Minhaj Sisters UK organised their fifth spiritual retreat - Al-Tazkiya, in the company of respected Dr Ghazala Hassan Qadri.

Since 2018, Minhaj Sisters UK have held four consecutive retreats (holding two online retreats during lockdown!) and have returned this year with their physical retreat after the last couple of turbulent years.

This year the theme of Al-Tazkiya was to retreat, recharge & reconnect with our Beloved Prophet (SAW). There is no doubt that the current generation are being led astray, so it is critical to guide them back to the right path. And what better way to do that than to use the perfect exemplar for humanity, our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Registrations commenced at 4pm with sisters all over UK and Europe travelling to the stunning location of Whitemoor Lakes in Lichfield. The sisters were excited and eager to return to Al-Tazkiya physically after two years of attending online retreats.

After registration, sisters had the chance to relax and have dinner before the main event. Multiple stalls were set up for sisters to purchase items such as scarves, books, and Al-Tazkiya merchandise.

A huge well done and thank you goes to Sister Rabeeah Rafiq for painting multiple beautiful canvasses to sell and raise money for charity.

Project Manager of Al-Tazkiya 2023, Sister Sweba Majid Khan began the main session by giving a warm welcome to the participants and introduced Sister Reeda Shaikh who melodiously recited the verses of the Holy Quran.

Sister Maha Mirza was invited to recite a beautiful nasheed which left the participants in awe listening to her soulful voice.

This was followed by a heartfelt spoken word poetry written and presented by Sister Humayra Qasim about our Beloved Prophet (SAW), which set the scene for the retreat!

The most awaited part of the evening was Dr Ghazala Hassan Qadri’s lecture on the topic of Imaan and the Indispensability of the Holy Prophet (SAW). She spoke about the importance of reconnecting with the Holy Prophet (SAW) and explained that the fundamental reason we are easily swayed by the distractions of life nowadays is because we have weakened our relationship with Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Dr Ghazala gave multiple examples from the Quran that made it clear that the fundamentals of Deen cannot exist without the Prophet (SAW); explaining that both Tawheed and Risalah are integrally linked and connected with one another.

To celebrate the fifth year of Al-Tazkiya, a special painting of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, which was commissioned by Minhaj Sisters, was unveiled by Dr Ghazala Qadri.

The final segment of the evening was a Burdah Night led by Sister Chandni Hussain and the Sheffield sisters. Sister Maryam Ahmed introduced the sisters and spoke briefly about the Burdah and mentioned the impact of poetry in Islam. She included verses from the Burdah as well as the background.

The Sheffield Sisters performed a captivating recitation of the Burdah with Sister Chandni leading the group. The Burdah Night created a spiritual atmosphere that left the sisters wanting more! Sister Maryam touched on the importance of Dua for a couple of minutes before Dr Ghazala Qadri performed a supplication on behalf of the congregation.

Pictorial highlights