Was the legendary “Atlantis of the Sands” real? In this video, we explore the mystery of Iram of the Pillars, the lost city often linked to the ancient people of ʿĀd mentioned in the Qurʾān. We explore whether it was originally a city or the name of a people, and all the legends surrouding it until this very day.

Music by Filip Holm

Find me and my music here:

https://linktr.ee/filipholm

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Al-Jallad, A.الجلادأ. (2025). The Epigraphy of the Tribe of ʿĀd [النقوش القديمة التي تذكر عاد]. Athīrat: Journal of Ancient Arabia, 1(1-2), 281-289. https://doi.org/10.1163/30504880-12340015

Clapp, Nicholas (1999). “The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands”. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Elmaz, Orhan (2018). “A Paradise in the Desert: Iram at the Intersection of One Thousand and One Nights, Quranic Exegesis, and Arabian History”. In “To the Madbar and Back Again: Studies in the Languages, Archaeology, and Cultures of Arabia, Dedicated to Michael C.A. Macdonald”. Edited by Laïla Nehmé &

Ahmad Al-Jallad. Brill.

Thomas, Bertram (1932). “Arabia Felix: Across the Empty Quarter of Arabia”. Jonathan Cape.

Thomas, Bertram (1933). “Ubar—the Atlantis of the sands of Rub’ Al Khali”. Journal of The Royal Central Asian Society, 20(2), 259–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068379308725252

Webb, P. A. (2019). Iram. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas, & E.

Rowson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam 3 (pp. 117-121). Brill.

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How did Abd al-Malik shape the development of Islam? This video explores the reign of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik, including his reforms, the construction of the Dome of the Rock, and his role in shaping early Islamic identity. Was he the most important caliph in Islamic history?

Find me and my music here:

https://linktr.ee/filipholm

Support Let's Talk Religion on Patreon:

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Or through a one-time donation:

https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonate

Sources/Recommended Reading:

Donner, Fred (2012). "Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam". Harvard University Press.

Dov Goitein, Shelomo (1950). "The Historical Background of the Erection of the Dome of the Rock". In Journal of the American Oriental Society , Apr. - Jun., 1950, Vol. 70, No. 2, pp. 104-108.

Elad, Amikam (2008). "֒ABD AL-MALIK AND THE DOME OF THE ROCK: A FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THEMUSLIM SOURCES". In JERUSALEM STUDIES IN ARABIC AND ISLAM 35 (2008).

Marsham, Andrew (2023). "The Umayyad Empire". Edinburgh University Press.

Robinson, Chase F. (2012). "'Abd al-Malik". Makers of the Muslim World. Oneworld Academic.

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Was the great Sufi thinker Ibn 'Arabi actually a kind of idealist philosopher? In this video we explore the metaphysics of the Akbari tradition and the famous doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud (Oneness of Being).

I examine Ibn ‘Arabi’s view that God (al-Haqq) is the only true Reality, while the universe is a divine self-disclosure within Being. Along the way we look at concepts like wujūd (Being), imagination (khayāl), the immutable entities (a‘yān thābita), and the idea that the world is a reflection of the divine attributes.

Find me and my music here:

https://linktr.ee/filipholm

Support Let's Talk Religion on Patreon:

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https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonate

Sources/Recommended Reading:

Abdel-Hadi, Faris (2025). "Ibn 'Arabi's Religious Pluralism: Levels of Inclusivity". Routledge.

Addas, Claude (1993). "Quest for the Red Sulphur". The Islamic Texts Society.

Austin, R.W.J. (translated by) (1980). "The Bezels of Wisdom". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.

Chittick, William (1989). "The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn 'Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination".

Chittick, William (1998). "The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology". State University of New York Press.

Chittick, William (2005). "Ibn Arabi: Heir to the Prophets". OneWorld Publications.

Chodkiewicz, Michel (1993). "Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and sainthood in the doctrine of Ibn 'Arabi". Translated by Liadain Sherrard. The Islamic Texts Society.

Caner Dagli (translated by) (2004). Ibn 'Arabi - "The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam)". Great Books of the Islamic World. Kazi Pubns Inc.

Dyczkowski, Mark S.G. (1987). "The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism". SUNY Press.

https://hareesh.org/blogpage

Ibn Arabi - "The Universal Tree and the Four Birds (al-ittihad al-kawni). Translated by Angela Jaffray. Oxford: Anqa Publishing.

Ibn 'Arabi - "The Openings Revealed in Makkah: al-futuhat al-makkiyya". Translated by Eric Winkel. Volumes 1-7. Pir Press.

Kastrup, Bernardo (2019). "Idea of the World, The: A multi-disciplinary argument for the mental nature of reality". Iff Books.

Kastrup, Bernardo (2024). "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A straightforward summary of the 21st century’s only plausible metaphysics". Iff Books.

Muller-Ortega, Paul (1988). "The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir". SUNY Press.

Rory Dickson, William (2024). "Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi Philosophy". Anqa Publishing.

Singh, Jaideva (Translated by) (1990). "The Doctrine of Recognition: A Translation of the Pratyabhijnahrdayam with an Introduction and Notes, by Ksemaraja". SUNY Press.

Torella, Raffaele & Bettina Bäumer (2016). "Utpaladeva: Philosopher of Recognition". D.K. Printworld.

Torella, Rafaele (Translated by) (2013). "The Isvarapratyabhijnakarika of Utpaladeva: Critical edition and annoted translation". Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

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