On Thursday 5th May, 2016, the city of Huffadh (Zahedan) was the host of tens of thousands Sunni citizens from different corners of Iran and even outside of the country. They endured the stress of the trips of hundreds and thousands of miles just to show their respect for knowledge and Ulama.
In the annual graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan, which has been the biggest gathering of the Iranian Sunnis in recent years, about 200.000 men and women took part. They mostly belonged to Sistan-Baluchistan, Kerman, Khorasan Razavi, Khorasan Jonoubi, Khorasan Shomali, Golestan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Azerbaijan Gharbi, Gilan, Hormozgan, Fars, Bushehr, Tehran and other provinces and regions.
The 25th graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan had different items for the audience; many Islamic scholars and academic intellectuals, some of them from the Shia community, talked to the participants and about ten beautiful Islamic songs were presented.
The speakers mainly were urging on the unity of Muslims and avoiding from going to extremes. They presented their solutions on the crises of the Muslim world.
Although the ceremony was started on Thursday morning officially, but the organizers of the gathering began made the free times of devotee guests before it. There were some groups of Jamaa’t Tabligh in Darululoom and then in the evening of Wednesday (May 4, 2016), some scholars and preachers delivered their speeches. In this part, Hafez Mohammad-Kareem Saleh, Mamousta Sayyid Hussein Wajhi, Abdullah Husseini, Ayatollah Shariati, Molawi Rashed Bondar, Molawi Abdol-Wahed Husseini who belong to Baluchistan, Azerbaijan Gharbi, Hormozgan and Fars provinces.
Start of the ceremony
In the morning of Thursday, after Fajr prayers the guests listened to the exegesis of some Qur’anic verses of Mawlana Abdol-Ghani Badri. Two hours later, the ceremony was started officially by recitation of the Noble Qur’an.
First of all, Molawi Asif Ahmadi, a graduate of the ongoing academic year presented his lecture. He termed ‘imitation of the Noble Qur’an and Sunnah’ the only way for Muslims’ victory.
Dr. Sayyid Ahmad Hashemi, a teacher of Islamic schools in the southern Iran and member of Da’wat & Eslah organization, also talked to the audience of the 25th graduation ceremony. He mentioned the ethnic and religious diversity of Iran an ‘opportunity’ and urged on the necessity of enhancing ‘tolerance’ and ‘accepting others’.
The eloquent scholar of Khorasan, Molawi Behzad Fiqhi, was the other lecturer. He talked about the Islamic awakening in the viewpoints of Allamah Iqbal and Allamah Abul-Hassan Ali Nadwi. He said only the correct Islamic thought can resolve the crises of the Muslim nation.
Ayatollah Bi-Azaar Shirazi and Mehdi Ahadi, the two prominent Shia scholars from Qom expressed their happiness on their presence in the graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan. They said, “This meeting is harmless for the Islamic revolution [of Iran]. Sunnis are the powerful arms of the country.”
Dr. Jalal Jalalizadeh, a well-known Iranian Sunni intellectual and political activist, also talked to the audiences of the ceremony. He expressed his sorrow over the ongoing crises of the Muslim world and termed ‘returning to Sunnah’ the only remedy.
The ex-member of the Iranian parliament called ‘Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol-Hamid’ the honor of the Muslim world and Iranian Sunnis. “By forcing no one can enforce others to accept others’ tenets and views. As well as by creating obstacles for people, their relations cannot be cut and it is not any service to Islam.”
Shaikh Kheradnia and Mawlana Mohammad Othman were the last lecturers of the first session of the 25th graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan. They described the ceremony in accordance with the interests of Muslims who need unity more than any time. Mawlana Mohammad Othman shed light on the virtues of the companions in his speech and urged the divine satisfaction with them was everlasting in the Qur’an.
This part of the ceremony was concluded by the supplication of Mawlana Mohammad-Anwar Mollazahi and reading the messages of some scholars who could not take part in the ceremony.
Final part of the ceremony
In the second part of the ceremony, Mufti Mohammad Qasem Qasemi, the senior Hadith and Fiqh teacher at Darululoom Zahedan, delivered his speech. Before it, a beautiful nasheed was presented by two famous artists, Zia-ur-Rahman Sehhat and Mohammad Omar Khammar.
Mufti Qasemi talked about the glorious life of the Last Messenger of Allah and termed the incident of Taef one of the most difficult moments for the Prophet, peace be upon him. “If we endure difficulties in the way of the Almighty, He will approach us to the peak of respect and honor,” he added more.
The chief editor of Neday-e-Islam magazine introduced the life and characters of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, are examples of ‘temperance and sobriety’. He said the root of the Muslims’ problem was in neglecting Seerah and Sunnah of the prophet, peace be upon him.
After him, Molawi Fazl-ur-Rahman Raisi and young Afghan singer, Farhad Akbar presented their nice works in Balochi, Persian and Arabic languages.
Finally, after Magrib prayers Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol-Hamid, the chief speaker and rector of Darululoom Zahedan came to the stage. Click here to read his speech.
Calling the names of 193 male graduates and 133 female graduates of Darululoom Zahedan along with 44 male Hafez and 10 female memorizers of the Qur’an was the last item of the ceremony.
After the submissive Du’a of Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, “Shams-ud-Deen Soroudi”, a prominent Sunni artist and his group from the southern Iran presented on the stage. Their nasheed was welcomed by the audience very warmly.
It is noteworthy more than 50.000 women took part in the ceremony who mostly sat inside and outside of the Grand Makki Masjid, a kilometer away from the main place of the ceremony. The 25th graduation ceremony was broadcasted on net in a live coverage and in the forms of text and pictures, too.
Comments