Saturday, 20 June 2009

Society & Solitude

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - 12 June 2009 - Cambridge -1 hr 12 mins 44 secs

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

We often feel the need to 'get away from it all', an impulse which seems to reflect a strange paradox of modern society. On the one hand, we can be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of daily life, always part of a busy crowd. Yet at the same time, are we truly connected to what is around us? Or are we somehow cut off from a genuine relationship with our environment and fellow human beings, always 'alone in the crowd'? In this talk, the sheikh reflects on the spiritual importance of solitude, and discusses how to cultivate the inner sense of stillness and realisation it can bring. But he also reminds us that this cannot be achieved at the cost of actually cutting ourselves off from society. Rather it should be enhanced by channelling it to transform our relationships with those around us, following the incomparable example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) whose mission began in the solitude of the Cave of Hira but which continued in the upliftment of his people and all of mankind.

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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous3 July 2009 at 10:13

    another excellent and informative talk by our beloved Sheik. I think the eloquence and expertise is a great gift Allah has bestowed on the Muslims of Cambridge. This website is an excellent avenue for the wider population to benefit. May Allah bless your efforts! Can i recommend that a web portal be setup so collections benefit from gift aid.

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  2. hamid4 July 2009 at 18:39

    Selam a lekum
    I fully agree with Anonymous. This was an excellent talk by Shaykh Abdal Hakim, brief, precise and to the point. These talks and the Shaykh's wisdom are much needed today.

    Has the Shaykh ever given any talks in the past about the Ninety Beautiful Names of Allah (sbut)? If so, would it be possible to post them on this website?

    Thank you for your time and attention.
    May Allah (sbut) reward you for all your effort.
    selam a lekum
    hamid

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  3. Anonymous5 July 2009 at 20:20

    Alhaduliiah !

    May Allah reward Sheikh Murad and the people behind this site.

    Wasalam

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  4. Cambridge Khutbas11 July 2009 at 12:31

    Salaam all,

    Thanks for feedback and especially your duas, please keep spreading the word . . .

    Sorry for the long time between posts this time, summer holidays intervened.

    @ Anonymous - thanks for your suggestion r.e. gift aid, someone is working on online donations with that facility at this very moment! InshaAllah it will be available soon.

    @ Hamid. We don't have any recordings about the sheikh talking on that topic spefically, if he gives one we will put at the top of the list for uploading inshaAllah :)

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  5. Anonymous16 July 2009 at 00:44

    salaam,
    Hamid, there's a very good english translation of Imam Ghazali's Ninety nine names. I'm not sure but i think Martin Lings has also written on the topic.
    Slaam,
    Zed

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  6. Dawud Israel26 July 2009 at 20:38

    Salam aleikum,

    I appreciated this talk and will re-listen to it in sha Allah. I wanted to say, I appreciate the mention about being empathic with one another.

    I started an art project that follows that same line of thinking, with the goal of connecting Muslims with the human condition. It's called "Soul Art" and I hope you can take a look and maybe share it with others- I will be posting more pieces insha Allah: http://muslimology.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/new-project-soul-art-gallery-1/

    Jazaka Allahu khayran for the talk and allowing me to comment.

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