Minhaj-ul-Quran
Encyclopedia
Minhaj-ul-Quran International (منہاج القرآن انٹرنیشنل) (or MQI) is an international Sufi-based non-governmental organization
(NGO) founded by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri in 1981 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a long-term strategic vision to promote religious moderation, effective and sound education, inter-faith dialogue and harmony, and a moderate interpretation of Islam employing methods of Sufism. It has expanded to 90 countries around the globe. Its emphasis is improving the social, cultural and religious condition of all people, enlightening the masses with the knowledge of their rights and duties and presenting a realistic, rational and scientific picture of Islam's gentle, tolerant and just nature. It explicitly rejects terrorism and all other unjust violence as being entirely un-Islamic.
The headquarters of Minhaj-ul-Quran International was inaugurated in 1987 by Tahir Allauddin
Al-Qadri Al-Gillani who is regarded as the organization's spiritual founder. The objective of Minhaj-ul-Quran in Europe
and the West in general is to create harmony in societies between different cultural, ethnic and religious communities through social interaction, interfaith dialogue and spreading the messages of toleration, respect for others and the benefits of integration. It also actively promotes human rights and women's rights around the globe.
Minhaj-ul-Quran works closely with the Christian community along with other ethnic and cultural minority communities in Pakistan, for the purpose of highlighting and promoting their citizen rights. It is the first organisation of its kind that has initiated interfaith dialogues with religious minorities. Qadri is the Chairman of the Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum, where Christian bishops and Muslim clerics and scholars work side by side.
Minhaj-ul-Quran International has expanded to over 80 countries. It has educational and community centres in Asia
, the Middle East
, Europe
, North America
, Australia
and Africa
. Its main offices are in London
, Paris
, Frankfurt
, Milan
, Barcelona
, Oslo
, Copenhagen
, Amsterdam
, Dublin, New York
, Toronto
, Sydney
, Hong Kong
and Tokyo
. It established the Directorate of Foreign Affairs at its HQ to co-ordinate and to expand its network abroad.
. MQI started its education, welfare and human rights work in the United Kingdom
in 1986 and held its first international conference at Wembley Arena
, London
. Since then, Minhaj-ul-Quran UK has opened ten community centres serving all parts of the country. It claims to have tens of thousands of affiliates more than 5000 regular members. Its emphases on welfare, education, inter-faith dialogue, moderate Islam, integration-focused policies, and anti-extremism match those of its parent organisation.
The UK organisation launched Tahir-ul-Qadri
's Fatwa on Terrorism
in a March 2010 event in London in which various government officials participated. The Times Online claims that Minhaj-ul-Quran UK advises the British government on how to combat radicalism
.
branch of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International organisation based in Oslo
. MQI established its centre in Norway and Denmark early in 1984. MQI has various community related projects which are supported by the Norwegian Government.
One of the main projects is the Minhaj conflict resolution or Minhaj Konfliktråd (MKR).
branch of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International organisation based in Copenhagen
. The first centre in Europe
was established in Copenhagen
. It has various forums including Youth League, Women League and an educational Farghana institute.
Minhaj-ul-Quran Denmark held an international conference on Religion and Radicalism in which among others Mr Jakob Ilum (Director of The Danish Security and Intelligence Service, Prevention Center) was a guest speaker
of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
. It promotes religious moderation, peace and interfaith
harmony. In the west it has specialised in tackling extremism and radicalism amongst young Muslims in the hope of reducing the evil of terrorism.
Qadri says he felt the need to establish Minhaj-ul-Quran because, after analysing the work and efforts of contemporary Muslim organisations, he concluded that they all were working on very limited level, none of them had a comprehensive global vision and programme and they lacked co-ordination and co-operation. However, the message of the Prophet Muhammad was comprehensive and global and therefore the various outstanding characteristics of Minhaj-ul-Quran International are believed to lead to a revival of the Prophet Muhammad's message. These characteristics include:
It also runs a successful charity, the Minhaj Welfare Foundation
(MWF), that has a global network and aims to provide emergency aid, health care, welfare support and education to the poor and those affected by natural disasters. It is a UK registered charity
under the Charity Commission
.
