The New Nomos: Recent Episodes
Abdallah Dutton
The New Nomos Podcast is a call. A call for a New Beginning, A call for the New Men and New Women that yearn to be truly free A call for us to fulfil our destinies A call for a New Nomos on the Earth
What, therefore, is the path to that New Nomos? Join Abdallah Dutton on his quest to make sense of the time we live in and how to unlock our highest potential.
This episode is an engaging discussion with Luqman Muller, an addiction counsellor and intellectual based in Stuttgart, Germany. The conversation delves into the complexities of the German identity while examining the impact of the World Wars on the country and how it has effected the country's collective mindset.
Luqman sheds light on the connection between anger, addiction, and the pervasive undercurrent of pain in German society and how it can be extrapolated across the world. The exploration extends to German music, literature, and history, unraveling the layers of sociology and mass psychosis that have shaped the nation's narrative.
This episode questions not just the surface manifestations of addiction but, more crucially, its underlying causes – probing into why the pain persists and how it intertwines with the broader sociocultural fabric.
This is a unique perspective on Germany's past and present and an enlightened view towards its future.
To learn more about Luqman Muller and his projects click on the links below:
Luqman's Linkedin
Al Mudmin Website
Al Mudmin Instagram
How the bankers got so much power. It begins with a technique called 'fractional reserve banking.' It may sound complicated, but it is really very simple and in all other contexts it would be called fraud.
Here's a little story about how a group of jewellers took over world finance...enjoy
What was Short #1 really about?
The layer will be exposed...keep listening...it will all make sense.
A heist took place over the 20th Century that affects every single person on the planet. It makes Money Heist and Lift look like pocket change.
This is a series of shorts sharing my musings on our current state of affairs and how we got here.
It begins on the plains of South Africa, stay tuned for part 2.
Explore the world of Lucid Dreaming with Abdallah and Dave Green, a London-based artist who “creates” drawings in his lucid dreams.
Dave has been a lucid dreamer from a young age. First he used it as a tool to deal with recurring nightmares, now, as an adult, he has shifted his focus to lucid dream art and portraits.
This episode explores the intersection between imagination, perception, spirituality and the dream world and uses it as a launching board to further discuss the nature of our reality.
Sign up to my Newsletter: https://www.aydutton.com/newsletter
Harmonise | 21 Day Classical Music Challenge: https://music.aydutton.com/challenge
Books Mentioned in the Conversation:
The World is As You Dream It - by John Perkins
Lucid Dreaming - Stephen LaBerge
Dream Yoga - Andrew Holecek
Learn more about Dave Green and his work here:
Website: https://dave-green.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davegreen5000/
What does it mean to be a man? How do we define ourselves as males? What should we be striving towards as men? How do we slot into the 21st Century? And where do we find ourselves as Muslims?
Join us for a thought-provoking and insightful discussion as Abdallah engages in a candid conversation with Ishaq Vadillo – a dynamic personal trainer, entrepreneur, and a young man with a profound understanding of modern masculinity and its intersection with Muslim identity in the 21st century.
In this episode, Abdallah and Ishaq delve deep into the concept of masculinity, exploring what it truly means to be a man in today's rapidly changing.
Links referenced:
The Spirit of Excellence Online Course:
https://soe.aydutton.com/soehome
21 Day Classical Music Challenge:
https://music.aydutton.com/challenge
I'm excited to announce that Season 2 of The New Nomos podcast will be coming soon.
In the meantime, you can keep up to date with my latest content by signing up for my upcoming FREE online webinar on 24th May 2023 at 8pm South Africa time by clicking on the link below:
http://courses.aydutton.com/home
The webinar will be covering the main themes and ideas that I explore in my upcoming online course titled 'The Spirit of Excellence.'
In this episode I recount my experience on set of a live recording of The Midnight Miracle podcast with Dave Chapelle, Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli in London.
To tune in to The Midnight Miracle click on the link below:
https://luminarypodcasts.com/listen/talib-kweli-yasiin-bey-and-dave-chappelle/the-midnight-miracle/c88501e3-f783-43cc-b00a-022d2a3ad33b?country=US
Music by Ian Cattanach
This episode explores the language and philosophy of Western Classical Music with Dr Maria Vraka.
Dr Maria is a music researcher and educator, teacher, pianist and life coach passionate about developing human potential.
From a life engrossed in music and musicology she has developed an acute relationship with sound, frequency and vibration, an expertise that she brings into her life coaching, development work with young children and further research into the role of music as a means of unlocking higher human potential.
Follow Dr Maria Vraka on:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-maria-vraka-b3796b37
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmariavraka_coaching/
Subscribe to The New Nomos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYRb3OR-pMaQBJ8sqUI9Z5g?sub_confirmation=1
Music by Ian Cattanach
Kofi Ofosu is a self-taught freelance character designer and visual story teller from Ghana. His fascination with comic books and cartoons as a child led to a love affair with the art form that eventually inspired his decision to become a working professional in the art industry.
Instead of the usual route through art school, pressured by his parents to complete a business science degree at university, he had to forge his own path learning the trade via YouTube tutorials and Online Courses all while completing his bachelors degree.
Through sheer drive and a yearning to fulfil his highest potential, Kofi is now an authority in his field. He works on global contracts for the likes of DreamWorks Animation and Netflix, hosts his own podcast, Fiko’s Corner and actively engages with his strong online following to inspire a new generation of African artists and creatives.
