Practicing spirituality in a big and busy city: A journey to Sufism

The Second Generation

This episode touches on a topic that is often considered politically incorrect or awkward to discuss – religion and spirituality. In this episode, I wanted to explore Sufism – a side of Islam that is very different from the version of Islam often presented in mainstream media. Sufism is a philosophy and Islamic practice which is focused on inclusiveness, love-based faith, and looking within. In the first part of the episode, I share my own experience learning about Islam as a child in Sunday School in a Scarborough and Vaughan mosque, and how in my early 20s I started exploring concepts of Sufi philosophy. The majority of this episode is an interview with my friend Hamed Murad, who practices Sufism very actively and participates in meditative Sufi whirling (aka whirling dervishes) as a form of prayer. Hamed shares his experience of growing up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, where religion was forced upon him, was heavily focused on rituals and was very intense. Hamed talks about leaving Afghanistan to study in Europe at age 17, going through periods of questioning his religion, and at one point thinking he’ll never enter a religious institution again. He shares his spiritual journey over the years and how he’s gotten to where he is now. Hamed and I also discuss the importance of soulful introspection and how to connect with the deeper part of yourself when living such hectic, busy lives living and working in a big city like Toronto.