Tag Archives: Maulud
Reflections of a Seeker
August 16, 2003 / Jamad-uth-Thani 1424
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Part 4)
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts, which in the human paradigm leads to inner peace. The corollary would be that lack of congruency creates internal turmoil, and in severe cases leads to chronic depression. Human beings are consciously or unconsciously in constant search of this harmony. I have realized through my personal experiences that this harmony can be achieved by finding one’s place in the Court of the Creator, submitting to it, cherishing the relationships bestowed by the King and practicing unconditional love.
In the Muslim worldview, we believe in the reality of creation and design – that everything we see around us has One Creator – Allah Almighty and that He, the Most Exalted, has created a systematic world full of meaning and purpose. Out of His Infinite Mercy, instead of placing His Message of Guidance directly into our hearts, He created the institution of Prophethood, where He chose special people to administer this awesome task. It is essential and a matter of gratitude that we pay homage to this institution, primarily to its pinnacle and most perfect exemplar – Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him). He is the greatest Gift of Allah Almighty to us and it is imperative that not only are we grateful, but are also in constant show of this gratitude. Most people respond to this by emphasizing the importance of obeying His Sunnah (Practices), i.e. we must live our lives in accordance to the way He (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) lived it. This is absolutely true. However, obedience out of love, as opposed to fear or compulsion, is the only true and lasting obedience. So loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) needs to precede trying to imitate Him. As a matter of fact, loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) is what completes our faith, as corroborated by the following Hadeeth:
Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his children.†(Sahih Bukhari Shareef)
The philosophy of love is a complex one. To some people like myself, it is missing the Beloved (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), wanting to see Him, yearning to be with Him and seeking His presence, desiring His approval and pleasure, attempting to make the Beloved (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) happy and making every effort not to displease Him. This motivates me to try to follow everything He commands us to do. Allah Almighty says in the Noble Quran:
Whoever obeys the Noble Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah             (Holy Quran, 4:80)
Those who fear that the expression of such emotions borders on shirk (i.e. associating partners with Allah Almighty) need to consider the fact that it is Allah Almighty Himself who chose to include His Beloved’s (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) name in the shahaada (the testimony that “There is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messengerâ€). In addition, the Hadeeth (saying of the Prophet Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah Almighty be upon Him) says that Allah Gives and His Prophet (prayers and peace be upon Him), distributes. In other words, Allah Almighty is the Absolute Authority and the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) is His delegated authority in creation. Therefore, to bypass Allah Almighty’s delegated authority and claim direct connection with Him is in the best-case naiveté and in the worst case impertinent and disrespectful to Allah Almighty, as one is not submitting to His System (Nizam). As the Persian saying expresses beautifully:
Bades Khuda Buzurg Tuhi Qissa Mukhtasar
After Allah, you are the greatest spiritual personality and that is the end of the matter
Unfortunately, today’s Muslim psyche has become plagued with what can be coined as “shirk-phobiaâ€, due to the lack of understanding of the definition of the word shirk. Some think that praising and loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) should have a limit, after which somehow it can seep into the realm of shirk. Nothing can be further from the truth. The more we love and praise Allah Almighty’s Beloved (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him), the closer we get to Allah. These acts increase our love for the Beloved (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and are highly recommended, such as sending copious salawaat (prayers) upon him, writing and reciting poetry and prose that praise Him, talking about His birth, life, love, message and personality and remembering and celebrating the most awesome day that He was sent to this earth.
The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) epitomized unconditional love, which can be defined as genuinely wanting the best for others, doing something practical about it and wanting nothing in return except Allah Almighty’s love and rida (contentment and pleasure). To those who make statements that He was “just†a Messenger, that He completed his “job†by conveying the message (may Allah protect us from such thoughts), need to consider that He (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) as the Messenger embodies Allah’s Message as reported in the famous Hadeeth by Sayyidatuna Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that He is the walking Quran. In addition, He (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) is described as “Shaahid†(Witness) in the Quran [48:8] and therefore He is aware of all that we do on a daily basis and He continues to pray for His Ummah (community).
I once heard a speaker at a conference say “It is better to be at the tail of Truth than the head of falsehoodâ€. At the time, the statement resonated with my heart but its full meaning did not descend upon me until I had the great honor of affiliating myself with the Qadri Tareeqat (Sufi Path) of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him). Allah Almighty says about His awliya (Friends / Saints) that they have no fear of the future and no grief over the past. I believe this is so because they have surrendered themselves absolutely, not in negative resignation but a conscious willing submission to their Infinitely Merciful, Beneficent, Wise and Loving Lord with the understanding that He Almighty does everything for the good of His creation whether that is immediately obvious to us or not.
