Sufi Heart with Omid Safi

109
Islam #36

The Sufi Heart podcast with Omid Safi features teachings and stories about a sacred tradition of love, one that manifests outwardly as justice and inwardly as tenderness.  Drawing primarily on the wisdom of the Islamic tradition as well as the legacies of the Civil Rights movements and other wisdom teachings, Omid invites you to a meditation on the transformative power of love and recalling the necessity of linking healing our own hearts with healing the world. 

Omid Safi is director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice.

Omid is the past chair for the Study of Islam at the American Academy of Religion. He has written many books, including Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism; Cambridge Companion to American Islam; Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam; and Memories of Muhammad. His forthcoming books include Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Traditions and a book on the famed mystic Rumi.

Omid is among the most frequently sought out speakers on Islam in popular media, appearing in The New York Times, Newsweek, Washington Post, PBS, NPR, NBC, CNN, and other international media. He leads spiritual tours every year to Turkey, Morocco, or other countries, to study the rich multiple religious traditions there. The trips are open to everyone, from every country. More information is available at Illuminated Tours.

Recent Episodes
  • Ep. 37 – The Path of Love, Harmony & Beauty
    Jun 10, 2025 – 01:13:22
  • Ep. 36 – Re-Enchanting the World with Joshua Michael Schrei
    Apr 10, 2025 – 01:11:49
  • Ep. 35 – Deepening Faith Through Inter-Spirituality with Mike Petrow and Drew Jackson
    Mar 5, 2025 – 00:49:21
  • Ep. 34 – The Mystery of Love with James Cooke PhD
    Jan 16, 2025 – 00:44:20
  • Ep. 33 – When Religion Is A Stranger
    Nov 8, 2024 – 01:09:39
  • Ep. 32 – Star Wars, Yoda & Sufism
    Jun 6, 2024 – 00:56:18
  • Ep. 31 – Hazrat Inayat Khan and the Sufi Path of Love
    May 10, 2024 – 00:50:27
  • Ep. 30 – The Lover and The Beloved with Kelly Deutsch
    Jan 23, 2024 – 01:12:47
  • Ep. 29 – "Islam, Iman, Ihsan", Love's Journey in Islamic Spirituality
    Sep 5, 2023 – 01:07:01
  • Ep. 28 – Rumi and the Path of Radical Love with Taya Mâ
    Aug 7, 2023 – 00:56:47
  • Ep. 27 – The Rhythm of Expansion and Contraction
    May 12, 2023 – 00:56:49
  • Ep. 26 – Spirituality and Conflict Transformation
    Oct 27, 2022 – 00:55:52
  • Ep. 25 – Spirituality of Seasons
    Apr 13, 2022 – 01:08:30
  • Ep. 24 – Mary and Jesus: A Sufi Perspective on the Christmas Story
    Dec 18, 2021 – 00:59:21
  • Ep. 23 – Lessons for the Heart: Remembering the Events of 9/11
    Nov 17, 2021 – 00:50:43
  • Ep. 22 – Spirituality and the Marketplace with Abdul-Rehman Malik
    May 1, 2021 – 00:43:52
  • Ep. 21 – Anti-Racism As A Spiritual Practice with Simran Jeet Singh
    Mar 25, 2021 – 00:49:06
  • Ep. 20 – Love, Justice, and Tenderness with Ankhet Rumi
    Nov 10, 2020 – 00:56:26
  • Ep. 19 – Expanding Our Circle of Compassion
    Jun 3, 2020 – 00:27:06
  • Ep. 18 – Listening, Suffering, and Rumi with Marilyn Shannon
    May 15, 2020 – 00:58:53
  • Ep. 17 – Finding Refuge in Love and Practice
    Mar 25, 2020 – 00:41:49
  • Ep. 16 - Fireside Chats with Rumi: Religious Pluralism, Prayer, and Presence
    Mar 13, 2020 – 00:50:23
  • Ep. 15 – Fireside Chats with Rumi: Love, Suffering and Illumination
    Feb 21, 2020 – 00:41:54
  • Ep. 14 - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
    Nov 6, 2019 – 00:46:48
  • Ep. 13 – The Conference of the Birds part 2
