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Saint Rabia of Basra
Rabia, depicted in an Islamic miniature
Mystic and Virgin
Born	713-717 C.E. Basra
Died	801 C.E. Mount of Olives
Honored in	Islam
Influences	Mary
Influenced	Other saints in Basra
Tradition/Genre	Ascetic

Rābiʻa al-ʻAdawiyya al-Qaysiyya (Arabic: رابعة العدوية القيسية‎) or simply Rābiʿah al-Baṣrī (Arabic: رابعة البصري‎) (717–801 C.E.) was a female Muslim saint and Sufi mystic.

Life[link]

She was born between 95 and 99 Hijri in Basra, Iraq which is ~715 Julian . Much of her early life is narrated by Farid al-Din Attar, a later Sufi Saint and poet, who used earlier sources. Rabia herself did not leave any written works.

She was the fourth daughter of her family and therefore named Rabia, meaning "fourth". Although not born into slavery, her family was poor yet respected in the community.

According to Farid al-Din Attar, Rabia's parents were so poor that there was no oil in house to light a lamp, nor a cloth even to wrap her with. Her mother asked her husband to borrow some oil from a neighbor, but he had resolved in his life never to ask for anything from anyone except the Creator. He pretended to go to the neighbor's door and returned home empty-handed.

In the night Muhammad appeared to him in a dream and told him, "Your newly born daughter is a favorite of the Lord, and shall lead many Muslims to the right path. You should approach the Amir of Basra and present him with a letter in which should be written this message: 'You offer Durood to the Holy Prophet one hundred times every night and four hundred times every Thursday night. However, since you failed to observe the rule last Thursday, as a penalty you must pay the bearer four hundred dinars'".

Rabia's father got up and went straight to the Amir with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. The Amir was delighted on receiving the message, knowing that he was in the eyes of Muhammad. He distributed 1000 dinars to the poor and joyously paid 400 dinars to Rabia's father. The Amir then asked Rabia's father to come to him whenever he required anything, as the Amir would benefit very much by the visit of such a soul dear to the Lord.

After the death of her father a famine overtook Basra and Rabia parted from her sisters. Legend has it that she was accompanying a caravan, which fell into the hands of robbers. The chief of the robbers took Rabia captive, and sold her in the market as a slave. The new master of Rabia used to take hard service from her.

She would pass the whole night in prayer, after she had finished her household jobs. She spent many of her days observing fast.

Once the master of the house got up in the middle of the night, and was attracted by the voice in which Rabia was praying to her Lord. She was entreating in these terms:

"Lord! You know well that my keen desire is to carry out Your commandments and to serve Thee with all my heart, O light of my eyes. If I were free I would pass the whole day and night in prayers. But what should I do when you have made me a slave of a human being?"

At once the master felt that it was sacrilegious to keep such a wali in his service. He decided to serve her instead. In the morning he called her and told her his decision; he would serve her and she should dwell there as the mistress of the house. If she insisted on leaving the house he was willing to free her from bondage.

She told him that she was willing to leave the house to carry on her worship in solitude. This the master granted and she left the house.

Rabia went into the desert to pray and became an ascetic. Her murshid was Hazrat Hassan Basri.

She did not possess much other than a broken jug, a rush mat and a brick, which she used as a pillow. She spent all night in prayer and contemplation.

As her fame grew she had many disciples. She also had discussions with many of the renowned religious people of her time. Though she had many offers of marriage, and (tradition has it) one even from the Amir of Basra, she refused them as she had no time in her life for anything other than God.

Rabia introduced the actual concept of Divine Love. She was the first to introduce the idea that God should be loved for God's own sake, not out of fear—as earlier Sufis had done.

She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions such as fear and hope were like veils—i.e. hindrances to the vision of God Himself.

She prayed: "O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”

Rabia was in her early to mid eighties^[1] when she died, having followed the mystic Way to the end. She believed she was continually united with her Beloved. As she told her Sufi friends, "My Beloved is always with me" She died in Jerusalem in 185 AH. See Zirkali, al-A`lam, vol. 3, p 10, col 1, who quotes ibn Khalikan as his source.

Philosophy[link]

She was the one who first set forth the doctrine of Divine Love^[2] and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets^{[citation needed]}.

Much of the poetry that is attributed to her is of unknown origin. After a life of hardship, she spontaneously achieved a state of self-realization. When asked by Sheikh Hasan al-Basri how she discovered the secret, she responded by stating:

"You know of the how, but I know of the how-less." ^[3]

One of the many myths that surround her life is that she was freed from slavery because her master saw her praying while surrounded by light, realized that she was a saint and feared for his life if he continued to keep her as a slave.

