Minhaj-ul-Quran International (Karachi chapter) organized inaugural Rabi-ul-Awal Conference in the Regent Plaza on February 28, 2008, to welcome the inception of the holy month of Rabi-ul-Awal. Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered the keynote speech, which was telecast live on QTV throughout the world. Chief Executive of QTV Haji Abdur Rauoof presided over the conference, whereas Nazim-e-Ala of MQI, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Dr Khawaja Muhammad Ashraf, Ahmad Nadeem Hashmi Minhajin, Mufti Raheeq-ul-Hassan of Karachi and other leaders of MQI were present among the distinguished guests. In addition to Haji Iqbal Ahmad, Amir-e-Tehreek MQI Karachi, Dr Zameer, PAT president Karachi, Syed Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Qaiser Iqbal Qadri, Dr Naeem Anwar Nomani, Allama Atta, Muhammad Faheem, a large number of people belonging to different walks of life also participated in the Conference.

The proceedings of the Conference got under way at 11 p.m. at night followed by Naat. A beautiful venue was set up for the conference. The seats were already occupied after the Isha prayers.

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered his address on the subject of ‘Love’. He said that love with the Holy Prophet (saw) was the basis of faith and the only way of salvation. Quoting a tradition he said: “The Holy Prophet (saw) was distributing war booty that Abdullah bin Zil-Khawaisra Tamimi came and said: O Prophet of Allah (saw), distribute with justice. (At his taunt), the Holy Prophet said: O ill-fated man, if I do not do justice, who else does? Hazrat Umer (ra) said: O Prophet of Allah: Allow me to behead this (accursed). The Prophet (saw) replied: restrain yourself. There are (or would be) some of his companions against whose prayers and fasts you would regard your prayers and fasts to be inferior but they would be out of fold of Islam in such a manner as arrow gets through game. The wing of arrow would be inspected (after this being thrown), it would not have any trace of blood. The wood of arrow would also be seen but it would also be bloodless, while the arrow would have pierced through the blood and waste of (game). (In the same way, these accursed people would have nothing to do with faith.)

Now tell what placed them out of pale of Islam and faith? They were quite firm in their prayers, so firm that the Holy Prophet (saw) told the companions that they would find their prayers inferior in comparison to theirs. But their appearance and strict adherence to Shariah could not save them from being thrown out of fold of Islam. Shaykh-ul-Islam said that if one looked up all Books on Hadith, one thing which placed them out of Islam was the disrespect for and blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (saw). A lover is even ready to kiss the dogs of his beloved. He said that this was a mischief, which was rearing its head. Neither should action be excluded from love nor vice versa.

There is a Hadith of Sahih Bokhari. Syedna Umer Farooq (ra) reports that a companion named Abdullah used to sit in the company of the Holy Prophet (saw). He was lax on performance of pious actions while abundant in love. His job was to keep looking at the face of the Holy Prophet (saw). He would see that people presented their problems before the Prophet of Islam (saw) but no one caused him to smile. He would crack a joke after some time, which would relax the Prophet (saw). There was one big shortcoming in the companion. He once committed some major offence and got punishment of lashes. He was meted out punishment of lashes again and again. One day, the holy companions were sitting in the Prophet’s Mosque. The discussion mentioned that companion. Some of the companions started cursing him. At about the same time, the Holy Prophet (saw) happened to come there. Having listened to curse, he said: Beware: do not accurse him (that companion). By God, I know that his heart has love for the Prophet (saw) and Allah Almighty”.

Allama Ibne Tamia has used this tradition in the category of those which throw light on definition of faith or Iman. The sum and substance he has drawn out of this tradition is that despite lacking in performance of obligations, if one still loves the Holy Prophet (saw), one would continue to be a believer and would not be placed out of fold of Iman.

It needs to be mentioned here that abundance of actions was not a sign of love for the Prophet of Islam (saw) there. If love is coupled with action, it becomes perfect but if unaccompanied by action, it remains defective or incomplete. In spite of having mountains of good action, if love is missing in them, one automatically stands out of fold of Islam.

