The 36th annual Mawlid-un-Nabi (peace and blessings be upon him) Conference was held in the famous central Mosque Ghamkol Sharif, Birmingham, UK under the banner of Central Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and Overseas. The holding of this Conference was significant in the context of recent terrorist incidents in Europe and mulling ways and means to confront the situation. Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered his special address on the occasion. Thousands of people belonging to various walks of life from across the UK including those associated with MQI, central Jamaat Ahle Sunnat UK and Overseas and Confederation of the Sunni Mosques attended the Conference. Halls of the Mosque were jam-packed with the participants. Special seating arrangements were made for the women and children on the upper hall of the Mosque.

Speaking to media before his keynote address, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, the founding leader of MQI and Chairman Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), said that all terrorist and extremist groups including Daesh are enemies of Islam and humanity. He said that the whole Muslim community will have to act upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for elimination of terrorism, militancy and extremism. He said that terrorism and extremism stem from ignorance and lack of knowledge. He said that peace can prevail, societies can become hub of human welfare and prosperity and terrorism can be eliminated if we work hard on promoting the light of knowledge and distributing wealth of awareness.

In his keynote address to the Rahmatun-lil-Alameen Conference he stated it emphatically that the mercy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not only for the Muslims but also the whole mankind irrespective of any discrimination of caste, creed and colour. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that stunning developments in today’s science, technology and engineering owe themselves to the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said that our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did a huge favour on the humanity by opening the doors of modern science which were locked for centuries. He said that the Muslim world will have recommit itself to acquiring mastery over science and technology and other sources of knowledge in order to regain its lost status and find an honorable solution to the multiple crises facing it in the face.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proved himself to be Prophet of mercy for all mankind by revealing the hidden mysteries of universe and opening the doors of science. He said that before Prophetic guidance, the humanity was caught in warp of ignorance, superstition and backwardness for centuries. He said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the world for betterment of the whole world as a Prophet of love, peace and mercy and his teachings are for the whole humanity and all creations in the universe. He asked the youth to dedicate themselves to acquisition of knowledge by acting upon the Prophet’s teachings and Sunna, adding that it was the only way to make a mark in life both at individual and collective levels.

Giving various references from history, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that only ten to fifteen people out of one million population of Makkah knew how to write their names before emergence of Islam. He said that it is the Holy Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) favour and special blessing on the humanity that the whole world has become well-conversant with secrets of universe and modern science. He said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) introduced, for the first time in human history, principles of statecraft and society, knowledge, and education system. He said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers made such lofty contributions in the field of knowledge, science and technology for well-being and betterment of the humanity that the world is illuminated with its light. The PAT Chairman said that the levels of progress achieved by science and technology today were indicated by our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fourteen centuries ago. He said that the principles underlining the flying of birds to invention of motor were laid down back then. He said that there is no other way for the Muslim world except to resort to learning and equipping itself with science and technology in order to regain the lost prestige. He said that West had access to precious reservoirs of knowledge after they got the books of Muslim authors translated following latter’s downfall in the field of knowledge. He said that today the West has wealth of knowledge thanks to blessings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri underlined the imperative of projecting the real face of Islam and its teachings in Europe and beyond so that those entertaining doubts should be able to have clarity of mind regarding objectives behind emergence of Islam. He said that the conduct of such Mawlid-un-Nabi Conferences has become inevitable across the world in general and the UK in particular in order to promote love and peace. He said that coming generations will surely benefit from the good work regarding promotion of love, peace, and interfaith harmony initiated by central Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and Overseas. He also appreciated the role of religious scholars and Mashaykh on the occasion. He said that we would have to particularly focus on education of our youth and women in particular, adding that women have central role to play in any society.

Speakers and guests at the Rahmatun-lil-Alameen Conference were: Syed Zahid Shah Rizvi, Allama Ahmad Nisar Baig Qadri, Allama Qazi Abdul Latif Qadri, Mufti Hafiz Fazal Ahmad Qadri, Hafiz Muhammad Zaheer Ahmad Naqshbandi, Mufti Allama Akhtar Qadri, Dr Raheeq Abbasi, Syed Ali Abbas Bokhari, Maulana Bostan-ul-Qadri, Sufi Javed Akhtar Qadri, Raja Muhammad Saleem Akhtar, Mansoor Afaq, Mufti Abdul Rasool Mansoor, Pir Syed Lakht-e-Husnain, Mufti Faiz Rasool Naqshbandi, Allama Nisar Ahmad Raza, Allama Abdul Saeed, Allama Muhammad Bashir Khan, Hafiz Ghulam Masood, Allama Shahid Baber, Allama Muhammad Imtiaz Ali, Sahibzada Husnain Shah, Sahibzada Mufti Abdul Mustafa, Sahibzada Qazi Naveed Qadri, Hafiz Ghulam Siddique Akbar, Prof Muhammad Yasin Madni, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Sultani, Allama Sohail Ahmad Siddiqui, Qari Abdul Raoof, Allama Mujeeb Qureshi, Allama Muhammad Masood-ur-Rehman, Mufti Ashfaq Alam, Maulana Ayaz ur Rehman, Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Naqshbandi, Allama Afzal Saeedi, Allama Zahid Khan, Allama Abu Ahmad Sherazi, Sahibzada Shahid Qadri, Qadri Muhammad Zaman Qadri, Hafiz Sajjad Hussain Qadri, Allama Muhammad Sadiq Qureshi, Sahibzada Taimoor Qaisar Qadri, Allama Riaz Mahmood Qadri, Allama Hafiz-ur-Rahman Ghazali, Maulana Syed Ishtiaq Shah Gilani, Maulana Zulkafeel Sabir, Maulana Hafiz Muneer Ahmad Sabir, Allama Niaz Ahmad Siddiqui, and Malik Zaheer Hussain Qadri.

The president of the Conference thanked all participants for their time. Allama Nisar Ahmad Baig said that we have arranged this prestigious conference by responding to call of the time. He said that the British Muslims are confronted with unprecedented situation today. The youth is tempted to join Daesh instead of acting upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said that there is a dire need of the fact that religious scholars, Mashaykh and community at large play their role to guide the youth at this point in time. Hafiz Mufti Fazal Ahmad Qadri said in his speech that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s historic and scientific address has opened new ways of awareness and knowledge today. He said that we will have to act upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be able to successfully overcome our challenges. Raja Saleem Akhtar (Chairman Ghamkol Sharif Mosque) welcomed Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri on his arrival in Birmingham.

Different Naat Khawan had the honour of reciting Naat on the occasion. The various speakers who spoke at the Conference underlined the need of making the world in general and the youth in particular aware of the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for establishment of sustainable peace and harmony in the world. They said that efforts need to be based on the teachings of religion to eliminate scourge of terrorism and extremism for good. They said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the world as Prophet of mercy and it is thus our religious responsibility to take the lead in promoting interfaith harmony, which in other words is possible if we mould our lives according to the Sunna of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri performed special Dua at the conclusion of the Conference.