The birth of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is such a Blessing of Allah subhana wata ala to the universe that the more the Ummah rejoices
and thanks Allah subhana wata allah for this great Blessing, it still
seems insufficient. The Holy Quran is full of verses commanding Muslims to
remember, to rejoice and to celebrate the birthday of the Holy Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as an "Eid" spending as much as possible
in the process.
The methods of celebrating 'Eid Mawlid un Nabi' as mentioned by the great Imams of Islam such as Muhadith Ibn Jawzi, Imam Jalal-ud-Din Sayuti, Mullah Ali Qari, Shaykh Qutb-ud-Din Hanafi and many others, is that gatherings are held with recitation of the Holy Quran, praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, lectures on the Seerah and his birth followed by a feast. These Mawlid gatherings and feasts together with Mawlid marches were an annual practice in Makkah and the rest of the Arab world for centuries up until the beginning of the 20th century. The scholars write that the Mawlid Celebrations in these lands were carried out at state level with full official patronage.
Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) is renowned for its devotion, love and promulgation of 'Mawlid-un-Nabi' celebrations in every possible way. MQI has made it compulsory on all members to celebrate the Mawlid in the best way possible, irrespective of the expenditure being incurred as the Holy Quran states, rejoice on receiving the blessings and mercy of Allah, it is better than saving your resources (Al- Younas 10:58). Under MQI the Mawlid is celebrated as an Eid, moreover the other two Eids are seen as a blessing of this Eid. A wide range of activities are arranged by MQI world wide, such as conferences, seminars, lecture series, speech competitions, Quizzes, Mawlid marches, gatherings of recitation of the Holy Quran and praise, Salaah and Salaam, to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Ziafat-e-Milad
MQI has the honour reviving the great tradition of grand feasts during the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal. Mawlid gatherings and feasts together with Mawlid marches were an annual practice in Makkah and the rest of the Arab world for centuries up until the beginning of the 20th century. This practice has begun at MQI in Lahore and all over the world. Shaykh-ul-Islam is himself overseeing the Mawlid Dinners - Ziafat-e-Milad - to take place every day during the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal at the residence of Shaykh-ul-islam up to the 11th of Rabi-ul-Awwal and at MQI central secretariat for the remainder of the month. Goats are sacrificed daily in order to prepare the Mawlid dinners. At every Mawlid Dinner Shaykh-ul-Islam, himself serves the participants with specially prepared food. The Grand Mawlid Dinner will be held at Minar-e-Pakistan on the night of the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, having thousands of people coming to the feast. Hundreds of goats will be sacrificed for that night.
International Mawlid Conference
With regard to the celebration of the Mawlid, with the grace of Allah Almighty and
the Blessing of Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, MQI has the
honour of hosting one of the largest Mawlid gatherings on the night of
the Birth of our beloved Prophet Sayyadana wa Maulana Muhammad Mustafa
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
The gathering attracts thousands of participants every year and an estimated fifty to sixty thousand attended last year. This gathering is a great success year in year out which is evidence of the blessings this Mission is receiving from the "Green Dome". Renowned scholars as well as prominent personalities from all walks of life see it as an honour to attend and be part of the Annual Mawlid Conference. The climax to the conference is the annual speech by Shaykh-ul-Islam which makes hearts beat and eyes pour with the extreme love and reverence for the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; empowering spiritually dead bodies with the will to struggle harder to practice the Seerah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and works towards a truly Islamic society.
Another great feature of this gathering is that it is broadcast live all over the world on the internet, together with specific arrangements made by branches of MQI to enable the celebration to be viewed by large gatherings in over eighty countries of the world, making the event a truly "International Mawlid Conference".
By Jawed Iqbal Tahiri
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