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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The Paradox of Forgiveness

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

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In this sermon, the sheikh discusses the Divine Attributes of Justice and Forgiveness, and how we can understand the relationship between these two apparently contradictory qualities. We know that God Almighty will manifest both His Justice and His Forgiveness absolutely on the Last Day without compromising either, because He transcends our comprehension. But how can we act upon His Divine Commands to enforce justice or grant forgiveness when they seem to conflict? The sheikh explains how we can try to overcome this through the perfect example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In the Qur'an, the Prophet is enjoined 'Keep to forgiveness, command what is right and turn away from the ignorant' (7:199). Thus, although he strove to secure justice for others, especially the weak, the prophet in many instances when he himelf had been wronged set aside the case for strict justice and chose forgiveness. Through the profound and subtle wisdom granted to him by God, therefore, the Prophet exemplified the resolution of this apparent paradox, and guided us toward a clearer understanding of the Divine Guidance.

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Sincerity & Intention

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 22 mins 08 secs

In this sermon, the sheikh discusses the importance of differentiating between appearances and real value, and how to do so. It is true that Muslims are supposed to take care of their appearance and deportment, but as a famous invocation (dua') of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) reminds us, our inner character is more important than our outer appearance. The danger is that we can become distracted not just by the apparent nature of others, but - more importantly - by the success of our own reputation and outward deeds. The sheikh reminds us of the fundamental importance of clarifying our own intentions and sincerity to avoid this, mentioning several sound hadith (prophetic sayings) as well as the story of the Bosnian bear.

Sincere apologies from us at cketc for the delay between posts, due in various cases to the upcoming exam season, a thesis deadline and work. We will try to do better, God willing. Your prayers for our success would be very welcome indeed.

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Purpose of the Sacred Law

Talk by Sheikh Jihad Hashim Brown - Cambridge - 2 March 2009 - 1 hr 34 mins 45 secs

Earlier this month, Cambridge benefited from the visit of Sheikh Jihad Hashim Brown, the well-known scholar and speaker, currently acting as Director of Research at the Tabah Foundation in Abu Dhabi. In this talk, he considers the ethical purposes of the shari'a (Islamic law) and how by connecting with its fundamental meanings and rich heritage we can act to help ourselves and those around us. As he reminds us at one point by relating a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), 'God does not cease to assist His slave as long as His slave does not cease to assist his brother'. In a rich and thought-provoking talk - as you would expect from someone in regular contact with some of the wisest scholars of our time, such as Mufti 'Ali Juma'a and Sheikh 'Abd Allah b. Bayyah - the sheikh discusses how the dynamic and profound techniques of the shari'a can be used to address the problems of the modern world and bring it back into harmonious submission to the order of creation. It is well-known that the root meaning of shari'a is 'a path to water', a route back to the substance of life. The sheikh reminds us, however, of the necessity of uncovering this water of the Divine Guidance through istinbat (to open up or tap a source of water, as in digging a well). Only through active engagement with the tools of our tradition can we use them to address the questions around us today and thereby promote its fundamental aims for humanity.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Listen to Mevlidi Sherif
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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"

Limits of the Law

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 13 March 2009 - 23 mins 27 secs

In this sermon, the sheikh relates a hadith (saying) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he divided actions into the compulsory, the forbidden, and things about which God has been silent out of mercy for mankind. At first, this idea seems confusing or troubling: why would God leave some things out of the guidance He has established? The sheikh goes on to explain this by examining the relationship between the boundaries and signposts provided by God through the shari'a on the one hand, and on the other the human conscience - called in another hadith 'God's preacher' (wa'iz Allah). Through the dynamic of this relationship, we can see the importance of understanding the fundamental purpose of the law we follow. Further, we can appreciate another dimension of God's Mercy in establishing His law in such a way that it facilitates that understanding.