He said no one could be true believer as long as one did not love one’s Prophet (saw) more than oneself. The Holy Quran established this criterion that if one established closeness with the person of Prophet (saw) up to this level, only then can one be a true believer. A Prophetic tradition also hints at the same fact.

The Holy Prophet (saw) said to Hazrat Umer (ra): “You cannot be believer as long as you do not love me more than yourself.” Hazrat Umer (ra) said: “O Prophet of Allah (saw), this single sentence changed my entire life and further said: O Prophet of Allah (saw), Umer has become a complete believer. He furthermore said: “O Prophet of Allah, I love you more than anything,”

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the Muslim Umma was in the abyss of decline due to its negligence of good actions. It is not good in its conduct. But all these things would come later on. Unless love-based relationship with the Holy Prophet (saw) is established, this ship of Umma would continue to get stuck up in the unchartered waters.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that the Holy Prophet (saw) not only knows his lovers but also recognizes them till the Day of Judgment. Imam Muslim described in Book Fazail-us-Sahabba and it is reported by Hazrat Abu Hurara (ra), “There was this lover of the Prophet (saw), Hazrat Owais Qarni, who did not visit Madina nor did the Holy Prophet (saw) go to his village Qaran. He (saw) told the holy companions: “There lives a lover of mine in Qaran, a village of Yemen. He could not come to Madina due to illness of his mother. Do go to see him and request him to pray for you.” Hazrat Umer (ra) and Hazrat Ali (ra) report that the Holy Prophet (saw) said: “When you meet him, do request him to pray for my Umma.”

It is reported in Sahih Muslim that these were the days of Hajj. While addressing, the Commander of Believers, Hazrat Umer (ra), said to people: “Get away, all of you and those from amongst you who belong to Qaran should come forward.” Then he asked them: “Is there any Owais among you?” The people of tribe replied that a person by name of Owais did belong to their tribe but he was not in his senses. He asked them to allow him to come forward. Then Syedna Hazrat Umer Farooq (ra) asked Hazrat Owais Qarani (ra), “Is your mother ill?” Owais Qarani replied in the affirmative. Then Hazrat Umer (ra) saw sign of his hand and requested him to pray for the Umma. Then Hazrat Umer went to Qaran to meet Hazrat Owais along with Hazrat Ali and made him pray.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that the Holy Prophet (saw) never measured love for his person on the touchstone of pious action but on the criterion of love.

Once a companion presented himself in the company of the Prophet of Islam (saw) and asked him as to when the Day of Judgment would occur? The Holy Prophet (saw) replied: ‘Tell, have you made enough preparation for the Day of Judgment? The companion submitted: ‘O Prophet of Allah, I do not have heaps of good actions for the Day of Judgment nor have I been able to collect prayers and fasts in abundance. I do not have treasure of pious acts with me. But O Prophet of Allah (saw), I love Allah and His Prophet (saw).” The Holy Prophet replied: “Blessed are you for you would stand with the one with whom you are associated (by love).”

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that there were hundreds of thousands of Prophetic traditions. Could anyone point out just one of them in which the Holy Prophet (saw) asked the companions about something and they said in response that only Allah knows better. On the other hand, they would say, Allah and His Prophet (saw) know better.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that if anyone indicated such Hadith, he would correct himself. He said our standard response to lack of knowledge about day-do-day affairs is that “Allah knows better”. Shaykh-ul-Islam said that this was Hindustani and Pakistani creed, not the creed of the holy companions or people of Madia and Makkah.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that there was not a singe Verse in the Holy Quran whence Allah has commanded believers to obey Him without mentioning the name of His Prophet (saw). He said that there are 42 places in the Holy Quran which mention obedience. Out of these 42 places, 22 contain the commandment of obedience of Allah and His Prophet (saw), while the remaining 20 are those places where believers have been commanded to obey the Prophet (saw)only.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that the obedience of and submission to the Holy Prophet (saw) was the source of Divine obedience and basis of faith. Minhaj-ul-Quran International is busy spreading the same message through the conduct of Milaad programmes throughout the world.

The programme ended at 2 a.m. on a Dau.