A unique look at how the Islamic tradition articulates itself, irrespective of how it has been practiced by its people. In a strategic and tactful manner, Hamza Yusuf makes clear the whole concept of “islam” by analyzing the profound meaning of the word as it is explained in the Holy Qur’an. He then moves into a descriptive examination of the Islamic teaching by thoroughly explaining the fundamental practices of Islam: prayer, zakat (obligatory alms-giving), fasting, and hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca). These series of lectures have been immensely popular due, in large part, to the atmosphere created by the classroom-style format and the interaction and engagement by the speaker with the non-Muslim audience. (Recorded at the Dar al Islam Teachers’ Institute seminar). Other topics discussed: the meanings of “surah” and “ayat”, submitting when death comes, religion as self-deception, development and discipline of children, the four seasons as a metaphor for the cosmology of life, determining the prayer times using the sun, women in the mosque, women in the home, wudu (ablution), why pork is forbidden, want vs. need, envy, obeying the laws of the land in which you live, revolution in Islam, symbols in Islam, and going to extremes in practice.
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