In my limited understanding, the Path of Tasawwuf (Sufism) is about self-effacement, taming and eventual annihilation of the ego, considering everyone else as better than oneself, removing all prejudices and biases, breaking stereotypes, becoming completely non-judgmental, recognizing that we don’t know where any human being stands with Allah Most Exalted, that we mustn’t judge by the external as we don’t know what is in someone’s heart. This Path is a path of no claims, just pure and total surrender, longing and love.
The Path is a tough one for anyone who wishes to tread it, but it is the only way for those who yearn for their Lord and seek His and His Beloved’s (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) contentment and pleasure.
Syeda Shagufta Ahmad Qadri
یارک کر سٹل Ûال سرے (کنیڈا) میں عید میلاد النبی
Source: http://www.aalmiakhbar.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=specialreport&article=13311
15.03.2010, 12:05am , سوموار (GMT)
اسلامک ایجو کشنل اینڈ کلچرل ریسرچ سینٹر Ø§Ù…Ø±ÛŒÚ©Û Ú©Û’ زیر اÛتمام پانچویں Ø³Ø§Ù„Ø§Ù†Û Ú©Ø§Ù†Ùرنس یارک کر سٹل Ûال سرے (کنیڈا) میں عید میلاد النبی منانےکے Ø³Ù„Ø³Ù„Û Ù…ÛŒÚº منعقد Ûوئی Û” اس Ù…Ø±ØªØ¨Û Ø®ØµÙˆØµÛŒØª ÛŒÛ ØªÚ¾ÛŒ Ú©Û اس کامو ضوع 
تھا “انٹر Ùیتھ کامنیکیشن اینڈ برج امانگ دی نیشنز “ اس لیئےاس میں غیر مسلم Øضرات Ú©Ùˆ بھی شرکت Ú©ÛŒ دعوت دیگئی تھی۔ Ù„Ûذا جناب سکھ ڈھلیوال ممبر پارلیمنٹ ØŒ مسٹر بروس ایم ایل اے۔ ڈاکٹر ایلن ورلڈ پیس مشن ØŒ جناب پنڈت دیویدی جی ( مشÛور اسکالر ØŒ شاعر، Ûندی لٹریری سو سائٹی کنیڈا Ú©Û’ صدر اور مذ Ûبی رÛنما)
اس Ú©Û’ بانی جناب ڈاکٹر Ù…Øمد قادری کی تقریر سے Ù¾Ûلے قرآن پاک Ú©ÛŒ تلاوت Ûوئی ،پھر مختل٠لوگوں Ù†Û’ Øمد اور نعتیں پڑھیں اور اس Ú©Û’ بعد انÛÙˆÚº Ù†Û’ اپنی اÙتتا ØÛŒ تقریر آغاز کیا، جس میں مسلمانوں اور غیر مسلموں Ú©Û’ در میان غلط ÙÛمیاں دور کر Ù†Û’ Ú©Û’ لیئے اس قسم Ú©ÛŒ کانÙرنسیں منعقد کر Ù†Û’ Ú©ÛŒ ضرورت Ù¾Û Ø²ÙˆØ± دیا ،جو Ú©Û Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… Ú©Û’ خلا٠ایک چھوٹے سے Ø·Ø¨Ù‚Û Ú©ÛŒ Øرکتوں ÙˆØ¬Û Ø³Û’ دنیا پیدا Ûوگئی Ûیں۔