This episode touches on Kofi’s journey, his philosophy in life and what it takes to be a creative in the 21st Century, but it is also an exploration into the time we live in and the huge potential contained within the continent of Africa.
Follow Kofi Ofosu on Instagram: @braku_star
Follow Kofi's Podcast 'Fiko's Corner' on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fikos-corner/id1493712113
Follow 'The New Nomos' on Instagram: @thenewnomos
Subscribe to 'The New Nomos' channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYRb3OR-pMaQBJ8sqUI9Z5g?sub_confirmation=1
Abdallah's Online Course on The Ten Symphonies: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck1RFybKMnB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Comic Book Adaptation of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung:
The Ring of the Nibelung - Comic by P. Craig Russel
Music by Ian Cattanach
Inspired by the themes in Lubomir Arsov's short film In Shadow (from Episode 35) and his depiction of hope for the future of society, this episode explores the state of children today with Tazeen Dutton.
Are our children whole? How is our stress affecting them? And how do we go about raising children of light, love and wholeness?
Tazeen Dutton is an expert in Early Childhood Development with three decades of experience in the field. She has five children of her own and is currently a Body Stress Release practitioner based in London, UK.
Follow Tazeen Dutton here:
https://www.instagram.com/tazeen_dutton/
Other Links:
In Shadow - by Lubomir Arsov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j800SVeiS5I
The Spiritual Embryo: http://montessoritimes.com/infant-toddler/spiritual-embryo/
Raising Boys in the Twenty First Century by Steve Biddulph: Purchase on Amazon Here
Music by Ian Cattanach
Lubomir Arsov is a storyboard artist, character artist and an innovative original animator.
He is the creator and director of IN-SHADOW A Modern Odyssey an animated short film that takes the viewer on a journey through the fragmented unconscious of the West, the degraded condition of our epoch and the need for the emergence of a new man and woman.
This episode explores the themes in IN SHADOW as a pathway towards a broader understating of our time alongside reflections on the books 'The Ten Symphonies of Gorka Konig' by Ian Dallas as well 'The World is as You Dream It' by John Perkins.
Click to watch 'IN SHADOW' on Youtube
Link to purchase: 'The Ten Symphonies of Gorka Konig' by Ian Dallas
Link to purchase: The World is as You Dream It by John Perkins
Music by Ian Cattanach
Exploring the life and work of W.B Yeats with Edward Chessun, an english teacher, writer and lover of poetry.
From the conversation emerges the Nietzschean theme of 'Tragic Joy,' the social importance of theatre, the love of one's destiny and the source of freedom.
Books mentioned in the episode:
Madhouse at the End of the Earth - by Julian Sancton
The Ten Symphonies of Gorka Konig - by Ian Dallas
W. B. Yeats - The Major Works
Music by Ian Cattanach
Continuing on from Episode 32 with Ahmed Bilal Masoet, this conversation explores the life of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex through the lens of the theme of Nobility and how Lord Essex's represented the last true upholder of the Chivalric Order in its entirety.
Buy the Interim is Mine by Dr Ian Dallas
For one on one coaching with Abdallah, please click the link below:
Abdallah's Fiverr Page
Music by Ian Cattanach
Ahmed Masoet is a cinematographer and budding screenwriter from Cape Town. He is researching the topic of nobility and the life and times of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, to flesh out the characters of a screenplay he is actively writing and approached Abdallah for a broader understanding of the subject matter.
It was decided that the conversation would be recorded as an episode of the podcast and eventually became 2.
This is Part 1 of 2.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Muhammad Elkateb is a serial entrepreneur born and raised in the United Kingdom to Egyptian parents forced to leave a life of wealth and abundance in Egypt in the wake of the political upheavals of Gamal Abdel Nasser.
After finishing university, disillusioned by a system that didn't seem to make sense to him, Muhammad began a career in sales by flogging perfumes door to door. He eventually transitioned into the world of telecommunications holding a number of high level sales rolls. Muhammad then made the switch to entrepreneurship and, keen to get out of the UK, began the life of a digital nomad chasing the sun.
Among his portfolio of businesses, he is one of the founders of The Single Origin Food Co, a company that supports small farmers across the world by delivering their products to the consumer directly from source.
This episode flows in many directions and touches on a vast number of topics and themes that all culminate in looking towards a better future.
Music by Ian Cattanch
This chapter marks a year since this podcast publicly released its first episode. It truly has been a journey of discovery and I, Abdallah Dutton, would like to personally thank everyone that has tuned in and supported me on this project.
This episode is a statement to understand the time we live in. It draws on my understanding of the work of the ancient Greek historian Polybius and what he outlined as the cyclical nature of political systems throughout time. It concludes that as an Ummah we look towards the Crown Prince HRH Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud as a new hope for guidance and protection in this strange time.
Be patient, it is not what you have been taught.
Dedicated to my Teacher and Master Shaykh Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi (rahimullah) and his inheritors the Fuqara.
Further Reading:
Shaykh Abdalqadir's Article 'Hail to the Crown Prince': https://shaykhabdalqadir.com/hail-to-the-crown-prince/
For a deeper analysis of Saudi - US economic relations and where Saudi sits today: https://www.leaders-mena.com/saudi-arabia-is-surviving-financial-liberation-thanks-to-the-realism-of-mohammed-bin-salman-morad-al-hattab/
For an outline on MBS' rise to power and the change in succession: https://observer.com/2019/01/how-saudi-arabia-crown-prince-mbs-rose-to-power/
The recent article on an interview with MBS published by The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/04/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-palace-interview/622822/
Music by Ian Cattanach
A look into the life and works of Rumi with Feraidoon Mojadedi.