Minhaj-ul-Quran has continuously aimed to promote the tolerant, inclusive, peaceful and balanced message of Sufism through the modern and scientific interpretation of Islam, and has distributed over 300,000 books of Tahir-ul-Qadri in the last 25 years. CNN has stated that Minhaj-ul-Quran "aims to promote religious moderation and a modern interpretation of the Quran.". It has produced and distributed millions of video cassettes, CDs and DVD
s with lectures of its founder on almost every concept of Islam worldwide.
Minhaj-ul-Quran holds one of the largest annual Itikaf
gatherings during the month of Ramadan
, after the Holy cities Makkah and Medina
, with a record of 37,000 people sitting congregational Itikaf in 2007. It holds the largest Laylat ul Qadr night event on the 27th Ramadan with millions of attendees.
Minhaj-ul-Quran also has revived the concept of celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in the Ummah
. The largest annual International Mawlid
an-Nabi (Milad un Nabi) event takes place in the grounds of Minar-e-Pakistan
, Lahore, on the 12th of Rabi' al-awwal
and attracts millions of people from all over Pakistan and aboard. The highlight of the event is the speech by Tahir-ul-Qadri followed by recitation of salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad. In 2008, due to the limitation of the space at Minar-e-Pakistan, it plans to decentralise the event and will hold events in 5 different cities and broadcast the speech live to all the cities. It also holds the largest Mawlid-un-Nabi celebration feast (Ziafat-e-Milad), which hundreds of thousands people attend throughout the month of Rabi-ul-Awal, in which Tahir-ul-Qadri himself serves the dinner.
On 3 December 2005 Minhaj-ul-Quran established a full-time institution called Gosha-e-Durood
where any individual can apply to sit for reciting salutations on the Prophet Muhammad. In the last two years trillions of salutations have been recited. A building dedicated to this purpose with Mawlana Rumi style minaret
s is under construction.
It also airs the main lectures of its founder live on the private international TV channel QTV (ARY)
, which enables millions of people abroad to listen.
In the past decade Minhaj-ul-Quran International has successfully established various Sufi-based resources to promote the peaceful and balanced message of Islam using the internet. It also successfully runs three Sufism magazines which are distributed to its members.
Minhaj-ul-Quran International is the first organisation of its kind that has initiated interfaith dialogues with religious minorities in Pakistan. Its founder is the Chairman of the 'Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum' to highlight and promote their citizen rights.
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has formally recognised and granted a 'Special Consultative Status' to Minhaj-ul-Quran International due to its services in promoting peace, tolerance, interfaith harmony and education, tackling extremism and terrorism, engaging with young Muslims for religious moderation, promoting women’s rights, and providing social welfare and promotion of human rights.
In September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran organised a major "Peace for Humanity Conference" conference at Wembley Arena
in London
at which, under the auspices of Tahir-ul-Qadri
, its 12,000 attendees announced a global declaration
denouncing racism, interfaith intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Minhaj-ul-Quran strategist Joel Hayward
wrote the declaration text for Qadri and was its second formal signatory after Qadri himself. Notably, senior Al-Azhar University
leaders and dignitaries then signed it before Minhaj-ul-Quran opened it up via the internet for public signing. They aim to get one million signatures within a year. The London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism
is intended as an interfaith document which unequivocally condemns all extremism and terrorism, ”because at the heart of all religions is a belief in the sanctity of the lives of the innocent.” The Declaration adds: “The indiscriminate nature of terrorism, which has in recent years killed far more civilians and other non-combatants than it has combatants, is un-Islamic, un-Judaic, un-Christian and it is indeed incompatible with the true teachings of all faiths.” The London Declaration also “unequivocally condemn[s] anti-Semitism (including when sometimes it is disingenuously clothed as anti-Zionism), Islamophobia (including when it is sometimes disingenuously dressed up as patriotism) and all other forms of racism and xenophobia.” Muslim extremists have already tried to prevent the success of the Declaration via cyber-attacks on the website hosting it.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) founded by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri in 1981 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a long-term strategic vision to promote religious moderation, effective and sound education, inter-faith dialogue and harmony, and a moderate interpretation of Islam employing methods of Sufism. It has expanded to 90 countries around the globe. Its emphasis is improving the social, cultural and religious condition of all people, enlightening the masses with the knowledge of their rights and duties and presenting a realistic, rational and scientific picture of Islam's gentle, tolerant and just nature. It explicitly rejects terrorism and all other unjust violence as being entirely un-Islamic.
