Khayaal Theatre

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When people talk about art, most people think of pretty pictures that the eyes can feast upon.  Maybe it can show you a wonderful piece of craftsmanship, displaying the skill that some people have been blessed with.  On the other hand, it could show something that will give you nightmares for the next few weeks.

However, many people forget that a performance can be an art form too.  Using words or stories to provide stimulation for the soul.

So for my choice of art this week, will a be a performance art brought to you by Khayaal Theatre

Khayaal is an award-winning British arts enterprise that develops and produces original dramatic interpretations of classic Muslim world literature for the stage. In its ten year history, Khayaal has developed a strong reputation as the sole dedicated producer of professional theatre inspired by Muslim world culture and heritage in the West.

Inspired by the universal trend within classic Muslim literature and the challenge of producing what theatre luminaries, like Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski and Antonin Artaud, have described as ‘theatre of the invisible made visible’, Khayaal has created its own genre and brand of entertainment whose formula of wisdom and humour has won it popular and critical acclaim nationally and internationally. It has attracted a large, culturally diverse, cosmopolitan audience for its work, and gained the interest of a wide range of interested parties including local authorities, arts organisations, businesses and venues.

Although founded by Muslims, Khayaal proactively involves both Muslims and Non-Muslims in all aspects of its work. Over the past decade, Khayaal has shown that its work has the capacity to bring together communities and encourage a greater appreciation of universal virtues as well as of the literature and arts of the Muslim world. Whereas many talk about integration, reconciliation and intercultural dialogue and understanding, Khayaal practically demonstrates this in creative enterprise.

Kids will be Kids

We were tipped about KidswillbeKids. Nabeel Akbar publishes his own books for children from this publishing house.

We did not read their books, but we checked a video based on one of their stories, and the story was nice, Masha’Allah,- even though the video was a little amateurish, it seemed to me that on print it will look a better.  There is need for more such efforts.

The Key to Answered Prayers

I love Suhaib Webb’s blog, masha’Allah… I could easily link to his site every day on Ijtema! I urge you to subscribe to his feed if you haven’t already. Anyway, the following short story posted in his latest entry was so wonderfully sweet, I had to give it a special mention here for your benefit, insha’Allah:

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Imam Ghazzali on the Muslim West

Abul Layth of Seeking Ilm writes of the influence of Imam al-Ghazzali on the Muslim communities in Andalus and West Africa, and shares from the naseeha of Abu Madyan.

“Hunger is the vehicle for the ‘Aabideen, the Tareeq (path) of the Saaliheen (righteous), the Minhaj (methodology) of the ‘Aarifeen (gnostics), the key of the Muhtadeen (rightly guided), and the goal of those who have arrived at the highest level of ‘Illiyyin.”

The Judgement Of Ali

Muslim-Sisters shares an interesting story about caliph Ali, radiallahu ‘anhu. Get your calculators ready!

Once two persons sat down to eat. One had five loaves of bread while another had three. Meanwhile, a third person came and they invited him to eat with them. When the third person was about to leave, he gave them eight dirhams for what he had eaten. After he left the scene, a dispute arose over the division of the eight dirhams. The man with five loaves of bread claimed five dirhams for himself and three dirhams for his partner. The person who had three loaves of bread insisted on half the amount,i.e, four dirhams. This dispute became so intense that they took the matter to Ali [radiallahu 'anhu] who was the Khalifa at that time… [continued here]