While she apparently received many marriage offers (including a proposal from Hasan al-Basri himself), she remained celibate and died of old age, an ascetic, her only care from the disciples who followed her. She was the first in a long line of female Sufi mystics.

It is also possible that she helped further integrate Islamic slaves into Muslim society. Because of her time spent in slavery early in life, Rabi'a was passionate against all forms of it. She refused a slave later in life. ^[4]

Anecdotes[link]

• One day, she was seen running through the streets of Basra carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked what she was doing, she said,"I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to God. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of God."
  • In his Life of St Louis, Jean de Joinville reports this story of a woman, but no name or religious affiliation is given to the woman, and the report appears to be contemporary (when in fact Joinville lived three centuries after Rabia).

• At one occasion she was asked if she hated Satan. Rabia replied: "My love to God has so possessed me that no place remains for loving or hating any save Him."

• When Rabia would not come to attend the sermons of Hasan Basri, he would deliver no discourse that day. People in the audience asked him why he did that. He replied: "The syrup that is held by the vessels meant for the elephants cannot be contained in the vessels meant for the ants."

• Once Rabia was on her way to Makka, and when half-way there she saw the Ka'ba coming to meet her. She said, "It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet with Him Who said, 'Who approaches Me by a span's length I will approach him by the length of a cubit.' The Ka'ba which I see has no power over me; what joy does the beauty of the Ka'ba bring to me?"

At the same time the great Ibrahim bin Adham arrived at the Ka'ba, but he did not see it. He had spent fourteen years making his way to the Ka'ba, because in every place of prayer he performed two rakats.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham said, "Alas! What has happened? It maybe that some injury has overtaken my eyes." An unseen voice said to him, "No harm has befallen your eyes, but the Ka'ba has gone to meet a woman, who is approaching this place." Ibrahim Adham responded, "O indeed, who is this?" He ran and saw Rabia arriving, and that the Ka'ba was back in its own place. When Ibrahim saw that, he said, "O Rabia, what is this disturbance and trouble and burden which you have brought into the world?"

She replied, "I have not brought disturbance into the world. It is you who have disturbed the world, because you delayed fourteen years in arriving at the Ka'ba." He said, "Yes I have spent fourteen years in crossing the desert (because I was engaged) in prayer." Rabia said, "You traversed it in ritual prayer (Salat) but with personal supplication." Then, having performed the pilgrimage, she returned to Basra and occupied herself with works of devotion.

References[link]

4. Stage Play: Rabia, written by Indian Playwright Danish Iqbal, this Brechtian Play presents life and times of Rabia Basri in today's perspective for a universal audience hungry for spiritual solace and mystical outlook.

External links[link]

• Sufimaster.org - Teachings

v t e Sufism and Tariqa Ideas Qutb Wali Abdal Fakir Dervish Tazkiah Baqaa Fanaa Haal Keramat Haqiqa Ihsan Irfan Kashf Lataif Manzil Marifa Nafs Noor Sufi cosmology Sufi metaphysics Sufi philosophy Sufi poetry Sufi psychology Sulook Yaqeen Silsila Practices Anasheed Dhikr Haḍra Muraqaba Qawwali Sama Whirling Ziyarat Sufi orders Azeemia Akbarī Alians Ba 'Alawī Bayramī Bektashī Chishtī Galibī Gulshanī Ḥurūfī Idrīsī Jelvetī Jerrahī Khalwatī Kubrāwī Madarī Malāmatī Mawlāwī Mourīdī Naqshbandī Naqshbandi Uwaisī Khalidiyya Nasuhī Ni'matullāhī Nuqtawī Qadirī Qalāndārī Rifa'ī Safāvī Shadhilī Suhrawardī Sunbulī Tijanī Ussakī Uwaisī Zahedī Notable early Sufi saints and mystics Abdul-Qadir Gilanī Abul-Khayr Ahmad Ghazālī Ahmed Yasāvī Al-Ghazālī Al-Hallaj al-Misrī Al-Qāsim al-Qunawī Amīr Kulal Ardabilī Ata Allah Attar Balım Sultan Baha ūd-Dīn Naqshband Bande Nawāz Baqī Billah Bastamī Bhita'ī Bulleh Shah Shah Waliullah Dehlāvī Farīd ūd-Dīn Fozail Gālib Gharīb Nawāz Ghujdawanī Ghulam Farīd Sheik Edebali Gül Baba Hajji Bayram Hajji Bektash Hazrat Mai Safoora Qadiriyya Haddad Hamadānī Hansvī Harabatī Baba Hasan Basri Mahmud Hudayī Hujwirī ibn ʿArabī Jābir ibn Hayyān Jahangasht Jamī Jan-e-Jānāān Jazoulī Junayd Baġdādī Kākī Kaliyarī Karkhī Kharaqanī Kubrā Nāimī Najib al-Suhrawardī Nasīmī Mansur Al-Hallaj Ni'matullāh Nizām ūd-Dīn Nurī Otman Baba Pir Sultan Qutb ūd-Dīn Haydār Rabbānī Rabia Basri Razī Rifa'ī Rukn-e-Alam Rūmī Ibrahim ibn Adham Saadī Salman al-Farisī Sanai Mevlana Halid-i Bagdadi Sarı Saltuk Semnanī Shadhilī Shahāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī Shams Tabrizī Shiblī Shirazī Sultan Walad Surkh Bukhari Taj al-Dīn Gilanī Umar al-Suhrawardī Uwais al-Qarni Yunus Emre Magtymguly Pyragy Zakariya Zarruq Notable modern Sufi saints Auliya Azeemi Nagpuri Meher Ali Sheikh Muhammad Uthman Sirajuddin Qadeer Piya Muhammad Maliki Gohar Shahi Tahir ul-Qadri Tahir Allauddin Taqi Usmani Abdal Hakim Murad Nazim Al-Haqqani Hisham Kabbani Nuh Keller Nooruddeen Durkee Abdalqadir as-Sufi Zaheen Ghulam Mustafa Reshad Feild Ahmad al-Alawi Ashraf Ali Thanvi Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri Omar Shah Haeri Raza Khan Syed Shujaat Pir Zulfiqar Abdullah Naqshbandi Sufi Barkat Ali Hafiz Qamaruddin Saheb Qibla Fultali Feisal Abdul Rauf Osman Nuri Topbaş Sufi studies Aguéli Almqvist Burckhardt Chittick Corbin Ernst Frager Guénon Hixon Lindbom Lings Nasr Schimmel Sells Shah Schuon Topics in Sufism Art Fiction History Music Poetry Shrines Texts Portal

