Beauty and the Sunna

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30th November 2012 - 14 mins 56secs

'Shall the reward of doing what is beautiful be other than doing what is beautiful?' 

-Surah Ar-Rahman verse 60

In this khutba covering the topic of beauty, the Sheikh begins by noting that the connection linking us to Transcendent is the receptive affirmation of what is beautiful and indicates the Supernatural. To the extent that the sense of beauty, truth and order rules in our hearts, that is how in touch we are with reality. This apprehension is available to any person, no matter how young or unlettered they are. 

Indeed the Sheikh notes that the life of the Prophet was a life lived intensely, passionately and lyrically in response to what is beautiful. As human beings we have two ways to respond to beauty; to turn inwards towards individualism, or outwards from our selves, to engage with the Ultimate. We are between tendency upwards, and the tendency down. Ugliness is always due to the engagement with the nafs, the downward. The arrival of the Prophet on the other hand affirms the universal other, not just of Arabs but of human beings as brothers everywhere. Earlier prophets were sent only to their people, but he was sent to all mankind. This is why his way is a path of beauty, and why the deen was able to spread and flourish so magnificently in the following centuries. 

The Sheikh closes by telling us that the heart craves beauty. The Sharia makes outward judgements, and so inwardly does the soul. We are asked to live our lives making these soulful judgements, to follow those who act beautifully, and surround ourselves with those beautiful things that bring our hearts peace, for as the Qur'an says

'Verily in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest!'

 -Surah Ar-Ra'd verse 28

Calligraphy reading 'He uncovered the darkness by his beauty' from the poem about the Prophet by Shaikh Sa'di, mosque, Istanbul. Taken by the CKETC team.

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The Ethics of the Prophet

Circle - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - February 2012 - 1hour 14mins 48secs

In this circle the Sheikh tackles the topic of ethics and what it means within the context of Islam. He begins with a fundamental point; that in the foundation of Islam as with other great faiths the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was no mere theoriser; he laid down no well outlined manifestos or texts titled 'ethics'. Instead he, foremost amongst the greats of the religion, took history by the horns and changed it for the better in a natural way. It was up to those who followed, up to our day, to discover the spirit of how the Prophet was able to take his people and turn them around in an unprecedented time and manner. Many who followed him tried to find that subtle thing, that charisma, that made people hand over the keys to their hearts to him in a way that unified a land that had never been brought together before. It is revealing to note what his wife A'isha - may Allah be pleased with her - said about him: kana khuluquhu al-Quran, his character was that of the Qur'an. The message of Islam is thus intertextual, in a way the Book and the messenger are two facets of the same thing. Thus the Sheikh notes that Akhlaq, 'character traits', is the Islamic term for ethics.

The Sheikh outlines the current polarities of the age, where a post-Enlightenment West claiming to have found a Universal basis for ethics that apply to all human beings clashes with an often Muslim world that is seen as puritanical and backward. Sheikh Abdal Hakim goes on to see whether the virtues of the the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, can go some way to bridging this divide that is felt so keenly in contemporary society. 

Picture taken in the Eski Camii (Old Mosque) In Edirne, Turkey. Taken by the CKETC team.

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Musa: The Heights and The Cave

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 24th February 2012 - 27mins 16secs

When Moses came to the place appointed by Us and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon Thee." Allah said: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); but look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me." When his Lord manifested Himself to the Mount, He made it as dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe."

In this sermon the Sheikh chose to focus on aspects of the Mosaic story, elegantly using them to outline some of the possibilities of the inner and outer aspects of the soul. Much of Moses' experiences are related to the rigorous majesty of Allah, His Jalal. At the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai when he famously asked to see something of God, he was met with the dazzling sight of the mountain crumbling as outlined in the verses above. Musa is also known by the Laws that he brought forth to the Jews, again another side of Allah's religion that is said to be 'jalil'.

However there is another side of the story. In Surah al-Kahf there is the rather mysterious encounter between Musa and Khidr. The events outlined in al-Kahf centre not on the outward but rather on the 'Ilm ladunni'. This 'knowledge from within Us' refers to the inward knowledge that cannot be explained through words alone but need ishara, indications, sometimes through poetry, sometimes through art, sometimes through an encounter with beauty itself. After all what is art if not the act of "seeking Ultimates that mere words can't reach"?

The Sheikh ends with Prophet Muhammad's own Sinai moment, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The words of Surah an-Najm are mysterious themselves, but they indicate that there was something in his heart that transcended even the Mosaic, that somehow combined both the experiences of Musa but also of his companion Khidr, Allah's peace be upon them all.

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The Orphan

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 17th February 2012 - 26mins 44secs

Seest thou one who denies the Judgement (to come)?

Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with harshness),

And encourages not the feeding of the indigent.

So woe to the worshippers

Who are neglectful of their Prayers,

Those who (want but) to be seen (of men),

But refuse (to supply) (Even) neighbourly needs. 

