Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn is not only a warning about hypocrisy: it is a reminder that telling the truth is necessary, often difficult, and not without social consequences. This khutbah reflects on how Zayd ibn Arqam was rejected, doubted, and hurt—only to be vindicated by Allah. A reminder that believers are not called to win every battle instantly, but to remain truthful, patient, and firm.

Subscribe now

This is a khuṭbah by Imam Marc Manley delivered at Middle Ground on March 20th 2026 (Eid al-Fitr).

﷽

al-Salām ‘alaykum everyone. al-Ḥamdulillāh the month of Ramaḍān has flown by and, in shā’ Allāh, Eid al-Ifṭār is upon us. The following are two locations for Eid Prayer, Friday, March 20th:

The Rancho Cucamonga Sports Center

Eid United will host Eid-ul-Fitr prayers on Friday, March 20th at the Rancho Cucamonga Sports Center (Google Maps link), located at 8303 Rochester Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730.

There will be two prayers: 8:30AM and 9:30AM.

They will also offer a host of kids’ activities. See their website for more information.

Masjid al-Fatiha of America (Azusa)

Imam Marc Manley will be delivering the Eid khuṭbah at Masjid al-Fatiha of America in Azusa (Google Maps link).

Takbirāt starts at 9AM. The prayer at 9:30AM.

If you haven’t done so, you may pay your Zakāh al-Ifṭār online here. Make sure you do so before Eid prayer!

Subscribe now

Now it’s easier than ever to pay your Zakāh al-Fiṭr, Fidyah, Kaffārah, and general Ṣadaqah.

Zakāh al-Fiṭr, Fidyah & Kaffārah

You can pay electronically here: $15/person/day.

https://donorbox.org/zakaatalfitr

Ṣadaqah

You can pay electronically here in whatever denomination you like:

https://donorbox.org/middleground

﷽

Starting 3/8/2026, the evening prayers will be thus:

• al-‘Ishā’ Prayer will be at 8:30PM.

• al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer is usually about 20-30 minutes after al-‘Ishā’.

﷽

al-Tarāwīḥ & al-‘Ishā’ Prayers

Starting 2/27/2026, the evening prayers will be thus:

• al-‘Ishā’ Prayer will be at 7:45PM.

• al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer is usually about 20-30 minutes after al-‘Ishā’.

Satuday Night Qiyam

Join us Saturday night as we host our first qiyam of Ramaḍān led by Ustadh Tabari Zahir from Lamps of Light.

﷽

al-Salām ‘alaykum — in shā’ Allāh everyone’s Ramaḍān is going well. Here’s an update for this week:

Maghrib Prayer & Ifṭārs

• Starting Monday, February 23rd, the time for Maghrib prayer will be 6PM.

• As usual, Middle Ground will offer a light, daily ifṭār. Friday’s ifṭār (2/27) will be for converts again.

al-Tarāwīḥ & al-‘Ishā’ Prayers

• al-‘Ishā’ Prayer will remain at 7:30PM.

• al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer is usually about 20-30 minutes after al-‘Ishā’.

Qiyam Saturday Night

• Guest speaker will be Ustadh Tabari Zahir.

• Time: 10:15PM — 10:45PM.

﷽

On behalf of everyone at Middle Ground I would like to personally welcome all of you to Middle Ground and we hope you will enjoy your time with us during this blessed month. Below is information on the start of Ramaḍān and what you can expect in terms of activities and events. We will, in shā’ Allāh, update our Substack during the month so subscribe and check back frequently for updates.

Ramaḍān Begins

The first day of Ramadan is expected to be on Wednesday, February 18th.

The first night of al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer will be Tuesday, February 17th.

The first Day of Fasting will be Wednesday, February 18th.

al-Tarāwīḥ Prayers

Middle Ground offers al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer every night during Ramaḍān. The prayer times for the first week of Ramaḍān will be thus:

February 17 (Tues) — February 22 (Sun)

• Magbrib Prayer: 5:45PM.

February 17 (Tues) — March 7 (Sat)

• al-‘Ishā’ Prayer: 7:30PM

• al-Tarāwīḥ begins shortly after al-‘Ishā’ Prayer.

