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Enjoining Good, Forbidding Wrong

Friday sermon (jum'ah khutbah) - Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - 4 February 2011 - Cambridge - 23 mins 32 secs

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In the past days and weeks people all over the world have been following the events in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. The people's struggle for freedom inspires hope, but the dangers they face provoke fear and anxiety. Many question the role of religion in such difficult circumstances. Some fear mixing politics and religion. Others criticise the absence of leadership from religious figures, and say the ulema are out-dated and irrelevant. In this sermon, Sheikh Abdal Hakim provides a timely reminder of the fundamental importance for our leaders of 'enjoining the good and forbidding the bad' (amr bi-l-ma'ruf wa-nahy 'an al-muhkar) - so important that Imam al-Ghazali called it 'the greatest pillar' (al-rukn al-'azim) of the religion.

Among the many great scholars and saints who have discharged this weighty responsibility, despite the grave threat to their livelihoods and even their lives, Sheikh Abdal Hakim mentions Hasan Kaimi Baba of Bosnia, Sheikh al-Hasan al-Yusi of Morocco and Sheikh Amadou Bamba of Senegal. They were true followers of the Prophetic example, because they resisted injustice and oppression. May Allah grant our leaders, our scholars and us ourselves the determination to do the same, and may He in His All-Encompassing Mercy guide and protect the people of Tunisia, Egypt and all over the world wherever they face cruelty, corruption and repression.

Ya Qawiyyu ya Matin ikfi sharr al-zalimin, aslah Allah umur al-muslimin, sarraf Allah sharr al-mu'dhin.

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Purification & Repentance

Friday sermon by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - 21 January 2011 - Cambridge - 28 mins 27 secs

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In this sermon, Sheikh Abdal Hakim discusses some of the many sayings of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) that emphasise the importance of ritual cleanliness. If religion is ultimately about the state of our hearts, why should we attribute so much importance to outward ritual? Many Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, conclude of course that we should not. But here the sheikh explains the interconnectedness of all aspects of the human condition, and consequently the fundamental relationship between inward state and outward action.

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