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Living & Dying

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 3 March 2009 - 56 mins 41 secs

In this talk, the sheikh discusses God's Divine Attributes as the Living (al-Hayy) and the Giver of Life (al-Muhyi), and how they relate to mankind. Although of course we only do so through Him and by His Mercy, we can if we choose attempt to conform ourselves to these Divine Qualities as far as our limited nature allows. The sacred law (shar'iah) is a means to do this; the ethical system enjoined by God through it is based firstly on His Name of al-Muhyi (the Giver of Life), so that the right to life (of all categories of creation) is one of its fundamental principles. Another means is prayer: as the sheikh reminds us, the verb in the adhan (call to prayer) normally translated as 'come to' (prayer/success) actually has the root meaning to be or come alive. However, the modern world has manifested an excessive attachment to this quality and the life of this world - with the paradoxical but clear effect of actually bringing about its opposite. In other words, in our longing for life in the limited modern sense, mankind now more frequently manifests the Divine Quality of al-Mumit (Bringer of Death), but a disproportionate and misguided fashion. The sheikh discusses some means to overcome this, and perceive our journey through this world in the true light. It is not from life to death as materialist philosophies assume, but just the opposite: from the dead matter of this world from which we are given temporary physical form, to the world which God calls in the Qur'an the truly living (al-Hayawan, i.e. al-Akhira)

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'Hud and her sisters...'

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutba) by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 27th February 2009 - 32 mins 31 secs

The Sheikh began with the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) 'Hud and her sisters have turned my hair grey (shayyabatni)'. This statement of his alludes to the immense gravity of the themes explored in these surahs. On previous occasions the Sheikh has used this hadith to illustrate the terrifying eschatological implications of Surah Hud. He bears these in mind when continuing with the last khutba's theme of 'upsetting the balance'. We are led through the Qur'anic event when the angels visited Ibrahim (upon him be peace) and his wife Sarah - both aged in extremis - with the good news of a child, an episode similar to the Annunciation of Isa b. Maryam (upon them be peace).

Various lessons are teased out from this; the Qur'anic address to Sarah in stark contrast to the androcentric Biblical telling of the episode and the humility and hospitality that Ibrahim showed to his heavenly guests. We are also reminded of his yearning for the same blessings to be bestowed upon the children of Lot as were to be bestowed upon his children Isaac and Ishmael, the great twin streams of prophecy. The Sheikh ends on a topical note - Abraham and his children represent the fertile possibilities of the life that is turned inwardly upwards to heaven. The fate visited on the people of Lot in contrast reminds us of the perils of turning an 'inverted' gaze to ourselves only, an attitude sadly all too prevalent in the present age. This leads to the upsetting of the balance that Hud tries to protect us from.

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Islam, Gender, Marriage & Sexuality

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Rhodes House, Oxford - 9 February 2009 - 1 hr 00 mins 04 secs

TRANSCRIPTION PENDING

In another talk for OUISOC's Experience Islam Term, Sheikh Abdal Hakim offers some further thoughts on gender in Islam (which dovetail quite nicely with previous talks posted here and here). He begins, with characteristic catholicity, by discussing the career of Valentine de Sainte Point, an early French feminist and Futurist who in later life rejected what she perceived as the dehumanising trajectory of Western culture and converted to Islam, in which she found a more integrated and integrative understanding of human nature.

From that, the sheikh moves on discuss some aspects of the Islamic understanding of gender and sexuality, and how in this respect, as in others, the message of the Qu'ran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) acted as a rectification to misinterpretations of previous revelation; in this case, the rejection and excoriation of human sexuality often manifested by Christianity. The Prophet, by contrast, as 'mankind perfected', embraced this aspect of his humanity as he did every other, according to the Divine Guidance. His role as exemplar was thereby extended to women partly through his marriages, which provided multiple models of exemplary female behaviour. The sheikh finishes by discussing this in relation to the Prophet's wives (may God be pleased with them) and Qur'anic examples of ideal women.

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Some Excellent Links

Nothing from Cambridge this time, but some really thought-provoking talks recently posted elsewhere that can benefit us all, God willing.

Eyeless in Gaza, a talk given by Habib 'Ali al-Jifri during the recent Radical Middle Way tour.

Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence, a sermon delivered by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf in San Jose on Friday 20 February 2009.

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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