Understanding Plagiarism in Islamic Discourse: A Call for Integrity

He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: “We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:” and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.

Quran 3:7

Ustadha Fadwa Wazwaz is known for her gift of inspiring people to think critically with her reflections on faith. She is a Computer Science graduate and has nearly completed her Masters in Computer Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science, from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

As a skilled critical thinker, her faith reflections speak to the hearts and are felt by scholars, students, and institutes worldwide. While juggling her graduate work, she has used her time in Minnesota to help build and strengthen the United States Muslim communities and those communities’ ties to other marginalized groups. She co-founded an educational outreach organization through which she gave talks to local groups, dispelling negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. She has also been trained in restorative justice at the Center for Spirituality and Healing and has given workshops to social workers on how to work effectively with youth and Muslim patients.

In 2003, she was a community columnist for the Pioneer Press. In 2006, she helped start a civil rights organization through which she mentored young leaders. From 2008 to 2009, she was a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and in 2009, she started as a blogger for the Star Tribune and worked on helping Minnesotans understand Islam and Muslims. Also, in 2009, she and her siblings began a new journey, taking care of their mother, who had suffered a major stroke.

Wazwaz is a social commentator on issues that affect Muslim communities, Palestinian affairs, faith and values, coexistence, and ethics. In 2015, she formally began work on the books God Intervenes Between A Person and Their Heart and the forthcoming Love Is Deeper Than Words, bringing together writings from over the past twenty years. She currently blogs at EngageMN.com.

Many highly sought-after international speakers have claimed her ideas and reflections as their own without any attribution, such as the author Yasmin Mogahed of Reclaim Your Heart: Personal Insights on Breaking Free From Life’s Shackles and Healing the Emptiness. Omar Suleiman, of Allah Loves; Jinan Yousef, Reflecting on the Names of Allah; and Roohi Tahir, in the article Gratitude, Modernity, and the Need for God in the Equation, including Yasir Qadhi in various sermons such as The Art of Being a Gentleman: Lessons from the Story of Musa

Her ability to bring forth the beautiful arguments of the Creator in the Quran is a remedy for those seeking comfort and solace today. Although she does not have many shares, likes, or retweets, she has the honor of being the first female instructor at many institutes worldwide, most notably the Yaqeen Institute. Her themes and writings inspire talks in seminars, content for articles and videos, and discussions at major conventions. 

Wazwaz’s ideas and themes are grabbed by many scholars and speakers who can best be described as having no original ideas. The community went from arguing over moonsighting to working on their personal development.

As time passes, the teachers, institutes, books, interviews, videos, and articles influenced by her writings over the years will be highlighted on this page. Recognizing and acknowledging the original author’s contributions to the field is essential, as taking credit for someone else’s work is unethical and unfair. Individuals must practice honesty and integrity in their professional endeavors. Recognizing the contributions of those who have inspired us and giving credit where credit is due are critical. Plagiarism compromises the integrity of one’s work and disrespects the original author.

Her blog was well-read and assisted many readers in finding inspiration and direction for their spiritual journeys, including Islamic philosophy and spirituality.

As of 2009, Wazwaz blogged about God, attachments, and faith for over ten years. She continues since then.

“To see and hear reality requires us to put aside our experiences and attachments and embrace principles that God sent down to help guide us to walk in the right path. One of God’s names is As Sami, or the one that listens to all.”

