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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Debt, Interest and Unity

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 2nd March 2012 - 23mins 59secs

"And (moreover) He hath put affection between their hearts: not if thou hadst spent all that is in the earth, couldst thou have produced that affection, but Allah hath done it: for He is Exalted in might, Wise."

The Sheikh began this searing khutba with a passage from Surah al-Anfal, describing Quraysh's efforts to regroup and unify after the defeat at Badr through the taking out of loans to pay tribes to march under their banner.  The temptation amongst the numerically inferior Muslims was to do the same, but in the verse Allah clearly commands the believers to trust in Him alone, and not in the manipulation of the financial market.

Fast-forward 1400 years to what the Sheikh termed the 'European Autumn' and it is not difficult to see the far reaching wisdom of those Words. The European 'Union' that was to be the triumph of the financial vision of the continent is now splintering with catastrophic scenarios being played out in the poorer countries, Greece being the most potent example. In the khutba the Sheikh lucidly outlined the origins of Eurozone crisis, as well as that of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco in the US, to show how the endless borrowing has led to a situation where the future of an entire generation has been imperiled by the bankers who pass off these problems to those poorer than them with a nonchalant shrug of their shoulders. University students now will live half of their life under the burden of debt. Freedom needs autonomy, and autonomy cannot be exercised when ones dignity as a human being - the very thing that Islam champions - is chained by the shackles of interest-based debt.

Sheikh Abdal Hakim noted that the sharia is there principally to protect the poor, as it is the poor who always suffer first, as they now do in Greece, as they did in 1882 when the British invaded Egypt; just another shameful episode in the long history of Empire's corrupt profit-related ventures that brought misery to millions worldwide. Ultimately Empire collapsed as will America's rule, and as Muslims we should give nasiha that stability and harmony will never co-exist with this blind desire for profit, but rather with something else.

This something is what the Sheikh began the khutba with, and ended it with. One of the greatest legacies of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him is the unification of the peoples of Arabia, a stark contrast to the contemporary unraveling of the EU. This unity was threatened with his death, but the Ummah was saved. Not with pieces of silver or gold but through Allah moving destiny through the pure, free hearts of those men of dignity, Hadrat Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu 'Ubayda, may Allah be pleased with them all, and may He guide us to follow in their footsteps, ameen. 

Image from freefoto.com

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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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Poverty & Riches

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - 30 October 2009 - Cambridge - 22 mins 30 secs

The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) famously prayed to be resurrected among the masakin (poor, downtrodden, oppressed), but what does it mean to be miskin and what was the prophetic attitude to poverty or hardship? In this sermon, Sheikh Abdal Hakim outlines the Qur'anic and prophetic description of the poor (fuqara') and shows why it is important not to be afraid of poverty as we often are today. This is not because it is necessarily a good thing in itself to be poor, or on the other hand a bad thing to be rich or powerful, but because of the beauty and dignity of cultivating reliance on Allah whatever one's outward state.

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Selections from Ibn Juzayy's Tasfiyat al-Qulub

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 1 hr 15 mins 56 secs

Imam Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi of Granada was one of the last great scholars of al-Andalus, well-known for his works of Quranic commentary and comparative jurisprudence. In this talk, Sheikh Abdal Hakim discusses some selections from Ibn Juzayy's Tasfiyat al-qulub fi 'l-wusul ila hadrat 'allam al-ghuyub ('Refinement of the hearts in the approach to the presence of the Knower of the hidden'). He focuses particularly on the nature of reliance on God (tawakkul), its cultivation by the believer, and its relationship to a deeper understanding of Divine Unity (tawhid).

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf has also recently published a DVD set of lectures on this work by Imam Ibn Juzayy.

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Balancing Action & Reliance

Jum'ah khutba (Friday sermon) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30 September 2005 - 18 mins 47 secs

The sheikh considers another aspect of tawakkul (reliance on God), how to balance it with the need to take action oneself. Although all things are ultimately under the control of God and He may grant anything at any time, it is still necessary for us to act rather than simply wait for His help in whatever regard. The one who truly relies on God acts with energy, foresight and planning while accepting that his or her efforts will only reach fruition with God's permission. This quality, the sheikh reminds us, is exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who took great care in all he did despite perceiving his dependence on God with complete clarity.

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Hope & Reliance on God

Jum'ah khutba (Friday sermon) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 24th October 2003 - 24 mins 42 secs

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The sheikh uses the occasion of the beginning of the month of Muharram and the Islamic New Year to reflect upon making a new start and how God may change the condition of anyone who humbly relies upon His Mercy. He distinguishes between true hope and reliance on God (tawakkul) and false hope (tamanni) that is not underpinned by honest introspection, humility and repentance (tawba).

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