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

Full name	Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
Born	(1951-02-19) February 19, 1951 (age 61)
Region	South Asia
School/tradition	Hanafi Qadiriyya Sufi
Main interests	Sufism, Islamic Philosophy, Hadith, Tafsir, Seerah, Tasawwuf, Politics[1]
Notable ideas	Fatwa on Terrorism, Concept of Jihad, interfaith dialogue
Influenced by Tahir Allauddin, Allama Iqbal, Shaykh ibn al-`Arabi, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, Abdul-Qadir Gilani, Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki
Influenced Asad Muhammad Saeed as-Sagharji, Shaykh Babikir Ahmed Babikir

Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri (in Punjabi and Urdu: محمد طاہر القادری) (born February 19, 1951, Jhang, Pakistan) is a Pakistani Sufi scholar^[2][3][4] and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab.^[5] Qadri was recently described by the CNN-IBN as the 'International Peace Ambassador'.^[6] Qadri was nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize^[7]

Qadri is the founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, a broad-based global Sufi organization^[8] working in the fields of welfare, human rights and education. Its objectives are the promotion of a moderate and non-extremist vision of Islam, the establishment of good relations and understanding between communities and religions,^[9] and the education of youth through "employing the methods of Sufism".^[10] He also founded The Minhaj University of which he is the head of the Board of Governors, as well as an international relief charity, Minhaj Welfare Foundation.^[11]

Qadri was also the founding chairman of the political party Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), although he is no longer involved in politics. Qadri spoke at the World Economic Forum in January 2011.^[12]

Biography[link]

Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri is the son of Farid-ud-Din Qadri and his ancestors belong to the Punjabi Jat Sial family of Jhang near Sargodha. Qadri started his education at the Christian 'Sacred Heart School' in Jhang, where he learnt English and was exposed to Christianity at an early age. He was specifically taught Islamic education from the age of 12^[12] in al-Madina al-Munawwara^{[citation needed]}, Saudi Arabia^{[citation needed]} at the Madrasa al-‘Ulum al-Shar‘iyya^{[citation needed]}, which was situated in the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the first residence of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad after his migration to Madinah.^[13] He learnt under Mawlana Diya' al-Din al-Madani (d. 1981, aged 107) and studied Hadith from Muhaddith al-Hijaz al-Sayyid ‘Alawi ibn ‘Abbas al-Maliki al-Makki (d. 1971).^{[citation needed]} Al-Shaykh al-Sayyid ‘Alawis son, the late muhaddith of al-Hijaz, al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki al-Makki (d. 2004) who was the foremost Sunni authority of the Middle East^{[citation needed]} gave all of his fathers ijazas and isnads to Qadri in written form which he had previously received verbally, as well as his own chains.^[14] Qadri continued his quest for knowledge early in his life, making sama‘^[15] of Hadith from the then Muhaddith al-A‘zam of Pakistan, Sardar Ahmad al-Qadri (d. 1962).^[16]

