Sacred Footsteps - The Podcast

Bashar Tabbah talks to Zara Choudhary about his experience photographing and documenting the sacred sites and daily life of Jerusalem, the birth city of his grandfather.

The Moroccan city Fes, like the other early cities of the Maghreb, was founded as a place of refuge for the Ahl al-Bayt, the Family of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Shaykh Umair Haseeb, who spent several years studying in Fes, joins Omar Rais to discuss the history of the city and the intentions with which it was founded by Idriss I, a descendent of the Prophet ﷺ.

A discussion on the need to reintroduce metaphysics based upon the Islamic conception of reality and truth, a prominent theme found in the works of Professor Syed Naquib al-Attas. With Zain al-Haddad and Syed Muḥiyuddīn al-Attas.

Islam arrived in the Malay world through "good word" and quickly established itself though various kingdoms that would later become centres of learning. Zain al-Haddad speaks to Syed Muḥiyuddīn Al-ʿAṭṭās about the major Muslim figures in the Malay world and the development of an indigenous Islamic scholarship which was nevertheless rooted in networks of authenticated scholarly chains across the centuries.

The Islamic sciences were once rooted in an underlying epistemic unity, that existed among all fields of the knowledge in the Islamic world. Zara talks to Professor Joseph Lumbard about his paper Islam and the Challenge of Epistemic Sovereignty. They discuss: the eradication of the Islamic epistemic framework, the adoption of modern secular-epistemic models, and the complicity of some Muslim academics in this. Professor Lumbard also explains the need to reinstate the position of tasawuf (purification of the soul) in Islamic intellectual discourse.

On the hills in and around Cape Town, you will find 300 year old Muslim graves belonging to notable individuals who arrived on the southern tip of the African continent in chains, as slaves or political prisoners of colonisers. They brought nothing with them, except faith in their hearts and the remembrance of God on their tongues.

This is the story of the beautiful melodic tones of Cape Town dhikr and why it has such a unique sound. Spanning centuries and continents, it is a story of imprisonment and enslavement, colonialism and resistance; of sufi tariqahs, scholars and princes. It is a story of hardship, courage and perseverance, but above all, of faith in God.

Written and hosted by Zara Choudhary

Show notes

Zara talks to Dr Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook and Dr Rami Dawood about the history of Islam in Australia- beginning with the arrival of the Makassan traders, that pre-dates European settlement, to the Afghan Cameleers, who set up the first mosques in the country. They discuss the legacy of the early Muslims in the country, their interaction with Aboriginal tribes, and the discovery of a Sufi Qadiri manuscript in Broken Hill Mosque.

Zara talks to author and Arabist Diana Darke about her most recent book Stealing From The Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe. Diana explains how cultural exchanges between Europe and Islamic Syria shaped Gothic architecture, and why this has become a point of controversy in Europe today.

Sana Gillani visits the tombs of her ancestors: the parents of the influential scholar and saint, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani, in Iran.

Abdullah Sattar explores the roots of Sufism in Punjab, which spread, in large part, through the words of poets that are still recited and resonate today.

Alex Reynolds from lostwithpurpose shares her experiences/conclusions/insights from more than four years of full time travel.

Sacred Footsteps presents, Khayal Diaries, a series of personal accounts, narratives and critical reflections on topics like Islamic history, culture and travel.

Zara Choudhary revisits her journey to Adam's Peak, a mountain in Sri Lanka visited by Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians for its association with several religious figures, including the Prophet Adam.

Omar, Yasmine and Shahroze discuss the history, evolution and spiritual significance of qawwali. Qawwali incorporates music, poetry and story-telling in to a celebration of Love. The singing of qawwali in Sufi shrines and mausoleums is a practice of samaa, a devotional practice that involves singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, praying, reciting poetry and participating in rituals in order to achieve a higher spiritual state.

Mustafa Briggs speaks to Professor Rudolph Ware, author of the 'Walking Quran', about models of liberation in West Africa. They talk about the West African approach towards power and religion, and consider the diverse response of the ulama to the challenges presented by the transatlantic slave trade and European colonialism. They also discuss how racist colonial policies had the unintended effect of preserving sufism and traditional Islam in the region.

Zara and Zirrar talk to poet Baraka Blue about the life, work and legacy of Jalal al-Din Rumi. Baraka tells us about the era in which he lived and how he came to be the great poet we know him as. They discuss his most famous work, the Masnavi, which is often referred to as the 'Persian Quran.'

Zirrar and Baraka share their somewhat differing views on the controversy surrounding English translations of his work, and the claim that Islam has deliberately been 'erased' from his poetry. We consider how Rumi was received in the West and the East, and how his poetry, or perceptions of his poetry differ accordingly.

For our first ever crossover episode, Zara speaks to Imran Ali Malik, host of the American Submitter podcast. They discuss the concept of travel as a 'mutual unveiling' and share 'transformative' travel experiences. Imran talks about his time in Guinea Bissau, where tribes were converting to Islam after an elder dreamt of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), and tells us about the Wali Songo, the 'Nine Saints' of Indonesia.

Muazzam is joined by Salahuddin Mazhary. Salahuddin tells us about the history of Islam in the Caucasus, with a focus on Chechnya and Dagestan. He talks about the Sufi tariqas in the region and the role dhikr played in resisting the Russians. He also tells us about notable figures such as Imam Shamil and Kunta-haji and their legacies.

Omar Rais speaks to Alyssa Ratkewitch, a third generation Tatar Muslim living in Brooklyn and the vice president of the board at the historic Brooklyn Mosque. Also joining the conversation is travel writer, journalist and broadcaster, Tharik Hussain who specialises in the Muslim heritage of the West. Together they explore the migratory roots of Brooklyn's Tatar community, the longest serving mosque in the United States, and discuss the identity-shaping of Muslims in the West.

Muazzam Mir speaks to fellow Kenyans, activist and founder of Halal Safaris, Samia Bwana and conservationist and Mandela Washington Fellow, Raabia Hawa, about the conservation of wildlife and the environment, specifically from a Muslim perspective. They talk about whether hunting animals for sport is permissible in Islam, and discuss the responsibility of travellers to ensure their travel practices are ethical and not harmful.

Yaseen Kippie talks to Zara about the history of Islam in South Africa. He tells us about the early community, made up of influential people exiled to the Cape by the Dutch. A story of survival and resistance, Yaseen tells us about 'the revivers', individuals who ensured the preservation of Islam in South Africa.