اس تقریب میں جناب ٹیپو نائب Ú©Ùˆ نسلرجنرل آپ پاکستان خطاب Ùرمایا اورجناب شیراز قادری نے بھی تقریر Ùر مائی جو دوسرے بÛت سے لوگوں Ú©Û’ ÛÙ…Ø±Ø§Û Ø§Ø³ میں شر کت Ú©Û’ لیئے کیلیÙورنیا سے تشری٠لائے تھے ۔بعد میں انÛÙˆÚº Ù†Û’ ÛÛŒ نظامت Ú©Û’ Ùرائض بھی انجام دیئے Û” Ø¬Ø¨Ú©Û Ù…Ù‚Ø§Ù…ÛŒ علما Ø¡ میں سے مولانا عبد الطی٠نعمانی امام Ùیجی اسلامک سینٹر ØŒ مولانا طیب قاسمی سر Ø¨Ø±Ø§Û Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù…ÛŒ اکیڈمی چلیواک اور امام خلیق اسمٰعیل( امام الکوثر ØØ³ÛŒÙ†ÛŒÛ Ø³ÛŒÙ†Ù¹Ø± اور العباس سینٹر) Ù†Û’ تقریر Ùر Ù…Ø§Ø¦ÛŒØŒÂ Ø¬Ø¨Ú©Û Ø®ÙˆØ§ØªÛŒÙ† Ú©ÛŒ نما ئندگی ڈاکٹر ساعقÛ صاØØ¨Û Ù†Û’ Ú©ÛŒ Û” ان سب Ù†Û’Â Øضور (ص) Ú©ÛŒ Øیات ÙÂ Ø·ÛŒØ¨Û Ù¾Ø±Â Ø³ÛŒØ± Øا صل روشنی ڈالی۔
ÛŒÛ Ø³Ø±Û’ Ú©ÛŒ تا ریخ میں دوسرا مو Ù‚Ø¹Û ØªÚ¾Ø§ Ú©Û Ø§Ø³ قسم کا اجتما ع منعقد Ûواجس میں غیر مسلموں Ù†Û’ بھی شرکت کی۔ اس سے Ù¾Ûلے جناب شمس جیلانی Ù†Û’ دس Ø¨Ø§Ø±Û Ø³Ø§Ù„ Ù¾ÛÙ„Û’ Ùیجی اسلامک سینٹر میں ایک Ù†Ø¹ØªÛŒÛ Ù…Ø´Ø§ Ø¹Ø±Û Ú©Ø±Ø§ÛŒØ§ تھا۔ جب ÙˆÛ Ø§Ø±Ø¯Ùˆ ایسو ایسشن Ú©Û’ صدر اور Ûندی لٹریری سو سائٹی Ú©Û’ جنرل سکریٹری تھے ØŒ اس وقت پنڈت دیویدی جی Ûندی سو سا ئٹی Ú©Û’ صدر اور سرے Ûندو مندر Ú©Û’ Ù…Ûانت تھے Û” جواÙس Ù…ÙˆÙ‚Ø¹Û Ù¾Ø± بھی مو جود تھے ۔پنڈت جی Ù†Û ØµØ±Ù Ø§Ú†Ú¾Û’ شاعر Ø¨Ù„Ú©Û Ø§Ú†Ú¾Û’ انسان بھی Ûیں Û”
دوسرے قابل ٠ذکر اسپیکر سکھی ڈھلیوال ممبر پارلیمنٹ اور مسٹر بروس ایم ایل اے (سرے ) تیسرے ورڈ پیس مشن Ú©Û’ Ùا در ایلن تھے۔ آخر میں جناب شمس جیلانی نے لوگوں Ú©Ùˆ ان Ú©ÛŒ خدمات Ú©Û’ ØµÙ„Û Ù…ÛŒÚº اسناد ٠ستا ئش سینٹر Ú©ÛŒ طر٠سے تقسیم کیں Û” جن میں سے منیجنگ چی٠“ایڈیٹر مریکل “ جناب نصیر پیرزادÛ اور مقامی ریڈیو پر پاکستانی پروگرام Ú©Û’ میزبان جناب سلیمان ناصر (سابق انا ونسرریڈیوکوئٹÛ) اسناد وصول کرتے ÛÙˆ ئے تصویروں میں میں نظر آرÛÛ’ Ûیں Û”
آخر میں جناب شمس جیلانی Ù†Û’ اپنی تقریر میں جناب ڈاکٹر Ù…Øمد اØمد اور ان شریک ÙØیات Ú©ÛŒ ملی اورانسانی Ú©Ùˆ ششوں Ú©Ùˆ سرا Ûااور Ú©Ûا Ú©Û “مشک Ú©Ùˆ کبھی تعری٠کی ضرورت Ù†Ûیں ÛÙˆ تی ÛÛ’ ،اس Ú©ÛŒ خوشبو خود ÛÛŒ Ûر ناک Ú©Ùˆ معطر کرکے لوگوں Ù…ØªÙˆØ¬Û Ú©Ø± لیتی ÛÛ’ Û” ابھی Ù…Øمد صا Øب اور ان Ú©ÛŒ شریک Øیات ڈاکٹر صا عقÛ صاØØ¨Û Ú©Ùˆ ÛŒÛا Úº آئے Ûوئے صر ٠تین سال ÛÙˆ ئے Ûیں اور ÙˆÛ Ø¯ÙˆÙ†ÙˆÚº خدمت خلق میں بÛت سوں سے سبقت Ù„Û’ گئے۔