The headquarters of Minhaj-ul-Quran International was inaugurated in 1987 by Tahir Allauddin
Tahir Allauddin
Al-Syed Tahir Allauddin AlGillani was a Sufi Saint who lived in the 20th century. He was considered the head of Silsilah e Qadiriah, Custodian of the Shrine of Ghous-e-Azam Abdul-Qadir Gillani, the Spiritual Guide of over 10 Million Disciples from across the world and thought to be a reformer of...
Al-Qadri Al-Gillani who is regarded as the organization's spiritual founder. The objective of Minhaj-ul-Quran in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the West in general is to create harmony in societies between different cultural, ethnic and religious communities through social interaction, interfaith dialogue and spreading the messages of toleration, respect for others and the benefits of integration. It also actively promotes human rights and women's rights around the globe.
Minhaj-ul-Quran works closely with the Christian community along with other ethnic and cultural minority communities in Pakistan, for the purpose of highlighting and promoting their citizen rights. It is the first organisation of its kind that has initiated interfaith dialogues with religious minorities. Qadri is the Chairman of the Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum, where Christian bishops and Muslim clerics and scholars work side by side.
International network
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Its main offices are in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Dublin, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It established the Directorate of Foreign Affairs at its HQ to co-ordinate and to expand its network abroad.
Minhaj-ul-Quran UK
Minhaj-ul-Quran UK is the UK branch of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International organisation based in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. MQI started its education, welfare and human rights work in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1986 and held its first international conference at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Since then, Minhaj-ul-Quran UK has opened ten community centres serving all parts of the country. It claims to have tens of thousands of affiliates more than 5000 regular members. Its emphases on welfare, education, inter-faith dialogue, moderate Islam, integration-focused policies, and anti-extremism match those of its parent organisation.
The UK organisation launched Tahir-ul-Qadri
Tahir-ul-Qadri
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is a Pakistani Sufi scholar and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab....
's Fatwa on Terrorism
Fatwa on Terrorism
Fatwa on Terrorism is a 600-page , 512-page Islamic decree by scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri which demonstrates from the Quran and Sunnah that terrorism and suicide bombings are so unjust that their evil is un-Islamic. The English edition was published in the UK by Minhaj-ul-Quran Publications....
in a March 2010 event in London in which various government officials participated. The Times Online claims that Minhaj-ul-Quran UK advises the British government on how to combat radicalism
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
.
Minhaj-ul-Quran Norway
Minhaj-ul-Quran Norway is the NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
branch of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International organisation based in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. MQI established its centre in Norway and Denmark early in 1984. MQI has various community related projects which are supported by the Norwegian Government.
One of the main projects is the Minhaj conflict resolution or Minhaj Konfliktråd (MKR).
Minhaj-ul-Quran Denmark
Minhaj-ul-Quran Denmark is the DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
branch of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International organisation based in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. The first centre in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
was established in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. It has various forums including Youth League, Women League and an educational Farghana institute.
Minhaj-ul-Quran Denmark held an international conference on Religion and Radicalism in which among others Mr Jakob Ilum (Director of The Danish Security and Intelligence Service, Prevention Center) was a guest speaker
Ideology
The ideology of Minahj-ul-Quran International is multidimensional and relates to the spiritual, moral, educational and social progress of human beings in the light of a modern and moderate interpretation of the Quran and the sunnahSunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. It promotes religious moderation, peace and interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
harmony. In the west it has specialised in tackling extremism and radicalism amongst young Muslims in the hope of reducing the evil of terrorism.
Qadri says he felt the need to establish Minhaj-ul-Quran because, after analysing the work and efforts of contemporary Muslim organisations, he concluded that they all were working on very limited level, none of them had a comprehensive global vision and programme and they lacked co-ordination and co-operation. However, the message of the Prophet Muhammad was comprehensive and global and therefore the various outstanding characteristics of Minhaj-ul-Quran International are believed to lead to a revival of the Prophet Muhammad's message. These characteristics include:
- Comprehensiveness of the message;
- Purity of the message;
- Chain of transmission of the message from Prophet Muhammad to its founder;
- Modern and scientific interpretation of message;
- Emphasis on the revival of spiritual, moral, educational and social values;
- Emphasis on revival of the message.
