cambridge khutbas etc.

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 11 March 2016 - 21 mins 26 secs'And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.' (Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 28)In this sermon the Shaykh talks about the qualities of the people who desire only to please the Almighty. The Shaykh mentions the ‘wool wearers' amongst the sahaba (ra) who were the best examples of those who submitted fully to Allah. He goes on to mention how the modern material world gives us a delusional notion of status, pushing us to fantasise about being with those who have nothing to offer our spiritual soul, seeking for role models amongst celebrities and the elite of society; thus going directly against the prophetic tradition of seeking the company of the people who are in remembrance of their Lord.    Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 19.6MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 20 November 2015 - 30 mins 28 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDINGIn 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. Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 27.8MB)

Lecture - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - St Martin-in-the-Fields church, Trafalgar Sqaure, London - 2 November 2015 - 42 mins 57 secs - Transcription PendingPart 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.  Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 39.3MB)

Question & Answer session  - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - St Martin-in-the-Fields church, Trafalgar Sqaure, London - 2 November 2015 - 35 mins 16 secs - Transcription PendingPart 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.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 32.3MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30 October 2015 - 22 mins 24 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'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. Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 20.5MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 12 Feb 2016 - 24 mins 15 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. ' (Surah Al-'Ankabut, Verse 69)The Shaykh describes the seven deadly vices that can destroy the inner soul and which inhibit happiness. He describes the the importance of the inward struggle that is paramount to overcome these vices. Taking lessons from the great story of Surah Yusuf which lays out the method that one must embrace to earn the help of the Almighty against all the vices.   Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 22.2MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 9 October 2015 - 25 mins 16 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'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.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 23.1MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 7 November 2014 - 20 mins 52 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDINGAllah has given the poor human blessings beyond his power to imagine, yet he finds comfort in ingratitude. Belief is thankfulness (shukr) to the Bestower. The Holy Prophet prayed at night not to atone for some sin, but simply out of a thankfulness so powerful that his tears flowed. Allah's universe is fine-tuned to support matter and life; we live in the midst of extreme improbability. ‘But few of My servants give thanks.'Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 19.1MB)Download Partial Transcript (docx, 110kb)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 30 January 2015 - 22 mins 49 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING' 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.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 20.8MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - October 2012 - 27mins 39secs'Do not push aside those who call upon their Lord morning and night desiring His Face...'Surah Al-'An`ām, verse 52The Sheikh begins this khutba with this ayah, which touches on the key Qur'anic concept of irada and niyya, will and intention. A 'key counterbalance to excessive exteriority', these principles are the gateways the Almighty uses to judge our actions in this earthly realm. Famously Imam Bukhari begins his great corpus of Sahih Hadith with the foundational narration starting "actions are by intentions". Quite often when discussing intentions, the idea of sincerity is mentioned, a translation of ikhlas. Whilst this translation is common, the Sheikh points out that ikhlas can be defined not simply as sincerity but rather as a purification of an entity to its most singular essence. Thus in this context the believer is asked to have a singularity of intention in all his or her affairs. Judgement is not by ones goods and wealth but with, as the Qur'an says a sound heart, qalbin saleem. As Imam Ghazali notes one can't have singularity of intention without having a sound heart. The uproarious tumult of our desires doesn't settle just because we simply want to have a pure intention. This comes only with the purification of the heart, for as the Qur'an says "truly he succeeds that purifies it". Photo of the grave of Umm Haram, known as Hala Sultan taken at the Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca, Cyprus by the CKETC team.Listen to this khutbaDownload thus khutba (MP3, 25.3MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 5 December 2014 - 21 mins 16 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'…and Allah loves those who purify themselves.' (Surah Tawbah, Verse 108)In this sermon, the Shaykh explores the importance of purity in Islam. He explores how outward and inward purity is integral to the human psyche and how this relates to morality, right and wrong, and the natural dignity which is unique to humans. The human soul craves that which is pure and thus the soul finds happiness in that which is pure.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 19.4MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 21 November 2014 - 19 mins 47 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'(As for) those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the garden which you were promised.' (Surah Fussilat, Verse 30)In this sermon the Shaykh explores 'Istiqama'. How can we navigate the journey of life and take the path that will give us success; the path of extraordinary blessings; the path of no fear, no grief and the path that will take us ultimately to the promised gardens, God willing. He goes on to identify some of the pitfalls that can lead the human soul to deceive itself and lose its way on the journey.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 18.54MB)

Jum'ah khutba - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 24 October 2014 - 20 mins 4 secsTRANSCRIPTION PENDING'And whoever migrates in the path of Allah shall find abundant recompense and breadth.' (Surah al-Nisa, Verse 100)On the last day of the year the Sheikh describes some heroic events in the Sira of the Blessed Prophet, which is divided into the Makkan and the Madinan periods by the Hijra. Unlike the Exodus, which ended with divine punishment, the Hijra brings an age of forgiveness and hospitality and charity. The example of Asma bint Abi Bakr shows Islam's generosity of spirit, and its complete rejection of the values of the Jahiliyya.Listen to this talkDownload this talk (MP3, 9.18MB)