ÛŒÛ ÛÛŒ در اصل اسلام کا مشن ÛÛ’ Ú©Û Ù…Øبت سب سے Ù†Ùرت کسی سے Ù†Ûیں اور جو ایسا کرے گا تاریخ میں اس کانام ØªØ§Ø¨Ù†Ø¯Û Ø±ÛÛ’ گا Ú©ÛŒÙˆÙ†Ú©Û Ø§Ø³ Ú©ÛŒ گارنٹی قرآ Úº Ù†Û’ Ø³ÙˆØ±Û Ûود کی ایک آیت میں دی ÛÛ’ جس میں Ø§Ù„Ù„Û Ø³Ø¨ØØ§Ù†Û ØªØ¹Ø§Ù„ÛŒÙ° Ù†Û’ مسلمانوں Ú©Ùˆ پانی یا دھات بننے Ú©ÛŒ ترغیب دی ÛÛ’ØŒ جھاگ بننے سے منع Ùر ما ÛŒØ§ØŒÂ Ø¬ÙˆÚ©Û Ù¾Ø§Ù†ÛŒ یا دھات سے ÛÛŒ بنتا Ûے اوربغیر کسی Ú©Ùˆ Ùا Ø¦Ø¯Û Ù¾Ûونچا ئے، اپنی موت آپ مر جا تا ÛÛ’Û” انÛÙˆÚº Ù†Û’ مزید Ú©Ûا Øضور کاپÛلا مشن بلا تخصیص٠مذ Ûب اور ملت، خدمت٠خلق کرنا تھا Û”
اس لیئے Ú©Û Øضور (ص) رØمت صر٠مسلمانوں Ú©Û’ لیئے ÛÛŒ Ù†Ûیں بھیجے گئے تھے Û”Ø¨Ù„Ú©Û ØªÙ…Ø§Ù… عالموں Ú©Û’ لیئے ر Øمت اللعالمیں بنا کر بھیجے گئے تھے Û” ÛÙ… سب کوانکا اتبا ع کر تے Ûوئے انسانیت Ú©ÛŒ خد مت کر نا چا Ûیئے۔
جو لوگ عید میلاد النبی منانے Ú©Ùˆ بدعت Ú©Ûتے Ûیں انÛیں اپنا Ø¬Ø§Ø¦Ø²Û Ù„ÛŒÙ†Ø§ چاÛیئے Ú©Û Ø§Ù†ÛÙˆÚº Ù†Û’ سو سال میں اسلام Ú©ÛŒ کیا خدمت Ú©ÛŒ ÛÛ’ØŸÛ” Ø¬Ø¨Ú©Û Ø¹ÛŒØ¯ میلاد Ùالنبی منانے والوں نے صØØ§Ø¨Û Ú©Ø±Ø§Ù… (رض) اور اولیا ئے عظام (رØ)Ú©ÛŒ Ø±Ø§Û Ø§Ù¾Ù†Ø§ کر ( مØبت سب سے اور Ù†Ùرت کسی سے بھی Ù†Ûیں )ایک کھرب سے Ø²ÛŒØ§Ø¯Û Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù† بنا ئے ØŒØ¬Ø¨Ú©Û Ø§Ù†Ûیں بدعتی Ú©ÛÙ†Û’ والوں نےصر٠مسلمانو Úº Ú©Ùˆ کاÙر بنایا، بدعتی بنایا، با تیں بنا ئیں یا پھر دنیا Ú©Ùˆ شدت پسندی کا تØÙÛ Ø¯ÛŒØ§Û”Â ÛŒÛ ØªÙ‚Ø±ÛŒØ¨ دو بجے سے نو بجے شام تک جاری رÛÛŒ Û”
Celebrating the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him): The Eternal Light of Truth and Guidance
Issue #11
July 8, 2006 / Jamaduth Thani 12, 1427
Truth is life’s essential. It is truth that keeps us alive and creates within us a desire to recognize who we are as individuals and as societies. And it is through this Truth that we realize the Existence of God Almighty with love. All religions and creeds in this world are at some level related to truth. Hence there exists the usage of the term “universal truthâ€. To understand this concept of universal truth and to apply it is the purpose and theme of this year’s Conference.
