A Lanarkshire mosque has hosted a gathering of people of all ages to celebrate the birthday of the founder of an international organisation that exists to promote inter-faith and inter-cultural harmony and global peace.
Families were among the followers to flock to Rutherglen Mosque to mark the 71st birthday of Dr Tahir ul Qadri, founder of Minhaj ul Quran International, which works in the fields of education, spirituality and social welfare.
At the party at Minhaj ul Quran Rutherglen, guests from the local community and across the country were entertained by spiritual song and addresses from guest speakers, who included the son of Dr Tahir Ul Qadri, Dr Hassan Qadri.
For more than 40 years, Minhaj ul Quran has been providing inter-faith dialogues with other religious groups to endorse harmony in the community, provide free medical care to families from all over the world, promote knowledge, safeguard human rights, and prevent extremist mindsets.
Although followers were unable to mark Dr Tahir Ul Qadri’s birthday last year due to the pandemic, the 2022 party included a new panel of special guests from beyond Minhaj ul Quran Glasgow who joined to demonstrate peace and tolerance among groups.
Dr Rafiq Habib, who is head of mosques and communities with the Muslim Council of Scotland, described Dr Tahir ul Qadri as “a living model of profound classical knowledge, intellectual enlightenment, practical wisdom, pure spirituality, love, harmony and humanism.”
He told the gathering: “He is well known for his ardent endeavour to strengthen bonds among people by bringing them together through tolerance, dialogue, integration and education.”
At the event as Rutherglen Mosque, members were able to have their photograph taken with Dr Hasan and children received a box filled with treats, including pizza, muffins, and chocolate.
Children also took part in fun and educational quizzes, and everyone was treated to a slice of a giant birthday cake in Dr Tahir ul Qadri’s honour.
During the programme, Dr Hassan Qadri reminded the audience of the importance of loving one another and listening to others in the quest to improve and enrich lives.
During his address, he threw light on the work and achievements of his father, Dr Tahir Ul Qadri.
He told the gathering: “The building of a worldwide network of Minhaj Ul Quran across the world as centres of peace, inter-faith dialogue and harmony is a miracle which speaks volumes about the unwavering dedication and commitment of Dr Tahir Ul Qadri. “We are lucky to have him as our mentor, guide and leader.”
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