Films

Born in 1058 in Tus, Khorasan, in present-day Iran, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was one of the most original thinkers the world has known. Besides being a major influence in the Muslim world, the West has also felt his effect. He influenced major figures of medieval philosophy such as Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides, who shaped the philosophy of the Latin West. As the author of some 250 books on topics ranging from theology and ethics to metaphysics and philosophy, al-Ghazali came to be known as ‘Proof of Islam’. For almost a thousand years he has served as an inspiration for spiritual seekers everywhere as he was someone, like the Buddha, willing to give up everything: wealth, position, family and comfort in order to search for Truth.

This film sets out to discover who al-Ghazali was and whether we, living in the 21st century, can still find relevance in his teaching.

Born in 1909, Dr Martin Lings, also known as Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din, was revered by people all over the world as a ‘Friend of God’: a man whose saintly radiance touched the lives of all those who looked to him for guidance. In 1938, as a young man in his late 20s, he embraced Islam, entering deeply into its spirit; and the books he went on to write bear witness to the profundity and the subtlety of that spirit which he came to embody and exemplify.

In 1948 he performed the Hajj or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Using unique archive material, this documentary film recollects his experience along with his insight into its historical background. An indefatigable traveller to the very end, he made the last of his annual journeys to the East in January 2005, a few months before peacefully passing away in hishome at the age of 96.

The remarkable story of how the actual location of Jesus' baptism disappeared from human memory, lost in time for almost one thousand years; and the fascinating story of its rediscovery by an Arab Muslim Prince and an Italian Christian monk and the ongoing excavations taking place there.

Since the 1967 war both banks of the river Jordan were military zones. The area was dangerous and heavily mined making it impossible to access. The peace treaty signed in 1994 between the Kingdom of Jordan and Israel allowed archaeologists to begin the search...

What is the meaning of baptism? What is the spiritual significance of the desert and of visiting holy places? 1-hour of DVD extras include extended discussions on: veneration of Christian holy sites by Muslims, the significance of John the Baptist and Elijah; the spiritual meaning of water. (Watch Baptism Film Trailer)

Following the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) recommendation to Journey to three Mosques- (Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem), this films sets out in the company of British bass player Danny 'Hamza' Thompson to discover the reasons why the last of these three holds such an important place in the hearts of Muslims everywhere.

The Circles of Remembrance is an 82 minute journey into what is usually a hidden world of sufism. This documentary explores "zikr" ceremonies in Cairo, Istanbul, Morocco, and the U.S., alond with interviews with some of the most prominent sufi scholars and musicians on the outer and secret meaning of the remembrance of God.

Among those interview are Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Dr. Martin Lings (Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad Din), Gai Eaton, Sheikh Ali Gom'a (the Grand Mufti of Egypt), T.J. Winter, Sheikh Tosun Bayrak, along with internationally known musicians Kudsi Erguner and Hamza El Din, who speak on sacred music.

Part 1: Rumi- The Wings of Love

Viewed in several international film festivals, as well as the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, this film takes viewers into a secret world rarely seen by outsiders. Nearly eight centuries after his death, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Sufi master and mystuicak oiet us ever-present in the whirling ceremony of today's Mevlevi dervhishes.

The Helveti Zikr, Mevlevi semas, and the Gharib, or secret, sema-not seen for over 100 years- were filmed in Cairo, IStanbul, and the Garden of Rumi in Konya.

This unique footage set to Mevlevi music is enhanced by interviews with Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din (Dr. Martin Lings), Islamic philosopher and author Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Sheikh Tugrel Inancer, who reveals the hidden meaning of the reed flute.

Part 2: Come to Life- Al-Mahya

Once a year in the middle of the month of Shabban "mureeds" of the Demerdache Khalwati Sufi Order in Cairo go into small cells and make a spiritual retreat which has been a tradition in this order for over five hundred years.

Shems Friedlander is the first person to be allowed to film this secret and sacred ceremony.

During the "khalwa" the mureed prays, fasts (as in the month of Ramadan), is silent, remains in seclusion, invokes the name of Allah, meditates, and maintains a state of ritual purity.