Qadri has also learnt from a number of other prominent classical authorities in the Islamic sciences such as the following scholars:

• Abu al-Barakat Ahmad al-Qadri al-Alwari (d. 1978). One of the hadith narrators of the Sub-Continent, he is the son of Didar ‘Ali al-Shah al-Alwari (student of Ahmad ‘Ali al-Muhaddith al-Saharanpuri) and was a student of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi. qadri studied under him for four years and was gifted all of the Shaykhs ijazas in Hadith and Fiqh in 1972.^[17]

• ‘Abd al-Rashid al-Ridwi (d. 2011). Qadri completed the classical Dars-e-Nizami course with him from 1963 to 1970 at Jami‘a Qutbiyya Ridwiyya, Jhang.^[18] Lessons were conducted from the predawn Tahajjud prayers at three o’clock in the early morning to eleven o’clock at night with pauses between noon and afternoon. No other student was taught while he was engaged in coaching Qadri. In 2007, he attended the birthday gathering of Qadri and whilst praising his talents and achievements, said:

• Tahir Allauddin al-Qadri al-Gilani (d. 1991). A well-known Sufi-saint became Qadri’s spiritual guide in the Qadiriyya Tariqa in 1966. He also bestowed him with all of his ijazas in Hadith.^[20] Tahir Allauddin opened The Minhaj University^[21] saying that anyone opposing the Minhaj-ul-Quran institute would have no relationship with the Qadiriyya movement and their deeds would not benefit Islam.

Ahmad al-Zubaydi (whose father’s standing was such that he was known as Abu Hanifa al-Saghir)^{[citation needed]} of Syria who is allegedly from the family of Imam al-A‘zam Abu Hanifa reports that he personally heard Tahir Allauddin al-Gilani referring to Tahir Qadri as “Mujaddid (Reviver of Islam)”.^[22]

• ‘Abd al-Ma‘bud al-Jilani (d. 1985) who had himself taken knowledge and training directly from many scholars and saints such as Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, Ahmad Rida Khan al-Barelwi, Qutb al-‘Arifin ‘Ali bin Sulayman ibn Mustafa’ al-Naqib al-Baghdadi, his father ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Mahd al-Naqib al-Baghdadi, al-‘Arif Billah al-Shah Muhammad Sulayman Tonswi (successor of Qutb al-‘Arifin al-Shaykh Nur Muhammad al-Muharwi) and Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi.^[17]

• Farid al-Din Qadri (d.1974), the father of Qadri was also a scholar^{[citation needed]} who had acquired knowledge from the centres of learning at al-Hijaz, Lucknow, Delhi, Hyderabad (India), Baghdad, Damascus among other places.^{[citation needed]} He gained knowledge from many of the leading scholars of his time such as al-Haram al-Makka ‘Alawi ibn ‘Abbas al-Maliki, Muhammad ‘Abd al-Shakur al-Muhajir al-Madani (student of Ahmad ‘Ali al-Muhaddith al-Saharanpuri and once teacher at Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband before leaving it for al-Madina al-Munawwara),^{[citation needed]} ‘Abd al-Hadi al-Ansari al-Laknawi, ‘Abd al-Baqi ibn ‘Ali Muhammad al-Ansari al-Muhaddith al-Laknawi (student of al-Imam Abu al-Hasanat ‘Abd al-Hayy ibn ‘Abd al-Halim al-Muhaddith al-Ansari al-Laknawi and many other great scholars), Muhammad al-Makki ibn Ja‘far al-Kattani and Muhammad Sardar Ahmad al-Qadri al-Chishti. He taught Qadri everyday from 1962 to 1970 and periodically from 1970 till 1974. This included the principles of Hadith, Fiqh, Tafsir, ‘Aqida, Tasawwuf, Nahw, Balagha, Logic, Philosophy and Arabic literature as well as many other traditional classical sciences. He awarded Qadri with the Dawra al-Hadith certification in 1970.^[17]

• Ahmad Saeed Kazmi (d. 1986). A famous authority of Pakistan who was known as the "Ghazali of his Time"^{[citation needed]} was a close friend of Qadri's father, Farid al-Din al-Qadri. Qadri studied under him at Jami‘a Islamiyya, Bahawalpur as well as in his own institution Anwar al-‘Ulum in Multan. These studies included Hadith, ‘Aqida, ‘Ilm al-Kalam and other classical sciences. Upon completion of his studies, a special certification, Sanad-e-Hadith was awarded in 1979.^[16]

• Husayn ibn Ahmad ‘Usayran (d. 2005). He was the last living student of the famous Lebanese authority, Yusuf ibn Isma‘il al-Nabhani and gave Qadri all of his ijazas in 2004, a year before he passed away. He had gained knowledge from some of the topmost authorities in Hadith and Fiqh from the Middle East and North Africa.^[23]