Feraidoon Mojadedi is a community leader, lecturer, and entrepreneur in the Bay Area – California. Born in Herat, Afghanistan, he grew up in a household with a deep love and reverence for poetry. At the age of five he began to memorize poems by Rumi and other great poets. This love of poetry continued to grow and developed into a passion that has led him to teach classes on Rumi throughout California, the U.S.A and across the world.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Given the events happening around us I went back to this piece I wrote a few years ago.
It highlights that the moment we find ourselves in, is not some seemingly spontaneous cataclysm of events, but is rather a product of centuries of injustice.
An injustice that on the face of it seems so engrained into modern society that there is no way out. But the reality of it, is not so. And the way forward is not that complex.
We don’t need a change of scenery
We just need a new set of eyes
To conquer outwardly should you first conquer inwardly? Or is conquer simply the wrong word?
This episode starts with the above question. Drawing from examples from the life of the Great Mughal Emperor Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur the term 'conquest' is re-examined with Life Coach Rishad Ahmed reframing the question and the labels attached to it.
Exploring the theme of courage with Lena Chauhan and how her understanding of the term changed through her experiences on various adventures through life.
This is a fun conversation that speaks many truths. It all leads to the question of whether the greatest courage needed today is to truly look in the mirror.
Qawwali - Dekh Le Shakl Meri Kis Ka Ainaa Hu Men - https://aydutton.com/dekh/
Hip Hop, Chess, Stoicism, Philosophy, Zen, Sufism and Jiu Jitsu are all discussed in this conversation with Adisa Banjoko.
Adisa is a podcaster hosting “Bishop Chronicles” (@bishopchronicles) which looks at the intersection of Hip-Hop, health, and fitness trends. As a pioneer Hip-Hop journalist, he was one of the first people to interview artists like Eazy E, Tupac Shakur, and Master P. He went on to write three books on the cultural value of rap and create a youth organisation called the Hip-Hop Chess Federation.
He has been a guest lecturer at Harvard, Oberlin, University of Connecticut, and Stanford among others discussing Hip-Hop education.
As a museum curator he also put together the Living Like Kings exhibition at the World Chess Hall of Fame exploring The Unexpected Collision of Chess and Hip Hop.
Frustrated from 3 months of lockdown, Nabil De Castro set out on a spontaneous journey that would take him across four continents - all during a time when travelling the world seemed impossible to most people.
In this episode he recounts adventures from his travels, key experiences along the way and the kind of unique insights that can only be gained through traversing such a journey.
To follow Nabil's journey on Instagram click here: @nabil.decastro
Below is the full Ithaka Poem by C.P. Cavafy (translated by Edmund Keeley) that is quoted in the episode:
ITHAKA
As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one. May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind— as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you’re destined for. But don’t hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you wouldn't have set out. She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Dr Ian Dallas was a Scottish writer, philosopher, leader and one of the great polymaths of our era. Hosting guests was a major part of his daily life which centered around his table. Chef Yusuf Perez (Instagram handle: @chef_josep_perez) was Dr Dallas' personal chef for over 16 years. During his time in Dr Dallas' kitchen he went from being a cook's hand to becoming master of the kitchen.
In this episode Chef Yusuf discusses his journey with cooking, his role in Dr Dallas' household, what he learnt from his unique relationship with Dr Dallas and how we can all take teachings from Dr Dallas' example and put them into our own daily lives.
How are the life and philosophy of the Roman statesman Cicero relevant to us in the 21st Century and what does it teach us about how we should understand our present situation?
In this episode Ahmad Dutton condenses the key events of Cicero's life, how they refined his political philosophy, how the inward has to reflect the outward and why tyranny cannot exist in a community of truly free individuals.
Ahmed Abdullah, a music lover and aficionado, explains how Western Classical music can be used as a tool to nurture spontaneity and instil in the heart a yearning for the divine.
The conversation reveals how the great composers communicate a timeless message through their compositions; calling us to fulfil our destinies, reach our highest possibilities and yearn to be free.
Music sampled in the episode:
Bach - B Minor Mass (Proms 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F7TVM8m95Y
Beethoven - 5th Symphony (Von Karajan) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_wqx76mpc&t=130s
Beethoven - “Pathetique” (Barenboim) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGq3-Fi_zQY
Beethoven - String Quartet No. 11 “Serioso” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUlzN3Q9BUw
Wagner -Tristan und Isolde “Liebestod” (Jessye Norman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg_EHUGRgos
Mozart - Violin concerto No 3 (Hilary Hahn) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQAtkXOK6o
Beethoven - ‘Waldstein’ Sonata (Barenboim) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3l18HTo5rY&t=39s
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Allah Hu (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj7roem9NRc&t=649s
Ustad Ameer Ali Kahn - Chaap Tilak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVsjuEoPxMs&t=736s
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Bina Ishq Na Manzil Hath Aawe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhdFiTq-a0&t=150s
Music in Introduction by Ian Cattanach
Musa Gerner started his career in audio as a teenager doing freestyle rap with his friends after school. Through many twists and turns he arrived at becoming one of the world's leading Foley artists.