Achievements
The educational network of Minhaj-ul-Quran is well-known in Pakistan. It runs around one thousand educational institutes, including libraries in Pakistan and a university based in Lahore which was chartered in 2005.It also runs a successful charity, the Minhaj Welfare Foundation
Minhaj Welfare Foundation
Minhaj Welfare Foundation is a non-governmental international relief and welfare organisation and a branch of Minhaj-ul-Quran International...
(MWF), that has a global network and aims to provide emergency aid, health care, welfare support and education to the poor and those affected by natural disasters. It is a UK registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
under the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
.
Minhaj-ul-Quran has continuously aimed to promote the tolerant, inclusive, peaceful and balanced message of Sufism through the modern and scientific interpretation of Islam, and has distributed over 300,000 books of Tahir-ul-Qadri in the last 25 years. CNN has stated that Minhaj-ul-Quran "aims to promote religious moderation and a modern interpretation of the Quran.". It has produced and distributed millions of video cassettes, CDs and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s with lectures of its founder on almost every concept of Islam worldwide.
Minhaj-ul-Quran holds one of the largest annual Itikaf
Itikaf
Iʿtikāf is an Islamic practice consisting of a period of retreat in a mosque for a certain number of days in accordance with the believer's own wish. It is most common during the month of Ramadan, especially the last ten days.- Definition of I’tikaf :...
gatherings during the month of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
, after the Holy cities Makkah and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, with a record of 37,000 people sitting congregational Itikaf in 2007. It holds the largest Laylat ul Qadr night event on the 27th Ramadan with millions of attendees.
Minhaj-ul-Quran also has revived the concept of celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in the Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
. The largest annual International Mawlid
Mawlid
Mawlid or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal,...
an-Nabi (Milad un Nabi) event takes place in the grounds of Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan is a tall minaret in Iqbal Park Lahore, built in commemoration of the Lahore Resolution. The minaret reflects a blend of Mughal and modern architecture, and is constructed on the site where on March 23, 1940, seven years before the formation of Pakistan, the Muslim League passed...
, Lahore, on the 12th of Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal is the third month in the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid - the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe the exact date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shi'a Muslims believe...
and attracts millions of people from all over Pakistan and aboard. The highlight of the event is the speech by Tahir-ul-Qadri followed by recitation of salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad. In 2008, due to the limitation of the space at Minar-e-Pakistan, it plans to decentralise the event and will hold events in 5 different cities and broadcast the speech live to all the cities. It also holds the largest Mawlid-un-Nabi celebration feast (Ziafat-e-Milad), which hundreds of thousands people attend throughout the month of Rabi-ul-Awal, in which Tahir-ul-Qadri himself serves the dinner.
On 3 December 2005 Minhaj-ul-Quran established a full-time institution called Gosha-e-Durood
Gosha-e-Durood
Gosha-e-Durood is a full time sufi institute like the traditional khanqah where individuals gather for remembrance and recitation of greetings and salutations upon the Islamic prophet Muhammad salallahho alayhi wasalam. This is a unique spiritual retreat and approach for character reformation...
where any individual can apply to sit for reciting salutations on the Prophet Muhammad. In the last two years trillions of salutations have been recited. A building dedicated to this purpose with Mawlana Rumi style minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
s is under construction.
It also airs the main lectures of its founder live on the private international TV channel QTV (ARY)
QTV (ARY)
ARY Qtv is a Pakistani television channel with a Sunni religious focus, producing programs mainly focusing on the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at school of thought in Ummah. It is part of the ARY Digital Network. The channel has shows featuring well-known scholars such as Dr...
, which enables millions of people abroad to listen.
In the past decade Minhaj-ul-Quran International has successfully established various Sufi-based resources to promote the peaceful and balanced message of Islam using the internet. It also successfully runs three Sufism magazines which are distributed to its members.
Minhaj-ul-Quran International is the first organisation of its kind that has initiated interfaith dialogues with religious minorities in Pakistan. Its founder is the Chairman of the 'Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum' to highlight and promote their citizen rights.
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has formally recognised and granted a 'Special Consultative Status' to Minhaj-ul-Quran International due to its services in promoting peace, tolerance, interfaith harmony and education, tackling extremism and terrorism, engaging with young Muslims for religious moderation, promoting women’s rights, and providing social welfare and promotion of human rights.