• Muhammad Fatih al-Kattani, the Muhaddith al-A‘zam of Syria^{[citation needed]} from whom Qadri learnt in Damascus and gained all his ijazas.^[23]

• Burhan Ahmad al-Faruqi (d. 1996) who was a famous student of Zafar al-Hasan ‘Uthmani and student and khalifa (spiritual successor) of Muhammad Sulayman Ashraf ‘Aligarhi who in turn was a khalifa of Ahmad Rida Khan. Under him, Qadri learnt the philosophical reflections of Muhammad Iqbal under his guidance and also received all of his ijazas.^[23]

Habib ‘Umar ibn Hafiz of Hadramawt in Yemen, receiving Ijazas from Qadri

He studied law at the University of the Punjab, Lahore where he graduated with an LLB in 1974, gaining a Gold Medal for his academic performances.^[24] Following a period of legal practice as an advocate, he taught law at the University of the Punjab from 1978 to 1983 and then gained his PhD ^[25] in Islamic Law (Punishments in Islam, their Classification and Philosophy) from the same university in 1986 where his supervisors were Bashir Ahmad Siddiqui (‘Ulum al-Islamiyya) and Justice Javaid Iqbal.^[26][27] He was appointed as a professor of Law at the University of Punjab, where he taught British, US and Islamic constitutional law.^[28]

Qadri was appointed as a Jurist Consultant (legal adviser) on Islamic law for the Supreme Court and the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan^{[citation needed]} and also worked as a specialist adviser on Islamic curricula for the Federal Ministry of Education (Pakistan).^{[citation needed]} At various times between 1983 and 1987, he received and declined offers for various high-level posts.^{[citation needed]}

He has delivered more than 6,000 lectures^{[citation needed]} on economy and political studies, religious philosophy, law, Sufism, medical sciences, material sciences and astronomy. Numerous lectures are available in Urdu, English and Arabic at Islamic bookshops around the world.^{[citation needed]}

Qadri has himself given ijaza to a number of leading Muslim scholars, making them his students, linking them through himself back to Muhammad.^[29][30]

Founding of Minhaj-ul-Quran[link]

Qadri founded a Sufism-based organisation Minhaj-ul-Quran International in October 1981 and spent the next decade expanding it nationally and internationally.^[31] In 1987, the headquarters of Minhaj-ul-Quran, based in Lahore, Pakistan was inaugurated by Sufi saint Tahir Allauddin who is now regarded as the organisation's spiritual founder.^[32] The goal of the organisation is fairly broad, namely to promote religious moderation, effective and sound education, inter-faith dialogue and harmony, and a moderate interpretation of Islam employing methods of Sufism.^[33] Over the past 30 years, the institute has reportedly expanded to over 90 countries. During the March 2011 session the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted special consultative status to Qadri's organisation Minhaj-ul-Quran International.^[34]

Noteworthy Events[link]

In 2006, Qadri was a keynote speaker at the Muslims of Europe Conference in Istanbul, Turkey to discuss identity, citizenship, and challenges and opportunities for European Muslims.^[35]

On 31 August 2008, Qadri delivered a lecture entitled "Islam on Peace, Integration and Human Rights" hosted by Farghana Institute Manchester.^[36]

In March 2010 he gained media attention for the launch of his unconditional Fatwa on Terrorism and appeared on various international media outlets including Sky News, BBC News, ITV, EuroNews, Al-Jazeera, CNN and CNN's Amanpour, CBC News, Russia Today, Al Arabiya and various other outlets.^[37] He appeared on Frost Over The World and interviewed by Sir David Frost in which Qadri stated that the "purpose of his life is to bring peace and harmony in the world".^[38] Furthermore, the US State Department declared the Fatwa to be a significant publication which takes back Islam from terrorists.^[39]

Qadri was quoted in the American Foreign Policy magazine stating: "I am trying to bring [the terrorists] back towards humanism. This is a jihad against brutality, to bring them back towards normality. This is an intellectual jihad."^[40]

In August 2010 Qadri held the first anti-terrorism camp for Muslim youth at the University of Warwick with the aim of tackling extremism in the UK.^[41] The camp was organised by his organisation Minhaj-ul-Quran UK^[42] which has established 572 schools, a number of colleges and a chartered university.^[43]

Global Peace and Unity[link]

