Series6 episodes

Understanding Islam Series

Abdal Hakim Murad

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Muslim Theology and Islamic Mysticism

Episode 1Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Muslim Theology and Islamic MysticismIn this wide-ranging lecture, Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad explores the two highest dimensions of Islamic faith — *Iman* (belief) and *Ihsan* (spiritual excellence) — as described in the famous Hadith of Gabriel. He traces the history of Islamic theology (*kalam*), examining landmark debates between the Mu'tazilites and Ash'arites on free will, determinism, divine justice, and the nature of good and evil, before turning to Islamic mysticism and its spiritual foundations in the Qur'an, including concepts such as *Dhikr*, *Ghafla*, *Tawbah*, and the soul's longing to return to God.

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Muslim-Christian Views of One Another

Episode 2Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Muslim-Christian Views of One AnotherIn this wide-ranging lecture, Abdal Hakim Murad traces the history of Muslim-Christian relations from the early Byzantine polemics of John of Damascus through to the medieval demonization of Islam by figures like Thomas Aquinas, before examining hopeful signs of modern dialogue — including Vatican II's *Nostra Aetate*, the scholarship of William Montgomery Watt, and new historical research on the Jewish roots of Jesus. He also explores the theological sticking points that remain — particularly the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the status of the Prophet Muhammad — and concludes with a rich discussion of gender and the divine, highlighting Islam's understanding of God as transcendent and beyond gender, rooted in the Quranic concept of *al-Rahman* and its etymological connection to the womb.

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Scriptural Links: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Episode 3Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Scriptural Links: Judaism, Christianity and IslamIn this wide-ranging lecture, Abdal Hakim Murad explores the deep scriptural and historical connections between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, examining how these Abrahamic faiths share common prophets, narratives, and theological commitments while diverging in significant ways. He traces the Quranic accounts of Abraham, Moses, David, Mary, and Jesus, highlighting both their overlap with and departure from biblical sources, before turning to the rich — and often troubled — history of Muslim-Christian and Muslim-Jewish encounter from the early conquests through the medieval period.

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Sunnah, Shari’ah, Sectarianism & Ijtihad

Episode 4Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: Sunnah, Shari’ah, Sectarianism & IjtihadIn this wide-ranging lecture, Abdal Hakim Murad explores the Sunnah and Sharia as comprehensive frameworks for Muslim life, explaining how Islamic guidance extends far beyond the five pillars to cover everything from personal hygiene to cutting-edge medical ethics. He addresses common misconceptions about Islamic law, outlines the four major Sunni legal schools and the nature of Shia-Sunni divisions, and demonstrates through case studies on tobacco, abortion, contraception, and artificial insemination how the principle of Ijtihad allows Islamic jurisprudence to engage dynamically with modern challenges.

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: The Five Pillars of Islam

Episode 5Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: The Five Pillars of IslamThe first in a series of classroom-style lectures held at the world famous Abiquiu Madressa in New Mexico. The primary objective of this series was to educate non-Muslim teachers about the fundamental Islamic beliefs and practices within the context of an interactive and intensive spiritual retreat. In introducing this ambitious topic, Abdal Hakim Murad, a lecturer in theology at Cambridge University in England, asks two very engaging questions: What happens when you try to grasp the meaning and reality of another faith and why is Islam worth studying? After providing a more than adequate answer, he proceeds on to the much anticipated overview of the five pillars of Islam. Murad provides a highly intellectual perspective that is useful for non-Muslims as well as Muslims. (Recorded at the Dar al Islam Teachers’ Institute seminar). Other topics discussed: Islamic “clergy”, humility in studying another religion, the modern Muslim resurgence, Islamic “fundamentalism”, “Muhammadanism”, the Hadith of Gabriel, the idea of original sin, mosque architecture, and wudu (ablution).

Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: The Muslim Influence on Europe and the West

Episode 6Abdal Hakim Murad – Understanding Islam Series: The Muslim Influence on Europe and the WestIn this wide-ranging lecture, Abdal Hakim Murad traces the profound and often overlooked impact of Islamic civilization on medieval Europe, covering everything from trade networks and agricultural technology to mathematics, medicine, astronomy, music, and navigation. Drawing on a rich array of historical figures — from Al-Khwarizmi and Ibn Sina to Al-Idrisi and Fibonacci — he argues that it was Muslim intellectual and commercial energy that effectively brought Europe out of the Dark Ages and laid the groundwork for the Renaissance. The lecture also highlights the crucial roles played by Jewish scholars and Christian translators in transmitting Arabic learning to Latin Christendom.