Bilal Philips – Religious Extremism

About this lecture

In this wide-ranging lecture, Dr. Bilal Philips examines the concept of religious extremism (*al-ghuluww fi'd-din*) from both classical Islamic sources and contemporary realities, defining it as any deviation — in belief or practice — beyond the bounds established by the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He traces extremism in belief through the Shia veneration of the Twelve Imams, Sufi saint-worship, and takfiri ideologies rooted in the Khawarij tradition, and addresses extremism in acts through examples from the Sunnah and widespread innovations in Muslim communities today. The lecture also challenges the secular Western framing of orthodox Islamic practice as "extremism," calling Muslims to reclaim the middle path through genuine Islamic education.