This narrative is a journey of perseverance that teaches the importance of always being in a state of learning and striving to be the best in order to reach the top.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Perfume has been linked to civilisation as far back as we can go. It is known that before the Battle of Thermopylae the Spartan warriors, knowing they were going to die fighting off the Persians, bathed and perfumed themselves to meet their death smelling good.
In this episode, Ikramuddin Zwane, a self-taught perfumer from Johannesburg, South Africa, opens a door onto the world of scent, olfaction and the art of perfumery alongside reflections from his journal of perfumery.
Parfums Ikram Website
Follow Parfums Ikram on Facebook
Follow Parfums Ikram on Instagram
Timecode Guide:
02:43 The beginning of Ikramuddin’s journey mixing perfumes just for fun and his Moroccan Taxi driver
04:45 From mixing existing perfumes to learning how to make perfumes via Peter from the UK
06:43 Started mixing by experimentation drawing from instinct
07:58 The 5% of perfumers that are artisans
09:46 Three levels of Perfumery - 1st Designer Perfumes
10:57 Three levels of Perfumery - 2nd Niche Perfumes
11:46 Three levels of Perfumery - 3rd Artisanal Perfumes
12:02 The traditional way of becoming a perfumer
12:52 The non-traditional way of becoming a perfumer
13:45 How the non-traditionalists break the rules and the example of the Chypre
16:25 The subjectivity of perfume
17:43 The price tag of perfume and how perfumes smell different on different people .
19:44 The driving force behind artisanal perfumery
20:04 The smell of the Springbok
20:58 Deer musk - where it comes from and what it is
23:11 Ambergris - where it comes from and what it is
26:15 Oud - where it comes from and what it is
Out of all the perfumery in the world the 'oud' is the most diverse, basically its like all the other raw materials you can find - in a tree
28:40 With Hardship Comes Ease
29:50 The Ayat: “Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?” and inspiration from Allah
30:28 The hadith of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wassalam) on his love of perfume
32:10 Spirituality linked to certain scents and the link to the heart
33:11 Dr Muhammad Cassim on the link between scent and inspiration
34:20 Scent and memory
There is a strong connection between scent an memory. And it immediately takes you back, you are transported. Its basically timeless!
38:00 Do the ancient perfume recipes still exist and if so are they accessible?
40:38 The Battle of Thermopylae and the warrior’s perfuming themselves in preparation for their death
42:02 Khoi San perfume of Southern Africa
42:20 Perfumes comes from one of the Prophets just like martial arts - where does the inspiration come from?
43:00 How do you choose the smells in a perfume?
45:10 A perfume as the imagined smell of places in the past
48:22 The scent of a horse
49:08 The difficulty of making a clear distinction between masculine and feminine in perfumery
51:11 Life is fluid. It’s very hard to remain structural. Things change. They move
51:35 Anosmia and losing the sense of smell - sensory overload
53:07 Scent and Sex
Music by Ian Cattanach
Islam literally means 'submission'.
One of the aims of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to force your opponent into submission, so when you are being choked out and have to admit defeat, it is a little reminder of who is really in control.
Abdel-Majid Faouri is Jordan's Number 1 BJJ competitor. In this episode he shares his journey with BJJ, life lessons learnt and his philosophy in BJJ.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Idris Assad is a property developer born and based in Atlanta, USA. In this episode he shares his knowledge on the history of African Americans to show not only the break in history experienced by the majority of black Americans today, but also highlighting the thriving communities and economic hubs of African Americans such as Greenwood, Oklahoma dubbed as 'Black Wall Street' that emerged after emacipation.
Drawing on this past, Idris unpacks his current endeavour to revive the essence of Black Wall Street and take it further by incorporating into it the concepts of Muamalat to bring a future of hope and real freedom.
Find out more about Idris' work and get in contact here:
Ruhaani Development
The underlying message: You must establish yourself in the land!
Music by Ian Cattanach
In February this year, Pak Zaim Saidi was arrested and held in custody by the Indonesian authorities under the pretence of using illegal currency. The truth is he has been on the forefront of re-establishing the Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham, the coinage of the Muslim world since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alayhi wassalam) and the only accepted means that Zakat can be taken on monetary wealth.
Pak Zaim was only exonerated from these charges last week on 12 October after a year of interrogations, months in jail and a lengthy trial in the national courts of Indonesia.
This is Pak Zaim's story. It is an education on the Dinar and Dirham and the reality of the fallen pillar of Zakat, but it is also heroism in action and the story of a man who has maintained his conviction, persevered and stood firm for a part of the Deen that has been lost for over a century.
The verdict of not-guilty is a victory not only for Pak Zaim and his work in Indonesia, but for Islam and Muslims across the world.
Dr Humaira Shahid is a journalist, human rights activist and former Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Pakistan.
She is passionate about the economic empowerment of women and hosts an online course called 'Woman and Power' that strives to reclaim natural born freedom and autonomy for modern women. Part of that course is the link between sexuality and spirituality.
In this conversation the above themes are discussed alongside the idea of feminism and being a Muslim woman in the 21st Century.
Devotion and Defiance: My Journey in Love, Faith and Politics - by Dr Humaira Shahid
Woman and Power - Online Course
The Collaborative Couple - by Shaykh Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi
Daughters of the Sun - by Ira Mukhoty
Music by Ian Cattanach
A fun, spontaneous and insightful conversation with Mohammad Chowdhury around his book Border Crossings and beyond.