Qadri at the Global Peace and Unity Conference, 23 October 2010

On 24 October 2010, Qadri was invited to deliver a speech entitled "Jihad: Perception and reality" to a gathering of thousands of British Muslims at the largest European multicultural gathering, the Global Peace and Unity event.^[44] Qadri stated in his speech: "Let me make it very clear and sound, let me remove any ambiguity that no leader or a group has any authority to declare jihad. If any leader or a group does that, it is terrorism and not jihad." He added: "it is solely the prerogative of a state authority to declare jihad and only as a matter of last resort when diplomacy and all other efforts to make peace have failed."^[45]

US Institute of Peace[link]

On 10 November 2010, Qadri delivered a lecture on "Islamic Concept of Jihad" at the US Institute of Peace, a prestigious think-tank.^[46] The audience comprised senior scholars, doctors, professors, engineers, policy makers and opinion leaders etc.^[47]

World Economic Forum[link]

Qadri at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2011

In January 2011, Qadri was invited to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the topic of "The Reality of Terrorism".^[48]

U.S. Islamic World Forum[link]

In April 2011, Qadri was invited to speak at the U.S. - Islamic World Forum which was jointly organized by the Brookings Institution, Qatar Government and the OIC, where he spoke on issues such as integration and identity, the impact of media and politics, security and counter-terrorism, the treatment of minorities, and interfaith relations.^[49][50][51]

Lecture on Terrorism & Integration at the Parliament of New South Wales,Australia[link]

In July 2011, he gave a lecture on the issues of terrorism and integration at the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia where he was invited by the member of the NSW Legislative Council, the Hon. Shaoquett Moselmane MLC.^[52] The audience at the lecture comprised members of the NSW Legislative Council, ministers, politicians, policy makers, senior scholars and religious leaders, etc.^[53] On 19 July 2011 Qadri appeared on NEWS LINE Australia Network where he discussed terrorism and possible troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.^[54] On 23 July 2011, Qadri appeared on SBS ONE TV and cautioned Western governments about their "aid and anti-terror funding"^[55]

Peace for Humanity Conference[link]

Qadri at the Peace for Humanity Conference, 24 September 2011

On 24 September 2011, Minhaj-ul-Quran convened the "Peace for Humanity Conference" at Wembley Arena in London where Tahir-ul-Qadri and the assembled speakers issued a declaration of peace on behalf of religious representatives of several faiths, scholars, politicians, and 12,000 participants present from various countries. This conference was endorsed by, or received supportive messages from, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary General of the United Nations), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), David Cameron (British Prime Minister), Nick Clegg (British Deputy Prime Minister), Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury) and others.^[56][57]

Peaceful Future of Afghanistan Conference[link]

On 30 November 2011, Qadri was the keynote speaker at the 3-day "Peaceful Future of Afghanistan" conference in Istanbul, Turkey which was organised by the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution of George Mason University together with Marmara University and was attended by more than 120 Afghani leaders. Qadri clarified about jihad and why suicide bombings is not Islamic. He provided suggestions on how to make a peaceful future in Afghanistan by dialogue and co-operation. He pointed out that Afghans need to unite against the radicals and Taliban who are in fact responsible for the NATO occupation in the first place.^[58][59]

2012 Tour of India[link]

Millions listen to Tahir-ul-Qadri in Hyderabad, India, March 2012

On 22 February 2012, Qadri arrived in Delhi for a 4-week tour of India.^[60] Due to threat from the Taliban he was treated as a state guest^[61] and was provided Z plus security throughout his tour by the Government of India.^[62] Qadri went to India with a message of peace and said 'Terrorism has no place in Islam' while addressing the fatwa book launch in Delhi.^[63] Indian media reported that 'sea of humanity' gathered to listen to Qadri along with government officials in Gujarat.^[64] In Hyderabad he attracted millions of people at the Quli Qutub Shah stadium and spoke on the Islamic concept of wasilah which was reported as the biggest gathering in the history of Hyderabad City.^[65] Qadri addressed a huge crowd at Palace Grounds of the historic Bangalore where he cleared misconceptions about Islam and said 'A true Muslim is one who protects mankind, not just Muslims'.^[66] Qadri also urged the Pakistani and Indian governments to reduce their defence expenditures and instead spend money on the welfare of poor people.^[67] He went to Ajmer under tight security and his programme was not disclosed until he had arrived in the city. He was one of the only scholars to hold a gathering in historic Ajmer.^[68] In Mumbai the state government had arranged adequate security for Qadri's programme due to threats from extremists.^[69]

Views[link]

Extremism & Terrorism[link]

Qadri argues that terrorists have left the true, classical teachings of Islam and that their rebellious spirit of violence and religious extremism is a continuity of the Khawarij.^[70] Qadri was one of the religious leaders in Pakistan to condemn the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He has denounced and severely condemned Osama bin Ladin.^[71]

Qadri describes terrorism as an "ideological infection"^[72] and believes that, through his anti-terrorism summer camps, "we are fighting on the ideological, philosophical, theological and academic fronts. We are trying to educate young people."^[73]

Reuters featured Qadri in August 2009 as a leading Sufi scholar who is working to bring the western youth away from extremism towards moderate Islam and to combat extreme tendencies.^[74]

After the December 2009 Rawalpindi attack he was quoted as saying: "Suicide attacks are not allowed in Islam, these actions are un-Islamic, The slaughter of human beings in any religion or country, and terrorism in all its manifestations, are totally in contradiction with the teachings of Islam."^[75] The same view is also held by the majority of mainstream (non-Sufi) Muslims^[76] based on the teachings of the Qur'an 5:32.

