For the very first time Minhaj-ul-Quran Rotterdam west organized a Spiritual Evening, with the theme ‘how to find a balance between faith and world. This event took place in a small living room setting with more than 45 people. The crowd was aged between 16 till 35.

The evening started with the praise of Allah (SWT) and the Holy Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). After the Quran recitation and Nasheed the actual part of the evening started. Our respected Tasneem Sadiq al-Qadri was asked to enlighten the audience with the main lecture this evening on how balance religion with the world.

Tasneem Sadiq gave a beautiful explanation about the concept of Mujahada, which is the constant battle between the soul and the self. He told that essence of the self is concluded in the main three acts: eating, sleeping and talking. All together it pulls you into this circle of temporary life and world. On the other side we have the spirit (Ruh), which has the essence to bring you into contact with noor (light) and pulls you towards Allah (SWT).

One of the memorable handouts were the three actions which we can apply into our lives, namely ‘do not eat until you are not hungry, do no sleep until sleep overpowers you and do not talk until necessary.’

This lecture was supported by Quran, Hadith and beautiful quotes from Imam Abul Qasim al-Qushayri (ra) and Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham (R.A).

After a short break with some refreshments the second part of the Spiritual Evening got underway.

This part was presented by Secretary General of Netherlands. His subject was ‘Time Management’ based on the Tafsir of Surah al-’Asr. The subject time management was chosen deliberately because this is what young people nowadays struggle with: how to manage your time and also in this have an effective balance between religion and the world.

He gave many practical examples and for many people in the crowd this was an eye-opener to manage their daily duties in an efficient way. He talked about multitasking, setting priorities and seeking help of the technical gadgetry like apps on a Smartphone.

After the workshop, there was an opportunity to ask the speakers questions during the Q & A session.

The Spiritual Evening was completed with a dhikr in the classic Qadri style and dua. Alhamdulillah we are very pleased with the response of the visitors of this evening and grateful towards Allah (SWT) for giving us the opportunity for organizing this event.