What Happened to Poetry - Sh Hamza Yusuf

The Retreat

A BBC Documentary on 6 British individuals who volunteer to attend an Islamic spiritual retreat in Spain for 4 weeks. They involve themselves in a course of spiritual self development, the Islamic way.

Episode 1


 
Episode 2

After last week's gentle introduction to this observational series about an Islamic retreat in southern Spain, and the six people spending time there searching for spiritual enlightenment, things start to hot up. They're an amiable bunch, but as their different personalities emerge, so does the friction between them. It's becoming clear that Muddassar is resisting the whole experience, refusing to disengage from life back in the UK until he's almost surgically removed from his mobile phone. Aisha, meanwhile, has such a prescriptive take on Islam that she spends her entire time pursing her lips in a disapproving fashion. But top moment goes to agnostic Simon, who's so rational about everything that he's struggling to engage with his mystical, spiritual side. Just as he's explaining to the camera why he thinks he didn't need to visit the retreat to get religion, there's an almighty crack of thunder that has him (laughingly) begging for forgiveness.



Episode 3

"This last week is going to be really tough," warns Abdullah, the retreat leader with the beard, the knotted brow and the vaguely transatlantic accent. That's because it's the start of Ramadan, so our pilgrims will have to fast all day for the remainder of their time at the gorgeously tranquil Spanish madrasa. And that really sets the cat among the spiritual pigeons. Though don't get the wrong idea: no-one could accuse this series of heated melodrama. Finger-drumming longueurs alternate with quiet personal crises: Simon the agnostic has a revelation in the woods; Pom has a significant dream about sheep; and romance is blossoming. Well, OK, not blossoming but sticking its nose out cautiously. It's a suitably mild end to a thoughtprovoking series

Building a Minaret

Nasreddin Hodja was travelling to Konya. On the road, he met an acquaintance from a nearby village. He was also going to Konya, so the two of them continued their journey together. As they approached Konya, the magnificent mosques with tall minarets started to become visible. Hodja's companion had never seen such tall minarets before. He was mystified by these soaring structures and wondered how they were made.

`Hodja Effendi, how do they build a minaret?'

`Oh, that's easy,' Nasreddin Hodja explained, `they just take a well and turn it inside out.'

Pitcher

One day Nasreddin Hodja had to send his son to the fountain to fill up their big, earthenware water pitcher. After handing the pitcher to his son, he slapped him on the face.

`Don't break the pitcher!' he said. People around who witnessed this, showed their disapproval.

`Hodja effendi, the kid didn't break the pitcher,' they said, `he didn't even leave for the fountain yet. Why did you slap him?'

`Ah, but, you see,' the Hodja replied, `if I slap him after he breaks the pitcher, it will be too late!'