In his first khutba given after the Winter hiatus the Sheikh begins with a recitation of Surah Ma'un, that Surah that would 'strike at the heart of the one with sincerity'. These verses cover the vices of boastfulness and pride, miserliness and hypocrisy, but before all of these harmful vices Allah in this chapter mentions the active repulsion of the orphan. To be an orphan is to be without the warmth, shelter and security that a parent's care provides naturally. That this should stir our compassionate instincts is understandable, as is Allah's stern reprimand to the one who would repulse them, especially since their condition in this life mirrors all of ours' on the Day of Judgment. The Sheikh goes on to explore the early life of the greatest orphan of them all, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who was orphaned three times over, of his father, mother and then grandfather. 

What is striking in the life of the Prophet is that in society's eyes he had nothing, and yet Allah used him as an instrument to evoke the greatest changes in society the world has ever seen. This is why the sermon ends with a urgent exhortation to avoid the lassitude of being idle spectators and try as a community to care for those children who may then go on to change the world for the better. This cannot be done with the cold failing approach of the care home but with the prime Islamic virtue of mercy, evoked by the first hadith that scholars are asked to memorise when embarking on their studies:

"Those who have mercy will receive the mercy of the Most Merciful. Have mercy on those who are on earth, the One in heavens will have mercy on you."

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The Last days of the Prophet

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 11th March 2011 - 25mins 23secs

Martin Luther King Jnr once said that "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

In this khutba the Sheikh used the passing of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to explore some of the reasons he is considered to be the best of men. Passing through the isthmus between this mortal life into the realm of the next is known to be a dread affair, when all are tested to their limits. In this trying time, when others would trouble themselves only with the fate of their own mortal soul, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, repeatedly concerned himself only with the fate of the community of believers. As the angel Gabriel, upon him be peace, came to him, he could only ask as to the fate of his ummah after his passing. Despite the immense trial he was going through he presented himself to the people for the last time again only exhorted them to good and gave them words of comfort to ease their hearts. He, peace and blessings be upon him, was given glad tidings of being the first to be resurrected on the day of arising: how could it be otherwise for a man whose last words, as he lay in lap of his wife, were "the prayer, the prayer..."

This event, the wafat an-nabawiyya, was the greatest tribulation the Muslims of that time, or possibly any time, had ever faced. Again the situation allowed those companions with the loftiest rank to show their quality. Whilst many were lain low, struck dumb or driven to righteous anger, Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, the second of the two, led the Muslims onward in their journey with the now famous words:

"To proceed, if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad has passed away, but if anyone of you used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die. Allah said, "And Muhammad is but a messenger; the messengers have come before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful." (Qur'an 3.144)
The image above is the first line of the Burda, to be found in Topkapi palace, Istanbul. Taken by the CKETC team.

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The Prophet and the Reckoner

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 23 mins 3 secs

The Sheikh begins with the name of Allah ‘the Reckoner’; one of the “banners under which caravan of Prophethood triumphs”. Prophets have always repeated the maxim ‘Allah is our sufficiency and a best guardian is He’. These figures are the best exemplars of the trait of reliance as they stake the most, lost the most, risk the most, are hated the most and are loved the most. This khutba looks at the events that occurred at the genesis of our faith and how the Prophet, peace be upon him, dealt with his tremendous early test.

Even before formal Islam the Prophet was disenchanted with this world, his heart responsive to the poor and downtrodden. His purity of heart was rewarded with the righteous dream, and after nights of tahannuth – worshipping in the cave of Hira – was met with the Angel of Revelation. The impact of the uncreated Word brought from the unimaginably higher realm left his heart shaken, only to be comforted by his wife Khadija, Allah be pleased with her: “You uphold the ties of family. You give to the poor. You endure misfortunes. You honour your guests. You help other people when the misfortunes decreed by heaven descend. Allah will never humiliate you.” Indeed her cousin Waraqa b. Nawfal was to go further: “This is the namus (in Greek Nomos; the angel come bearing the law) that Allah sent down upon Moses…If only I were a young man again, alive on the day when they drive you out. Never does anybody come with that which you are coming with without being opposed. And if I live to that day, I will support you”.

Clearly the Messenger of Allah was tested with something that will never be visited upon his community; the sheer weight of revelation being cast into his breast by his otherworldly visitor. There are many lessons we can derive from the way he dealt with this shaking, not least of all his turning to the seemingly weak and disenfranchised for assistance and succour. The Sheikh ends with some wise words: “although we can never achieve his status we can still engage in his imitation as he was a basharun mithluna, a man like us. Human perfection does not mean that human beings are no longer human”.

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Mevlidi Sherif

Cambridge and Oxford, 13th and 11th March respectively

Assalamu 'alaikum,

"Allah and His angels send blessing on the Prophet; O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect".