    Jul 8, 2019 – 00:49:29
  • Ep. 12 – The Conference of the Birds
    Jun 17, 2019 – 00:42:22
  • Ep. 11 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message for Today
    May 21, 2019 – 00:45:03
  • Ep. 10 – Finding Compassion Amid Chaos
    Mar 25, 2019 – 00:40:03
  • Ep. 9 – Mysticism in the Modern Age
    Mar 17, 2019 – 00:58:59
  • Ep. 8 – Kharaqani, the Saint Who Breathed with God
    Feb 9, 2019 – 00:47:20
  • Ep. 7 - Rekindling Our Tenderness
    Jan 15, 2019 – 00:48:11
  • Ep. 6 – Practice of Compassion
    Dec 27, 2018 – 00:51:26
  • Ep. 5 – A Practice of Love
    Nov 30, 2018 – 00:51:44
  • Ep. 4 - Welcoming the Tranquil Soul Back to the Divine
    Oct 23, 2018 – 00:42:16
  • Ep. 3 – The Flame of Justice
    Oct 3, 2018 – 00:51:46
  • Ep. 2 – Sacredness of Love
    Sep 14, 2018 – 00:37:28
  • Ep. 1 - The Path of Radical Love
    Aug 2, 2018 – 00:46:52
Recent Reviews
  • Shahil1104
    Thank you Omidjaan
    This podcast changed my life and brings me closer to Divine with every episode. Thank you Omidjaan for this beautiful gift
  • JoshuaJeffrey
    Blessing and Gift
    Omid, your Pod Cast is a gift. A would love to have coffee and discuss all of this with you. Your heart is beautiful. Please keep teaching us. We need you words of life to help set us free!! Blessed be Allah! You have taught me so much!! Gratefully Yours, Joshua
  • EB Ferdig
    Love this dear person!
    This podcast feels like a gift. Thank you for sharing your heart, your wisdom, your perspective, Omid Safi! ♥️🧡💛
  • Muhrawl
    Beautiful and Inspiring
    Thankful for this podcast!!
  • fgdssf
    Amazing
    You have a wonderful way of telling stories. I am so thankful for this podcast!
  • unclepunchy
    Very cool
    I really don’t know much about Sufism or Islam other than some basic superficial stuff. That being said, I became interested in learning about The Conference of the Birds because of an album by the band Om. The two talks here were super accessible and the poetry explained in a way that was quite impactful.
  • burger-ben
    Incredible!
    Thank you so much Omid Safi for this incredible podcast. I have learned so much from you during your lectures at Ithaca College, your book “Radical Love” and now from here. You’re someone who truly lives by this path of love. If you end up seeing this could you let me know what the song is at the beginning and end of each episode?Thanks for all that you do.
  • meadi8r
    Fantastic
    I literally shouted in my car after that first story in the first episode! This is really great for those interested in the Sufi path. May the peace and blessings of God be upon Dr Omid and the producers of this podcast! I see there hasn’t been an episode in a while, I hope it is still going on 🤲🏽
  • Al-Turk
    Your work is greatly appreciated
    Thank you for sharing with us the eloquence, wisdom and compassion of the Sufi traditions. Please continue to do what you do, these profound teachings reach the core of my being🙏🏻
  • jcjpoet
    Great podcast
    As a person at the intersection of a few different faith traditions but unfamiliar with Sufism, I really appreciate the depth into which this podcast goes and the tenderness with which Omid speaks.
  • Mkmow
    Excellent!
    This is such a great podcast. Soothing and challenging at the same time. Well done!
  • studentsufi
    Been waiting for this!
    Much needed voice on Islam and Sufism. I’m so glad Dr. Safi has launched this. The first episode was amazing...can’t wait for more!
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