Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 08. May 2020
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl tells another fascinating story of the time of the Prophet Muhammad, which demonstrates the strength and social justice orientation of the early Muslims despite horrific persecution. It is a yardstick by which to measure our own spirit and personality. He answers the question of why Islam was revealed to the Arabs as opposed to another group of people. Detailed summary description forthcoming.
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 01. May 2020
God is the source of light and true love. All other forms are but derivative, incidental and temporal, but the love of God and love that comes from God is unbounded, unrestricted and universal. We turn to God who is the source of all goodness. God gave us the month of Ramadan as a way to discipline and teach ourselves to have sovereignty over our willpower. From the minute human beings are born on this earth, they are tempted by dependency – first, dependent on parents; then soon enough, on...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 24. April 2020
Dr. Abou El Fadl begins by supplicating God, who is like no other: God, the Creator of everything who is outside the logic of the created; the Creator of the physical laws who is not bounded by the physical laws. Our rational senses are premised on the ideas of causation and laws that shape and determine physical reality. The only exception to these laws is God’s self, which is why we say “SubhanAllah,” meaning there is no comparable to Allah. Especially at the beginning of the month of...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 17. April 2020
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: An unusual Ramadan is days away. Taraweeh prayers will not be possible in mosques; no bond of camaraderie with fellow Muslims nor air of blessings and light that come from the prayers and breaking of fasts in Ramadan. Instead, we are challenged this Ramadan to do everything from home. There is the momentous cancellation of umrah and likely Hajj, as Mecca and Medina are under lockdown; this has not occurred in centuries. When Mecca, Medina and the mosques are empty, there is...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 10. April 2020
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: We are in the month of Sha'ban, preparing for the coming month of Ramadan, the marker by which we count our lives. Ramadan is the month in which you review what you have done and think about the trajectory of your life and where you are going. A Muslim must undergo an internal review about their own beliefs, convictions and actions. They must also conduct an external review, looking at the state of the Islamic world, the ummah, starting with the community closest to them...
Circles of Learning (Halaqas) · 04. April 2020
Part 1 of 2: Intro and Tafsir. Grace Song begins by giving an update on life after the professor's hearing loss and the pandemic, and the adjustment to a new reality of life. Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl concludes his original Quranic commentary on Surah 90 Al Balad (The City). Part 2 is Q&A.
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 03. April 2020
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: Dr. Abou El Fadl begins with a reminder that this pandemic, like every hardship, is a challenge and an opportunity to return to God, reflect upon oneself, and to find the place of God within ourselves. God is ever present, whether or not we choose to acknowledge that presence. Every living thing is created with its own form of supplication, its own recognition of the Divine. Human beings possess the distinct ability to choose whether to listen to the Divine or to distract...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 27. March 2020
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: Dr. Abou El Fadl returns again to the practice of virtual jumu’as. Recently, a representative of the Association of Muslim Scholars from the Middle East appeared on Al Jazeera channel and issued what amounted to a fatwa (non-binding legal opinion), effectively stating that virtual jumu'as are haram; that it is inconsistent with the laws of Sharia to conduct a virtual jumu’a during the time of the plague in any form. This was right after Stay-At-Home orders from the...