EP 44: Covid-19 Through the Lens of Spirituality – Shaykh Ruzwan Mohammed

This week we’re joined by Shaykh Ruzwan Mohammed – co-founder, author and educational director of the iSyllabus Islamic studies course.

In this episode we discuss the believer’s mindset during times of hardship and uncertainty, how the nafs (self) is affected, and what we must do to maintain a strong connection with Allah (swt) during this time.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected us in many ways, but perhaps most importantly, it’s had negative implications on our overall spiritual health as Muslims.

We’ve seen a lack of motivation, personal struggles with worship, and a deep yearning to rekindle the sense of belonging and spiritual enlightenment we experience together as a community.

Is this to be expected given the current circumstances, or do we as believers need to shift our ways of thinking and how we navigate this test?

Shaykh Ruzwan provides some powerful advice regarding this during the episode, and covers not only how we as a community can overcome this, but what we as individuals should be doing personally to ensure our ‘spiritual tank’ remains full.

• Seeing the positive sides of the Coronavirus pandemic
• The word ‘insan’ and how we as humans – as social beings – are affected by events like this
• Recognising the spiritual void created by the sudden lockdown, especially during Ramadan
• How the pandemic is affecting both our humanity and spirituality
• The battle of the nafs (self) – fighting between its desires and the barriers blocking its way (i.e. lockdown)
• Why the Quran is the default go-to in time of confusion
• Why tests during this life are both inevitable and necessary
• The importance of developing al I’timad (reliance) upon God
• How the pandemic has tested our sincerity; are we worshiping God properly?
• How the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) dealt with, and was strengthened by extreme hardship and sadness
• Lessons from Surah Yusuf, Surah al-Asr, and Surah ad-Duha
• Seeing light at the end of the tunnel; how history has proven that things always get better after the worst point
• What our top priority should be during the lockdown restrictions
• And fun facts about Shaykh Ruzwan during the rapid fire round!

The iSyllabus Diploma Course is designed to give Muslims of all backgrounds confidence in themselves by empowering them with Islamic knowledge they can trust.

The course aims to equip you to be confident in what you know, while respecting legitimate differences of opinion. We will explain not only what scholars disagree upon, but also why.

The modules will provide an indispensable base from which to increase your faith. The Diploma course serves as an excellent entry to a nuanced yet fulfilling experience of the Islamic sciences as they relate to both the individual and society in the 21st Century.

Register now and use code DEEN20 at checkout to receive £20 off the course fees.

Shaykh Ruzwan Mohammed is a Sunni theologian and scholar. A graduate in Geopolitics and Arabic from the University of Glasgow, in 1993 he left to travel and study with a wide array of leading scholars and theologians in various countries in the Muslim world. In the process, he studied the Turkish language at the University of Ankara and as part of his formal Islamic training, he graduated from the Fat’h Islamic Law College in Damascus, graduating from the prestigious 6-year program with a distinction of merit, achieving overall first position in his year of graduation from the college.

In the summer of 2009, he co-founded the Solas Foundation, which focuses on offering quality and transparent religious consultancy in the areas of Islamic ethics and education. He is the author and educational director the iSyllabus Islamic studies program.

Learn more about Shaykh Ruzwan.

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