The Curse and the Promise: Religion and Violence Q&As

Question & Answer session  - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - St Martin-in-the-Fields church, Trafalgar Sqaure, London - 2 November 2015 - 35 mins 16 secs - Transcription Pending

Part of the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields, focusing on religion and violence, reflecting upon both how faith can become the cause and perpetrator of conflict and persecution, and also the victim. But can our faith and our understanding of God also provide the promise for the healing of our nations? The lecture series covered the perspective of the three Abrahamic Faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. St Martin-in-the-Fields invited Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad as a guest speaker to explore these themes from the perspectives of the Islamic faith. This is the question and answer session which followed the Shaykh's lecture.

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The Curse and the Promise: Religion and Violence

Lecture - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - St Martin-in-the-Fields church, Trafalgar Sqaure, London - 2 November 2015 - 42 mins 57 secs - Transcription Pending

Part of the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields, focusing on religion and violence, reflecting upon both how faith can become the cause and perpetrator of conflict and persecution, and also the victim. But can our faith and our understanding of God also provide the promise for the healing of our nations? The lecture series covered the perspective of the three Abrahamic Faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. St Martin-in-the-Fields invited Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad as a guest speaker to explore these themes from the perspectives of the Islamic faith.  

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Drawing Closer to Allah

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 20 November 2015 - 30 mins 28 secs

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In this sermon the Shaykh covers the true meaning of the of the great Hadith Qudsi of Islam named by the ulama as Hadith an-Nawafil. In the Hadith, Allah himself describes to us the divine love and the journey that we must take to draw near to Him. Furthermore, Allah Almighty describes how the journey should progress to result in earning his love. It is an extraordinary blessing that Allah Almighty has given us this opportunity to earn the divine love.  The nawafil (supererogatory) acts of worship, are what really progresses this journey for us, enabling us to make the most of the capacity that has been entrusted to us in this world. This sulook, or spiritual pathway, must be a constant effort to counter the lower desires and make the right choices in life at every moment of our lives. The Shaykh then goes onto describe what it means to be a Wali, the one who Allah truly loves. 

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Honour Thy Neighbour

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30 October 2015 - 22 mins 24 secs

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'Worship Allah, and do not associate with Him anything, and be good to parents and to kinsmen and orphans and the needy and the close neighbour and the distant neighbour… ' 

(Surah An-Nisa, Verse 36)

The Quran and the Hadith emphasise the importance of honouring our neighbours.  Who are our neighbours and what are their rights.  In this sermon the Shaykh explores this fundamental aspect of our Deen which instructs us on how we should conduct ourselves with those around us regardless of their faith. The right relationships with our neighbours is paramount to the building of cohesive communities and to ultimately earn the pleasure of Allah Almighly.

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The Fully Integrated Life

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 9 October 2015 - 25 mins 16 secs

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'Allah bears witness that there is no god except He, and the Angels and the ones endowed with knowledge, upright with equity (bear witness). There is no god except He, The Ever-Mighty, The Ever-Wise...' 

(Surah al-Imran, Verse 18)

As the new academic year begins the Shaykh talks about how one should approach the balance needed in life, to put everything where it deserves to be put. How should one manage the different influences and complexity of life as a student. How does one find the right balance between what may seem Deen and what may seem Dunya. The Shaykh explains how we must strive for the fully integrated life and shares some useful tips from the works of Hujjat ul-Islam Imam Al-Ghazali.

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Consciousness Beyond Mindfulness

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30 January 2015 - 22 mins 49 secs

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' O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow...' 

(Surah al-Hashr, Verse 18)

The Shaykh talks about the importance of attentiveness and self-awareness. He describes the journey to full consciousness through a process of self accusation. How does the soul ascend beyond the mere mindfulness that has become popular in contemporary secular meditation; to achieve real awareness encompassing the moral dimension, the awareness which underpins sincere Tawbah.

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