised.

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7. Hamza Tzortzis asked a real scholar for candid advice. This was the answer. (ft. Sh Dr Mostafa al-Shaybani)

   23 juni 2026 · 49 min

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   In this special episode of OnGuard, Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits with the world-renowned Mauritanian scholar Shaykh Dr Mostafa al-Shaybani for a deeply personal conversation on da‘wah, sincerity, fame, the Qur’an, family, and the crisis of Muslim online influence. Lees meer

   Hamza asks the Shaykh to advise him directly — as someone involved in leadership, public da‘wah, online work, and mentoring others — on how Muslim speakers, activists, influencers and students should protect themselves from ego, ostentation, fame, algorithm-chasing and losing sight of the real purpose of calling people to Allāh.

   The Shaykh’s answer is a powerful reminder: before public da‘wah must come private worship; before chasing followers must come sincerity; and before trying to “win” arguments must come a heart shaped by the Qur’an.

   This is essential viewing for anyone involved in da‘wah, Islamic content, community work, teaching, activism, or public Muslim discourse.

   Chapters:

   00:00 Hamza asks for sincere mentorship
   02:44 Private worship and the weight of da‘wah
   06:37 Why are you calling people to Allāh?
   08:10 The Qur’an is guidance, not just barakah
   12:10 Surah al-Baqarah and reshaping the Muslim mind
   17:18 Tadabbur: the Qur’an as transformation
   21:22 Reading sīrah as Qur’anic guidance
   22:40 Your da‘wah starts at home
   24:47 Fame: the enemy of the da‘i
   29:40 Basīrah, hikmah and long-term da‘wah
   36:10 Qur’an, marriage and the da‘i’s inner life
   42:29 Let the Qur’an choose your da‘wah priorities
   44:11 Followers, hearts and success from Allāh
   46:38 Hamza’s journey back to the Qur’an

   Subscribe to Islam21c for more conversations on faith, family, da‘wah, politics, society and the challenges facing Muslims today.

   Share this episode with anyone involved in da‘wah, Islamic content, community leadership or Muslim public discourse.

   🌟 Support Our Mission 🌟

   To extend the reach of our impactful content, kindly consider making a contribution (https://islam21c.com/guardians). Your support helps us make a …

8. "Go after their women" - How a Civilisation Was Hijacked (ft. Sheikh Shaqur Rehman)

   3 juni 2026 · 1 uur 38 min

   Afspelen
   What happens when Muslim men and women are separated from their fitrah, their roles, their families — and each other? Lees meer

   In this OnGuard podcast, Shaykh Shaqur Rehman joins us for a deep discussion on the Power of a Muslim Woman, the role of motherhood and wifehood in Islamic civilisation, the crisis facing Muslim families, and how modern society has reshaped the way men and women see themselves.

   This is not just a discussion about feminism, university, marriage, or gender roles. It is about the heart of the Muslim home, the future of the Ummah, and the urgent need to rebuild men, women, families, and communities upon submission to Allāh.

   We discuss how colonialism, liberal modernity, materialism, online discourse, broken family structures, and schooling from a young age have shaped Muslim men and women — and what it takes to undo that damage through tarbiyah, leadership, sisterhood, brotherhood, haya, family, and community.

   Chapters:
   00:00 Reclaiming the Power of a Muslim Woman
   12:06 How the Muslim family was hijacked
   20:38 Real Islamic masculinity and male leadership
   34:04 How society reprogrammed men and women
   49:11 Muslim women, media and da’wah
   01:00:10 Motherhood, wifehood and the path to Jannah
   01:06:17 University, apostasy and protecting the dīn
   01:22:38 Rebuilding families, tribes and communities

   🌟 Support Our Mission 🌟

   To extend the reach of our impactful content, kindly consider making a contribution (https://islam21c.com/guardians). Your support helps us make a difference.