In September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran organised a major "Peace for Humanity Conference" conference at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at which, under the auspices of Tahir-ul-Qadri
Tahir-ul-Qadri
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is a Pakistani Sufi scholar and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab....
, its 12,000 attendees announced a global declaration
London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism 2011
On 24 September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran organised a major "Peace for Humanity Conference" conference at Wembley Arena in London at which, under the auspices of Pakistani Islamic scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, its 12,000 attendees announced a global declaration denouncing racism, interfaith...
denouncing racism, interfaith intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Minhaj-ul-Quran strategist Joel Hayward
Joel Hayward
Joel S.A. Hayward , is a New Zealand-born "noted scholar of war and strategy" who has worked in the United Kingdom since 2004.He is best known for his published books and articles on military matters, including the use of air power, his 2003 biography of Horatio Lord Nelson, and his writing and...
wrote the declaration text for Qadri and was its second formal signatory after Qadri himself. Notably, senior Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
leaders and dignitaries then signed it before Minhaj-ul-Quran opened it up via the internet for public signing. They aim to get one million signatures within a year. The London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism
London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism 2011
On 24 September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran organised a major "Peace for Humanity Conference" conference at Wembley Arena in London at which, under the auspices of Pakistani Islamic scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, its 12,000 attendees announced a global declaration denouncing racism, interfaith...
is intended as an interfaith document which unequivocally condemns all extremism and terrorism, ”because at the heart of all religions is a belief in the sanctity of the lives of the innocent.” The Declaration adds: “The indiscriminate nature of terrorism, which has in recent years killed far more civilians and other non-combatants than it has combatants, is un-Islamic, un-Judaic, un-Christian and it is indeed incompatible with the true teachings of all faiths.” The London Declaration also “unequivocally condemn[s] anti-Semitism (including when sometimes it is disingenuously clothed as anti-Zionism), Islamophobia (including when it is sometimes disingenuously dressed up as patriotism) and all other forms of racism and xenophobia.” Muslim extremists have already tried to prevent the success of the Declaration via cyber-attacks on the website hosting it.
Forums and sub-organisations
- The Minhaj University
- Minhaj Welfare FoundationMinhaj Welfare FoundationMinhaj Welfare Foundation is a non-governmental international relief and welfare organisation and a branch of Minhaj-ul-Quran International...
(MWF) - Muslim Youth League (MYL)
- Mustafavi students Movement
- Minhaj-ul-Quran Women's League (Official Website)
- Pakistan Awami TehrikPakistan Awami TehrikThe Pakistan Awami Tehrik is a political party in Pakistan.The founder and chairman of the party is Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. In 1990, Pakistan Awami Tehrik participated in the national elections just one year after it was founded...
(PAT) - Pakistan Awami Lawyers Movement (PALM)
- Al HidayahAl Hidayah (Organisation)Al-Hidayah was founded in 2004 as a UK-based youth-oriented forum of the moderate Minhaj-ul-Quran UK.Al-Hidayah aims to bring about the spiritual and educational renewal of individuals through the means of the Qur'an and Way of the Prophet Muhammad...
- Al Farghana Institute
- Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum
- Gosha-e-DuroodGosha-e-DuroodGosha-e-Durood is a full time sufi institute like the traditional khanqah where individuals gather for remembrance and recitation of greetings and salutations upon the Islamic prophet Muhammad salallahho alayhi wasalam. This is a unique spiritual retreat and approach for character reformation...
(Official Website) - Farid-e-Millat Research Institute (FMRi)
Minhaj-ul-Quran in the international media
- MQI on CNN
- MQI on Reuters
- MQI on Canadian daily The Star
- MQI on the Washington Post
- MQI on BBC Urdu
- MQI on Daily Telegraph, UK
- MQI on BBC News
- MQI on BBC News
- MQI on The Times, UK
- MQI on Guardian, UK
- MQI on Guardian, UK
- MQI founder gives Fatwa on GEO
- MQI founder gives Fatwa on the Dawn
External links
- Fatwa on Terrorism by Tahir-ul-Qadri
- Official Website of Tahir-ul-Qadri
- Minhaj-ul-Quran Research Institute
- Translation of the Quran in Urdu
- Books by Tahir-ul-Qadri available to read online
- Website of Tahir Allauddin Al Qadri Al Jillani