This episode was recorded on November 10th, 2021.
In this episode, philosopher Mohammed Hijab joined me to discuss a wide array of topics, such as the traditionalist interpretation of Islam, its metanarrative, the story of the prophet Muhammad, and some common ground among monotheistic Abrahamic religions.
Mohammed Hijab is an author and philosopher whose main interests lie in political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and comparative religion. He seeks to spread a better understanding of traditionalist Islam while engaging with prominent thinkers and philosophers worldwide.
Find more from Mohammed Hijab on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mohammed_hijab
[00:00] Intro
[01:48] What beliefs and practices are central to Islam?
[04:12] Islam's unmoved mover argument for God and the universe
[07:30] 'Things made of parts... must be contingent on being created by something else, a sorting mechanism [that] doesn't necessitate [creation itself].' Mohammed Hijab
[08:25] 'It is problematic, through the lens of Islam... for there to be a god of a triune nature like [in] Christianity.' MH
[08:58] 'Islam does not believe that there's an element of divinity... in human beings.' MH
[10:09] 'The word Islam does not mean peace; it means submission. Islam believes that everything in the universe submits to God.' MH
[10:57] The metanarrative of Islam
[12:12] Mohammed's view of worship and belief
[12:48] 'We believe in... the inherent belief in God implanted in humans.' MH
[15:20] What's the purpose of belief?
[17:00] The instinct for God arguments vs new atheists
[18:27] The Muslim ideal for worship, compared
[24:36] Muslims and Christians as followers of Jesus Christ
[27:59] How does Dr. Peterson envision the spark of divinity?
[28:25] 'The divine spark is embodied virtue... reflective of the highest value, operating at a local scale.' JP
[29:42] How are the attributes of God knowable to a Muslim? The importance of the original version of the Quran
[35:07] 'Islam is an evangelizing religion... we want everyone to embrace it.' MH
[35:31] Bridges to Islam
[38:50] 'I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who's a traditionalist Muslim and not a liberal or enlightened Muslim.' MH
[40:47] An abridged story of the prophet Muhammad. The Mecca and Medina periods. Rationalizing the warrior emphasis of many Muslim teachings
[44:10] Muhammad's warrior traits and Hijab's interpretation
[49:20] Exploring the terms 'warlord' and 'defensive wars.'
[50:54] In Hijab's opinion, what's the central driving force behind the expansion of Islam?
[52:10] 'Islam has the capability of being expansive through war... and of making peace treaties. It does and should do whatever's in its best interest, just like every country.' MH
[55:39] Against totalitarianism
[58:46] 'Evangelising isn't the same as compelling.' MH
[58:56] 'Let the best story win. I would say that the proper mode of conversion is something like a shining example.' JP
[01:00:28] M.Hijab on western misconceptions of Islam
[01:03:20] Other seldom-discussed aspects of Islam
[01:08:53] M.Hijab's take on the war in Serbia
[01:11:05] The economic output of Islamic countries
[01:15:18] M.Hijab on why the traditionalist view is superior to a liberal one
[01:21:34] The struggles of belief. How can we check our own views?
[01:23:44] Wrapping up
#Islam #Christianity #God #Quran #Jesus
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He left out the part where Muslims are told by the Quran to behead nonbelievers.
@Axiom.1367 Says:
Hijab insisting to quote in Arabic is already so fucking cringe already, he felt the need to do tajweed is even beyond that haha
@artdenattic1 Says:
I hear nothing about Jesus
@artdenattic1 Says:
A man or a women bc more independent from that which they totally rely on. The more you depend on God the more independent you become
@skeridge Says:
Mohammed Hijam argument on a second coming of Jesus being being more dangerious than Mohammed is ubsurd because he cannot compare the Past with the future which no one has any knowledge of.
@sd7558-e8g Says:
Jordan, you did a good job to quite this jerk, who egoistically think only he is right.
@ЭмалХушаль Says:
Warlord? So someone sent by god has to go and cut heads for defense and offense to preserve god .. wtf is this a game? Is this some movie? So he is a prophet but he has to go and conquer the land the god has created wtf ..
@davidorozco4438 Says:
I admire Muslims who know their religion well enough and are honest enough to admit that the Quran does not seem to teach peace through choosing it or not. It seems to teach "submit or be put into submission."
@badboy8526 Says:
Where is the part where hijab stupidly sings?
@juliewilson4374 Says:
Wait, Jordan. We need to contend with the evangelism of Christianity? Let's contend then with the current day violence of Islam.
