**Fighting for Our Home – Abdal Hakim Murad — Transcript & Summary | SozAI**
Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/fighting-for-our-home-abdal-hakim-murad/

Abdal Hakim Murad discusses humanity's spiritual and ecological responsibility as trustees of the Earth, urging activism and care for creation.

## Key Takeaways

- Humans have a divine trust to protect and care for the Earth and all its creatures.
- Spiritual health is deeply connected to ecological responsibility.
- Despite human failings, there is potential for healing and repair of creation.
- Understanding creation’s praise of God can deepen faith and commitment.
- Active engagement and responsibility are required from believers, not passivity.

## What the video covers

- Humanity must be active eco-warriors, fighting to protect the world for survival and spiritual health.
- The Quranic concept of 'Amanah' (trust) is central, where humans accepted a responsibility that even the heavens and earth feared.
- Humans are both tyrants and fools, often failing to uphold their trust, but also capable of repair and healing.
- The trust involves formal acts of faith and moral responsibility, symbolized by a seal on the heart.
- Believers are called to return what is held in trust, repay debts, and live with integrity and accountability.
- Creation itself praises God continuously, though humans often fail to understand this praise.
- Science reveals the intricate perfection and order in creation, inspiring awe and spiritual reflection.
- The natural world is a sacred trust given to humanity to protect and perfect, not exploit.
- Islam encourages believers to see beyond surface appearances to deeper spiritual realities.
- Proactive environmental activism is necessary; blaming others is not a solution.

## Chapters

1. 00:00 Call to Eco-Activism and Spiritual Health
2. 03:46 The Quranic Trust: Man as Tyrant and Fool
3. 05:43 The Day of Bearing Witness and Human Responsibility
4. 07:39 Believers as People of Trust and Integrity
5. 09:49 Amanah: Healing and Repairing Creation
6. 11:49 Creation’s Praise and Human Understanding
7. 13:55 Science, Creation’s Perfection, and Spiritual Awe
8. 19:49 Proactive Environmental Responsibility in Islam

Answers

## Questions about this video

What is the meaning of Amanah in the context of this video?

Amanah refers to the divine trust given to humanity to protect, repair, and care for the natural world, a responsibility that even the heavens and earth feared to accept.

Why does Abdal Hakim Murad describe humans as 'tyrants and fools'?

He highlights human failings in overstepping moral and ecological boundaries, acting unjustly or foolishly, yet also emphasizes our capacity for repentance and healing.

How does the video connect spirituality with environmental activism?

It argues that protecting the environment is essential not only for survival but also for spiritual health, urging believers to be active eco-warriors as part of their faith.

## Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:00

Speaker A

We will not sit back. We will be activists. We will be eco-warriors. We will fight not just because the world is necessary for our survival, but because the world is also important for our spiritual health. Everything is giving.

00:14

Speaker A

and all of the species Nations like yourselves we have a big responsibility to defend them and their rights alhamdulillah alhamdulillah [Music] mam AB in Almighty Allah says in his book we offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the

02:25

Speaker A

And all of the species, nations like yourselves, we have a big responsibility to defend them and their rights. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah. [Music]

02:47

Speaker A

immediately jumps out is man the Tyrant the fool of course how many times a day do we not think I shouldn't have done that because I went beyond the boundaries I was unjust I didn't do things right or I was really stupid every day it's

03:04

Speaker A

Mamm, AB, in Almighty Allah says in His book, "We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they refused to accept it and they were afraid of it, and it was accepted by man, he who is ever a tyrant and a fool."

03:22

Speaker A

be there's a mystery here and the in the books of tapir have many interpretations and perhaps all of them are right some of the say that the trust is the responsibility to undertake formal Act of I the prayer the fast Hajj the other

03:46

Speaker A

It's a well-known verse, and it has a mystery in it. The only thing that is obvious that immediately jumps out is man, the tyrant, the fool. Of course, how many times a day do we not think, "I shouldn't have done that because I went beyond the boundaries, I was unjust, I didn't do things right, or I was really stupid"? Every day it's these two things: we're a tyrant, we're a fool. That's obvious.

04:02

Speaker A

choose they're afraid man can accept them but then it's a sorry tale we have proved to be tyrants and fools that's one good interpretation some of the also say that at the time when we first became conscious on the day

04:23

Speaker A

But what is the trust that Almighty God is offering to the heavens and to the earth and to the mighty mountains that they are afraid of? What could that be? There's a mystery here, and in the books of tafsir, there are many interpretations, and perhaps all of them are right. Some of them say that the trust is the responsibility to undertake formal acts of Iman: the prayer, the fast, Hajj, the other things that we choose to do because they are right and good.

04:44

Speaker A

time this am was given and it took the form of a seal which was placed on each and every one of our hearts and at the end of time when the angel inspects us he will want to see if that seal is

04:57

Speaker A

It's almost as if this trust is a kind of freedom to choose the right, and everything that's solid in the world, the material things, the mountains, they can't choose. They're afraid. Man can accept them, but then it's a sorry tale. We have proved to be tyrants and fools. That's one good interpretation.

05:20

Speaker A

Lives well there are many interpretations one thing that is beautiful is one of theat said these great heavens and earth and the mountains they all looked at the weight of this trust and they were afraid adamis looked at the one who is

05:43

Speaker A

Some also say that at the time when we first became conscious, on the day when Allah brought all of the souls that were to be before Himself and caused them to bear witness against or about themselves, and He said, "Am I not your Lord?" and we all said yes, we bear witness.

06:03

Speaker A

them he repays debts he remembers that he has to return his library book he remembers things held in trust it's an important part of our Lives as human beings and we remember that the title given to the chosen

06:18

Speaker A

At that time, this Amanah was given, and it took the form of a seal which was placed on each and every one of our hearts. And at the end of time, when the angel inspects us, he will want to see if that seal is still there. Did we live according to the memory of Allah? Yes, we bear witness. Or did we find something else to do in this admittedly distracting and strange world?

06:35

Speaker A

there this is an important quality of human Perfection but this am Mana that we are carrying has something to do with our status as we are in a mysterious way although we're not the strongest part of creation we cannot fight with an elephant we

07:00

Speaker A

Will the seal be intact, unbroken, unpolluted, undamaged at the end of our lives? Well, there are many interpretations. One thing that is beautiful is one of them said these great heavens and earth and the mountains, they all looked at the weight of this trust and they were afraid. Adam looked at the one who is bestowing the trust, and because of his love for that one, accepted it.

07:16

Speaker A

Adam although we are the great damagers of creation we are also capable of being its repairers and its healers this is what the root meaning of is about and this am Mana that the world is somehow under our

07:39

Speaker A

In any case, here we are entrusted, and the believer is a person of trust. The believer is the one who returns things held in trust to those who own them. He repays debts. He remembers that he has to return his library book. He remembers things held in trust. It's an important part of our lives as human beings.

07:56

Speaker A

trust just as farm animals are the shepherd is entrusted with his flock so too it is now with Humanity with our extraordinary Technologies and our power to improve and to despoil we are responsible we are like the Shepherds of the world in all of its

08:15

Speaker A

And we remember that the title given to the chosen one even before the message came to him was the people of Mecca called him the honest, trustworthy one. They would leave valuables in his house because they knew they could come back in a year's time and they would still be there.

08:52

Speaker A

verse everything that is in the heavens of the earth and the heavens of the earth themselves praise the Lord there is nothing that does not praise him but you don't understand their praise and Allah is ever mild and

09:11

Speaker A

This is an important quality of human perfection. But this Amanah that we are carrying has something to do with our status as we are, in a mysterious way, although we're not the strongest part of creation. We cannot fight with an elephant. We cannot swim beneath the waves and breathe. We cannot fly with the birds. We have so many weaknesses, and other creatures are stronger than us.

09:29

Speaker A

to hear but it's a tremendous thought not just human beings when they're getting up for fager but everything in creation every atom every far Galaxy is giving T in its own way they don't have teeth and tongues and the instruments that

09:49

Speaker A

But still, there is this Amanah which is related to that which allows the angels to bow down to Adam. Although we are the great damagers of creation, we are also capable of being its repairers and its healers. This is what the root meaning of Amanah is about.

10:14

Speaker A

capable of being perfected because we know that there have been prophets and pure ones from the beginning of time who have seen the world and have heard the world and have seen Beyond beyond the surface of things and have

10:31

Speaker A

And this Amanah that the world is somehow under our responsibility, not to play around with, not to exploit, not to damage, but to perfect and to protect, is part of the meaning of this Amanah. The world, in some sense, the natural world, has been given to us as a kind of trust.

10:49

Speaker A

truly and this is one of the meanings of the Holy prophet's Dua oh Allah show me things as they truly are because we have such limited senses we see only the surface of things and we hear only random

11:09

Speaker A

Just as farm animals are the shepherd is entrusted with his flock, so too it is now with humanity. With our extraordinary technologies and our power to improve and to despoil, we are responsible. We are like the shepherds of the world in all of its tens of millions of species, all of which are bearing witness to the One.

11:28

Speaker A

things rocks and neutrons and gluons and there's a lot of them that are part of the amazingness of creation one of the blessings of science is that it has shown us that there is so much in do you see any inconsistency in the

11:49

Speaker A

But without carrying this Amanah, the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them, Him the praise of Allah, they give Him glorification. There is another tremendous verse: everything that is in the heavens and the earth and the heavens and the earth themselves praise the Lord. There is nothing that does not praise Him, but you don't understand their praise.

12:08

Speaker A

for one instance its duty of Tas how can it not give glory and then the telescopes which see beyond the beyond the great nebulas and the neutron stars and the exploding supernovas and the wonders of creation out there all of that the modern world has

12:32

Speaker A

And Allah is ever mild and forgiving. And the Tafsir called Jalalain explains why: it is mildness and forgiveness because we can't hear the world giving praise. That's very sad, but Allah will not punish us for that because of His mildness and His forgiving nature. We're weak. We don't have the ears to hear.

12:56

Speaker A

Beauty constancy after constancy physical law after physical law in this amazing Cal this universe and how can we not be taken back and staggered by its immensity by its age by its Symmetry by its heart ravishing Beauty so Allah subhana wa tala is

13:20

Speaker A

But it's a tremendous thought. Not just human beings when they're getting up for Fajr, but everything in creation, every atom, every far galaxy is giving T in its own way. They don't have teeth and tongues and the instruments that human beings use in order to voice praise, but with their mute eloquence, in their own particular way, everything that they do is proclaiming the glory of the Creator.

13:40

Speaker A

something that makes the heart respond and this is the basis of Ean we see the immensity and the age and the beauty and the consistency of the world and the law of gravity and the speed of light and all of the wonders of this

13:55

Speaker A

Wa Allah, but we don't understand their praise. Now we know that human beings are capable of being perfected because we know that there have been prophets and pure ones from the beginning of time who have seen the world and have heard the world and have seen beyond, beyond the surface of things and have heard more than simple words to get to the world of meaning.

14:19

Speaker A

Allah but beyond this beyond the power of the microscope beyond the power of the telescope beyond the power of the exaggerations and the intensifications of human senses is of which modern science has excelled there is the Beyond which is the

14:38

Speaker A

They move from to ma sense to meaning, from zahir to batin, from the outward of things to the inward of things. They have a capacity to see things truly, and this is one of the meanings of the Holy Prophet's dua: "O Allah, show me things as they truly are," because we have such limited senses.

14:52

Speaker A

mystery the great mystery and it is that great mystery that is the beginning and the foundation of of Ean which means a secure awareness of how things are which means seeing things and not shrugging but saying Subhan Allah knowing that beyond the

15:10

Speaker A

We see only the surface of things, and we hear only random sounds, and we can interpret, but how limited is our interpretation? When we, through the intelligence that human beings have developed, use microscopes and telescopes, we can see more. We can see the subatomic world. We can see very strange things: quarks and neutrons and gluons, and there's a lot of them that are part of the amazingness of creation.

15:27

Speaker A

no room for anything else everything is simply what Allah is doing and he says subhanahu waala wherever you look there is Allah's face and we look and we fail to see it we're not looking correctly we're looking with hearts that are polluted

15:54

Speaker A

One of the blessings of science is that it has shown us that there is so much in the creation of the all-compassionate. It all adds up to perfection, stability, constancy, physical laws. SubhanAllah, not one of those electrons and protons is out of place or is not doing what the Lord commands or is forgetting for one instance its duty of tasbih. How can it not give glory?

16:14

Speaker A

this is a real sickness the Quran says there is rust on their hearts it should be a pure mirror a pure eye which sees but instead we don't see very well we can see the majesty and the magnificence of God's creation through

16:34

Speaker A

And then the telescopes, which see beyond the beyond, the great nebulas and the neutron stars and the exploding supernovas and the wonders of creation out there, all of that the modern world has enabled us to see so far.

16:57

Speaker A

like some of the end are particularly known for this and we placed the mountains and the birds giving praise under this under subjection to the prophet David this is what we did we know the story of San and

17:23

Speaker A

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, "Yes, we shall show them our signs on the horizons and in themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth." And we see so much beauty after beauty, constancy after constancy, physical law after physical law in this amazing cosmos, this universe.

17:41

Speaker A

encourage him himself never to forget the Tas the mountain never stops human beings must never stop and there's a mystery here what does it mean for something to give tus is it conscious what could that possibly mean no consciousness akin to that of the

17:58

Speaker A

And how can we not be taken back and staggered by its immensity, by its age, by its symmetry, by its heart-ravishing beauty? So Allah subhana wa ta'ala is saying of the believers, they think about the way the heavens and the earth are and have been created, not just, "Oh, there is a beautiful color somewhere in the Andromeda nebula," and then passing on to the next image, but something that makes the heart respond.

18:16

Speaker A

hear things in a way that is truly sacred rather than as we do light and darkness Shadows confusion just the surface of things and we know that the holy prophet had this extraordinary relationship with the natural world uh that he could indeed

18:41

Speaker A

And this is the basis of Iman. We see the immensity and the age and the...

18:57

Speaker A

tus and on another occasion the mountain because presumably of the spiritual weight of the four great ones the perfected human beings that were upon it this is in the Hadith started to shake until the Pebbles the Hass were

19:11

Speaker A

running down the slope and the sahaba were afraid an earthquake the holy prophet scuffed his foot and he said be quiet there is no no one upon you but a prophet and a sidik and two martys well that's a miracle what could

19:36

Speaker A

it mean how could the mountain be shaking because of the immense spiritual power of people perfected human beings who are walking upon it so that the mountain is shaking all of this is really outside our experience apart from

19:49

Speaker A

that occasional moment that we have when perhaps we are given to Glimpse something of the Sacred and we can see that there is real realityy behind the veil and the reality is one and the reality is rahma and the reality is what

20:07

Speaker A

sustains everything and gives sense to everything Ma so the holy prophet Al has this relationship with the natural world that is there throughout the Quran and the Hadith and we know that our forms of in Islam are closely connected to the

20:25

Speaker A

Natural World the sun is now coming through the lights of this mosque and we are here not because somebody in the Middle Ages decided that this would be a good time for our congregational prayer uh but because of the movement of the solar

20:40

Speaker A

system We rise with the sun we celebrate the extraordinary atmosphere of the setting of the sun and the beginning of the Twilight with the sacred act the moon determines our calendar this is from fitra Islam is to be

21:01

Speaker A

the religion of the primordial natural disposition of men and women it's known that this is one of the things that we call it remember the great events of the when the holy prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam ascended ascended Rose and Rose until he reached the

21:31

Speaker A

degree of two blows length two Bow's lengths which had never been reached before or even approached the highest moment of human history in the presence of Holiness and amongst the many important events that happened there is that the

21:50

Speaker A

angels in the Hadith offer him two chales two goblets one of wine one of milk and he chooses the milk and the great Angel tells him you have been guided to Nature what is the meaning of this wine clearly indicates something

22:18

Speaker A

that in its origin is natural but that has been changed through human intervention milk is pure Direct from nature we remember recently the World Health Organization released a report on alcohol some people are hopelessly saying well a little bit of drink is

22:42

Speaker A

good for you or there's a safe limit to drinking and a lot of people around the world desperately hope that to be the case their report is very clear there is no safe limit even one glass a week has a

22:56

Speaker A

negative Health implication seven kinds of cancer which are known to be much more likely if you're a drinker high blood pressure heart disease the mother of all ugly things not just in terms of creating riots on the streets of England but also damaging