Every individual is in search of themselves. Humanity is lost in this day and age to the extreme that neither do we recognize other humans nor humanity itself. We say that truth is lost, and we need to find it. No matter which religion we belong to, which creed we believe in, or which school of thought we subscribe to, we cannot deny that we are all oriented to the truth.
It is a common belief however, that truth leads to many difficulties and always being truthful can lead to problems. This is not the case. There is no doubt that the path of truth is difficult, and is laden with temporary anxieties. However the direction in which the truth gears us is a path of success, and happiness. We cannot deny that the Prophets and the Saints (may Allah be pleased with them) practiced Truth and taught the message of Truth. And they were indeed successful. If we analyze Plato’s philosophy or the teachings of Aristotle, even though these are not religiously based, the philosophy of truth can be found there as well. The “Truth of Socrates†is very famous. How did Socrates gain such victory through this value of Truth? This is because he made this universal message a part of his being. He said that his life and his death are for Truth. When his students came to him and advised him to flee from the government’s punishment, he replied, “All my life I have lived for truth; should I leave it now for fear of death? This cannot be.†Socrates was ready to give up his life but stayed steadfast on the Truth. This is the reason why today the name of Socrates is associated with the concept of Truth.
Which power of the world is not familiar with the Blessed Personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (b. 570 CE, Peace Be Upon Him) and which religion is not familiar with His (Peace Be Upon Him) teachings. Every language of the world has received the teachings of the religion of Islam. This message is now widespread. The question arises as to how this message became widespread. This is a very important point. The Arab society of the 7th century CE worshiped itself. The people of those days of ignorance fought through generations upon the theft, murder or injury of a single camel. The ethnocentric Arabs of those days went to such extremes in their self made actions of idol worship that they forgot about their own true existence. But they held on to one identity: Being Arab. The Holy Messenger of Allah Almighty (Peace Be Upon Him) transformed that ignorant and negative attitude and behavior reminding them that it was not being Arab which defined their existence, but being the noble creation of Allah Almighty which was the heart and soul of their being. He (Peace Be Upon Him) further warned them that they had forgotten Allah Almighty, the Truth, and the teachings which they were given; and instead had begun to consider themselves as the source of beneficial knowledge, considering that as their way of life, religion, creed, and truth. He y reminded them that they needed to return towards Allah Almighty. When the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) asked the disbelievers what they believed in relation to the Message that He (Peace Be Upon Him) had brought, and about Him (Peace Be Upon Him), the disbelievers and those who opposed Him (Peace Be Upon Him) said that they considered Him (Peace Be Upon Him) “Sadiq†(truthful) and “Amin†(trustworthy). They did not doubt the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) truthfulness, trustworthiness, veracity and nobility. But they were shackled to their old ways which in their minds obstructed them from accepting the Divine Message, i.e. the religion of Islam. The point to be noted here is that despite their opposition to the message, the disbelievers did not doubt the Blessed Character of the Holy Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him). So what we observe is that the Truth gets itself uttered from the tongues of the enemies. Countless Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Truth!
Truth is the name of character, behavior, attitude, and ethics. Truth begins with Prophethood and ends at martyrdom which is when it becomes victorious as is the case with the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Imam Husayn (b. 626 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him) who is a symbol of truth. Similarly, Hazrat Abubakr Siddeeq (b. 573 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him), the closest Companion and first of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is a symbol of truth. All of the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) are symbols of truth.
In Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and all the heavenly religions, truth is the real essence of life. It purifies the heart. It reveals reality. The entire systematic approach of Islam deals with truth. Our social, political, ethical, and professional institutions are based on truth. Islamic society is formed on the genuine principle of truth. We cannot deny that all the governmental laws must be made on the foundation of truth. If falsehood creeps into law, then it is called diplomatic law. In this type of law, truth is not revered as an inherent quality. If falsehood comes into law then its goodness is destroyed. This is why it is said that if we want to progress our societies, we must progress towards truth. If one observes all the religions of the world, they all have a common thread. They all advise to speak the truth in order to find success. They warn against lying as it leads to harm. This is why the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:
“Truth liberates and falsehood destroysâ€
[Tahawi]
This concise statement embodies universal principles. This is the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that in concise statements He (Peace Be Upon Him) used to convey universal teachings and deep philosophies with great clarity and beauty. He (Peace Be Upon Him) always relayed the Divine Intention and Will as testified by Allah Almighty in the Holy Quran [53:3-4]. The above Prophetic statement includes specific individual and social analysis. The person who lies is always ashamed and anxious. In order to cover up his lies he tries to avoid people and may in some instances even become suicidal. Therefore, lying is such a negative behavior that it eventually destroys us. What then is the source of relief and freedom? The greatest Truth is the Divine Message and the Greatest Personality who practiced the final Divine Message is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and His Blessed Family, the Ahle Bayt. They are the symbols of truth, followed by the Noble Companions. When we find the reflection of these blessed personalities in our society then we say that it is a successful society. This is why in the Holy Quran, Allah, the Most Exalted clearly established the topic of truth. Over and over again attention is drawn towards truth. If there is no truth, there is no society, no individualism, no humanity, no ethics, nothing in the world. Everything is in truth. And its reflection is in the human. As a famous poet has said:
“Don’t consider me merely of clay,
I reflect Divine Beauty.â€
We are a body with a soul. What is the purpose of our creation? Is it simply to satisfy the flesh in this life and then enter the door of death? No. The truth lies in that primordial covenant we took with Allah Almighty which is called the First Covenant or First Social Contract – the one that all the souls took with Allah Almighty where He Almighty asked us: “Am I not your Lord (Rabb)?†To this, all the souls replied in the positive. Why did Allah ask this question? Rabb means Kingship. When does one accept a King – when there is truth in ones mind, heart, and feelings. And where there is truth, there is purity, and success. What is God consciousness – it is truth. What is religion – it is truth. Unity of God is truth, Prophethood is truth, God’s Essence is truth and the Essence of the Chosen One (Peace Be Upon Him) is truth. We cannot escape truth. As the poet has written:
“Jhulas jaen akhlaq ki khetian,
na barse agar Unka abre karamâ€
The above couplet refers to the generous waters of truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) without which any field of moral behavior would wilt. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a complete role model for those who are in search of the truth, and for those who are really anxious to have the complete picture of truth so that they could follow and obey. Who is He (Peace Be Upon Him)? According to the Holy Quran the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a “Complete Role Model†for all of humanity. [Al-Quran, 33:21] He (Peace Be Upon Him) is the legitimate authority, lawyer, socio-political leader, Messenger, Complete Interpreter of Islamic Law. He (Peace Be Upon Him) is a true and last Messenger of Allah Almighty. As the Holy Quran says:
“…Be with the honest peopleâ€
[Al-Quran, 9:119]
The honest people are the followers of truth. What is the reason for this order? Indeed, because the Holy Quran supports logic, philosophy and reasoning. The reason is so that we can be amongst the successful. The successful are the ones who are believers in the Oneness of God and the finality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). These are the two realities that belong to truth. The Holy Quran which is a complete code of ethics, code of life, and comprehensive cosmic law, teaches all about truth. The real meaning of truth from other religions like Judaism, and Christianity, offer the same principle. There is no clash between Islam and Christianity or Judaism regarding truth because the essence of the message of truth is the same in all these religions. We must not differentiate ourselves on the basis of religion – Muslim, Christian, Jew, or another school of thought. The basic school of thought is truth. Truth is a religion and religion comes through a proper channel. And this is the channel of Prophecy. Whether it is Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus or Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them all), they are all beacons of truth. They are the authorities and the real sources of spreading truth in society because of their delegation of power. Because Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the real channels of truth for those who seek the real meaning of life through truth, therefore truth is the authority, the power, the strength and a way to find God. There is nothing wrong with the ideology of truth in any religion. There are similar definitions of truth in all these religions because these were revealed through Prophets to human beings for guidance and patronage. And these are character makers.
Truth is the soul of religion, society, an individual, and of the entire system. Whether someone follows Socialism, Communism, Marxism, Liberalism, Modern Democracy, and Individualism – these schools of thought cannot exist in society without truth. Every school of thought, every individual or political party calls for truth. As human beings we believe that truth is an authority and a power. The meaning of life is to keep oneself with genuine people who are the successful ones. We pray that this Conference will help all of us in the search of truth, for the real knowledge, and for the real authority so that we could be satisfied in our lives not only in this world but also after our death. Ameen.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri
Founding Director, IECRC
The above is a translated and edited transcription of Vol. 1 of “The Truth,†a 5 Volume VCD set where Dr. Qadri, Professor of Political Science at Karachi University and recipient of the National Education and Research Award in 2005, expounds in both Urdu and English on some very pertinent Islamic topics related to the Soul, Tolerance, Sufism, Patience, Code of Ethics, Relation with Other Faiths, Gratitude, and the Rights of Women in Islam.