From growing up as a Western born Bangladeshi Muslim in 1970s London to over 100 flights a year working for some of the worlds largest firms, Mohammad has a vast archive of anecdotes around his adventures and experiences alongside fascinating insights as one of the world's leading emerging markets technology experts.
Buy Border Crossings by Mohammad Chowdhury here
Two thirds of Imam Malik's Muwatta covers matters of muamalat, it is therefore critical to the Deen of Islam. Why then has it lost its importance in our time?
This question is put to Shaykh Umar Vadillo, the expert on applying the commercial parameters defined in the Muwatta to modern financial practice. The conversation leads from the reality of the term 'Islamisation' to where we should be setting our sights as Muslims in the 21st Century to revive muamalat and by doing so revive Islam.
Music by Ian Cattanach
To understand our present, we have to know our past. As Muslims living in the 21st Century it is imperative that we know about the life of Sultan Abdulhamid II.
So this episode is for you;
So you know that Sultan Abdulhamid II lived. And knowing that he lived, you know what he did. And you know what we got from him as an Ummah. And you know what we lost as an Ummah by the actions of those that plotted and acted against him.
This case study is with Dr Ali Azzali, the Vice-Chancellor of the Dallas College in Cape Town.
What can we learn from the events that have transpired over the last month in Afghanistan?
In this episode, Abdallah discusses this theme with Jawwad Mughal who cuts through his geopolitical and historical insights with experiences and conversations from an adventurous life.
Links to the 2007 articles by Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi:
Afghanistan - The Next Phase
The Pakistani High Command - The Last Chance
The reality of Islam is in its being put into action and no example is closer to the source than the practise of the first generations in Madinah as highlighted by Prof Yasin Dutton in his book The Origins of Islamic Law.
This conversation covers the importance of Madinan Amal in the context of Imam Malik and his Muwatta and how we can draw learnings from this example for our present time.
The Origins of Islamic Law by Yasin Dutton
An exploration into the historical, political and spiritual context of the Zulu Nation and the Zulu Monarchy in the wake of the rioting and looting that took place in Kwa-Zulu Natal in July 2021 and the importance of the alliance between the Zulu and the Muslims for the future of the province.
With Ihsan Mathe, a Lecturer in History at Dallas College in Cape Town.
A conversation with Dr Abdalbasir Ojembarrena exploring the bullfight, literature, art, sport, courage and so much more...
Dedicated to El Fandi and Roca Rey who showed me how to face up to the beast with style, finesse and absolute beauty.
Music by Ian Cattanach
Malik Matias Basso is a seasoned screenwriter, cinematographer and director.
In this episode Abdallah delves into Malik's knowledge of the concept of The Hero's Journey in storytelling and screenwriting as laid out by Joseph Campbell and beyond.
Films and Series Mentioned in the Episode:
- My Octopus Teacher (2020, Ehrlich and Reed)
- Black Mirror (2011, TV Serial)
- Groundhog Day (1993, Ramis)
Malik's Two Recommendations:
- Stalker (1979, Tarkovsky)
- Avatar (2009, Cameron)
Malik's Further Recommendations:
- Heaven (2002, Tykwer)
- Abre los Ojos (1997, Amenabar)
- Tierra (1996, Medem)
- Michael Clayton (2007, Gilroy)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Gondry)
- Martin (hache) (1997, Aristarain)
- Another Earth (2011, Cahill)
- Mimosas (2016, Laxe)
- They Live (1988, Carpenter)
Malik's Work:
- DINAR MOVEMENT
- INSIDE IS
- A TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO MUSLIM GRANADA
- MOSAIC nominated for the Human Rights Award at the Al Jazeera International Film Festival
- NORA (premieres September 2021)
Timecode Guide:
3:46 The beginnings making documentaries and how documentary is telling stories with found characters
The word documentary is quite deceiving - because you are telling a story.
5:18 My Octopus Teacher
9:10 Joseph Campbell and the 12 common stages of the Hero’s Journey in storytelling around the world and their psychological roots.
9:38 The basic structure of the classical Greek Tragedy
9:53 “If there is no heroism, there is no story”
10:02 Making relatable characters and the example of the bourgeois hero in Breaking Bad
12:20 What does it mean to be heroic?
12:02 A hero is someone who will sacrifice himself, his wellbeing, he will leave his comfort zone and bring healing to those around him.
14:49 The hero as an example to others
15:13 Fulfilling your potential
16:05 “The best thing you can do for others is to fulfil your own potential”
17:45 Storytelling as warning signs and Greek Tragedy showing what happens beyond the limits of human behaviour and the therapy of it.
20:54 Black Mirror as a case
21:56 The deeper into hell the hero goes the more heroic he will be
22:00 Why storytellers want to put the hero through the worst possible things
23:59 Fiction vs Documentary in storytelling
26:10 How Sci-fi may be a more effective form a storytelling
26:46 Ertugrul as a case
28:38 The deeper the effect of the storytelling on you the less you will know of it
32:19 The hero is a hero from the moment he crosses the threshold
33:45 Should stories have a happy ending?
34:35 In human nature there is hope
35:55 Hollywood - its strong points and weaknesses
37:50 You can make documentaries and speak truth to power or you can tell fictional stories to inspire people and show them that something else is possible
39:40 The movie is the editor’s
40:10 How a story can take on a life of its own
43:10 Film as a means of manipulation and propaganda
46:15 Stalker by Tarkovsky
47:10 Avatar by James Cameron
Music by Ian Cattanach
What is education?