@juliewilson4374 Says:
I'm not impressed or convinced by the periodic switch to the Arabic language, as if that holds some kind of authority and makes the argument any better. In fact, I find it silly.
@Taowba786 Says:
I would love if Dr. Peterson would have a chance to have a discourse with TJ Winters (Abdul Hakim Murad) &/or Wymann Landgraff (Dr. Umar Faruq). Being Scholars from the West, who converted & studied with the formemost Scholars on Earth (through several generations of Knowledge), I believe the conversation would be less about hoping for conversion (& notoriety), and more about sharing Knowledge.
@deepankananag2478 Says:
The amount of hypocrisy, where is the beacon of truth when one needs it.
@MMGOGDA-r9c Says:
MAIN panah mangta hun real god ki un bure logo se jo apne mukhalifo ki bhavna ko samajne ki jagah unko badd duwa dete hai
@tbmpetsolutions Says:
Muslim dodge, dissemble and weave
@dorianboggy1797 Says:
OK I agree with other comments that Mr. Hijab gave a renewed and refreshing description of Islam and its history. I grew up in the Christian tradition and am completely ignorant on Islam aside from how western media portrays it. That said, and I don't know how to put this more plainly and simply, he seems to have a BS answer for every important question. Similar to how the Church receded into a slightly different interpretation, or new twist on its previous interpretation, of scripture with each new major discovery in science. Anyways, nice to see respect on both sides.
@Thegreattoasty Says:
31:44 😂 bro like you’re going to translate it to English anyways…
@MattMick Says:
I don't blame Jordan for this as, by his own admission, he is less knowledgeable about Islam. So it is unfortunate that he did not challenge Mr Hijab on the fact that in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Maldives, it is enshrined in their laws that non-Muslims are treated as second class citizens, in a whole host of ways.
Furthermore, he should have been challenged on the fact that pedophilia and child-marriage is legally practised in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, and Sudan.
Because Dr Peterson lacks a firm grasp of the specific legal statutes of the Islamic world, the conversation remains trapped in a sterile, academic vacuum. Mr Hijab is allowed to present an idealised, philosophical version of traditional Islam, while the brutal, state-sanctioned human rights abuses, legal inequality, and child protection failures occurring under that exact legal banner in the modern world are completely left off the table
@pamelamorgan2866 Says:
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. How can a Muslim believe Jesus is a prophet and the NT not His Word?
@Ala8hope Says:
About wars, there is one obvious behavior between Muslims and Christians for how they behave after finishing the war. Muslim don’t have any kind of force on the person believes, the Christian would stay on his religion. Unlike Christians, they would force the Muslim to change his religion. The wars were only done to claim the land of God and spread his words, not to claim people.
@Adebayomohammed0054 Says:
What happened to this Peterson?
@derm75 Says:
Man Hijab talks some shite. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. And his message is simple.
@OMJOVI Says:
You know and experience God through the Holy Spirit that Jesus sends. Without Jesus, a man is purely impure and useless
@markmones7938 Says:
Peterson is exploring, while Hijab is defending.
The deeper question Peterson asks is:
“How do you prevent your certainty from becoming absolute?”
It reframes the conversation from proving beliefs true to confronting the human tendency to impose beliefs on others. That shift briefly leaves Hijab without his usual debate footing.
@ueehurstonsecurity8887 Says:
Way better debate from hijab this time but he also didn’t get any push back for a few crazy things said. Like assuming how a god or multiple gods would behave and taking it for granted as a point for Islam.
@A_Perch_Of_Birds Says:
It’s the guy God Logic cooked so bad hijab started to copyright videos even though he told Logic it was ok
@charlesonuoha3525 Says:
No where in the book of isaiah 42 or the whole book of isaiah speak of a new prophet coming from kedar. Please read and read in context, I hate it when muslims have to twist the bible just to sell their prophet.
@charlesonuoha3525 Says:
Whenever a muslim quotes a bible, please go read it in context, they twist whatever is there to suit there narrative. In nonway did isaiah 42:11 spoke about anybody coming from kedar. Please just go read
@RosalindBishop-q4d Says:
I recommend the book “History of Christchurch Muslims” to this discussion. 2025.
@John-l2c4r Says:
It seems to me, that Islam is only capable of peace if, we see it their way.
@COYOTEEXILE Says:
This is some really Islamist Cope.
@vinodaf Says:
This is when I don’t understand the over emphasis on “PERMISSION”..Jesus raised dead with God’s permission, wherein I say Jesus raised Lazarus from dead. Permission thing is such a put off it diminishes God’s nature!!
@francisb2278 Says:
"Let he who has the best story win" - JP Peterson
@francisb2278 Says:
JP did a fantastic job in moderating Hijab! Brilliant!
