Shaykh-ul-Islam, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri established the Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) on 17 October 1980 to illumine the hearts of the Muslims with the true light of faith sent down by Allah through his last of the Messengers and void all false prevalent beliefs that generate extremism, fanaticism and terrorism and eliminate peace from the surface of the earth. This initiated a reformative programme for the Muslim Community to revive the spiritual values of life and reshape the system, and in this way, restore the true Din (religion) that ensures basic human rights, equality, peace and justice in society. It was a call for a comprehensive and multidimensional change in society which, at the same time, aimed to end the academic and ideological deadlock, revive, once again, the declining moral and spiritual values (of Islam), and also stimulate the Muslim Umma by guarding against all obstacles and hindrances in its social, economical and political life and help it achieve an admirable and respectful status among all the contemporary nations of the world.

He also observed that human sufferings had also been caused due to prevalent gender inequality in the human society, which Islam condemns. Islam confers upon women the same rights that men enjoy. The man-made systems keep the women deprived of these rights. That entailed the establishment of Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League on 5th January, 1988 to provide them a platform to generate effort among women in the right direction and eliminate ignorance, poverty and legal lacuna to restore gender equality, justice and peace in human society.

Recognizing that there is not a more oppressed segment of society than the womenfolk, particularly in Pakistan and the sub-continent, Dr Qadri has been at the forefront of championing the rights of women and ensuring their complete participation and involvement in the social, material, technological and ethical progress of society. Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International is probably the first Islamic organisation in Pakistan to formally permit the involvement of women and positively encourage their participation in all its activities. The Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League brings empowerment to the women of all age groups and organises activities with full confidence, providing opportunities to develop skills and abilities in order to take a full and active part in society. The Women League holds cultural, spiritual and educational events. The main themes of these events are: to build bridges between different communities and create peace and harmony between them; to educate women, especially of low socio-economic status, on their rights; and inculcate in them self-respect, confidence and pride in the significant role they play in creating a peaceful and progressive society; and also to provide them with positive role models to follow. The Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League is dynamically engaged to achieve the following aims and objectives under the galvanizing leadership of Shaykh-ul-Islam, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Aims and Objectives

Shaykh-ul-Islam laid down the following aims and objectives for the Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League to achieve.

1. Daʻwa: Calling to Islam’s Peace programme and Propagating Deen of love and security, moderation and tolerance, equity, dignity and justice.
2. Promotion of religious moderation, tolerance and social justice in the community. Reformation of the Umma Affairs through Spiritualism and Higher Morality.
3. Islamic Renaissance and Revival of Islam’s modern look on life.
4. Promotion and Implementation of Islam’s Peace dynamism through socio-economic and political process.
5. Restoration of the supremacy of Islamic faith over extremist, radical and terrorist ideologies as the only way to peace and prosperity.
6. Struggle for promotion of human rights and peace and justice on the globe and establishing relevance of Islam to modern times.
7. Promotion of peaceful co-existence and ecumenist ideal.
8. Familiarizing the world communities with the Holy Life of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him), the safest path to peace, justice and equality in the world — the path of the Quran.

The Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League conducts its activities like seminars, conferences, training courses, workshops and correspondence courses in the following work areas.

1. Revival of contact with God.
2. Revival of contact with the Beloved Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him).
3. Turning towards the Qur’an to comprehend Allah’s revealed Message and to put it into practice as was practiced by the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
4. Training mothers to bring up a healthy nation and a united Umma.
5. Making women aware of the necessity of revival of the true Islamic values.
6. To help women protect their rights and make them aware of their duties.
7. To train women socially, spiritually and technically so that they get necessary know-how for their role within MQI.
8. To enthuse the womenfolk with the passion to struggle and rise.
9. To train the ladies in the art of social-relationing and create intra-faith and inter-faith harmony.
10. To promote education among women.
11. To promote moral values among ladies.
12. To help and assist the widows, orphans and the destitute families.
13. To create opportunities for women to explore their capabilities through healthy work environment and assigning tasks.
14. To arrange workshops in character-building and personality development techniques to inculcate balanced and moderate human behaviour.

Organizational Set-up

The Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League comprises the following departments assigned with different tasks and projects.

1. Da‛awa
2. Tarbiyyat (Training)
3. Tanzimat (Field organizations)
4. Students Affairs

Da’wa Deparment

This department is engaged in achieving the following objectives:

1. Promotion of MQI’s Da’wa Programme
2. Propagation of Shaykh-ul-Islam’s thought among people particularly the womenfolk.
3. Revival of the servant’s relationship with Allah.
4. Revival of the slave’s relationship with the Messenger of Allah.
5. Promotion of recitation and learning of the Qur’an.

To achieve these objectives the Department of Da‛awa organizes the following events according to a well chalked out schedule.

1. Irfan-ul-Qur’an Circle.
2. Darud-o-Salam Circle.
3. Irfan-ul-Quran Learning Course.
4. Milad Sessions
5. Production of literature.
6. Conducting conferences, seminars and programmes.
7. Coordination with field Tanzimat to ensure continuity of Da’wa.
8. To take measures to achieve the laid down Da’wa objectives.
9. CD Exchange.

