This lecture series, inspired by the book Saviours of Islamic Spirit by the late Indian scholar and intellectual, Shaykh Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi, is a story of the ebbs and flows of this Ummah; the challenges, the setbacks, and most importantly, the successes. It is a poignant story of the accomplishments, attainments, and triumphs that propelled the Ummah forward. It is a story told through extraordinary figures: the revivers, men of courage, vigour, and zeal, an elect group who were graced with divine determination to safeguard the spirit of God’s religion on earth. In other words, they were the saviours of the Islamic spirit.
Drawing on the lives of the most influential personalities of Islam, from Hasan al-Basri, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Ghazali to Ibn al-Jawzi and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, this lecture series offers comfort and much-needed perspective, given the current situation of Muslims around the world. It aims to inspire us to virtue and love for Allah and to provide role models of intellectual and spiritual excellence, at a time when people are looking for motivation from other sources. This history reminds us that we are not in the direst of situations.
Drawing on the lives of the most influential personalities of Islam, from Hasan al-Basri, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Ghazali to Ibn al-Jawzi and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, this lecture series offers comfort and much-needed perspective, given the current situation of Muslims around the world. It aims to inspire us to virtue and love for Allah and to provide role models of intellectual and spiritual excellence, at a time when people are looking for motivation from other sources. This history reminds us that we are not in the direst of situations.
Lecture 12: Ahmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī
Date: Friday, August 19th at 8:30 PM EST (21 Muharram)
Presented by Dr. Ahmad Kutty
Aḥmad Sirhindī (raḥimahu llāh), was an Indian scholar and mujaddid who played a vital role in the reassertion and revival in the Indian subcontinent of orthodox Sunni Islam in reaction to the newly made religion of Dīn-e-Ilāhī and other dubious opinions and policies of the Mughal emperor Akbar and his successor, Jahāngīr. A measure of his importance in defending Islamic orthodoxy in the Indian subcontinent is the title that was bestowed posthumously on him, Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thānī ("Reviver of the Second Millennium”). Join Dr. Ahmad Kutty for an illuminating session on his life, work and the critical lessons we can derive today.
Lecture 13: Shāh Walīullāh Dehlawī
Date: TBA
Presented by Dr. Ahmad Kutty
|
Dr. Ahmad KuttyDr. Ahmad Kutty was educated in the traditional Islamic Sciences at Islamiyya College, Kerala, and at the Islamic University of Madina Munawwarah. He received his ijazahs (licenses/designations) as an ‘a’lim and faqih from both India and Saudi Arabia (passing with the highest distinction). He earned his M.A from the University of Toronto and pursued doctoral studies at McGill University, Montreal.
Over the past 40 years, he has been Director of the Islamic Center of Toronto, Director of the Islamic Foundation, Toronto, Canada, and has served on the Fiqh Council of North America. Currently, Ahmad Kutty is a resident scholar and senior lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto. His courses include Qur'an & Hadith Sciences, Islamic Theology & Jurisprudence, and Islamic Ethics & Spirituality among others. His fatwas (Islamic rulings) have been translated into several languages and appear on various international websites. He actively participates in interfaith seminars, symposia and serves as an expert/resource in cases involving Islamic Law and Theology. |