Fedwa Wazwaz, Star Tribune, April, 2009

• Yasmin Mogahed began investigating attachments and appropriating Wazwaz’s blog post ideas as her own. Moral concerns about plagiarism and intellectual property rights are raised by Mogahed’s actions. Authors must give due credit to all of their sources and avoid claiming originality for ideas that are not their own.
• Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed. The book’s numerous inconsistencies served as proof that Mogahed had plagiarized content. Mogahed claims her father is a genius, but neither he nor her sister, a Harvard graduate, have ever pointed out her many inconsistencies. This calls into question the validity of Mogahed’s work and her claim to possess the necessary expertise.
• Healing the Emptiness, Yasmin Mogahed. Mogahed advocated for self-everything, the fall theory, and then Ibn’ Ata Allah’s aphorisms, which directly opposed her self-everything. This suggests that Mogahed’s group dynamic may lack ethical integrity and critical thought. Conflicting ideologies indicate uncertainty, lack of conviction in one’s beliefs, and guiding principles, resulting in abusive behavior and attitudes. Without a moral coherence of their beliefs and values, a group risks losing credibility and integrity, coming across as copying and pasting the works of others.
• Ustadha Yasmin Mogahed’s New Motivational Speech On 14th,Jan 2023 In Dubai
• Initially, Yasmin Mogahed has a formula for Inner Peace which sounded like the teachings of Zen. After corrected, Mogahed began teaching what she learned. Inner Peace is from God, not from the self.
• Yasmin Mogahed was chasing Happiness and Inner Peace and wrote a book titled, Love and Happiness. She also claimed victory by showcasing a large crowd at her events. When corrected, Mogahed realized that this is not what victory means or looking at events with inner sight of faith. She accepted the corrections and is now teaching them.
• Who are we to question Allah? | Yasmin Mogahed – YouTube
• Initially, Yasmin Mogahed was focused on the world’s beauty and wanted to meet God, the artist. She was searching for God. The aphorism by Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari was shared with her: “When was He ever absent so that He would be found? And when was He ever distant so that signs were needed to lead to Him?” After being corrected, she updated her understanding to include the following: Minal 🕊️ on Twitter: “@etherrstarss Yeah, it’s an Islamic book, Reclaim Your Heart by Yasmin Mogahed” Twitter Do a search on the recent updates to save face, there are none. If you do a simple search on God as an artist and Yasmin Mogahed, you will see quotes by her all over the internet. Mogahed confessed about her broken life experiences and accepted the correction.
• HazCast #45 | Yasmin Mogahed on mental health, living abroad, and her new book Healing the Emptiness – YouTube
• Reflecting on the Names of Allah, Jinan Yousef
• Approaching the Qur’an Through the Names of Allah, by Jinan Yousef
• Jinan Yousef and Yaqeen teachers. They were motivated to ask for forgiveness and turn toward a moral course by openly discussing Wazwaz’s ideas. Seeing how the group uses their personal experiences to direct others down the righteous path is encouraging. It is impossible to undervalue the ability of honest and open communication to affect positive change within their group and communities.
• Allah Loves, Omar Suleiman
• Wings of Faith: Patience and Gratitude by Omar Suleiman taken from my writings on my mother dying.
• Through his admiration for the righteous, Omar Suleiman was able to learn from Wazwaz’s insights and strive towards becoming a better person. His humility in recognizing his shortcomings is a testament to his dedication towards self-improvement.
• Freedom Through Surrender: Overcoming the Ego and Finding Peace in Islam | Blog | Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
• Roohi Tahir and Nazir Khan rephrased my lessons and words in their own words in the following discussion on Protecting Your Light

