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Together We Embrace the Beauty of Islam |
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Written by Remah Alonto-Lomondot
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Saturday, 27 December 2003 |
Alhamdulillah all praise be to Allah.
The Philippine contenders bagged third place both for the male and female categories respectively at the recently concluded 45th International Al- Quran Reciters Assembly held at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The contest that started 17 December and ended 23 December 2003 featured Quran reciters hailing from Arabian, African, European, and of course Asian countries. In the Male category, Malaysia nabbed first place and Indonesia second and our very own Mr. Mohammad Sultan Uka of Zamboanga City obtained third place. Our Moro sister Ms. Rahnia Jacariya from Cotabato City likewise won third place in the female category while first place went to Indonesia and Malaysia second. They were awarded by His Majesty Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni Al- Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi with cash (RM7,000/ea for third place), trophies and certificates. The competition was judged by Islamic clerics from Syria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Iraq, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia and sponsored annually by the Central Organising Committee headed by Dato’ Seri Abdul Hamid Bin Haji Zainal Abidin, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
The theme for this year’s Quran Reciters Assembly, Together We Embrace the Beauty of Islam, is very significant to the situation of the Ummah at present. Despite all the abundant blessings of Allah swt in terms of natural resources in many Islamic countries that could have been our vital bargaining strength in the new world order today, the Muslim Ummah has failed to be a major influential power but instead have become an easy target for demoralization, displacement and eradication. And to make us inferior, they have branded Muslims as terrorists and Islam as a complex religion of hate, violence and terror. And although this unjust and erroneous assessment and discrimination angers us, it is grievously true that the Ummah played a big factor in this. The deficiency lies in the Muslims’ failure to completely adopt Islam as their way of life. There is an imbalance practice of the teachings of Islam. The mistakes of the few Muslims due to narrow interpretation and extremism affect the Ummah as a whole. And the rich and stronger members of the Ummah could not defend the weaker ones and rather than uniting, they disputed and went as far as collaborating with the non- Muslim “superpowers”.
The time has come for Muslims to unify and experience the reality and beauty of Islam so as to amplify and strengthen the Ummah and in doing so Islam will InshaAllah rise and be known as the most beautiful and complete religion that it is. Islam encompasses all aspects of life and for us to succeed, we should not only concentrate on our Fardhu Ain (individual) duties but also work on our Fardhu Kifayah (collective) responsibilities. Alhamdulillah Allah swt has blessed us with the greatest miracle, the Holy Quran, as our guide to the straight path.
Allah swt has said, “(This is) a Book which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember” (Sad 29).
Recorded by al- Bukhari in his Sahih, the Prophet (saw) said, “The best of you is He who learns the Quran and teaches it”. Another hadith says, “Whoever reads one word (harf) of the Quran shall receive a good deed and ten good deeds similar to it..”.
The 45th International Al- Quran Reciters Assembly have succeeded in gathering the best Reciters in the world and it is with honor that we acknowledge our Moro brother Mohammad Sultan Uka and our sister Rahnia Jacariya who with their God given talents MashaAllah have indeed brought pride and dignity to the Bangsamoros.
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