Join Abdallah as he discusses the theme of 'education vs conditioning' with Yusuf Perez and Jalid Vadillo drawing on Aldous Huxley's book Brave New World and its recent TV Series adaptation.
Brave New World - by Aldous Huxley
The Art of Loving - by Erich Fromm
Timecode Guide:
1.57 What is the definition of education?
2.47 The Greek concept of Arete
4.09 “Know thyself” - Plato
Knowing who you are is the most fundamental part of an education
Mastery of a skill will lead you to knowing yourself
5:11 The various Zen practises
6:02 Knowing yourself implies knowing where you stand in the world and seeking the knowledge that is going to help you in your weaker areas
7:33 You can’t live completely in an inner realm. Junger says that’s the de facto position of a defeated person
8:03 Education is the cultivation and refinement of your inward and outward and making them one
8:18 Achilles’ teacher Chiron - the Centaur - and what that symbolises
8:56 Is ‘Obligatory education’ actually education?
9:31 The TV series Brave New World based on the novel by Aldous Huxley
10:47 The conditioning of children in Brave New World and the logical outcome of modern education being taken to its furthest extreme
11:24 Feeding the children ‘soma’
12:09 The drilling in of ideas through repetitive listening to certain maxims and how that is present in modern media
13:30 Neuroplasticity
15:03 The modern myth is that man is trying to get as close as possible to the perfect rational man
16:07 “To be rational all you really do is end up layering over all of your animal urges with your own fantasy or justifications on how you live
Man is a rope between animal and the Overman - Nietszche
17:21 The rational being doesn't exist
17:43 a contemporary example of the indoctrination of children
21:00 The abolition of the family
21:40 They want your loyalty to be to the State before anything else. The system is designed in a way that you go to cogs in the system before your personal relations.
22:37 Safety as the most important function of the state - but you can't guarantee safety
The state as the protector where the state doesn’t guarentee anything.
24:47 The abolition of monogamy - romantic love as the pinacle of human emotional experience
25:38 The book: The Art of Loving
26:12 The power of two people together that are loyal to each other
26:30 The highest form of love is love of everything
27:02 Marriage as a social contract
27:56 The process of growing up in the Brave New World example
28:43 Other examples of contemporary conditioning
29:43 The importance of physical training with regards to education
30:34 Rugby examples
31:08 Surfing examples
33:56 If you don’t put yourself in that situation of danger and uncertainty you don’t get the reward that is delightful
34:43 Polo examples
37:45 How the above examples aren’t really provided to the majority in the modern setting
38:39 Avoidance of facing up to your self
39:00 You have to switch off the light inside you to live in this society
We are capable of so much more than we think we are - perseverance
41:40 Creating human beings that rather than functioning can do a function, but is not fulfilled
42:22 All it takes is one person to be authentic for the whole facade to come crumbling down
42:46 Soma and its contemporary examples
44:05 Distraction as another form of Soma
45:00 Stop taking your Soma and sit with your pain and try to master your emotions
45:40 To look inside yourself and know that who you could be is worth the work
Music by Ian Cattanach
An introduction to the life and works of Goethe, the greatest German literary figure of the modern era.
With Hajj Abubakr Rieger
Hajj Abubakr Rieger introduces the life and works of the greatest German literary figure of the modern era Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and how in todays day and age we can understand his visionary works in a way that Goethe's contemporaries could not.
Links to Key Texts:
Conversations of Goethe with Eckermann
Selected Works of Goethe: Sorrows of Young Werther; Elective Affinities; Faust and Italian Journey
Schiller's Historical Dramas: William Tell; Don Carlos; Demetrius
Timecode Guide:
3:00 How the works of Goethe relate differently to you as you grow older
3:53 The vastness of Goethe’s Faust and an introduction to the work - an in depth archive of all of the things that Goethe thought in his life put in a very hidden structure that is revealing all of the time
6:25 Whoever has a strong yearning, we can save -
7:17 Your yearning will bring you to the Divine
7:26 What is the main theme of Faust and a brief synopsis of the play
8:48 Faust’s bet with Mephistopheles
10:39 Faust and Gretchen
12:48 The visionary aspect of the second part of Faust as a proof of Goethe’s insights with the artificial creation of human beings, virtual worlds, the collateral damages caused by globalisation, the creation of paper money etc.
13:56 How Goethe was misunderstood in his time and perhaps his works are easier to understand now
14:48 The Elective Affinities
Goethe managed a word treasury of 90,000 words
17:05 “I’m not anti-Chirstian, I am also not un-Christian, but I am a non-Christian”
20:32 Goethe - “In the field of nature I am a pantheist, in the field of morality I am a monotheist, in the world of art I am a polytheist”
22:25 Believes strongly in the freedom of being a writer
23:10 The scandal of The Young Werther
24:10 Goethe’s relationship with the Duke of Weimar
26:50 Burnout working for the Duke and the subsequent Italian Journey
29:11 Eckermann’s question to Goethe: “when was the most happy time of your life?”
30:05 The friendship of Schiller and Goethe.
