Special gatherings are organized in order for the participants to remember the most esteemed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In these gatherings, Hamd and Naat are recited in praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and peace and blessings are invoked upon his blessed person. People illuminate their minds and souls with glorified descriptions of the beloved of Almighty Allah.

With this very concept, the management of Minhaj-ul-Quran Dallas, Texas, organized a beautiful gathering with an impressive turnout to commemorate the blessed birth of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at its decorated Uways al-Qarani auditorium on January 8th, 2016. Alhamdulillah, the hall was full beyond its capacity. The proceedings of the program began with the greetings expressed to the audience by the Master of Ceremony, Brother Iqbal Hasan, who first invited the Imam of Jame’ Hasan al-Basri, Noori Saheb, to the stage.

Brother Faraz Rasheed was invited next for the recitation of the Qur’an. After the beautiful Qirat, salutations upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his (peace and blessings be upon him) praise were invoked in a melodious voice by local youth nasheed reciter, Zohair Akhtar. The Master of Ceremony also invited a few other esteemed guests on the stage, including Dr. Zafar Anjum, Imam Aseel, and Ghulam Jhanda sahib. Next, Mobeen Mian of the Minhaj Youth League delivered a heart touching speech over this theme:

“Iman does not come with only knowledge or from having Ma’rifat; Iman is achieved by the Ishq, Junoon and the boundless love of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and to achieve that love of Rasool Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we have to establish the link with his blessed personality. We have to change our priorities. The Sahaba erased their identity as haji, nemazi, ghazi or Shaheed, for their only identity was being a noble companion of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).”

After this beautiful speech, Imam Aseel from a local mosque also delivered a short discourse on the blessed birth of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The climax of this beautiful commemoration was heartfelt nasheed by renowned guest naat reciter, Qari Syed Fasihuddin Soharwardi from Pakistan.

A bake sale was also arranged by Minhaj Youth League during the program to raise funds for feeding the poor in the community as well as for the Minhaj Youth League scholarship for deserving students. The books written by Shaykh-ul-Islam were also placed on sale and CDs were available for free distribution.

To conclude the gathering, congregational salutations were presented on our Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him). At the end of this beautiful event, all the participants were provided boxed dinner.