Division of the World[link]

Qadri refutes the division of the world into two categories Dar al-Islam (the abode of Islam) and Dar al-harb (the abode of war) and that the west is the latter;^[77] Qadri instead divides the world into five categories.^[78] Qadri argues that the word "Dar al-Islam" actually implies "the abode of Peace" rather than the abode of Islam and that all countries under the United Nations (UN), whether Muslim or non-Muslim actually come under Dar al-Ahad (house of treaty) which Qadri says is the same as Dar al-Islam.^[79]

In his 2010 anti-terrorism summer camp in Britain, Qadri further commented on the issue saying,

Muhammad Cartoon Controversy[link]

He expressed concern when cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad were published in newspapers around Europe and sent out a memorandum called 'A call to prevent a clash of civilizations'.^[81][82][83]

Fatwa on Terrorism[link]

On 2 March 2010, Qadri issued a 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism, which is an "absolute" scholarly refutation of all terrorism without "any excuses or pretexts." He said that "Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts." Qadri said his fatwa, which declares terrorists and suicide bombers to be unbelievers, goes further than any previous denunciation.^[84]

The US Congress funded think-tank United States Institute of Peace hosted Qadri in November 2010 to speak about his struggle against radicalism in Islam in light of his Fatwa on Terrorism.^[47]

The Fatwa on Terrorism has been officially endorsed by Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.^[85][86]

Qadri states in his Fatwa on Terrorism:

Burning of Qur'an[link]

On 9 September 2010, Qadri wrote a letter to the U.S. President Barack Obama in response to the controversial 'Burn a Quran Day' urging him to stop this incident from happening.^[88] Qadri wrote in an article published on the CNN website: "If this event had gone ahead it would not be less than 9/11 in the sense of far-reaching consequences and after-effects." he added: "A handful of individuals, it does not matter whether they are related to mosque or church, cannot be given the right to flippantly play about with peaceful co-existence, and their so-called sentiments cannot be preferred over global peace."^[89]

Islamic State[link]

Qadri views an Islamic state as a Muslim-majority country which respects freedom, the rule of law, global human rights (including religious freedom), social welfare, women's rights and the rights of minorities.^[90]

He also claims that the Constitution of Medina "declared the state of Madinah as a political unit". He also mentions that the Constitution declared the "indivisible composition of the Muslim nation (Ummah)".^[91]

With respect to the Constitution of Medina, Qadri says: "This was the constitution, which provided the guarantee of fundamental human rights in our history." He believes that "a constitution is a man-made law and by no means it can be declared superior to a God-made law."^[91]

He believes in the Sovereignty of God’s law, that the Qur'an and Sunnah equates to State law, and that Islam encourages political activity. Qadri sees Islam as a faith which allows political participation. He believes in democracy and human rights, and argues that rights are defined in Islam by the Qur'an and Sunnah.^{[citation needed]}

Political career[link]

On May 25, 1989, Qadri founded a political party Pakistan Awami Tehreek or PAT. The main aims of this political party are to introduce the culture of true democracy, economic stability, improve the state of human rights, justice and the women's role in Pakistan. The PAT also aims to remove corruption from Pakistani politics. Its official website contains its formal manifesto.^[92]

In 1990, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) participated in the national elections just one year after it was founded. In 1991, PAT and TNFJ (Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafria A shia political group ) now known as Tehreek-e-Jafria^[93] signed a 'Communique of Unity' in order to promotes social and religious harmony. In another creative move, PAT for the first time in the political history of Pakistan, introduced an idea of "working relationship" between the three national political forces, PAT, TNFJ and Tehreek-e-Istaqlal.