31:07 The Ur-plant - “It is an idea I see and I can touch”
33:15 A bit on the life and works of Schiller
33:36 Wilhelm Tell by Schiller as a story from Goethe
34:30 The expression of unity formed between Goethe and Schiller
34:55 Schiller’s death
35:30 “If you meet the real, it makes you speechless”
36:48 “the spirit forms the body” - Schiller
37:05 Goethe’s writing style and its revealing nature for the reader’s metamorphosis
38:30 “Nature is not a system”
39:23 Goethe and Islam
40:51 Goethe’s interest with religion
41:05 The meanings within the end of Faust
41:56 A gift of a calligraphy of Surah al Ikhlas, the organising of a Jumuah prayer and the East Western Diwan
43:36 “I am not rejecting the idea that I am Muslim”
44:12 Goethe’s defence of the Prophet sallahu alyahi wassalam
44:04 Goethe embracing of the shahadah
45:16 Katharina Mommsen - Goethe and the Islamic world
47:47 Why Goethe did not mention Islam in Faust
49:13 Where to start with the life and works of Goethe
Music by Ian Cattanach
Warrior Shaykhs, martial tariqas and various Sultans all play a role in the resistance against the French colonial invaders in the Maghreb.
Join this conversation with Abdelkadir Harkassi, a Masters Student in Historical Research at SOAS, around the Sufi resistance of the French invasion in the Maghreb and learn how sometimes the most heroic act is to accept defeat.
This is a crucial narrative and one from which many parallels can be drawn to our current time.
Timecode Guide
2:25 (-10) The french invasion into North Africa through the military invasion of Algeria without any diplomacy
3:12 The geopolitical importance of Morocco
3:50 The severe economic repercussions of defeat to the French and Spanish
4:40 Morocco is bankrupt and had to ask the European powers for loans with all their resources being shipped away
5:00 The conflict between the young Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz and his brother Moulay Abdelhafidh supported by Shaykh Al Kitani and Madani El Glaoui
06:20 What was the French interest in North Africa?
06:25 The French interests, ideology, the French revolution and modernity.
07:08 The wealth of North Africa and the appropriation of land, raw materials, goods and trade routes
08:06 The Hafidhiyya Movement
08:44 The abolition of Zakat and the reaction from the Ulema
09:32 Drawing parallels between the case in the Maghreb and the Tanzimat era of the Ottoman Empire
11:27 Some examples of the Awqaf in the Ottoman empire
13:16 The Awqaf in North Africa and French attempts to purchase the land and then trying to dismantle the various Waqfs through changing the legal definitions
15:30 There wasn’t a welfare system. The people themselves had created a basic foundation for all of society to stand on
16:12 The first university in the world the Qarawiyyin of Fez was an endowment
17:08 Moulay AbdelHafidh defeats his brother and takes the throne
17:36 The conditional bayat of the Ulema to the new Sultan. The Sultan had to uphold a number of conditions including no negotiations with the French, but also the establishment of a Parliament which Moulay AbdelHafidh rejected.
19:13 The importance to the Sultan of the backing of the nobles, the ulema and the Sufi Shaykhs. He did not rule alone.
19:47 Moulay AbdelHafidh inherits a throne without access to the treasury
20:44 The sincerity of Moulay AbdelHafidh in trying his best to maneuver against the French with what he had available
21:28 The betrayal of Al Kitani and his execution
22:45 The Sufi military struggle
23:48 Sultan AbdelHafidh’s letter to the Sufi Jihadi
25:00 The modern idea of Sufism
25:31 The very different reality of Sufism - always engaged in the politics of their time or on the battlefield or mediating etc.
26:39 The Sufi military tariqahs and the history of their fight against innovation and foreign invasions
27:49 The military tariqahs of the Maghreb and specifically the Chaouia region
30:50 The military resistance of the Sufis against the French and 1907 Bombardment of Casablanca as justification for a military invasion
33:12 The military expansion of the French in Morocco
33:40 1911 Tribal revolt against the Sultan as an excuse for the French to move their armies into the heart of the country and the Protectorate Treaty in 1912
35:20 The meetings of the Ulema and the Sufis that led to the decision of some fighting the French and the others protecting the Deen
37:53 The new situation in Morocco with the French after the defeat of the Sufis in the last Jihad in the Maghreb and how the Sufis stopped fighting and decided to protect the Deen in order to save more bloodshed.
39:15 The difficult thing was to accept that you were defeated and that you couldn’t fight. And then you turn to Allah
39:37 The use of the Nasiri Du’a, the Wird al-Latif and the recitation of The Shifa of Qadi Iyad for the preservation of the Deen
41:42 The nationalist movement that began in 1936 based on French ideology via the salafi movement in Egypt
42:43 Muhammad V becoming the image of the nationalist movement and his exile from Morocco to Madagascar
43:21 Muhammad V’s meeting with Shaykh Muhammad ibn al Habib and the advise the Sultan received
44:57 Moroccan independence from France and the Monarchy fully reestablished
45:19 Muhammad VI and his father Hassan II bringing the Sufis back to the forefront of society
50:50 Morocco today under the rule of King Muhammad VI
53:27 Modernity is a fight against the past so that we can progress into a "better" existence
54:12 The King's protection of the library of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al Habib
55:09 A Dua for King Muhammad VI of Morocco
Music by Ian Cattanach
How do we get to know ourselves and unleash the hero within?
Abdallah discusses this concept with Rishad Ahmed a Life Coach and strong presence who has dedicated his professional life to helping others become more self-aware.
It comes down to one word..."unlearning"
Zen Coach Homepage
Rishad Ahmed's Linkedin
Music by Ian Cattanach
Abdallah discusses 'The Waldgang' essay by Ernst Junger with Dr Ali Azzali,, a teacher and historian and the Vice Chairman of Dallas College in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Waldgang translates into English as the Forest Passage, but is a metaphor for the journey to the self, facing the fear of death and emerging from the 'forest' heroic, spontaneous and free to call things by their proper names.
