In Season 7, Episode 4 of Talking With Teachers, Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali sits down with Dr. Aisha Subhani, Vice President of Zaytuna College, board-certified emergency medicine physician, educator, and longtime leader in Muslim education.
Drawing upon more than two decades in medicine and years of involvement in Islamic education, Dr. Subhani reflects on the relationship between faith, education, ethics, medicine, the liberal arts, and professional life.
The conversation explores the changing practice of medicine and the loss of the traditional doctor-patient relationship; why Muslims need qualified teachers and intellectual standards; the dangers of confusing online visibility with genuine scholarship; what Muslim parents should really mean when they say they want their children to be “successful”; and why the liberal arts remain essential for developing clear, critical thinkers.
Dr. Subhani also considers the impact of AI on education and the future of work, the growing importance of skilled trades and diverse professions, and why Muslims need institutions capable not merely of joining important conversations about AI, ethics, and education—but hosting those conversations.
The discussion concludes with reflections on Imam al-Ghazālī, the transformative purpose of education, the importance of reading history and the great books, and the kind of intellectual and spiritual formation Muslim institutions should seek to cultivate.
Topics include:
Medicine and holistic health • Islamic education • Liberal arts • Muslim parenting • AI and the future of work • Ethics and professional life • Qualified Islamic scholarship • Social media and Muslim discourse • Muslim institutions • Imam al-Ghazālī • Reading and history • Faith and intellectual formation
🎙️ Talking With Teachers — Season 7, Episode 4
Guest: Dr. Aisha Subhani
Host: Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali
Presented by Lamppost Education Initiative
