Open Discussions
in association with
Gulf Cultural Club
invites you to a Discussion titled:
Islamic mysticism; Sufism and Irfan
Self-realisation to achieve perfection
with
Shaikh Faid Mohammed Said*
Sheikh Saeed Bahmanpour**
***
They may have worshipped in their own ways in the mountains of the Levant or the caves of Arabia and Persia in the middle ages, but Sufis and Irfanis are still present in force in the 21st century world. Their dervishes, tariqas, dhikr circles, sama or khanqah dominate the world of mysticism. It is a world of spiritual focus that attempts to circumvent excessive materialism and aspires to achieve the purity of soul, the cleansing of the inner and the subjugation of evil desires. Within the realm of Islamic mysticism rose great sufi mystics like Rumi and Ibn Arabi whose names surface in modern literature especially in the West. What is it that makes spiritualism capable of attracting the diversities of modern world? What is it within the religious orders that provides modern mysticism with the religious, artistic and media credentials?
These are some highlights of the proposed seminar on Islamic mysticism.
Date: Tuesday, 13th February 2018
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, W1H 4LP
*Shaykh Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour is the director of inter-faith relations at the Islamic Centre of England. He studied sociology at LSE and Tabatabai University of Tehran where he obtained a Master’s degree. His interest in sociology was not an intrinsic interest but to answer a call from within to know more about religions.
In 1999 Shaykh Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour joined Cambridge University to teach as a visiting lecturer in the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Later he was appointed as the principal of The Islamic College in London which has both seminary and university degrees on its educational programs. His fields of interest are theology, Islamic mysticism, and Qur’anic sciences and exegeses, including its history and compilation.
He is also interested in the history of Jesus and Mary from an Islamic perspective and has written a screenplay about the life of Mary based on the Islamic sources, which was made into a successful movie. Another of his works on Christian history was the screenplay about The Seven Sleepers of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf).
Shaykh Bahmanpour has authored several books including Muslim Identity in the 21st Century, ed. (2001), The Idols Will Fall (2010), The Blessed Tree: The Life and Times of Fatima Daughter of Muhammad (2011) and Towards Eternal Life (2015).
** Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said is a prominent Islamic scholar in UK involved in teaching and community outreach work. He holds classes in Qur’an, Seerah and provides advice and counseling services for new Muslims, women and the youth. His ‘Clinic of the Heart’ Project is an exciting and innovative initiative that strategically creates a context of frontline engagement between a scholar and those in the community who need access to a balance interpretation of the faith.
Shaykh Faid is the Director of the Larayb Institute of Education (LiFE), Resident Scholar at the Harrow Central Mosque in North London, United Kingdom, and Senior Advisor to the Radical Middle Way. Educated by prominent scholars in his native Eritrea and in Madinah, Shaykh Faid is a qualified Maliki jurist and commentator of the Holy Qur’an with specialism in the Arabic language.
Over the years he has accumulated various ijazah (license for transmission of knowledge) on a variety of traditional subjects. His teachers in Eritrea include Shaykh Abdul Kader Hamid, Grand Judge of the Islamic Court of Asmara, Shaykh Mahmoud Muhammad Ali Bakhit, Shaykh Al-Amin Osman Al-Amin (Judge of Appeal, Eritrea) and the Great Shaykh Muhammad Idrisei. In Medina his teachers include Shaykh Muhammad Yaqoub Turkestani, Shaykh Awadh bin Muhammad Sahli, Shaykh Aa’edh Al-Harthy and Shaykh Abd al-Khaliq al-Zahrani.
Admission is Free. Please register for catering purposes – email: d05sa@yahoo.co.uk or text 07795 660 438