• Middle Ground offers a short talk in between al-‘Ishā’ Prayer and al-Tarāwīḥ prayer by Imam Marc Manley or another guest speaker.

NOTE: Daylight savings begins on Sunday March 8. al-‘Ishā’ Prayer will change to 8:30PM from March 8 to March 18.

Ifṭārs at Middle Ground

Middle Ground offers a daily ifṭār consisting of fruit and light refreshments. This is not a full meal/dinner and those attending will need to take this into account.

Middle Ground also offers a special converts ifṭār on Fridays. These are for converts and their families only.

Middle Ground will also host two qiyams, February 28 and March 14th. We will provide more details shortly.

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will Imam Marc Manley. In shā’ Allāh he will continue exploring Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (#28). The khuṭbah begins 1PM.

Subscribe now

The Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class: The World of the Messenger of Allāh.

Maghrib Prayer will be at 6:30PM. Class will start after.

Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will be postponed this week. We will resume the following Saturday, in shā’ Allāh.

The Middle Ground Podcast

In this excerpt from Imam Marc’s Friday class on the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ he speaks about the unique knowledge which the Prophet gives us, chief amongst that knowledge is that should hope to meet Allāh and that we should know that we can please Allāh.

﷽

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will Imam Marc Manley. In shā’ Allāh he will continue exploring Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (#28). The khuṭbah begins 1PM.

Subscribe now

The Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (6:45PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will be postponed this week. We will resume the following Saturday, in shā’ Allāh.

The Middle Ground Podcast

In this episode of the Middle Ground Podcast Imam Marc Manley asks the question: Why are so many students of knowledge applying what they’ve learned to fighting with other Muslims and what can be done to turn this around?

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will Imam Marc Manley. In shā’ Allāh he will continue exploring Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (#28). The khuṭbah begins 1PM.

Subscribe now

The Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class to the Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive series: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (7PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will be postponed this week. We will resume the following Saturday, in shā’ Allāh.

Middle Ground Podcast Ep. 47 & 48!

For Episode 47, Imam Marc relates some anecdotal recommendations on how to develop a stronger, more meaning and consist relationship with reading the Qur’ān.

And for Episode 48 Imam Marc highlights and explain the importance of why fear, love, and mercy aren’t exactly interchangeable in the Qur’ān.

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will Imam Marc Manley. In shā’ Allāh he will continue exploring the topic of knowledge from Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (#28). The khuṭbah begins 1PM.

Subscribe now

The Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class to the Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive series: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (7PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will continue this week with Session Eleven after Maghrib Prayer (7:15PM). Imam Marc says about this new class:

“Islām is a religion that requires its practitioner to know why s/he is doing what they are doing. This class is designed to initiate the common Muslim with what we truly believe, emotionally and intellectually attaching the heart of the believer to his/her Lord.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Why Each and Every Muslim Must Read the Qur’ān!

Taken from Imam Marc Manley’s ʿaqīdah class (beliefs), he discusses why each and every Muslim, not just scholars, must read the Qur’ān in order to allow ourselves to be deeply impressed by Allāh.

This video, an excerpt from Imam Marc's Saturday class on ʿaqīdah (creed and beliefs), discusses how the "problem" of good and evil are understood and resolved via the guiding light of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah.

Subscribe now

This new class taught by Imam Marc Manley will take place over the summer at Middle Ground as part of our Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive. The class will be held live on Fridays between Maghrib and al-‘Ishā’ Prayers. You can watch Session Eleven on YouTube:

Subscribe now

Imam Marc shares a reflection on the 29th Chapter of the Qur’ān, Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt, and how the Qur’ān emphasizes we must be prepared to dedicate ourselves entirely to Allāh even at great emotional cost.

Subscribe now

Welcome to the Middle Ground Podcast, Episode 46.

Subscribe now

In this episode Imam Marc Manley discusses a new (and disturbing) trend in the social media landscape, namely Muslims making videos in which they claim the non-practicing Muslims are somehow actually “doing Islām more” than those who do. Can this be true? You can listen to the audio podcast on Substack:

Imam’s Corner

Are Non-Practicing Muslims Doing Islām Better Than Those That Do?

