Travelling Light Series IV : Books 23-26 Imam al-Ghazali's Revival of : the Religious Sciences, with Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes

BOOKS 23-26
:: Breaking the Two Desires
:: The Vices of the Tongue
:: Anger, Hatred & Envy
:: On Worldliness

To be released June 2011 - Running Time approx. 75 mins x 4 - English DVD Region 0 - PAL Widescreen - E = Exempt from classification

Summary:

:: Breaking the Two Desires (Kasr al-Shahwatayn)
Humans love God by their nature, but they are also weak when confronted by two powerful passions: gluttony and sexual desire. The Imam shows how to control these, and how to deal with one's natural appetites in a wholesome and balanced way.

:: The Vices of the Tongue (Afat al-Lisan)
The tongues is small, but can lead to immense calamities. Here spiritual guidance is offered on how to confront our habits of lying, slander, self-praise, mockery, obscenity, backbiting and bearing false witness.

:: Anger, Hatred & Envy (Dhamm al-Ghadab wa'l-Hiqd wa'l-Hasad)
Discusses rightful and egotistical anger, and the forms of ugly dislike and envy of others and their good fortune, stressing the value of mildness and the forgiveness of others.

:: On Worldliness (Dhamm al-Dunya)
The world is Allah's creation, and as such is a sign of His goodness. But human beings all too easily love it for its own sake, and gorge themselves on pleasures which are of no benefit to their spiritual and moral lives. The result is a heart filled with stress and jealousy, rather than serene gratitude.

Speakers:

The lectures are by Sidi Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes. Born in the United States in 1975, Muhammad embraced Islam after a life-changing journey to Israel in 1992 and has studied in America, Syria, Mauritania and Nigeria. He currently serves as an imam and instructor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Risala Institute in Atlanta.

This series also features an interview with Serigne Cheikhouna Lo N'Gabou, director of the Ibrahim Lo Foundation for Islamic Education in Touba, Senegal and author of several books, including the major Wolof translation of the Qur'an. He is a direct descendent of Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba and an authority on the history of Islamic literature in Senegal.

The Qur'anic recitation for this series was by Qari Djibril Ndaw.


Music:

The songs for this series were performed by Sope Dabakh, a nasheed group dedicated to performing in a wholly traditional style and preserving the astoundingly rich heritage of Islamic praise singing in Senegal. Led by Kabir Sène, Sope Dabakh have been publicly performing since 1988 and regularly sing throughout country. The group originated with members of the zawiya of El-Hajj Malick Sy in Tivouane, a notable centre of the Tijaniyya order, which also produced the influential munshid Mbaye Ndonde.


Location:

The fourth installment of Travelling Light was filmed at the Grand Mosque of Dakar in Senegal. Built in a Maghrebi style and opened in 1964, the mosque reflects the long-standing dialogue between the cultures of West and North Africa. The mosque complex also includes the Islamic Insitute of Dakar, dedicated to Islamic research and education.