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9. How to Deal With That Voice in Your Head (ft. Imran Hussein)

   21 mei 2026 · 1 uur 6 min

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   What happens when you know Islam is true… but still feel empty inside? Lees meer

   In this powerful episode of OnGuard, Hamza Tzortzis speaks to Imran Hussein about anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, nihilism, and the search for meaning in a world full of distractions.

   Imran shares his deeply personal journey through an existential crisis, describing the moment life seemed to lose its meaning — and how turning back to Allah transformed darkness into clarity. But this is not just a story about “mental health”. It is a conversation about iman, purpose, knowledge, the heart, and why intellectual certainty alone is not always enough to keep a person grounded.

   Why do so many Muslims feel spiritually disconnected despite believing in Islam?
   How should we understand anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts and depression through an Islamic lens?
   What does it mean to seek help without shame?
   And how can we hold on to hope when everything feels dark?

   This episode is for anyone who has ever felt lost, numb, anxious, overwhelmed, or distant from Allah — and for anyone trying to support someone who is.

   This podcast is part of our broader anti-suicide campaign, Hold On.
   Hold on to life. Hold on to hope. Hold on to the mercy of Allāh.

   Subscribe to Islam21c for more conversations on Islam, society, belief, family, mental health, and the challenges facing Muslims today.

   Chapters:
   00:00 Intro
   01:08 Introducing Imran Hussein and the Hold On campaign
   02:36 Losing meaning: the questions that would not go away
   06:37 Anxiety, derealisation, and the search for answers
   11:53 The desperate du’a and the Qur’an moment
   16:07 From relief to da’wah
   18:15 When anxiety returned: why knowledge alone is not enough
   25:47 Understanding anxiety, doubts, and obsessive cycles
   30:23 Practical and spiritual tools for anxiety
   37:42 Getting help, letting thoughts pass, and prophetic guidance
   48:17 Reframing anxiety as a test from Allāh
   52:12 Grief, hope, and never despairing of Allah’s mercy
   55:49 How family, frie…

10. DON'T Misunderstand What’s Happening Right Now (Shaykh Haitham & Hamza Tzortzis)

    24 april 2026 · 1 uur 26 min

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    The world is changing — fast. Lees meer

    From escalating global conflicts to shifting political powers, it feels like history is unfolding in front of us. But here’s the real question:

    Are we actually understanding what’s happening?

    In this episode of OnGuard, Hamza Tzortzis sits down with Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad to unpack a perspective many Muslims are missing. Because if we misunderstand the nature of this world — its purpose, its struggles, its conflicts — then everything else starts to feel confusing.

    This isn’t just about geopolitics.
    It’s about how a Muslim should see the world.

    And if we get that wrong… the consequences are bigger than we think.

    🧠 What you’ll learn in this episode:
    Why confusion about world events is increasing
    The Islamic framework for understanding conflict and change
    What most people misunderstand about the nature of this life
    Why clarity starts with the right foundations
    How Muslims should respond in times of global uncertainty

    📌 Watch till the end:

    Because the final insight reframes everything — and gives you a completely different way of looking at what’s happening right now.

    Chapters:
    0:00 The World Is Changing
    0:25 Why Most People Misunderstand What’s Happening
    2:10 A Rapidly Changing World & Competing Powers
    5:05 Why Muslims Feel Confused Today
    8:30 Different Reactions: Agreement, Doubt & Conflict
    12:15 The Missing Foundation in Understanding Reality
    16:40 This Life Is a Test — Not What You Think
    21:10 Why Conflict Is Part of the Design of Life
    26:05 The Danger of Expecting Comfort & Stability
    31:20 Islamic Framework vs Modern Worldview
    36:45 How Muslims Should Interpret Global Events
    42:10 Where the Ummah Is Getting It Wrong
    47:30 Reframing Success, Struggle & Change
    53:15 Intellectual & Spiritual Confusion Explained
    58:40 The Consequences of Getting This Wrong
    1:04:10 What Needs to Change in the Muslim Mindset
    1:09:30 Real Change Starts With This
    1:14:50 Practical Takeaways for Muslims Today
    1:19:30 Final Reflections — Understan…

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