Twlight of the Islamosaurs

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Oxford - 6 November 2004 - 50 mins 33 secs

As an early Eid present, here's a talk recorded five years ago by Oxford University ISoc and preserved over on IslamOnline.net. It's not one for the audio purists unfortunately but we've done our best. It's definitely worth a listen for Sheikh Abdal Hakim's perceptive and invigorating review of the history of Islamism. Through this reading, he makes an analysis of some of the most fundamental aspects of the umma's reaction to modernity and its current state. As a counter-point to these sobering reflections, he also offers some optimistic thoughts on the future. May you all have a blessed Eid inshaAllah, and may Allah accept the efforts of all this year's pilgrims.

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Marriage & Family Life

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 6 November 2009 - 24 mins 05 secs

In this sermon, Sheikh Abdal Hakim discusses the significance of marriage as a prophetic sunna, and how family life relates to internalising the seeking of Allah's pleasure and the practice of His religion.

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

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An Appeal From Cambridge

As-salaam 'alaykum wa-rahmat Allah wa-barakatuh.

As you all may know, we are raising money here in Cambridge to build the first purpose built mosque in this historic and prestigious city, which will accommodate the rapidly growing community here. Thanks to Allah, we have the land and we have a design for a beautiful and inspirational building. Now we reaching the stage of construction, and we need YOUR help to raise the necessary funds.

Historically, wherever Muslims have travelled, Islam has become embedded in the spiritual and cultural life of the local society. Whether the Muslims became the majority or not, the message they were blessed to bear ennobled and enlightened each place. For that to happen in the UK, we need mosques in towns like Cambridge and to support leaders like Sheikh Abdal Hakim.

You can help in at least these three ways:

1) Donate - whatever you can give will help. You can donate by credit card, cheque, standing order or bank transfer, and Just Giving will be added soon inshaAllah. Can you spare even just £1 or $1.50 - not even the cost of a cup of coffee - for each download you have made or will make? If each of you donated just that much, we could raise tens of thousands of pounds.

2) Spread the word - about the mosque project and about this site. Please tell all your contacts about the free downloads they can get here and encourage them to donate. Just one minute writing an email may be rewarded inshaAllah!

3) Pray for the success of the project - inna Allah mujib al-da'wat, so please pray for the Muslims of Cambridge and for the success of the mosque building project.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that, 'Whoever builds a mosque, desiring thereby Allah's pleasure, Allah builds for him the like of it in Paradise'. So please, for the sake of Allah and out of love for the religion of His Beloved and Final Messenger, help us in whatever way you can.

For those of you who have already donated or helped this project in any way, and to those who will in the future, thank you. May Allah reward you all and bless you.

The CKetc team

P.S. We've got more great content for the site coming up soon inshaAllah - inspirational khutbas and a MP3 of a talk from several years ago intriguingly entitled 'The Twilight of the Islamosaurs' - so check back soon!

Society & Solitude: Part 2

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 10 November 2009 - 56 mins 07 secs

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

In this talk, Sheikh Abdal Hakim elaborates on some of the themes of a previous talk, discussing here the importance of companionship (suhba). He reads from a letter on the subject by Sheikh Sharafuddin b. Yahya Maneri, known as Makhdoom Sahib, a noted saint of the 13th century CE who lived in the Bihar region in India and was among the great spiritual leaders who brought Islam to what is today north-east India and Bangladesh. Sheikh Sharafuddin's letters were compiled by his students and studied ever since as an inspirational source of spiritual guidance. With reference to this letter on suhba, from the collection known as the Hundred Letters, Sheikh Abdal Hakim talks about the nature of suhba, and its importance for the individual and society, in particular for the relationship between the generations.

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The Charity of Love

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - London - 9th November 2009 - 12 mins 05 secs

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

In this talk, given at an fundraising event as part of the Islamic Help Orphans Tour, Sheikh Abdal Hakim discusses the motives behind giving charity. He mentions the particular quality and blessing of charity given out of love for Allah and out of gratitude to Him, rather than out of guilt, pride or any other cause; and he highlights the importance for the ummah - before any other of the many social, economic, or political revolutions Muslims are devoting themselves to in the hope of renewing their communities - of a revolution of love.

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Where Is The Love?

Talk by Sheikh Jamal ud-Deen Hysaw - Cambridge - 21st October 2009 - 58 mins 56 secs

Cambridge was blessed recently with a visit by Sheikh Jamal ud-Deen Hysaw, who was here in the UK giving a series of talks in aimed at the addressing the issues faced by specifically by young people. Sheikh Jamal ud-Deen hails from Chicago in the USA, and has studied for almost a decade in Damascus and Tarim. In this talk, he addresses the perennial question of relationships and gender, and gives the perspective of traditional knowledge on some modern conundrums.

Watch this talk at likeMEDIA.tv

The Mantle Adorned: Imam Busiri's Burda

The Mantle Adorned: Imam Bûsîrî's Burda, translated, with further poetic ornaments, by Abdal Hakim Murad. Quilliam Press, 2009.

A new English translation of the celebrated Poem of the Cloak (Qasidat al-Burda) by Imam Busiri (may Allah be pleased with him) is now available. With calligraphy by Betül Kırkan and illumination by Ersan Perçem, the beautiful production of this edition reflects the esteem in which the poem is held, as well of course as its high purpose, the remembrance and honouring of God's Beloved and Final Messenger, Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Sheikh Abdal Hakim's translation renders the poem in beautiful and moving English in a parallel text alongside the original Arabic. In addition, each verse is followed by lines from other poets - classical and modern, and from many parts of the world - echoing and amplifying its theme, encouraging the reader to reflect on its meanings more fully.

Published by Quilliam Press, with typography by Abdallateef Whiteman, this edition is available from Central Books, online Islamic bookstores or on Amazon.

UPDATE: There is now a separate site about The Mantle Adorned here, with more information about its content, the people who contributed to it and where you can buy it.