Contemplation: Spiritual Depth in the Digital Age

Contemplation
Stillness in the Storm: Spiritual Depth in the Digital Age.

We live in an age of constant noise. Notifications. Opinions. Endless scrolling. The pressure to react, respond and perform rarely switches off. Even our rest can feel restless.

Contemplation is an invitation to pause. This gathering is about reclaiming stillness in a world that thrives on urgency. It is about remembering that depth does not come from more information, but from reflection. From presence. From turning inward.

Across the evening, five speakers will each offer short, focused reflections on what it means to cultivate spiritual depth in the digital age. Together, they will explore the psycho spiritual dimension of our lives. How our nervous systems are shaped by speed. How our hearts are shaped by what we consume. How distraction erodes meaning. And how intentional contemplation can regulate, ground and realign us.

This is not about rejecting technology or escaping modern life. It is about learning how to live within it without losing ourselves. How to anchor the soul while navigating the storm. How to develop inner stillness that steadies both mind and heart. If you are feeling stretched thin by constant input, or quietly aware that something deeper has been neglected, this evening offers space to reflect with others who are asking similar questions.

Friday 27th March | 6.30-8.00pm *Event will begin with Maghrib salah - please bring a prayer mat for your own comfort
The Village, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 7DN
Free parking onsite | This event is suitable for men, women and young people aged 14+

About our speakers: 

Sayyid Zain al-Haddad is a Malaysian-born Islamic educator and speaker from a BaʿAlawi scholarly lineage, currently engaged in teaching and intellectual work rooted in the Hadhrami tradition of Tarim, Yemen. He initially studied law in Malaysia and was involved in creative, community-oriented projects including participatory arts, communications work and café initiatives before dedicating himself to sacred Islamic sciences. In 2014 he moved to Tarim in Hadhramaut to pursue advanced studies in traditional Islamic knowledge. Since then he has been involved in educational and community work, lectures and dialogues, including talks on Malay-Islamic intellectual heritage and contributions to platforms bridging classical scholarship with contemporary contexts.

Sayyid Muhiyuddin al-Attas is considered the foremost student of Prof Naquib al-Attas of his age group. Muhiyuddin left Tarim end of Jan 2026, after five years of field study there. Years ago, he was a student and perhaps adherent of Western philosophy until he debated the foremost early students of Prof al-Attas during a short course in Malaysia that he attended at the end of his BA in New Zealand. From here he admitted his misunderstandings and turned to Islamic thought. Those whom he debated became his teachers, the likes of Prof Wan Muhammad Nor and Prof Muhammad Zainy Uthman, two foremost direct students and staff members of Prof al-Attas for decades.
Muhiyuddin then did his MA at the institute founded by Prof al-Attas comparing the Professor and Emannual Kant. His current PhD, is generally looking at the Worldview of Islam according to the Ba ’Alawis. Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Musab Penfound, Shaykh Ahmad Shaist Khan and Shaykh Amjad Tarsin have interacted with him immensely and often ask of him.

Ustadh Khairul Zulkarnain bin Kamarudin was born and raised in Singapore, attaining a diploma in Islamic Studies and Globalisation at the prestigious Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah. At the age of 19, he travelled for further education to Tarim in Hadramout, Yemen, enrolling at the world-renowned seminary, Dar al-Mustafa. He studies full-time under authentic scholarship, with unbroken chains of transmission back to the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him.

He has received training and Ijaza (Scholastic licences) through their classical syllabus of Islamic sciences, focusing on Sharia (Islamic Jurisprudence), Tarbiyyah/Adab (Spirituality) and Da'wa (the Prophetic methodology of calling). He studies with a wide range of senior teachers, amongst them the erudite scholar Habib Umar bin Mohammed bin Hafidh, as well as Habib Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Aydrus and Shaykh Umar bin Hussein al-Khatib.

Alongside his formal studies, Ustadh Khairul Zulkarnain actively engages in community service and daʿwa, both locally and in rural villages in Yemen. He regularly participates in outreach efforts, including in remote villages in Hadramout and the island of Socotra, supporting educational and spiritual initiatives. He has teaching experience in the Islamic sciences, delivering lessons to students of varying ages and backgrounds, from children to adults.
He also plays an active role in the annual international Summer and Winter Dowra retreats, contributing to its planning and logistics, as well as mentoring and supporting students throughout the programme. Additionally, he undertakes translation work into English, translating scholarly lectures for international audiences via livestreams and assisting the Dar al-Mustafa Fatawa Committee.

Mohsin Hashmi is Director and Co founder of The Lantern Initiative, he helped set up TLI in 2015 and coordinates retreats and events. He completed his Masters in Religion and Education at the University of Warwick with his thesis focussing on Islamic Psychology. He has also undertaken the Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) Level 1 training with Khalil Center in North America. Mohsin began his Islamic studies at intensive programmes in 2007 with Shaykh Samir an-Nass and Habib Kazim as-Saqqaf in the UK. Since then he has studied the sciences with a number of scholars and continues to do so today. He has been involved in various community initiatives and educational projects over the last decade and also serves as a Khatīb at Central Jamia Mosque in Milton Keynes.

*In case of unforeseen circumstances such as illness we reserve the right to replace any of our speakers/facilitators

**Please note there will be photography and videography at this event. If you do not wish to be included it is your responsibility to speak to the photographer on the day and to be mindful of your positioning at the event.