Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks, President of the Muslim Judicial Council, recently returned from the First International Quran Conference held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. The conference was arranged by the International Institute for the Memorization of the Holy Quran.
King Abdullah, who was unable to attend, was represented by the governor of the city of Mecca, Prince Khaled Al Faisal. In his opening address Prince Khaled highlighted and emphasised the commitment of the Saudi King and government to the development of Quranic studies.
The Quran conference comes as a result of a build up of smaller conferences. One such conference was attended by the MJC’S Department of Quranic Affairs’ H.O.D, Sh. Abdullah Awaldien in Kenya in January 2010.
The inclusion of Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks to the Constituent Body of the International Institute for the Memorization of the Holy Quran (Rabita) has placed South Africa on a firm footing with regards to the development of Quran globally. The International Institute has over 50 000 students of Quran worldwide that it subsidizes in an effort to ensure that the Quran remains a living and breathing entity in Muslim communities.
The conference played host to many world renowned scholars of Quran, some of whom are well known to South Africa.
Scholars such as Sh. Ayman Suwaid, Sh. Ahmed bin Isa Al Ma’saraawi and former teacher of Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks’ Dr. Salmaan Tahir Al Nadwi were some of the scholars who delivered papers at the conference. The content of these papers addressed the realities of the condition of Quran learning and teaching in our day and age.
Some of the papers delivered focused on:
- The sustained development of proper Quran recitation.
- A critical look at qualifications of those teaching the Quran.
- Creating awareness in the community about the importance of investing financially to the development of Quran.
- Revisiting the concept of Ijaazah in the field of Quran, what it means and the criteria that need to be fulfilled before Ijaazah can be obtained.
Twenty thought provoking papers were delivered, all of them demonstrating the intellectual monopoly at the disposal of the Muslim world. What came through strongly in the conference was the fact that the Quran is the living constitution of each and every Muslim and that real effort should be made to uphold this miraculous book of Allah. The connection that needs to exist between the Quran and every Muslim was also highlighted.
A suggestion was also made that a council of Quran Scholars be established that would serve as a point of reference internationally, under the auspices of the International Institute, dedicated to the Quran and its’ sciences. There was a unanimous call by all attendees that the International Institute in Saudi Arabia be regarded as the authority for Quran globally. This was due to the tremendous amount of work and resources invested by it to the development of Quran. The General Secretary and very close friend of Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks, Sh. Abdullah bin Ali Basfar was honoured for his dedication, efforts and accomplishments as a genuine servant of the Quran. Sh. Abdullah Basfar was also instrumental in the establishment of the Muslim Judicial Council’s Department of Quranic Affairs.
The conference was well organized and is a testimony to the seriousness and commitment of the International Institute in the field of Quran. Former president of Sudan Mr. Siwaar Dahab, stated that “It comes as no surprise that Saudi Arabia, and its leader, The custodian of the two holy Mosques, arranged a Quran conference such as this. It is a country that from its establishment, attached great importance to the teaching of Quran and as well as the distribution of the Quran. This conference merely confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to the development and preservation of Quran. The conference will take place every three years. The participation of South African scholars in conferences such as these is vital to the development of our own level of competency in the field of Quran studies. |