Daʻwa Targets

Daʻwa has the following targets to achieve:

i. Call for affiliation with Allah Almighty: This target is achieved through the following:

1. Remembrance of Allah Most High
2. Ardent love for Allah Almighty
3. Godwariness
4. Obedience to Allah Most High
5. Worship and Devotion

ii. Call for linking up with the Holy Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him). This target is achieved through the following:

1. Ardent love for the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
2. Obedience to and follower-ship of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
3. Observance of polite manners and submissiveness for and veneration of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
4. The gnosis of the exalted station of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
5. Supporting the (Deen of) Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).

iii. Call for turning towards the Holy Qur’an. This target is achieved through the following:

1. Developing a link with the Holy Qur’an based on love.
2. Abundant recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
3. Meditating and contemplating the Holy Qur’an.
4. Following the commands and injunctions of the Holy Qur’an.
5. Preaching the commands and injunctions of the Holy Qur’an.

iv. Call for seeking knowledge. This target is achieved through the following:

1. Promotion and publication of knowledge.
2. Honouring and practicing knowledge.
3. Attaining modern disciplines.
4. Setting up learning associations.
5. Awakening awareness and cognizance.

v. Call for brotherhood and fraternity. This target is achieved through the following:

1. Love and Forbearance.
2. Moral Beauty
3. Protecting and safeguarding human rights.
4. Mutual help and cooperation.
5. Eschewing sectarianism

vi. Call for collective struggle and interests. This target is achieved through the following:

1. Consultations and obedience to the leader.
2. Calling for righteousness.
3. Discipline and organizing.
4. Steadfastness
5. Altruism and Sacrifice

vii. Call for consolidation. This target is achieved through the following:

1. Da’wa, preaching and publicity.
2. Reasoning for true application of Qur'an and Sunna to modern life
3. Reviving and promoting Din.
4. Attaining to peace and security.
5. Restoration of Islam’s identity.

Tarbiyyat (Training) Department

This department is to achieve the following targets:

1. To conduct training in the following areas:

1. Intellectual and ideological training
2. Organizational and administrative training
3. Religious training
4. Spiritual and moral training

2. To awaken awareness of responsibilities as a Muslim.
3. To promote the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith.
4. To impart practical training to lead a purposeful life by inculcating sentiment of serving Din (religion).

The following events are organized to achieve these objectives:

1. Islamic Learning Course for imparting moral and spiritual Training.
2. Irfan-ul-Quran Course.
3. Tanzimat Camps.
4. Regional Workshops.
5. I‛tikaf Camp.
6. Production of Literature

Tanzimat Department

This department works:

1. To ensure the establishment of new Tanzimat in the field.
2. To establish a stable and effective process of coordination among the existing Tanzimat.
3. To continue efforts to resolve problems/disputes among Tanzimat.
4. To prepare schedule of programmes for promoting and strengthening Tanzimat.
5. To enhance their role and expand their work span by raising targets and standard of performance.

To organize a result-oriented field activity for the coveted change in the society, according to the laid down objectives, and promote an enduring and stable organizational network is the basic role of this department. It collects feedback on the targets given to the field formations and follows up completion of the assigned tasks. It also devises the standard operational procedures for the field organizations to follow and provides them guidance to overcome problems in fieldwork.

Visits

This department pays visits to the field organizations to monitor their work progress in the field, provide motivation, and generate accelerated effort for accomplishment of tasks. These visits aim at participation also in training conventions in the field and address women’s gatherings organized by the field chapters to take the message of the mission to the masses.

Establishing new field organizations

This department, realizing the objective of expanding the field network, establishes new organizations at gross root level, declaring establishment of new chapters, appointing its appointment holders and assigning them tasks.

That is how this department of the Women League is engaged in expanding the base of the organization and promoting spread of its message in the filed.

Department of Students Affairs

This department promotes the MQI thought and objectives among students of schools, colleges and universities. It is engaged in keeping a healthy liaison with the students community to provide them with guidance on MWL role and task in addition to creating awareness among the female students about faith and the pious deeds. These students endeavour through unfelt means to shape healthy, balanced, moderate and constructive attitude among the student communities. They work for the following objectives:

1. To communicate the message of the Prophetic Mission to the female students.
2. To organize the students to work for the promotion of the Prophetic Mission.
3. To Train students’ ideologies, thought processes, spiritual and moral beings.
4. To provide them dynamic leadership for MQWL through making them undergo various educational and training phases.

They are to achieve the following targets:

1. Promotion of talents.
2. Students’ welfare
3. Moral and spiritual training.

The Women League Abroad

The Women League Tanzimat also exist in over 60 countries world wide including the United Kingdom France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Norway, Denmark, USA, Canada, South Africa and many other countries. They have made valuable achievements within a short-span of time.