Surah al-Ahzab Verse 56 [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]

Last week - during the month of Rabi al-Awwal - millions of Muslims around the world raised themselves singly and in gatherings of tens, hundreds and thousands to praise the Messenger of Allah Muhammad, peace be upon him, his family and his companions. For it was on a Monday, on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal that al-Mustafa - the chosen one - was brought into this world to change it and our hearts forever. He was sent to all peoples and thus praise of him - peace be upon him - echoes from voices heard around the world. The scholastic cities of Oxford and Cambridge both joined in this wave of rejoicing in gatherings wonderfully expressive of the love Muslims have for he who is most beloved of Allah.

Cambridge

Cambridge's town and gown met in Wolfson College during this year's 'Love for the Beloved' event. Both this and the Oxford gathering can be downloaded in whole or as parts outlined below:

Listen to the whole Mawlid
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1. The gathering opened with Fatiha, Surah al-Ikhlas, Falaq, Nas, then continued with some istighfar and salawat led by Sheikh Abdal Hakim.

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2. The Sheikh recites two poems written by the great wali and pillar of Istanbul Aziz Mahmud Hudayi (Allah have mercy on his soul), who now rests in the neighbourhood of Uskudar.

Listen to the the poems
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3. The Sheikh leads the recital of another of Aziz Mahmud Hudayi's poems 'Asikin Maksudu'. The text and translation by Shiekh Abdal Hakim can be found here.

Listen to Asikin Maksudu
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4. The gathering now moves on to recite the eminent Hadrami scholar Habib Umar's mawlid text about the Prophet - peace be upon him - titled al-Diya al-Lami', the Shimmering Light, which can be downloaded with translation here. Traditionally in between chapters of such a text an Arabic qasida is recited. In light of the nature of our community English songs are sung instead: Litany VII, Litany XXX. In addition, an English translation of parts of the Ottoman wali Suleyman Chelebi's mawlid poem Mevlidi Sherif - text found here.

Listen to Al-Diya al-Lami'
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5. We now move onto two songs, the first, Bird of the Soul was written by Sefer efendi and translated by Sheikh Abdal Hakim and is set to a melody written by Zeki Altun.

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6. This qasida is written by the great 17th century scholar and saint Imam Abdallah b. 'Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on his soul), who was born and died in the Hadrami town of Tarim, Yemen. The melody is from a royalist air titled 'When the King enjoys his own again'. The musical notation is here and the arabic text here. Imam Haddad's Diwan can be found on this website also replete with other valuable resources (warning; may take some time to load).

Listen to Qul lilladhi...
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7. Poems written in Farsi including the famous lines by Sheikh Sa'di (Allah have mercy on his soul) are now recited by members of Cambridge's Iranian community.

Listen to the Persian recital
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8. A few of the Brothers from the Isoc contributed with a few well known Arabic nasheeds including Talama ashku gharami and Tala al Badru 'alayna - a song that has been on Muslim lips since the emigration of the Prophet peace be upon him from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 (0 H). The text can be found here

Listen to the Brothers' Medley and Dua'
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Oxford

A few days previously the Oxford Isoc organised a wonderful gathering with Sheikhs Babikr and Ozturk and Sudanese nasheed reciters as part of their Experience Islam Term. We apologise in advance for the poor quality of some of the recordings - the event overwhelmed our hearts but unfortunately also the capabilities of our recorder. The videos may act as a compensation. A full video recording will soon be available; please keep visiting www.ouisoc.com for this and other information.

Listen to the whole Mawlid
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1. Sheikh Ozturk, a visiting scholar from Istanbul, opens with the recitation of the famous verses (40 to 48) from the Chapter of the Confederates in praise of the Prophet peace be upon him.

Listen to Surah al-Ahzab
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Surah al-Ahzab verse 56 - Sheikh Ozturk - Salute him!

2. Sheikh Ozturk then moves on to beautifully recite the passages in Suleyman Chelebis Mevlidi Sherif (mentioned above) regarding the birth of the Prophet peace be upon him through the eyes of his mother Amina hatun.

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3. This begins a series of anasheed sung in the Sudanese fashion. Unfortunately some of the other recordings are obscured somewhat by the voices of others in the gathering.

Listen to Ibrahim Madih [1]
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Ibrahim Madih - La ilaha Illa Allah

4. One of the most beloved of our Shuyukh, Sheikh Babikr scarcely needs an introduction but just in case one can be found here. He delivers a powerful talk about the Prophet peace be upon him, and our need to realise our humanity by harkening back to what he laid down for us in his sunnah.

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Tala al Badru 'alayna - Sheikh Ozturk

5. The second of Ibrahim Madih's Sudanese contributions.

Listen to Ibrahim Madih [2]
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6. And the third

Listen to Ibrahim Madih - Anta nur min nur [3]
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7. Sheikh Babikr offers some closing remarks and the gathering closes with supplications to Allah.

Listen to the closing remarks and ad'iya
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Wassalamu 'alaikum

"Allah and His angels send blessing on the Prophet; O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect"