Breaking Spiritual Silence - Imam Zaid Shakir

Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion. (Surah Hadid, 57:20)

We are often reminded in the Qur'an that the world around us is filled with distractions that can keep us from realizing the true potential of our humanity. The modern world's incessant concentration on material and social pursuits has granted many of us with lots of possessions and ideas, yet we still feel empty inside. Even as Muslims' identity appears galvanized in a response to an endlessly news cycle, Islamophobia and injustice, this reactive activism to those challenges in itself often paralyzes and distracts us from the pressing issues of the soul that are humanity's greatest need. In this session we will seek to examine how we can shed the weight from our hearts and unlock our spiritual potential.