Madani Travelogue
Inauguration of Madani Centre in Istanbul
Maulana Abdul Habib Attari
We left Karachi at around 7am on Thursday, 3rd March, 2022, heading to Istanbul for the inauguration of a Madani Centre in Turkey’s capital. Accompanying us was the Head of our Central Advisory Committee, Maulana Haji Imran Attari, as well as 15 other Islamic brothers, which included a number of businessmen. After offering fajr salah in congregation at Karachi Airport, we set off for Istanbul via Dubai, landing at around 2:30pm. A sizeable number of Muslims had gathered to welcome us and our Madani qafilah. Islamic brothers had travelled from many countries of the world, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK, South Africa, and Mozambique, to take part in this endeavour.
Meeting
A meeting was held on Thursday night, particularly with Islamic brothers who had come from the UK, during which discussions took place about extending our activities to Arabic-speaking communities.
Friday prayer in Faizan-i-Madinah, Istanbul
The next day, I had the honour of giving azan for the first Jumu’ah prayer in Istanbul’s Madani Centre. Haji Imran Attari delivered a thought provoking lecture which focused on the challenges and rewards of travelling in the way of Allah and the service of Islam. After this, the Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah’s successor, Mawlana Ubaid Raza, delivered the Friday sermon and led the prayer. A vast number of attendees participated.
After the prayer, special supplications were made for those who worked or contributed towards the establishment of the Centre. On this joyous occasion, many brothers were moved to tears, and the happiness of our organisational volunteers from Turkey was a sight to behold.
After Friday prayers concluded, a Syrian Islamic brother recited prayers and blessings upon the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . Attendees then met and congratulated each other before the group meal.
Various meetings
Afrer Asr, meetings were conducted with Islamic brothers from various other countries. On Friday evening, a Madani qafilah of responsible Islamic brothers from India arrived. Further meetings took place after this. Discussions took place about expanding religious activities within Turkey and a rich exchange on issues facing Muslims living in the UK and Europe. What approaches can be adopted to spread the call to righteousness throughout Turkey via this Madani Centre were also deliberated upon. These approaches necessitate a large amount of money, so some Islamic brothers pledged to donate towards this cause.
Here, I humbly request our readers: Dawat-e-Islami is expanding its religious activities every day, so please remember us when donating. There are still some countries of the world and many cities in which we are yet to establish Madani Centres. We also aim to improve those that already exist and raise the banner of Islam in every corner of the world.
Students of Jami’at al-Madinah UK
Around 150 students from Jami’at al-Madinah UK also attended the three-day gatherings in this newly opened Madani Centre. Talks were delivered for their guidance in regards to character development and organisational matters. اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه After their scholarship courses (dars-i-nizami), these students will continue to train in propagation skills. When they eventually become scholars, the experience they will have gathered in this process will serve them well in spreading the message of Islam throughout Europe.
Visiting he who hosted the Messenger
On Saturday the 5th of March, our Madani Qafila travelled to the shrine of the beloved Prophet’s host, Sayyidunā Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ . We arrived in the early morning, with 5 buses needed to transport the large number of attendees. We prayed Fajr in congregation, in a masjid directly opposite the shrine. We then visited the shrine. The delightful aura was felt by everyone. That was followed by a light breakfast and visits to some of the many local shrines. We rested upon returning to Faizan-i-Madinah.
Generosity of a Scholar
Today at midday, an Arab Sunni scholar, Shaykh Mahmud دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ , hosted around 250-300 Islamic brothers of our Madani qafilah in a grandiose manner. This generous scholar had vacated his entire madrassah for the students of Jami’at al-Madina UK and made arrangements for their meals.
After returning from this, we rested for a short while in Faizan-i-Madinah. After ‘Asr salah, we began further meetings with Islamic brothers from various countries.
Madani Muzakarah
After Maghrib, we collectively took part in the Madani Muzakarah and listened to the wise words of the Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ .
Regardless of which part of the world you live in, try to take part in the Madani Muzakara every Saturday after Isha (GMT+5). Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ answers various questions and grants us priceless pearls of wisdom. His rich experiences and decades of practice and learning will surely give you insight and wisdom which rarely comes even after many years of study.
At the end of our journey, Haji Imran Attari delivered a talk after Isha, concluding with an interesting Q & A session.
May Allah bless all of those who contributed in any way to this Madani Centre of Istanbul, and may He allow the call to righteousness to spread far and wide via it.
اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّیْن صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
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