@francisb2278 Says:
Hijab also presents Islam in the only way it will survive, especially today, while they are not the dominant global power. They're approach is clearly dependent on their political strength. This is historical. Hijab's comments around these are true, because they are not yet globally dominant.
@francisb2278 Says:
Hijab will gain credibility if he can actively and loudly call for the removal of restrictions on Christian evangelization from all Muslim states.
Let he who has the best story win.
@francisb2278 Says:
Quite a lot was difficult to listen to because of Hijab's falsehoods. He wishes they were true. I wish they were true. But I've watched too many debates and conversations.
@anunnakiavcilari Says:
Peterson looks very good. I am very happy for his health. Mashallah
@asadzia3831 Says:
He almost cried at the end of Video, M Hijab was right @Jordan B Peterson. We Love and admire you sir, from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you.
@fadixxxx Says:
Mostly, Dr. Peterson was having the conversation, and Hijab had his agenda. No content.
@temptwixie1076 Says:
24:30 - Mohammed Hijab made a false claim , Isaiah 42 : 11 Didn’t claim a prophet will come from kedar.
It’s simple says they will rejoice because of the chosen one ( Jesus )
Taking things out of context here Mr Hijab
@AshrafIssaTravels Says:
He just burried his case, why is a normal prophet coming back with a harsh ruling in the End of Days? Wouldn't that be God Himself to do that???? Why is a prophet ending the Anti Christ? Ohhhhhhhh So Jesus is God then. Let me double down on this point. The very verse in the Bible where Jesus is going to send a comforter after He leaves which Muslims think its Muhammed, so since they belive that Jesus is a prophet like Muhammed, then why is a prophet sending another prophet? I thought God does that? Ohhh ok so Jesus is God then.
Furthermore, in minute 54:30 he went on Roman Empire and Persians. Thats what Muslims do when you debate them. What does the expanding have to do with killing and fighting Christians and Jews and forcing them to either become Muslims or pay Jizya? So the religion itself is being expanded with Violence. Do I as a Christian want to follow Muhammed based on this on Jesus? I Follow Jesus and what He taught. Roman Empire is expanding as Roman Empire and not as a religion of "PEACE" yeaaa?
The guy keeps lying so I have to put this here now, Quran Chapter 9 verse 28-30. Yea sure Muhammed is not forcing or pushing it. We need this very guy to sit down just like this with our Sam Shamoun in a more professional debate with a middle man controlling the debate fairly so he doesnt raise his voice as usual or manifest and then we can see how much he really knows about Islam itself as his own religion and how much he can defend it with logical and true arguements.
@bluecielo Says:
Amazing how Mohammed Hijab keeps conflating peace treaties with PEACE. They are not the same. Peace is the absence of war and conflict, a peace treaty is for a short period of time, then conflict can resume. Which is exactly how these peace treaties occurred in islam. In weakness make a peace treaty, until strength occurs, at the end of the peace treaty is war and domination. NOT the same thing.
@Iamnotyourregularside Says:
The only he said that made sense is 1:11:34 Europe deliberately put people of diff sects together so they don’t have peace … just like in Nigeria, the north and the south that have anything in common … that country should have been 4 countries and it would have been stable …. I don’t know why Europe didn’t stay as one country but they couldn’t stay together and create peace
@Iamnotyourregularside Says:
Mohammed broke a lot of contract with non Muslims
@Iamnotyourregularside Says:
This same guy was boasting on how Islam is taking over Europe because they hv a secret of having so many children …
@Iamnotyourregularside Says:
The dhimmi system was used to suppress non-Muslims. Muhammad never called the People of the Book’s scriptures corrupted. Taqiyya is at its peak. In the West, Muslims can speak freely and even become presidents. That could never happen in Muslim nations
@Iamnotyourregularside Says:
Muslims always like to speak in Arabic to non Arabic speakers to feel smart 😂😂😂
@RoderickRabe-x2x Says:
For us to understand truly the wisdom of our creator written on the holy scriptures... First, accept God the son Jesus is our savior, trust in him follow his commandments. Read and study the Bible wholeheartedly and apply moral & spiritual aspects... we must be logical, intellectual, factual to understand the manuscripts of God. submit ourselves to the lord... and his forgiveness and salvation of souls will be given to repentant believers.
@NanaKwameFrimpong-0 Says:
This guy is just fumbling, can't answer tough questions about the expansion and how it couldn't enter europe in its rapid expansion. Made a claim is not force but could't enter europe at that time of the expansion in a good sense.
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