“Reaching the end of the spiritual path means to re-assume the tremendous responsibilities from which mankind has fallen away. This is the state in which man was originally created.”

Martin Lings

Silk Road, Old and New

In March 2018, in Tblisi, Georgia, AKF presented unique findings on 'the common word' in the textile histories of the countries along the Silk Road.The presentation showed how skill and spiritual world-views were woven into fabrics before the birth of Christ and long into the Middle Ages. These fabrics were then transported as far as Java and Sumatra in the East and Sicily, Naples and Vienna in the West. The project has expanded to include the cultural impact of the new Silk Road i.e. the Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative on Pakistan. Research is currently underway.

Academic Projects Modern Lessons from a Medieval Poem – Qasidat al-Burdah

Spiritual solutions to political problems are given in a 13th century Egyptian eulogy. This book/lecture project is on the Qasidat al-Burdah – the praise poem written in honour of the Prophet Muhammad which, after the Muslim Holy Book, is the most memorized text in the Islamic world. The book will be completed in summer 2021 followed by a series of talks on the study and practical application of the Qasidat al-Burdah to current political problems.

Qarawiyyin - The Oldest University in the World

This project features talks and seminars in Pakistan, Morocco and Spain on Fatima al-Fihri, the founder of the Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco which is the oldest degree-awarding university in the world. The aim is to review modern misconceptions about the darkness and rigidity of the medieval ages and re-visit the active role women played in medieval society and the spread of education; schools and colleges. This project is expected to commence in 2020.

Living Islam Lecture Series

An on-going lecture series on Quranic Arabic, Law and Culture was initiated in 2016. The series consists of short courses and workshops on the basic principles of the Arabic language and their use in the context of political, legal and spiritual issues facing the Arabic-speaking and Muslim world.

Martin Lings Memorial Lectures Series

Dr. Martin Lings, Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din, (1909-2005) was a great scholar of Islam and Comparative Religion. He was tutored by C. S. Lewis at Magdalen College, Oxford who wrote of the young Lings’ that he was one of those rare students who reminded Lewis of the purpose and value of teaching.