KARACHI, May 9: The holy life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) should be followed in order to achieve the goal of a moderate and enlightened society. These views were expressed in the Provincial Seerat Conference, under the topic of “Formation of a moderate, enlightened Islamic society in the light of Seerat Tayyeba (SAW)-need of the hour”, here on Monday, held by the Sindh Department of Religious and Minority Affairs.
Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, the Provincial Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Manzoor Ali Khan Panhwar, said that the government was striving to create a welfare state as per the teachings of Islam.
He asked the religious scholars to provide guidance to the masses in this regard and to teach people the real teachings of Islam and Seerat (SAW).
Mr Panhwar urged the scholars to put aside sectarian conflicts and create a harmonious atmosphere.
He stressed the need to eliminate petty differences and urged the masses to acquire knowledge of the latest technologies to come at par with other nations of the world.
Mr Panhwar said that we were passing through a tough time, and it was the need of the hour that we must follow the Seerat (SAW) so that not only we but also our coming generations could also achieve progress in the world.
The minister remarked that the Western world was labelling us as the promoters of “terrorism” and we should remove this label by following the Seerat (SAW) and to show the world the true face of Islam.
Emphasizing on holding debates on the topic of Seerat (SAW), the provincial minister said that seminaries should organize them at city and district levels, so that the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW) could be promoted among the students.
Secretary Religious Affairs Nadir Ali Markhiani stated that all of the religious sects should create mutual understanding, so that a peaceful and moderate society according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad could be formed.
He said we should determine to follow the Seerat (SAW) to face the current challenges being faced by the Muslims.
Lauding the efforts of the provincial government to maintain law and order situation in the province, he said that the governor and the chief minister were trying their best to create an atmosphere of tolerance in the society.
Speaking on the occasion, Mufti Muneebur Rehman said that in ‘90s a new term “fundamentalism” was introduced, which after 9/11, bore its children with the name of liberalism and enlightened moderation, while these reforms never belonged to Islam or the Seerat (SAW), he added.
He said that if our rulers wanted to make a moderate society, they must follow the teachings of Islam, and the Seerat (SAW), and then, we had to go for soul-searching to see if we were honestly acting upon the Seerat (SAW).
Mr Rehman said that our judicial, economic, political and ruling systems were against the teachings of Islam.
He maintained that the goal of a moderate society could not be achieved just by making tall claims and holding conferences, and added that we must sincerely take practical steps in this respect.
Mr Rehman said that we should admit our weakness and come out from the world of dreams, if we really wanted to become a moderate society, according to the teachings of Islam.
Delivering his speech on the occasion, Syed Alay Ahmed Bilgrami said Islam never allowed narrow mindedness and always stressed on a broader perspective of life.
He said that all aspects of the Seerat (SAW) were enlightened and moderate, as Islamic movement was itself the movement of enlightenment.
Mr Bilgrami stressed that only immodesty and adoption of the Western style could not be termed as enlightened moderation.
Maulana Syed Irshadul Haq Thanvi was of the view that Islam and the Seerat (SAW) never allowed quarrelling over petty issues and instead emphasized upon patience.
Shah Ferozuddin said that to promote peace, love, brotherhood and integrity among the masses we must follow the teachings of our Holy Prophet (SAW), adding that this was the only way to achieve prosperity in the world.
Ending of sectarianism and creation of a peaceful atmosphere in the light of the Seerat (SAW) were the keys to become moderate and enlightened society, he maintained.
He said that our religious scholars were working in a single dimension, while they needed to work in multiple dimensions, so that the desired goals could be achieved.
Expressing his views on the occasion, Prof Hafiz Mohammad Salfi said that Islamic teachings were aimed at promoting a peaceful and tolerant society. Islam never allowed creating extremism among people and instead stressed to adopt the middle path.
Mufti Atiqur Rehman said that the courage of speaking truth was the real enlightenment.
Flaying the new trend in the name of enlightened moderation in the country, he said that blind adoption of the Western culture could not be termed as enlightened moderation, but for achieving the desired goals the only way was to adopt the Seerat (SAW).
Criticizing the rulers, he said they only considered things like mixed-gender marathon races and immodesty as enlightenment.
Maulana Asad Thanvi was of the view that the teachings of Islam were aimed at creating a positive balance in the society.
Slamming the elimination of Friday holiday, he said that rulers were bent on adopting Western styles in every walk of life, that was why they had imposed Sunday as a weekly holiday rather than adopting Friday for this purpose. — PPI
