Illuminations: Compiled Lectures on Shariah and Tasawwuf

by Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

This compilation of lectures delivered by author Shaykh Kabbani in various venues throughout the United States and in international venues, include a presentation on spiritual Islam to HRH Prince Charles of England, and lectures made at conferences before the Vice President of Indonesia and a conference in Malaysia on addressing the spiritual aspects of psychology. While in most circumstances, Naqshbandi Sufi masters do not speak from a written text-rather speaking from inspirations to the heart-in order to accommodate academic norms and forms of presentation, Shaykh Kabbani has written these detailed lectures regarding Shari'ah and Tasawwuf to accompany what he presented orally, as inspired through his heart by his teacher Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani. In these talks, Shaykh Kabbani presents the traditional Islamic perspective on a number of important issues of the day, focusing on the adaptability of classical Islam to the needs of the time, exigencies of social and cultural change and the advent of new approaches and methodologies in a number of facets of life. At the same time, Shaykh Kabbani brings an unusual perspective to modern day issues, relating them to aspects of the psyche and an individual's spiritual condition as well as societal impact and relationships and their impact on observance of Divine Law. Shaykh Kabbani is able to present complex issues in the light of potent relevant modern-day examples from modern science while simultaneously relating them to the traditional understanding of classical Islam and the normative practices and unparalleled perfection found in the example of Prophet Muhammad.

532 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2007

About the author

Muhammad Hisham Kabbani was a Lebanese-American Sunni Sufi Muslim scholar belonging to the Naqshbandi Sufi Order. Kabbani has counseled and advised Muslim leaders to build community resilience against violent extremism. In 2012, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre named him on The 500 Most Influential Muslims. His notable students include the world-famous boxer Muhammad Ali and former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.