23:17

Speaker A

what's natural within ourselves it's also the case in the same report if you're pregnant don't drink at all even one glass of wine or one glass of beer will have a permanent effect on the development of the fetus so mothers

23:39

Speaker A

don't do that so the prophet is saving us from that saving us from being sick saving us from having sick children saving us from throwing punches in the pub at closing time and all of those things [Music] alhamdulillah praise be God for the

23:58

Speaker A

blessing of Islam that we are spared all of that but he is taking the milk the F this is to be as the angel says the religion of fitra and the religion of the affirmation of nature now in our times as we all know

24:18

Speaker A

nature is in crisis the temperature is rising even faster than the scientists had predicted we know that in countries like Bangladesh the sea level continues to rise agricultural land continues to fall into the sea we know that in Algeria more and

24:40

Speaker A

more agricultural land can no longer be cultivated we know that temperatures across the Muslim world in the summer are uncomfortably High we know that the monsoon in the Indian Ocean is disrupted we know that the ice cap over

24:55

Speaker A

the Himalayas which brings the regular drip drip of melt water to fill the Great Rivers of Pakistan India Bangladesh is now shrinking the result being catastrophic floods such as those which destroyed the SWAT Valley and Pakistan a very few

25:14

Speaker A

years ago we know that things are corrupted why because of ourselves this great garden-like world which Allah subhana wa ta'ala in his generosity has gifted to us is in crisis because we are not being because we are not discharging

25:33

Speaker A

this am Mana because we have become like a a fungus an infection on the planet instead of coexisting with other species we are just exploiting them and they're dying one after the other so one of the meanings of this am

25:52

Speaker A

is that the Believers should be proactive simply saying oh is the consequence of mity and the evil West and all of this and woe betide us and allocating blame is not any kind of solution we have to be part of the

26:07

Speaker A

solution and alhamdulillah in so many Muslim countries now you find the stepping up the in Indonesia with their green mosques program in Morocco supporting actively hbas which are encouraging the population to switch to sustainable forms of energy more and more

26:26

Speaker A

photovoltaic arrays so cell are mosques in Morocco rainwater collection some of the things which we have in this mosque they're also doing in so far as their budgets can allow in Turkey also a very quick and successful switch to

26:46

Speaker A

Renewables so even though we are the victims of this global system we will not sit back we will be activists we will be eco-warriors we will fight not just because the world is necessary for our survival which is true but because the

27:05

Speaker A

world is also important for our spiritual health if the Quran is telling us look at the way the heavens and the Earth are created and is saying everything is giving of Allah subhah wa tala and all of the

27:21

Speaker A

species Nations like yourselves we have a big responsibility as custodians as to defend them and their rights all of these beautiful events in which the holy prophet is protecting animals and there are so many and they're well known we learn them as

27:38

Speaker A

children there's a message to that we have responsibilities he says s wasallam you will be rewarded for kindness done to every living thing and so we need to be more aware we need to be more active we need to be conscious that this is a

28:00

Speaker A

great threat facing Benny Adam particularly the Islamic World which is in places by and large which are already warm and precarious climatically geographically agriculturally and we need to be working hard so that inshallah the whole world looks at us as

28:19

Speaker A

the umah which is indeed bringing a healing the holy prophet is not just the Healer of hearts and the Healer of families and the Healer of neighborhoods but is also the Healer of the world and is also the one

28:35

Speaker A

whose beautiful Sonna and whose religion of fitra is the one that is returning Humanity to its senses and reminding us not just of the usefulness of the natural world but of its Holiness so that wherever we look we see the divine

28:51

Speaker A

presence even if we don't look and don't listen with the eyes and ears of Prophecy because we're not at that level we are told that everything is giving this tus which is a beautiful teaching so may Allah subhana wa ta'ala

29:05

Speaker A

help us to be eco-warriors may he help us to contribute to every lawful effort for protecting this Earth may he help us also to remember that the purpose of this is to help human beings to reflect to be grateful to be nourished

29:22

Speaker A

spiritually by the good World which is the work of his hands alhamdulillah I m I Allah for

Topics: Abdal Hakim Murad Cambridge Central Mosque Amanah Islam and environment spiritual ecology eco-warriors Quranic trust environmental activism creation praise faith and nature


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