﷽ Welcome to Episode 46 of the Middle Ground Podcast. In this episode I want to discuss a new (and disturbing) trend I’ve noticed in the social media landscape, namely Muslims making videos in which they claim the non-practicing Muslims are somehow actually “doing Islām more” than those who do. Can this be true? You can listen to the audio podcast or wat…

Listen now

8 months ago · 1 like · Imam Marc Manley

or

watch the video on YouTube:

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will Imam Marc Manley. In shā’ Allāh he will continue exploring the Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm (The Straight Path). The khuṭbah begins 1PM.

Subscribe now

The Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class to the Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive series: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (7:15PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will continue this week with Session Eleven after Maghrib Prayer (7:15PM). Imam Marc says about this new class:

“Islām is a religion that requires its practitioner to know why s/he is doing what they are doing. This class is designed to initiate the common Muslim with what we truly believe, emotionally and intellectually attaching the heart of the believer to his/her Lord.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

The Middle Ground Podcast

Qur’ānic Reflections: Giving Up This World for the Sake of God

Imam Marc shares a reflection on the 29th Chapter of the Qur’ān, Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt, and how the Qur’ān emphasizes we must be prepared to dedicate ourselves entirely to Allāh even at great emotional cost.

Saturday

Our new Saturday class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will continue this evening at 7:30PM (after Maghrib Prayer) with Session Ten: Understanding Allāh's Actions.

“Islām is a religion that requires its practitioner to know why s/he is doing what they are doing. This class is designed to initiate the common Muslim with what we truly believe, emotionally and intellectually attaching the heart of the believer to his/her Lord.” – Imam Marc Manley

Subscribe now

Due to a technical error the audio for Session Seven wasn’t recorded. I will leave some notes here for those who were not in attendance.

To say that pre-modern Arabia was isolated from the rest of the world would be an understatement and yet, despite this isolation, it was neither uninhabited, inactive, nor irrelevant. In fact, despite the nearly millennia and a half gap between the time of the Prophet ‎ﷺ and our time we’ll see that very little has changed in terms of human motivations and nature.

Subscribe now

Every human culture has its noble characteristics as well as its darker, predatory, and destructive aspects. From pre-modern Arabia to the modern global West, this remains true. As for the Arabian Peninsula (al-Jazīrah al-ʿArabiyyah), its people developed a sophisticated language, rich in meaning yet in stark contrast to the beauty and sophistication of the Arabic language was the tribal culture, often as harsh as it was exploitative.

Dr. al-Ṣallābī, the author of the book we are reading from in this class, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah: ʿArḍ Waqā'i Wa Taḥlīl Aḥdāth (The Prophetic Biography: Presentation of Facts and Analysis of Events), presents the realities and events which comprised the world into which the Prophet ‎ﷺ would be born for examination and study, a world he and his Message would ultimately confront. This presentation and analysis is done not solely for the acquisition of facts but to also draw similarities between his time x and ours so that we can face and confront those challenges with the timeless wisdom of Allah’s Messenger, ‎ﷺ.

To appreciate the magnitude of the Prophet’s mission ‎ﷺ we must first understand the world the Prophet ‎ﷺ was born in and the culture he saws inherited, just as all of us do. The Arabian Peninsula was a land of extremes—vast deserts left little room for agricultural development. As a result, this pushed its people toward trade and seasonal markets for survival. Makkah stood as a major waypoint, its Qurayshi caravans journeying in the winter to Yemen and in the summer to al-Shām (as alluded to in the Qur’ān), while Yemeni merchants sailed the seas around them, seeking opportunities for commerce. Pre-modern Arabian society was bound together by tribal loyalties, pride in lineage, and the eloquence of poetry as cultural currency. Women more often than not were reduced to mere property. And while Arabs were (and remain) famous for this hospitality, this served as no impediment to the practice of usury, economic exploitation, and even infanticide, with the Qur’ān denouncing and condemning the burying of infant daughters.

These social conditions of pre-modern Arabia are far from being confined to a remote, alien past. In fact, upon examination, we can see that much of the past still echoes, or even rhymes, in our present “modern” society with unnerving familiarity. Human nature has not shifted so dramatically as we would like to pretend in the intervening fifteen hundred years; our world has simply traded desert garb for a digital wardrobe. Where the tribes of Quraysh guarded honor through bloodline, many today guard it through the curated “brand” of wealth, aesthetics as well as through nationalism, which is seeing a resurgence as of late.