From 1989 to 1993, Qadri continuously worked as an opposition leader tying to indicate the government's mistakes and to suggest ways for improving the situation in the political, educational, and economical fields. In 1992 he presented a complete working plan for interest-free banking in Pakistan covering all kinds of national and international transaction which was recognized and appreciated by all sections of the society including industrial and banking professionals. PAT offices were also opened in major foreign countries.^[94]

Qadri continued his research alongside his political career and, in 1996, he presented a thesis on the utilization of an observatory for moon sighting based on the more recent scientific findings.^[95]

He was elected as an MNA (Member of the National Assembly) of his Lahore constituent on the Pakistani National Parliament. On 29 November 2004, Qadri announced his resignation as a Member of the National Assembly.^[96] Explaining his resignation he cited the President's broken promises, political corruption and blackmailing, the undemocratic system, institutional inabilities, failures of accountability, the sabotage of National Assembly, global issues including Pakistan-US relations, international terrorism and US global domination, Israeli aggression, the Iraq war, Islamabad-Delhi relations including the Kashmir dispute and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. His 41-page resignation statement is available online to read.^[97]

In a January 2011 address to a meeting of MQI’s Majlis-e-Shura in Lahore, Qadri stated that the current political system of Pakistan protects a 3% ruling elite, while the 97%, who are mainly poor people, have effectively become slaves of this corrupt political system.^[98][99]

Qadri is still influential in Pakistani politics^{[citation needed]}, on October 6, 2011, Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered action on Karachi violence after the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took a suo motu notice on the appeal of Dr Tahir ul Qadri.^[98][100]

On 19 November 2011, speaking via video to a student rally at Punjab University, Lahore, Qadri requested the people to rise against the current political system like an Egyptian-style revolt.^[101] He urged the youth to rebel against the corrupt system and play their role in a Pakistani mass movement.^[102] During a press conference via video conference on 24 November, Qadri stated that even 100 elections under the current corrupt political system will not bring any change in Pakistan and announced that his political party will start countrywide peaceful rallies.^[103]

Published Works[link]

He has authored some 400 published works in Arabic, English and Urdu.^[104][105] Amongst his recent works are:

• “Muqaddima Sira al-Rasul(saw)” is an introduction to his 14 volume Sira of the Prophet Muhammad.^[106][107]

• “Imam Abu Hanifa: Imam al-A’imma fi al-Hadith” This work argues that Imam Azam Abu Hanifa is the Imam of Hadith of all imams of Hadith including Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Nasa’i etc.^[108]

• “Dala’il al-Barakat” (10,000 Durood and Salawat in praise of Muhammad, written in the style of the well-read Dala’il al-Khayrat of Imam Jazuli, which was written nearly 1,000 years ago).

• “Kitab al-Tawhid’”(a detailed treatise on the concept of the unity of Allah) consisting of 2 large volumes.^[109]

• “Minhaj al-Sawi’” (A Hadith compendium in 2 volumes compiled in the pattern and style of Imam Nawawi’s “Riyad al-Salihin رياض الصالحين” and Khatib Tabrizi’s “Mishkat al-Masabih” Consisting of approximately 1,000 pages).

• “Mawlid al-Nabi”, the largest ever written work^{[citation needed]} on the subject of Mawlid, consisting of approximately 1,000 pages.

The income from Qadri’s published books and DVDs and CDs of his lectures goes to his organisation Minhaj-ul-Quran International.^[110]

English works include:

• Righteous Character & Social Interactions: Minhaj_us_Sawi (2012)^[111]
• Prophetic Virtues and Miracles: Minhaj_us_Sawi (2012)^[112]
• The Glorious Qur'an English Translation (2011)^[113]
• Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings (2010)^[114]
• Irfan ul Quran (Modern and Scientific English translation of the Quran) renamed to The Glorious Qur'an^[115]
• Beseeching for Help^[116]
• Peace, Integration and Human Rights^[117]
• Ijtihad (meanings, application and scope)^[118]
• Creation of Man^[119]
• Islamic Concept of Human Nature^[120]
• Islam and Criminality^[121]
• Pearls of Remembrance^[122]
• Islam on Prevention of Heart Diseases^[123]
• Islamic Concept of Intermediation^[124]
• The Constitution of Madina (First ever written constitution)^[125][126]
• Islamic Concept of Knowledge (Al Ilm)^[127]
• Spiritualism and Magnetism^[128]
• Creation and Evolution of the Universe^[129]
• Islam and Freedom of Human Will^[130]
• Islamic Concept of Law^[131]
• Greetings and Salutations on the Prophet^[132] (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم)
• Islam and Politics
• The Islamic State (True Concept and Eradicating Misconceptions (Khilafah))^[133]
• The Ghadir Declaration^[134]
• Virtues of Sayyedah Fatimah^[135]
• Imam Bukhari & the Love of the Prophet[pbuh] (Al-Hidayah Series)^[136]
• Hanafi^[137]

See also[link]

• Minhaj-ul-Quran International
• Qadiriyya Sufi Order
• Fatwa on Terrorism
• Minhaj us Sawi
• The Amman Message
• Contemporary Islamic philosophy
• London Declaration for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism 2011

References[link]