• Gratitude, Modernity and the Need for God in the Equation, by Roohi Tahir
• The Alchemy of Divine Love: How Our View of God Affects Our Faith and Happiness
• The Unique Storytelling Style of the Quran
• Omar Suleiman: Islam | Lex Fridman Podcast
• Videos of Upheld by Allah Lobna Mulla
• Watch “Juz 14: Sr. Najwa Awad | Qur’an 30 for 30 S4,”
• Haya: More Than Just Modesty
• Yaqeen Institute – Soul versus ego curriculum based on my writings.
• How Do I Deal With Doubts | A Qur’anic View – Dr. Omar Suleiman – YouTube
• Aisha bint Abu Bakr (ra): Slander and Death of the Prophet ﷺ
• Are Earthquakes a Punishment from Allah? With Imam Omar Suleiman (Nearly all of Suleiman’s teachings incorporate Wazwaz’s concepts of faith, but when challenged publicly, Yaqeen Institute removes the comments with supporting details.)
• Would You Pass This Test? | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman – YouTube very similar to my video on Sexual harassment: sterilize your hands and instruments | Fadwa Wazwaz Suleiman and his followers were awakened to realize they could pass for either Egyptian President Sisi or Syrian President Assad. Wazwaz aided in their self-discovery. Accountability is difficult. Be truthful to yourself. People who are suffering need your self-accountability more than your sedition.
• In the Wake of Calamity by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (See my writings on Twitter post earthquake)
• Selections: ‘The End of Hope’ with Chris Hedges, Hamza Yusuf, Zaid Shakir (See Hope and Obligation on YouTube Channel)
• A Path Straightened Out: Perspectives on Human Nature in the Qur’an
• Du’a Qunoot: How to Transform Your Witr | Ramadan Du’as on Repeat
• A Month When Du’as Are Accepted | Ramadan Du’as on Repeat Series | Dr. Tahir Wyatt
• The Art of Being a Gentleman: Lessons from the Story of Musa, by Yasir Qadhi
• Dr. Yasir Qadhi on Twitter: “Episode 4: Asking For Tazkiya From The One Who Purifies Who purifies us? The Quran says: “Have you seen those who ascribe piety to themselves?! Rather, it is Allah who purifies whomever He wishes” [4:49]. https://t.co/I4GuEuAq63″ / Twitter you can find this in my Ramadan Mubarak blog on my site.
• Wazwaz nurtured Yasir Qadhi the value of turning to and returning to God in our faith and the need to adopt a more honest and hopeful outlook on spirituality by focusing on the strength of repentance and growth rather than guilt and shame. This point of view nurtures adherents to be open to work on themselves and turn away from egotism in favor of forgiveness. They were obsessed with fall, shame, and guilt over the power of forgiveness from God.
• Rania Awaad recently came to the scene and started to share her wisdom—or, should Wazwaz’s wisdom? Her teachers at Zaytuna taught that man is a fallen creature. When Wazwaz introduced the Quranic belief on Adam, upon him peace, that group was so attached to the false concept of a fallen creature that they read the story in a cut-and-paste manner. After they realized they were wrong, each institute updated its understanding without acknowledging the original author. It was disappointing that Wazwaz idea was not given proper credit, but Muslims should be glad the group eventually corrected their understanding and moved away from the false concept. In the future, Wazwaz plan to work with groups that are more open-minded and willing to give credit where credit is due. Her programs on Maristan inspired by Fadwa Wazwaz. Including the 2025 Ramadan series: From Tafakkur to Transformation
• To be continued

A person or group calling to God must understand that accepting one’s faults and shortcomings is a lifelong process that calls for help from God through patience and prayer. By striving for continuous self-accountability and seeking guidance from God, individuals can develop the necessary skills to handle conflicts in a manner pleasing to God. They say a person who does not have a station of repentance, does not have a station with God.

“Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.”

Prophet Muhammad, upon peace and blessings (Sunan Ibn Majah)

If a person has accepted Prophet Muhammad, upon him and blessings, teachings, they would have such a station of repentance. What words do you think would come out of their mouths? Which words do you find in the Quran, or the prophetic teachings?

“Stop hating yourself for not being perfect” or:

Say, [O Muhammad], “It has been revealed by He who knows [every] secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

Quran 25:6

Which words would the pious preach to others if their aim is to sincerely and truthfully guide them to God?

Sources and References

1. God Intervenes Between A Person And Their Heart: Key Lessons From The Prophets
2. Posts and writings on social media sites on various themes
3. Blogs on Star Tribune
4. YouTube Channel on reflections of faith
5. Reflections from: Love Is Deeper Than Words shared on many platforms.