In their respective countries the Women League and Youth Sisters organize Islamic classes in the local languages, be it English, French, or even Danish. They organize other Islamic events, seminars, social and cultural events as well as inter-faith gatherings, sports days for women only and self-defence classes. In each of the countries the sisters work tirelessly adopting modern modes of communication to ensure their message reaches the masses.

Dukhtran-e-Islam

Every organization does have some organ of communication like news letters, periodicals or a magazine. The Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League, operating at international level spreads the message of MQI, propagates its ideology, thought and objectives and publicizes its programmes, events and features of field work for the education of its worthy members, workers, affiliates and common readers. With this view it started its monthly magazine Dukhtran-e-Islam in January, 1992, under the patronage of honourable Begum Rifat Jabeen Qadri and the Editorship of Mohtarma Qurat-ul-Ain Fatima. Since then this magazine is serving the cause of the prophetic mission of MQWL regularly. Special numbers are published on significant occasions and renowned scholars write on specialized subjects of our readers. It has done valuable spade work in awakening awareness of women rights and duties, gender equality and development of the womenfolk into a dynamic community. Working vigorously towards generating a culture of tolerance, moderation, justice and peace at international level the Central Women League organizes all the assistance work in bringing about the monthly issues of the magazine. Our Tanzeemat in country and abroad write articles and send reports of their activities. The magazine has maintained standards of journalism and has brought to MWL its name and recognition.

Rich Heritage

We Muslim women are most lucky to inherit a rich heritage of practical struggle in formation and promotion of a balanced, moderate, productive and peaceful society. But most fortunate are those who are engaged in this struggle today under the banner of Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League, seeking and benefitting the most enlightened guidance from Shaykh-ul-Islam, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. Let us glance at a few glimpses of the great role played by the exalted ladies in spreading the peace mission of Islam, playing their historic role in bringing up the most productive human society of their times and establishing freedom of the womenfolk in making full participation in human advancement; and that is what Shaykh-ul-Islam wants us to do today.

This is our most exalted history. In the field of education, the most renowned woman in the days of the holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) was the mother of the believers Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be well pleased with her). She had specialized in reporting Prophetic Traditions, jurisprudence, history, genealogy, poetry, literature, medical science and astronomy. Asma bint Abi Bakr and Umm Abdullah ibn Zubair too enjoyed the same status of learning. Aisha bint Talaha was an expert in astronomy, literature and history. Mamuna bint Ali was the one from whom venerable Ali also narrated Prophetic traditions. Imam Bukhari has also narrated from her. She was Imam Khateeb Baghdadi's teacher as well. A great historian and traditionist Imam ibn Asakar acquired knowledge from 80 different women scholars. Fatima bint Abbas was a renowned scholar who enjoyed name and fame in Egypt as well as Damascus, Syria. Nafeesa bint al-Hasan, daughter-in-law of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq and wife of venerable Ishaq al-Mu'tamin held such a high seat of learning that Imam Shafi'I was her disciple. So there is a long list of women scholars.

As regards public affairs, state matters, judicial and political matters and administrative matters many ladies held key positions. Syeda Sharifa Fatima was appointed Governor Yemen, San'a and Najran. Second Rightly Guided Caliph venerable Umar Farooq (may Allah be well pleased with him) appointed Shifa' bint Abdullah Makhzumia as Chairperson Accountability Court. She was also given an additional charge of Head of Market Administration Court. Mother of Caliph Muqtadar was appointed as Chief Justice Appellate Court Baghdad. Syeda bint Ahmad was Governor Yemen; Sultan Salahuddin's neice Syeda Hanifa Khatun was Governor Halab Province.

Then, ladies also fully participated in defense. Umm al-Khair Huraish extensively participated in matters related to war and defence. Participation by Zarqa bint Adi, Akrma bint Atrash, Umm Sanan on military side is history.Venerable Aisha Siddiqa and Umm Salama and Naseeba bint Ka'ab took part in Ghazwa Uhad. Safia bint Abdul Muttalib participated in Ghazwa Khaiber. Azra bint al-Harith participated in war against people of Bisaan. Umm Atia was present in seven Ghazwa conflicts in the companionship of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him). What an honour! Umayya bint Qais took part in Ghazwa Khaiber. Umm Hakeem played a leading role in battle against Rome. Umm Aiman Habashia fought in three Ghazwa conflicts, Uhad, Khaiber and Hunain. Umm Sulaim took part in Khaiber and Hunain. Umm Haram was the first Navel Officer of Muslim Navy. Asma bint Amr participated in Hudabiya and Khaiber.

Invitation to join MWL

Long live Shaykh-ul-Islam, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, he has made possible for the womenfolk to play the same historical role in modern times by providing us the platform of Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League (MWL). You have seen what set-up this organization has developed and how enthusiastically it is engaged in pursuing its historical ideal.

With this view we extend our most keen invitation to women of all age groups and all walks of life to come to us, enquire about our work, and once moved, join us in spreading the message of love, peace, harmony, and human dignity among the womenfolk. Once you do it we are sure you will like it the most. It is only a matter of taking one step forward. So you are welcome.