Where the poet once commanded reputations with a well-turned verse, hip-hop artists or Instagram and YouTube influencers shape public opinion. Ancient practices of usury has been normalized with the ubiquitous presence of interest in virtually all transactions, with the poorest among us having to negotiate “Pay Day Loans” and other forms of predatory lending, ensnaring the poor and working class with crushing debt.

The devaluation of life is another troubling commonality between the world at the time of the Prophet ‎ﷺ and our own. In that era, infanticide was rationalized out of fear or poverty. In our time, poor women are sometimes urged to abort their babies with the claim that doing so will prevent poverty, and tragically, many follow this advice.

The realm of entertainment likewise mirrors the past. In the Prophet’s time ‎ﷺ, poetic competitions were revered in a way similar to the prestige we now grant to athletes and musicians. Celebrity culture and viral fame in our age have become modern heirs to an old tradition rooted in ignorance, vanity, and self-indulgence. An indulgence driven by fear-based decision making and an anxiety of poverty. This latter was especially powerful, one which still continues to fuel harmful decision-making today.

The Qur’ān confronted and transformed these destructive patterns, not by erasing culture but by reorienting its values toward justice, compassion, and accountability before God. If these patterns still persist in our time, we must ask ourselves: what would transformation look like today, and what values would we need to recover to make it possible?

What we see here of the Prophet’s world ‎ﷺ are not distant parallels but living patterns, virulent mutations of the same impulses for status, influence, and control. In tracing these echoes from the past, we are not merely studying the world of the Prophet ‎ﷺ and the Arabs before Islam. We are, in many ways, holding up a mirror to ourselves.

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will be Imam Marc Manley. Today’s title for the khuṭbah “The Straight Path”, in shā’ Allāh.

Watch on YouTube as well:

Subscribe now

New Class on the Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class to the Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive series: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (approx. 8:30PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will continue this week with Session Three. Imam Marc says about this new class:

“Islām is a religion that requires its practitioner to know why s/he is doing what they are doing. This class is designed to initiate the common Muslim with what we truly believe, emotionally and intellectually attaching the heart of the believer to his/her Lord.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Sunday

The Arabic Reader, Middle Ground’s weekly Arabic class taught by Imam Marc Manley, will be postponed this week. Imam Marc will be officiating a nikāḥ (wedding). Congrats to Ayesha and Zuhair. May Allāh join you both in good.

Middle Ground Podcast and Middle Ground Media

In case you missed Imam Marc’s latest video, How Bad Things Can Happen and God Is Still Merciful, you can watch it here:

Friday

The khaṭīb for this Friday for Jumu’ah will be Dr. Mohsin Ali. Imam Marc Manley will be giving the khuṭbah at Masjid Al-Fatiha of America in Azusa. Imam Marc’s recording will be made available later, in shā’ Allāh.

New Class on the Biography of the Prophet ‎ﷺ

On Friday evenings this summer, Imam Marc Manley will add another new class to the Middle Ground Summer Dīn Intensive series: The World of the Messenger of Allāh, starting after Maghrib Prayer (approx. 8:30PM). Imam Marc said about the class,

“Many of us know facts about the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ but we need to also know more about the world into which he was born, ‎ﷺ, and therefore the world which he would deliver Allāh’s Message to. We’ll also see how his world ‎ﷺ and ours have so much in common.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Subscribe now

Saturday

Saturday’s class, 80 Principles of Islām in the Declaration of Faith, will continue this week with Session Three. Imam Marc says about this new class:

“Islām is a religion that requires its practitioner to know why s/he is doing what they are doing. This class is designed to initiate the common Muslim with what we truly believe, emotionally and intellectually attaching the heart of the believer to his/her Lord.”

Watch on YouTube live as well:

Sunday

The Arabic Reader, Middle Ground’s weekly Arabic class taught by Imam Marc Manley, will also continue this weekend at its regular time, Sunday at 11AM.

The Middle Ground Podcast

Imam Marc recorded a short video discussing the new Superman movie and the reactions to it: