The Qur'anic Jesus

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Keble College, Oxford - 9 February 2009 - 1 hr 25 mins 09 secs

Our brothers and sisters over in Oxford have also been working hard, outdoing us with a whole term of Experience Islam events, may God reward them. Check out the impressive programme here, and get along to some of the events yet to come if you can. Among the talks so far was this one on Islamic perspectives on Jesus by Sheikh Abdal Hakim. In it he presents the Qur'anic understanding of Jesus ('Isa, peace be upon him), and relates it to historical and contemporary debates about his nature and role. The talk highlights in particular the possibility of a shared Christological dialogue between the Abrahamic faiths.

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Corruption on the Earth

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 13 February 2009 - 29 mins 21 secs

Alhamdulilah, thanks to the hard work of the ladies and gentlemen of the Cambridge University Islamic Society and the speakers who kindly attended, we were lucky enough here to have many interesting and beneficial talks during the recent Experience Islam Week. You can see the whole programme and download many of the talks here. In this sermon, delivered during EIW, the sheikh reflects on the Qur'anic warning about the corruption of the earth caused by man's abuse of the blessings of creation. The practical implications of this are becoming distressingly evident in our own times, testament to the dimming of our perception of the signs (ayat) of which our entire environment consists. The sheikh discusses the deep love of the prophets' for all aspects of creation and how this relates to their sound understanding of mankind's true place within in it.

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Supporters of God

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 24 mins 49 secs

In the Qur'an, God Almighty commands the believers to be His supporters or helpers (ansar). Since God is, among His other beautiful and majestic atrributes, the Indepedent and Self-Sufficient (al-Ghani') and the Sovereign of All (Malik al-Mulk), He does not need our assistance, so what does this command mean? In this sermon, the sheikh discusses some aspects of this question, relating it to the covenant of Bani Isra'il (the Israelites). In the Qur'an, the stories of that people are told as an example and an emblem of both a sound and an unsound relationship with God. Rather than assuming complacently that this is simply the history of another community, they have forced, and must continue to force, Muslims to consider how we ourselves measure up to that example.

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God, Science & the 'New Atheism'

Lecture by Prof. Keith Ward - Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge - 27 January 2009 - 1 hr (approx.)

It's a bit off our usual posting, but this is a very interesting and thought-provoking lecture given in Cambridge last month. In the last few years, the works of the 'New Atheists' such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have gained wide media and popular attention. In this lecture, Prof. Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and author among many other things of Why There Almost Certainly Is A God, deconstructs the reasoning behind this trend and analyses the limits of scientific knowledge, presenting the philosophical case for the rational belief in a power beyond time and space. Great stuff for dealing with any tedious religion-bashers among your friends, colleagues or acquaintances. The Faraday Institute has lots of other good resources on related topics. At one point, Prof. Ward refers to Bernard d'Espagnat's highly suggestive phrase 'veiled reality', to describe the point beyond which reality is not scientifically knowable. May God make us grateful for the profound gift of revelation that has given us another path past the veil to understand Him who is truly Real.

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The Teeth of the Key

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 20 October 2006 - 25 mins 09 secs

In this sermon, the sheikh relates some sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) about the power and significance of bearing witness to the Unity of God (shahada). Taken literally, these sayings seem to suggest that simply saying La ilaha illa Allah ('There is no God but God') with sincerity is enough to attain salvation. However, the sheikh relates the opinion of the 'ulama who have said that to believe in God's Oneness is necessarily to want to act according to it. The gateway to this action is the Revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad and his own example. Hence the first witnessing to God's Unity is inextricably linked to the second witnessing of Muhammad's prophethood.

(Apologies that the first minute or so of the sermon are missing.)

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Unveiling the Qur'an

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim - Cambridge - date unknown - 26 mins 43 secs

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

The Holy Qur'an is in every Muslim home and every mosque, a ubiquitous presence in our lives as a material object. But how many of us can say that it is so present in our hearts, where it serves its true purpose? In this sermon, the sheikh reminds us of the outward and formal courtesies (adab) necessary to approach the Qur'an, and how these relate to the unparalled inner purification and upliftment it can effect. When viewed clearly, it is the most dazzling of God's signs, taking us as directly as it is possible for us to come to knowledge of Him because its content is co-eternal with Him; yet, as the sheikh says, unless we approach it with the proper reverence and love, its meaning and significance may be veiled to us. May God soften all of our hearts to the message of His Divine Book, and protect us from arrogance or hard-heartedness before it.

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Gaza: Sakina Through a Long View of History

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 16 January 2009 - 24 mins 24 secs

In this sermon the sheikh discusses some aspects of the noble history of Gaza, burial place of the great-grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and discusses its current despicable treatment by Israel. He mentions various historical and contemporary factors that may have contributed to events, from upcoming Israeli elections to the Arab Revolt incited by the British during First World War which led to the collapse of the Islamic Caliphate. The sheikh relates our search for meaning and understanding of events to one of Islam's earliest tragedies, the murder of Husayn b. 'Ali (may God be pleased with him) which of course also took place in Muharram as the crimes of Gaza have. During their most trying ordeals the Companions of the Prophet and their successors - by God's Mercy - maintained their faith in Him and their commitment to justice whilst resisting the human impulse for revenge and indiscriminate violence. May God Almighty, Lord of All the Worlds, grant the people of Gaza quick relief from their unspeakable suffering and show the ummah and the whole world the path to true justice for them.

The picture here is of the Great Mosque of Gaza, built as the sheikh mentions on the site of the Eudoxiana church when the people of the city rushed to embrace Islam.

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The Tongue

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 20 mins 08 secs

Ours is an age of constant chatter, gossip and debate, often uncomfortable with silence and deep reflection. Yet the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) warned very strongly about the dangers of thoughtless use of the tongue, a warning emphasised by the Companions and great scholars. In this sermon, the sheikh relates some of the prophetic insights about the nature of the tongue and its relationship with other parts of the body. When we speak untruthfully, for example, we make it easier to commit other sins; we distract ourselves from the possibility of real reflection and remembrance, and raise a barrier to perception of the true situation. The tongue often expresses and reinforces the whims of the ego, with sadly damaging results for ourselves and those around us.

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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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Love & Faith

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 25 mins 29 secs

This sermon considers the well-known saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that no one believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. The sheikh first mentions the variations of this favoured saying of the prophet, and what is meant by 'brother' - a topic also discussed in this sermon. The main part of the sermon then relates to understanding the significance of this apparently stern definition of the requirements of belief, and the relationship between this love and faith. In particular, the sheikh describes how the transformative power of this love (mahabba) for what God has decreed to endow our worship with true significance, as it enters, enlivens and ennobles our hearts.

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Imam al-Ghazali's Revival of the Religious Sciences

A new DVD set of lessons by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad covering four books of Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-Din is now available. All profits from the sale of these DVDs will go towards the funds for the new mosque in Cambridge. Find out more and purchase the set here.

Forgetfulness & Remembrance

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 24 mins 04 secs

In this sermon, the sheikh discusses forgetfulness (nisyan), an inherent characteristic of mankind. Although forgetfulness is not itself sinful, it is a fundamental test for mankind becase it is the first barrier to the remembrance and worship of God that is our primary purpose as His creation. This remembrance (dhikr) is the direct opposite of forgetfulness or heedlessness (ghafla). All of us have the capacity for this remembrance because we all carry the echo within us of the great day before time when all creation bore witness to God's sovereignty. So although we are tested by Him through our tendency to forget, in His Mercy he constantly calls us and helps us to remember through the signs that surround us. Although the manifestations of our forgetfulness and the degradation that results from it are all around us, there have been and remain countless examples also of heroism, self-sacrifice and other beautiful deeds resulting from those men and women who have perceived the Reality of their condition and striven to return to it: in the words of a poet the sheikh mentions here, 'we were once friends of the angels, so let us return to that place'.

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Sacrifice & Submission

Eid al-Adha khutba by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - Eid al-Adha 1429 (8 December 2008) - 15 minutes 56 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds - Arabic sermon)

This sermon recollects the extraordinary occasion which the Eid commemorates, when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) obeyed the command of God to sacrifice his son Ismail (peace be upon him); when father and son, united in love and respect for each other, were bound even more deeply in obedience to their Lord. The sheikh relates this powerful symbol of sacrifice to the daily struggle that we all undergo to cut out of our lives what may seem most dear to us, but which actually blocks our path back to God. In His Mercy, God did not bring about Ismail's sacrifice because He has ordained that Mercy for Himself first and foremost. Similarly He has given us a defence against the distractions of the human ego, greed and ugly desires, the sword of the sharia by which we ward off the attacks of Shaytan and our hawa (baseless whims). Ultimately what we sacrifice for Him with that sword is no sacrifice at all, but a victory which brings us closer to Him.

[Apologies for the poor sound quality a short way into the English sermon, the microphone in the hall broke - it does come back after about 30 seconds.]

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Seeing by Allah's Light

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 5 December 2008 - 22 minutes 18 seconds

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

In this sermon, the Sheikh discusses the concept of firasat al-mu'min (intuition or insight of the believer), which was mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him). From His Mercy, God grants this quality to enable its recipient to perceive the true nature and character of others. Although it is present to certain extent among many people, it increases in relation to faith (iman) such that many scholars and awliya have possessed it to a remarkable degree, and the Prophet himself of course most of all. The Sheikh relates some inspiring examples of this quality, and although not many possess it to such a degree, it is important for all of us because it can help us to spend our time with others who have good intentions and high iman. Since, as the Prophet said, we will be resurrected with our companions, may God grant us all an increase in iman and firasa so that we can seek out good and shun the bad more surely.

The sheikh mentioned that many of the righteous have called those endowed with firasa the 'spies of the hearts' for their ability to perceive what lies within. The following eponymous book was noted by the Sheikh as being a personal account of one American convert's encounters with people of insight: http://www.spyoftheheart.com/

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