Buy 'The Waldgang' by Ernst Junger here
Buy 'Storm of Steel' by Ernst Junger here
Timecode Guide:
2:38 The meaning of the word ‘Kufr’ and how the works of Junger unveil the truth of the 20th Century
3:30 Junger as a war hero in the First World War and how the World Wars transformed the men that survived.
The Waldganger doesn't fight ideology with ideology. He resists by tapping into the deeper parts of his being.
04:55 The link between heart and courage
05:25 Junger's book 'Storm of Steel'
07:20 How the soldiers of the First World War couldn’t accept the terms of the Treaty of Versaille and were unable to adapt to bourgeois society. Junger said “Better a criminal than a bourgeois.” Bourgeois society aimed at protecting men from destiny and fate.
10:25 The principle of efficiency in the capitalist technocratic state and the Waldganger as the one that resists by taking the passage into the forest.
11:28 What the forest represents and how the men of Allah never act with ideology, they act by calling things by their proper names
12:28 Ideology is a cover up of reality - a view of existence that is limited
13:10 Lexical Innovation
14:10 Mass education based on ideology
15:30 Dante on the metaphor of the forest
17:10 Encountering the truth through encountering yourself
18:05 Bear Grylls and his experiences in the most hostile environments
19:05 "For the light to shine through there must be a crack". The great teachers take you to the place where you are forced to rely on Allah
19:50 "The Sufi is like the earth, you throw rubbish at it and roses grow"
20:20 Science was put in the place of the Divine - Man is not rational
22:28 "The Modern battle of the Thermopolae is fought in the heart of man" and "Every man is a Path." A man who is looking for the truth in himself will look for the truth outside.
24:30 Junger on modern medicine; "Health and wellbeing is with the fearless." The fear of death.
29:00 Paralysis, rigidity and fear. "The physiological age of the body is defined by its stiffness".
30:10 What is love? Love is renunciation of will.
31:55 Junger's example of David and Goliath
32:44 The eternal part of man being denied by Western science
34:20 Without the spirit there is no man and the spirit is the essence of man.
35:20 The source of the strength to resist
36:07 The metaphor of the journey
37:22 The metaphor of marrying your real self
37:33 Nietzsche and the Cosmic poem of Iqbal
40:00 Junger’s book ‘The Adventurous Heart’
40:32 Style as something that speaks to something deeper
42:48 Initiation of traditional societies for young men and women to prove themselves
44:17 Know yourself
44:32 Every great event in history has been initiated by a small elite, never by the masses. The masses follow!
Music by Ian Cattanach
In this first episode, Abdallah talks to Mujeeb Gallagher, a Lawyer and Classicist based in London, to understand the importance of Homer's ancient song The Iliad.
From it emerges the need to recover the authentic self, being true to oneself and nurturing spontaneity as propulsion towards action and much more.
Buy Martin Hammond's translation of The Iliad here
Timecode Guide
00:00 The first lines of The Iliad recited by Aminah Folli in Ancient Greek
01:38 The Iliad as the source of European civilisation
02:19 A song that remolds the human psyche
02:56 A brief synopsis of the Iliad, the theme of Achilles’ rage and the fall of Troy
05:38 Rage and understanding man and manhood. Homer takes a hard look right into the soul of man
08:29 Modern man is scared of man. What makes Achilles better is that he submits to himself and his destiny better that anyone else
09:23 Submitting to one’s destiny and tawba
10:05 "You can’t make tawba for a broken psyche"
12:19 "Say: I have Iman in Allah and then go straight"
13:38 Quoting Ibn Atailla who said “the whole of the cosmos is inside the human heart.” And how the heroes in the Iliad who accept their destiny are ennobled, transformed and elevated.
15:00 Alexander Pope’s description of the Iliad as ‘The Wild Paradise’
16:23 The theme of war and the battlefield in the Iliad as a crucible of life
18:03 Exploring the idea of our modern crisis of being
19:28 Illness, tawhid and how warfare has been outlawed nowadays. Instead we have drones, surveillance and war as a computer game.
22:35 Exploring spontaneity and the propulsion towards action
27:15 The Shield of Achilles
30:13 Assabiyya (esprit de corps) among men and the relationship between Achilles and Patroklus as the highest bond between men
31:47 How the Iliad teaches recovering the Authentic Self
32:48 The modern misrepresentations of Achilles and the incompatibility of his character within the constructs of modernity
35:53 How Muslims are the only group nowadays able to access and truly understand the Iliad
37:16 An anecdote from Hajj
39:03 What would Homer say about the lockdown? As he looks down on those who avoid confronting their enemies out of fear? And the relationship between courage and authenticity.
40:53 What is fear? An anecdote about Rumi
41:55 Comparing how modern society looks forwards into an ideal future when all previous traditions looked back at a bygone era. And how as Muslims we have the Sahaba as our guiding lights.
44:48 Goethe on the Iliad, European history and christianity
45:13 The end of the Homeric Spirit with the World Wars
47:23 The Rivers of Blood Speech, Enoch Powell, the legacy of Babur, the Mughal empire and the future of Islam in the West
52:25 How christianity opposed Greek values and the continued tension between the two.
Music by Ian Cattanach
